England international James Maddison was one of three Leicester City stars dropped for the 3-2 Premier League defeat at West Ham on Sunday after breaching COVID-19 protocols.

Maddison, Hamza Choudhury and Ayoze Perez were absent for disciplinary reasons, with the Telegraph reporting the trio were left out by manager Brendan Rodgers for attending a party last weekend.

Speaking after the game, Rodgers said he was "bitterly disappointed" with their breach of the rules but said the players would be back in contention for the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton next weekend.

He said in a press conference: "My objective coming into Leicester City was to create a standard on and off the pitch. The standards fell way below what we'd expect and particularly at this time of the season, when we're challenging and fighting to finish off a really exciting season.

"That standard and the values we have as a club, they fell well below that. The guys that weren't involved in the squad today would have been, but as a consequence of their behaviour, they weren't.

"I could easily fine players and it's a drop in the ocean now and everything is right, but then the dynamic isn't quite right in the squad. I had to deal with that throughout the week, the players are bitterly disappointed.

"They are good boys, they knew what the consequence was, they wouldn't be involved in this game and now we draw a line under it. They will rejoin the squad, train next week and get ready for next weekend."

Leicester said in a statement: "The club has made its expectations around adherence to COVID-19 protocols abundantly clear to all its personnel.

"It is extremely disappointing, therefore, to learn of a breach that had the potential to undermine the efforts of club staff to protect the environments in which our teams train and play. Appropriate measures have been taken to prevent our team bubbles being compromised.

"We wholly expect our people to behave in a way that reflects the national effort and the sacrifices made by our communities to control the spread of the virus. Those involved have apologised for their poor judgement.

"Our response to the matter will be concluded internally."

Andrea Pirlo had no issues with Cristiano Ronaldo throwing his shirt on the ground after failing to score in Juventus' Serie A victory over Genoa.

Dejan Kulusevski, Alvaro Morata and Weston McKennie were on target as Juve took another step towards sealing a Champions League spot with a 3-1 win at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.

Ronaldo has found the back of the net 32 times for the Bianconeri this season, but cut a frustrated figure after he was unable to add to his tally in Turin.

The Portugal captain struck the post in the first half before Morata followed up to double Juve's lead and hit the target only twice in six attempts.

Ronaldo whipped off his shirt and hurled it on the turf following the final whistle and head coach Pirlo had no problem with that reaction.

Pirlo said: "He was keen on scoring. He is one of the champions because they always want to leave their mark, but these are normal things that happen."

Juve came under pressure after dominating the first half and were in danger of losing their lead following Gianluca Scamacca's goal early in the second half.

Pirlo was concerned by the manner in which they let Genoa come back into the game.

He added: "It all seemed easy, at the end of the first half we suffered an opportunity due to lack of concentration.

"It had happened to us in other games, it could cost us dearly. We entered the field wanting to play the game but we sat back."

Paulo Dybala had to once again settle for being introduced as a substitute after coming off the bench to score in a huge win over Napoli amid speculation over his future.

Pirlo defended his decision not to start the playmaker, who spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

The former Italy midfielder said: "I'm lucky enough to coach the champions and Dybala is one of them so I try to be able to make the most of him in every game.

"We didn't have him available very much this year, now he's back and it will help us to give us a hand in this final rush. The managers are there for these decisions."

Pablo Carreno Busta won his first home ATP Tour title at the Andalucia Open on Sunday, while Lorenzo Sonego triumphed in Cagliari.

Hunting a fifth Tour title, top-seed Carreno Busta needed three sets to overcome compatriot Jaume Munar 6-1 2-6 6-4 in Marbella.

It is his 200th tour-level win, though it took him two hours and 21 minutes to claim his maiden Spanish title, and his first win since 2019.

Carreno Busta certainly had to work hard for it, with Munar having battled to 4-4 in the decider.

Yet a seventh break point of the ninth game was taken by Carreno Busta, whose powerful backhand return forced his 23-year-old opponent into an error.

Meanwhile, Sonego became the first Italian since Filippo Volandri in October 2006 to win an ATP Tour title on home soil as he overcame Laslo Djere in the Sardegna Open. 

Serbian Djere was on a nine-match winning streak in Italy, but Sonego – who won the doubles title on Saturday – succeeded 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

Sonego is the first player since Feliciano Lopez at the 2019 Queen's Club Championships to win both the doubles and singles titles, and the first Italian to do so since Matteo Berrettini at the 2018 Swiss Open Gstaad.

It represents a second tour-level triumph for world number 34 Sonego, who previously won the 2019 Antalya Open.

Jadon Sancho has returned to training with a ball at his feet as he continues his comeback from a muscle injury, a timely boost for Borussia Dortmund as they prepare to face Manchester City.

Sancho has not featured since March 2 due to a thigh issue, but BVB posted social media footage of him carrying out an individual on-pitch session on Sunday.

The England international's recovery comes ahead of Dortmund hosting City in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

Sancho was unable to feature against his former club in the initial meeting, a game the Premier League club won 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Phil Foden at the Etihad Stadium.

Prior to the first leg, Dortmund coach Edin Terzic had said of Sancho: "He started with a bit of running for the last couple of days and we hope that it won't take a long time to get back to team training, but he won't be ready for the next week, let's say.

"For the future it's hard to tell. First of all, we still have seven games left in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Champions League."

Dortmund have been beaten in their previous two home games against English sides in the Champions League - against Tottenham in both 2017-18 and 2018-19 - having lost just one of their first seven such fixtures.

Their only home meeting with City ended in a 1-0 victory for the German side, and a repeat of that result in midweek would be enough to earn a place in the semi-finals.

Even if the clash with City comes too soon for Sancho, the 21-year-old looks set to feature in a critical run-in.

Dortmund sit fifth in the Bundesliga table, seven points behind fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt with eight games to play.

There also remains the possibility of silverware in the DFB-Pokal, with BVB facing Holstein Kiel – the second-tier side who knocked Bayern Munich out of the competition – in the last four.

Sancho has managed 12 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions in the 2020-21 season so far, having scored 20 and set up 19 in the previous campaign.

Fabio Paratici has confirmed contract talks between Juventus and Paulo Dybala are continuing.

Dybala's current deal with Juve runs out in 2022. Injuries have limited the Argentina forward to just 12 Serie A appearances this season, with the former Palermo star scoring only three top-flight goals – last netting in Wednesday's win over Napoli.

The 27-year-old was reportedly on the verge of joining Tottenham in 2019, while Manchester United are another Premier League club who are mooted suitors.

However, chief football officer Paratici has confirmed Juve intend to keep hold of their number 10, with discussions over a possible fresh deal ongoing, although the impact of COVID-19 has hit the club's finances.

"We talk to Dybala’s agent every week," Paratici told Sky Italia prior to Juve's Serie A game with Genoa on Sunday.

"Clearly, we can't forget the moment we are living, and I am not only talking about football. One year ago, COVID appeared to be lasting just a couple of months.

"There have been steps forwards and backwards and now there's a sense of negativity we can't leave. We must be responsible for everything we do, not only in football."

Dybala started on the bench against Genoa, with Alvaro Morata getting the nod as the preferred partner for Cristiano Ronaldo up top.

Morata scored as Juve secured a 3-1 win, taking his tally for the season to 17 goals across all competitions.

The 28-year-old Morata is only on loan from Atletico Madrid, and there have been rumours that Juve will not look to extend his stay, but Paratici suggested that is not the case.

"We have many options regarding Morata," Paratici said.

"We can sign him on a permanent deal or extend his stay on loan. He's given a lot to Juventus and we trust him. He is a serious guy and we've always believed in him."

DYBALA AND MORATA – HEAD TO HEAD

If it is a case of one or the other for Juve, then who should the Serie A giants choose to keep – Dybala, or Morata?

Morata has featured 37 times in all competitions for Juve this season, playing 19 games more than Dybala (18).

Dybala's four goals overall pale in comparison to Morata's 17 strikes, with the Spain international also having a much more impressive minutes-per-goal record (one every 144.4 minutes compared to 225.8).

Morata has also registered 11 assists (Dybala has only two) from 53 chances created, while he also boasts a better big chance conversion rate.

Dybala has managed just 41 shots, with Morata 32 ahead in this regard, albeit from more games played.

Antonio Conte said his exuberant celebration was a "reward" for the team after Matteo Darmian's winner for Inter in the Serie A leaders' 1-0 victory over Cagliari.

Darmian converted Achraf Hakimi's cross to the far post 13 minutes from time as Inter took another step towards the Scudetto, maintaining their 11-point lead at the top.

Conte reacted to the goal by running down the sideline and leaping into a celebratory huddle with his players before then planting a kiss on creator Hakimi.

Milan put some pressure on by defeating Parma on Saturday, and Conte believes Inter's triumphant response was worth double with just eight games left in the season.

"I'm always stressed but the celebration was a reward for the lads, as was the kiss to [Achraf] Hakimi," Conte told DAZN.

"I don't consider myself to be an older brother but I often kiss them on the forehead, they know the affection I have for them and that I'm ready to throw myself into the fire for them. Hakimi deserved it, as did Darmian.

"I keep repeating the same thing. The matches are becoming fewer and the victories start to be worth six points.

"Milan won yesterday in Parma and it was important for us to maintain the distance at the top, but by now we are used to this type of situation.

"For many it is the first time they are playing under this pressure and having to win because others are picking up points, but I am very satisfied with the progress of these guys.

"We have grown so much in the space of under two seasons from every point of view, and show this every Sunday.

"I say the 'countdown' to the title in quotations, because we play to win and always push forward. We are not a team that makes calculations and I do not want us to, because I like winning too much and I want the players to feel this too.

"The objective is in sight but we are not there yet, we have won three big games in eight days but at the same time we know it's not enough because there are eight more matches."

Dejan Kulusevski scored his first goal since January as Juventus took another step towards securing a Champions League spot with a 3-1 win over Genoa.

Kulusevski opened the scoring early on and Alvaro Morata doubled Juve's lead midway through the first half of Sunday's Serie A clash at Allianz Stadium.

Genoa posed much more of a threat after the break and Gianluca Scamacca's goal early in the second half gave them hope.

Weston McKennie gave Andrea Pirlo's side breathing space with a third goal as they moved a point behind third-placed Milan with eight games to play.

Juan Cuadrado was the architect for Juve's opening goal four minutes in, bamboozling Nicolo Rovella with great trickery before cutting the ball into the path of Kulusevski, who found the far corner of the net with a measured left-foot finish.

The champions were in the mood and doubled their last after 21 minutes, with a moment to forget for Ivan Radovanovic.

Federico Chiesa raced away from the defender after robbing him just inside the Juve half before forcing a fine save from Mattia Perin and although Cristiano Ronaldo struck the post from a tight angle, the onrushing Morata lashed the loose ball home with his left foot.

Perin palmed Adrien Rabiot's rasping drive away and Wojciech Szczesny prevented Scamacca from pulling a goal back on the stroke of half-time after the striker got away from Matthijs de Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini with a sharp turn.

Scamacca halved the deficit three minutes into the second half, though, heading home an outswinging corner from the Juve-owned Rovella with De Ligt on the floor claiming he was pushed.

The Bianconeri looked shaky at the back and Marko Pjaca forced a great save from Szczesny before the same player fired wastefully off target from inside the area.

McKennie eased the tension just a couple of minutes after coming on, calmly finishing after clearly thinking he had strayed offside.

Matteo Darmian was the unlikely hero as Inter made it 11 league wins on the spin with a 1-0 triumph over Cagliari, in the process restoring their 11-point lead at the top of Serie A.

Antonio Conte's table-topping side turned in a sluggish performance in the early kick-off on Sunday, though eventually scored the only goal of the game with 13 minutes remaining.

Darmian arrived at the back post to convert Achraf Hakimi's low cross from Inter's right flank, the former Manchester United defender's finish finally breaking Cagliari's stubborn resistance.

Milan had closed the gap to the leaders on Saturday thanks to a 3-1 triumph at Parma, despite a red card for Zlatan Ibrahimovic after 60 minutes.

Inter appeared in danger of failing to win in the league for the first time since January 23 against opponents who arrived at San Siro having lost three on the spin, a run of results that had increased the prospects of Cagliari dropping into the second tier.

However, Leonardo Semplici's strugglers frustrated their hosts for the majority of proceedings, aided by an excellent performance from Guglielmo Vicario.

The visitors' goalkeeper twice kept out long-range attempts from Christian Eriksen, as well as denying Darmian in the first half.

Stefano Sensi also saw a strike kept out by Vicario, who had some help from the crossbar when Stefan de Vrij's powerful header from Eriksen's delivery left him rooted to the spot.

Conte sent on Lautaro Martinez in the 70th minute, though it was fellow substitute Hakimi who made the more telling contribution in a cameo appearance, delivering the ball into the path of Darmian to slide in and finish.

Ben Waine headed a late winner as Wellington Phoenix came from behind to beat Western United 3-2 in an A-League thriller on Sunday.

Besart Berisha put United on course for a third consecutive win with a penalty 32 minutes in after Lachlan Wales was upended by Tim Payne at WIN Stadium.

Wellington were level on the stroke of half-time, though, when Ulises Davila struck from the spot, making Andrew Durante pay for handling in the area.

Jaushua Sotirio got on the end of a Davila volley to put the Phoenix in front for the first time, but Iker Guarrotxena nodded just over the line three minutes later to peg Ufuk Talay's side back.

There was a final twist, however, as Waine nodded in fellow academy graduate Sam Sutton's cross from close range and was able to resume his celebrations, which had been cut short by an offside flag, following a VAR check.

Wellington had suffered back-to-back defeats, but three points moved them up a place to ninth.

Frank Vogel felt the depleted Los Angeles Lakers' 126-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets was one of their best of the year.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma were among the Lakers' absentees at the Barclays Center on Saturday, but they came out on top against a Nets side who occupy second place in the NBA Eastern Conference.

Lakers guard Dennis Schroder and the Nets' seven-time All-Star Kyrie Irving were ejected after clashing in the third quarter.

The defending champions went on to improve to 33-20, Andre Drummond weighing in with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, with Talen Horton-Tucker laying on a career-high 11 assists.

Lakers coach Vogel said: "When you see guys out and you see a great opponent like the Nets, you can be a little bit overwhelmed and not sure if you're going to have a chance to win it.

"But you want to have a go-after-these-guys mindset. And we knew coming in that if we were able to prevail short-handed against this opponent that it would feel good and it would be one of the best wins of the year. So, we're happy about that."

Vogel added: "Like I said all along, all season long, when we play scrappy on the defensive end, we always have a chance. I'm super proud of our group."

Drummond was impressed with the character shown by his team-mates in a big victory on the road.

"I learned a lot from today's game: that we have a lot of guys in this locker room that are very tough," he said.

"Despite who is on the other side of the court, they're going to come out and play. No matter how many minutes guys play, they're going to play to the best of their ability. And we have fun doing it. We had a lot of fun tonight playing and getting this win."

The Crusaders sealed a golden-point victory over the Hurricanes as David Havili's drop goal settled a memorable contest in extra time.

Havili's heroics secured a 30-27 triumph for the four-time defending champions against Super Rugby Aotearoa's rock-bottom side on Sunday.

It was a thrilling clash in Wellington, in which the Crusaders bounced back from last weekend's surprise loss to the Highlanders, who on Saturday were on the wrong end of Super Rugby's first golden-point result.

The win takes Scott Robertson's Crusaders eight points clear of the Blues at the summit.

George Bridge touched down twice early on as it appeared the visitors were setting themselves up for a routine win.

But the Hurricanes had other ideas, Ngani Laumape showing a turn of speed to sprint clear and dot down.

Then, after Richie Mo'unga's penalty, Julian Savea collected James Blackwell's pass to cross the line, with Jordie Barrett levelling matters with the conversion.

Laumape's yellow card did little to stifle the Hurricanes' momentum as Wes Goosen exploited a gap in the Crusaders defence to grab a try, the hosts taking a 27-20 lead.

That, however, was as good as it got for the Hurricanes, with Seva Reece's converted try taking the game to extra time, where Havili had the final say.

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid believes he is still in consideration for the NBA's MVP, insisting he has been the best player all season when fit.

Embiid was reportedly the frontrunner for the league's Most Valuable Player award before missing 10 games with a knee injury.

The four-time All-Star scored 24 points in his return against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 3, and he followed that up with 35 points in a win over the Boston Celtics.

Embiid struggled in Friday's loss against the New Orleans Pelicans – posting 14 points on just five-for-15 shooting – but he was close to his best with 27 points and nine rebounds as the 76ers took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-93 on Saturday.

"When it comes to the MVP stuff, I feel like I'm still right there," Embiid said post-game.

"When I'm on the floor, I feel like I've been the best all season, just doing my thing.

"Just dominating with the help of my team-mates and the coaches putting me in the right positions to succeed."

Embiid finishing 10-of-17 from the field, making seven of nine free-throws to lift the 76ers on the road against the Thunder.

The 76ers big man had 21 points in the first half – his 12th 20-point first half of the season – matching Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic for the most in the NBA.

Embiid is now one of three players with at least 20 20-point halves (first or second), joining Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors superstars Stephen Curry.

"To get 21 by half-time, I was shocked by that," said 76ers head coach Doc Rivers. "I didn't see that 21 which tells you how efficient he was being.

"I thought he did a great job of facilitating tonight as well. The brace bothers him, there's no doubt about that. He's gonna have to wear it for a couple more weeks I think, hopefully, less, but he's getting through it, and he's doing the best that he can."

In 2020-21, Embiid is averaging 29.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for the 76ers – who are top of the Eastern Conference alongside the Brooklyn Nets.

On wearing a knee brace, Embiid added: "It just feels like every shot that I take, I just have a hitch and it's not a full motion or it's not as smooth as it was in the past, even though the makes, when I make him. I just got to get used to it and get back to where I was before.

"When you have a brace cutting that blood flow and blood circulation on your legs, my legs get tired fast. It's an adjustment, but it's there to protect me so I just got to keep doing it."

The short-handed Toronto Blue Jays claimed a much-needed 15-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels as unheralded duo Josh Palacios and Santiago Espinal stepped up on Saturday.

Toronto had lost four consecutive MLB games and were without some key weapons for the third matchup of the Angels series, including star recruit George Springer and Silver Slugger Teoscar Hernandez.

But the Blue Jays returned to form thanks to the likes of Palacios and Espinal – Toronto, who had scored seven runs across their previous 31 innings, using a seven-run second inning to blitz the Angels in Dunedin after rain delayed the start of proceedings for almost three hours.

Palacios managed his first MLB hit and scored on a three-run double from Randal Grichuk as he finished with four runs and as many hits against the Angels.

The 25-year-old became the second player in American League (AL) history with four-plus hits and four-plus runs in one of his first two career games, per Stats Perform. The other was Wid Conroy in 1901.

Espinal – called up to the Blue Jays from the alternate training site on Saturday – had two runs and three hits in five at-bats as Toronto registered 15 runs without homering.

Bo Bichette had five RBIs with three runs and two hits, while Marcus Semien and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also scored.

Steven Matz impressed in his start for the Blue Jays, allowing just one run and five hits across six strong innings, while Angels pitcher Jose Quintana was tagged with the loss after giving up five hits, seven runs – five earned – in less than two innings.

Dodgers flex muscles in LA, Locastro makes history

Chris Taylor hit a three-run homer as World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals 9-5. The Dodgers improved to 7-2 for the season after AJ Pollock also drove in three runs. Juan Soto homered twice but it was not enough for the visiting Nationals.

Tim Locastro became the first player on record (since 1951) to start a career with 28 consecutive stolen bases without being caught. It came as the Arizona Diamondbacks topped the Cincinnati Reds 8-3.

Jacob deGrom matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, but the New York Mets were blanked 3-0 by the Miami Marlins.

Avisail Garcia homered, doubled and drove in five runs as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St Louis Cardinals 9-5. Keston Hiura hit a three-run homer in a five-run seventh inning for the Brewers.

Yankees shut out as German pays the price

It was a miserable outing for Domingo German and the New York Yankees, who were blanked 4-0 by AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays. Austin Meadows and Randy Arozarena homered off German. The Yankees optioned German to the club's alternate site after the shut-out loss. 

Memorable day for Espinal

Toronto's Espinal will not be forgetting Saturday's game any time soon. Prior to starring for the Blue Jays, the 26-year-old Dominican infielder met iconic countryman and MLB legend Albert Pujols thanks to team-mate Guerrero. Angels star Pujols is a two-time World Series champion, three-time National League (NL) MVP, 10-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glove winner and one of the Dominican Republic's most famous names.

Saturday's results

Miami Marlins 3-0 New York Mets
Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 New York Yankees
Seattle Mariners 4-3 Minnesota Twins
Milwaukee Brewers 9-5 St Louis Cardinals
San Francisco Giants 4-3 Colorado Rockies
Oakland Athletics 7-3 Houston Astros
Cleveland Indians 11-3 Detroit Tigers
Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 Chicago Cubs
Boston Red Sox 6-4 Baltimore Orioles
San Diego Padres 7-4 Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves 5-4 Philadelphia Phillies
Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 Cincinnati Reds
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 Washington Nationals
Toronto Blue Jays 15-1 Los Angeles Angels
Kansas City Royals-Chicago White Sox (postponed)

Angels at Blue Jays

The Blue Jays (4-5) will look to level their series with the Angels (6-3) in Sunday's decider in Dunedin.