Norwich manager David Wagner can look forward to a reunion with close friend Jurgen Klopp following a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium that secured a fourth-round tie at Liverpool.

Matt Taylor’s League One side threatened an upset when Luke McCormick fired them ahead after 20 minutes but Norwich rallied in the second half with goals from Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean seeing them into round four.

Rovers began the third-round replay brightly and former Norwich striker Chris Martin saw an early effort drift just wide before Luke Thomas’ header was comfortably saved by George Long.

Norwich, without the injured Josh Sargent, struggled to get going as an attacking force and that allowed the Gas to continue to press with only a superb Long save denying Antony Evans.

It proved to be only temporary respite for Norwich as from the subsequent corner McCormick put the Gas in command with a carefully-placed low drive from just inside the penalty area.

Things went from bad to worse for Wagner’s lacklustre side when defender Danny Batth limped off injured.

Norwich were sparked into life by the energetic Sara, who finally gave the travelling supporters something to shout about with a long-range effort that Matt Cox did well to push over.

But back came Rovers and Thomas should have doubled the lead just before half-time as the Norwich defence fell apart but he wasted an inviting opening and side-footed wide of Long’s goal from just outside the area.

Rovers continued to enjoy the upper hand after the break and only a fine, low save by Long kept out Thomas’ powerfully-struck shot and only desperate defending kept the hosts at bay as they pressed for a potentially decisive second goal.

Norwich got their attacking act together and were level on 53 minutes thanks to the impressive Sara, who bundled the ball home from close range after Sam McCallum’s effort struck the post with the Rovers defence at sixes and sevens.

Rovers were soon back on the front but were punished for their ambition when they were caught out on a swift counter-attack by the marauding Canaries.

The hosts were left outnumbered as Norwich poured forward and were punished when Connor Taylor brought down McLean in the box following a collision.

Referee Andy Davies pointed to the spot and while Brentford loanee Cox got a hand to Idah’s penalty it was not enough to stop the ball from spinning over the line to give Norwich a 59th-minute lead.

Rovers kept going but Martin was brilliantly denied an equaliser by Long as the League One side’s dreams of a first visit to Anfield since 1992 faded.

McLean sealed victory in the 87th minute with a long-range effort to ease Norwich nerves.

Everton midfielder Andre Gomes’ first Goodison Park goal in almost five years settled a dreary FA Cup third-round replay against Crystal Palace.

With the temperature sub-zero the match did little to animate the 37,796 hardy souls in attendance but Gomes’ strike – the Toffees’ first from a direct free-kick in 197 games in a run dating back to August 2019 – was the one real highlight.

Gomes’ long stretch without a goal on home soil went back even further than Lucas Digne’s set-piece against Lincoln in the Carabao Cup in August 2019 but it was worth the wait.

Initially fouled by Jeffrey Schlupp 25 yards out the Portuguese took responsibility and curled a sumptuous effort over the wall and in off the post.

After three matches without a goal it was very much worthy of securing Everton a first third-round victory over top-flight opposition since they beat Sheffield Wednesday in 1988.

Palace’s winter break meant they had a free fortnight from the original tie – itself a drab goalless draw – to prepare. Everton, whose own break was eaten into by this replay, had three days.

Manager Sean Dyche made four changes from Sunday’s goalless draw with Aston Villa but two were enforced – Seamus Coleman and Abdoulaye Doucoure were both carrying knocks – while he rested goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

His deputy Joao Virginia had arguably his best game in his five-year spell at the club with a string of good saves to keep a clean sheet.

Gomes was deployed in Doucoure’s position just behind the striker, bringing a more measured, less energetic approach which meant Dominic Calvert-Lewin was often left isolated.

The England striker, now more than 17 hours without a goal, had a chance early on but his near-post shot was turned behind by Sam Johnstone before watching a promising Jack Harrison cross float over his head.

Quality of the final ball was a frequent cause for consternation as it was almost always over-hit and that left Calvert-Lewin frequently chasing lost causes down the channels.

Palace, by contrast, had much better control in the final third and in Eberechi Eze a player whose direct running opened up opportunities, highlighted by him side-stepping Vitalii Mykolenko only to fail to properly test Virginia, while Schlupp flicked over a pass from Jefferson Lerma.

But Schlupp was to have a more pivotal role at the other end with his unnecessary bringing down of Gomes as he set off on a lone run towards the penalty area allowing the Portuguese to exact immediate revenge.

Virginia made a good save from Tyrick Mitchell to ensure their half-time lead and will have been delighted to see Eze was surprisingly taken off in the 65th minute, prompting chants to boss Roy Hodgson of “You don’t know what you’re doing” from the away fans.

However, they were almost proved wrong when Odsonne Edouard’s shot on the turn was well saved by Virginia.

Calvert-Lewin’s almost three-month wait for a goal continued when he flashed an angled shot across goal while Gomes’ replacement Lewis Dobbin had a header deflected wide.

But the final say went to Virginia who made two crucial saves in added time to secure a home tie against fellow Premier League strugglers Luton.

The Indiana Pacers are acquiring Pascal Siakam in a trade with the Toronto Raptors.

As part of the deal, which was reported Wednesday by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers are sending Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks to the Raptors in exchange for Siakam.

A third team in the trade, the New Orleans Pelicans, are swapping second-round picks with Indiana and shipping Kira Lewis to Toronto.

Siakam led the Raptors in scoring this season with an average of 22.2 points per game, along with averages of 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Siakam joins a Pacers team that averages a league-high 125.6 points per game and will play alongside All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

With a 23-17 record, Indiana sits in third place in the Central Division and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference as it looks to make the play-offs for the first time since 2020. 

A two-time All-NBA selection, Siakam had spent his first eight NBA seasons in Toronto and helped the Raptors win the NBA title in 2018-19.

Drafted 27th overall by the Raptors in 2016, the 29-year-old was named an All-Star in 2019-20, as well as last season, when he averaged a career-best 24.2 points.

Siakam is set to become a free agent this summer, and the Pacers are reportedly expected to re-sign him. He becomes eligible to sign a five-year deal that could pay him as much as $247million.

This is the second big trade in the last three weeks for the rebuilding Raptors, who sent OG Anunoby and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks on December 30.

Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon has joined Brentford on loan until the end of the season.

The Bees are short of full-back options with first-choice left-back Rico Henry ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.

Thomas Frank has used Aaron Hickey and even attacker Saman Ghoddos out wide, while also deploying a 3-5-2 formation, but will be able to call upon recognised left-back Reguilon for the remainder of the season.

Brentford head coach Frank said: “This is a very good signing for us. We’ve been talking for a while about how we need a good left-back and we managed to get a very good left-back.

“Sergio is a perfect fit for us: a proven Premier League player in every aspect. He fits what we want. He’s very offensive, has a very good cross and a very good left foot.

“He’s got the experience we need to complement the rest of the squad and he’s a good character.

“We need him, but I also think he needs us to show how good a footballer he is. I’m convinced that this will be a positive partnership.”

Reguilon spent the first half of the campaign with Manchester United and made 12 appearances, but returned to Spurs this month after Erik ten Hag’s side decided to activate a break clause in the deal.

Another temporary move away from north London was always expected with Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou boasting plenty of competition in the left-back area.

Brentford have secured Reguilon’s services in a straight loan deal with no option or obligation to make the transfer permanent, the PA news agency understands.

One-time Spain international Reguilon could make his Bees debut in Saturday’s Premier League home fixture with Nottingham Forest, but will sit out the trip to parent club Spurs on January 31 owing to the terms of his loan.

Luke Littler is ready to get “back to business” as he begins life after his sensational World Championship campaign.

The 16-year-old took Alexandra Palace by storm over Christmas, bulldozing his way to the final on debut before losing to Luke Humphries.

His life changed forever during that run as he became front-page news, enjoyed celebrity status and has been given a seat at the top table of the sport.

That begins with an appearance in the Bahrain Masters, starting on Thursday, where he takes on Man Lok Leung in the first round.

Littler, who could play Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals, is refreshed after a holiday and raring to go.

“It’s back to business for me now,” he said. “I’ve chilled out and not really thrown many darts since the World Championship final, but I’m sure that once I’m in the practice room I’ll be alright.

“I like playing all the time but after the World Championship I wanted to get away, which me and the family did. Hopefully I can have a good event here to get back playing.

“I’m in this event in Bahrain, in the Dutch Darts Masters next week and then the Premier League. I don’t really have any goals, I’m just going to have to see what the darts do.”

Littler has continued living the high life during his break as he spent time with his beloved rugby league club Warrington while also getting the chance to meet Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson.

“It’s been crazy. Warrington Wolves invited me down and I went to the Manchester United game and met Sir Alex Ferguson,” he added.

“To meet him was amazing and he said some lovely things to me about staying dedicated and believing in myself.

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“The holiday was great to get away from everything and we did that. My life’s changed and my family’s life has changed and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’m getting.”

Michael Smith begins the defence of his title against Paolo Nebrida while world champion and world number one Humphries begins his reign against Abdulla Saeed.

Michael van Gerwen plays Hasan Haji, Gerwyn Price takes on Reynaldo Rivera, Aspinall is paired with Lourence Ilagan, Rob Cross has drawn Tomoya Goto and Peter Wright kicks off against Haruki Muramatsu.

The NBA has postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Warriors and Utah Jazz after Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic suffered a medical emergency at a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night.

The Warriors did not provide any details on the emergency, but multiple reports said the 46-year-old Milojevic had a cardiac event.

Milojevic played professionally in Europe from 1994-2009, winning the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player Award three years in a row (2004-06).

He became a head coach in his native Serbia from 2012-20 and in Montenegro in 2021.

Milojevic joined Golden State head coach Steve Kerr’s staff in August 2021 and went on to help the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack. He was 46.

The NBA postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Warriors and Utah Jazz earlier in the day after Golden State said Milojevic was in the hospital after suffering a medical emergency at a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," the Warriors said Wednesday in a statement.

"This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.”

Milojevic played professionally in Europe from 1994-2009, winning the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player Award three years in a row (2004-06).

He became a head coach in his native Serbia from 2012-20 and in Montenegro in 2021.

Milojevic joined Golden State head coach Steve Kerr’s staff in August 2021 and went on to help the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Jamie George has been told to put his own stamp on the captaincy after being entrusted to lead a revamped England squad into the Guinness Six Nations.

George takes charge of team for the first time after filling the vacancy created by Owen Farrell’s decision to miss the Championship in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing.

The promotion capped a special day for the 33-year-old having also signed a new two-year deal with Saracens that is to be accompanied by a central contract with the Rugby Football Union.

As undisputed first choice hooker, as well as an influential player in the English game, George was chosen ahead of nearest rivals Ellis Genge and Maro Itoje.

An element of the appointment process was instigated by Belgium manager and former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany and now that he has risen to the top, Steve Borthwick insists George must lead in his own image.

“I was asked by somebody ‘have you given Jamie, any advice?’” said head coach Borthwick, who captained England 21 times as a second-row.

“The one thing I said is: ‘I want you to lead as you.’ And that one year, many many years from now, you will reflect and want to say you led as you.

“I’d say during my time as England captain, I don’t think I led as me. I want him to bring all his personality to it.

“Prior to the World Cup we did this study. We will do something similar again in the near future. It was a network analysis, for want of a better term. It was actually an idea given to me by Vincent Kompany.

“You basically give the players a series of questions. And then put the top three players you turn to in this situation.

“What it effectively produces is this network of how everybody connects and who connects with who the most.

“You could tell in different elements – in tactical elements, high pressure circumstances, off the field – you connect with different people.

“So I had this incredible amount of information and it said ‘I know where people turn to’. You’d be able to see and tell me who they turn to, who Ellis and Maro would turn to. And the number of people who connected with Jamie George is immense.

“He has this ability, across the whole squad, to make people understand him. That stood out to me as being exceptional.

“He’s a great people person. He’s got a positive nature. There’s always a smile very close in the way he is. And I want him to bring all of that into this role as the captain.”

Even allowing for retirement and injury, Borthwick has completed a significant overhaul in naming a 36-man squad for the Six Nations to begin the next World Cup cycle.

Kyle Sinckler and Billy Vunipola have been dropped, Henry Slade and Alex Dombrandt are back in favour and there are first time appearances in an England squad for some exciting rookies such as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ethan Roots.

Only 17 of the 34 who helped England finish third in last autumn’s World Cup are present.

“I look at this as the next step that we need to take. It’s the next competition and in terms of the development of the team, it’s important that we build on our game,” Borthwick said.

Celtic new boy Nicolas Kuhn believes Parkhead is the perfect place to achieve his ambitions at club and country level.

The 24-year-old attacker, who signed a five-and-a-half-year deal from Rapid Vienna on Tuesday, played at youth level for Germany up until under-20s and was in the academy teams of RB Leipzig and Ajax before joining Bayern Munich in 2020 following an initial loan move.

Kuhn did not quite make the breakthrough at those European giants before moving to Austria in 2022 but is now looking to kick on, with Champions League football and a senior call-up for Germany in his sights.

Speaking at Celtic Park, he said: “Of course they (Ajax and Bayern) were big clubs. I learned a lot, it was a good school.

“There were a lot of players who had a good career and who made big steps to big clubs so I learned a lot and now I want to show what I can do here.

“At Ajax I played with the whole squad that got to the semi-finals of the Champions League (2019), I trained the whole year with the first team.

“At Bayern I played with players like (Robert) Lewandowski and (Joshua) Kimmich and all the guys you know.

“I think at Ajax I did really good in the youths. When I first arrived, we won the second league with the second team. I trained the whole time with the first team. In the youth league, I was the top scorer and I deserved a chance.

“But then I made the move to Bayern. After the first season, we were also champions with the second team in the third league in Germany.

“Then there were some private problems so I made a step back.

“People were looking at where I was playing but for me it was a good step. So I can take two steps forward now.

“I’ve improved a lot, I think. I’ve now played regularly and I’ve stayed fit. That’s the most important thing. Now I can show what I’m able to do.

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“When I was at Erzgebirge Aue for one year on loan, I said I wanted to play in the Champions League and for the national team.

“Now I’ve made a big step to a big club. So, of course, in the future, I want to play for the national team as well.”

Kuhn had interest from other clubs but insists the call from Celtic and a chat with boss Brendan Rodgers made up his mind to make the move to Glasgow.

He said: “We had some really good meetings, we talked a lot and he told me what a great and big club this is although I knew about Celtic before and I also saw some games.

“He convinced me to come here and everything he told me was really nice and I had the first training session today.

“It was clear at the moment Celtic called and showed interest that I wanted to come here.

“There was some interest from other clubs but the moment I received the message I didn’t think about going somewhere else.”

Steven Finn has tipped “superhuman” James Anderson to bounce back from his struggles last summer to make an impact for England in India.

Anderson claimed five wickets at an average of 85.40 in four Ashes Tests to spark more conjecture over his future after he turned 41 in July.

While Stuart Broad retired at the conclusion of the drawn series, Anderson had no such plans to walk away and Finn, who played with the veteran seamer during England’s successful tour of India in 2012-13, is confident his old team-mate will impress over the next two months.

“Jimmy is superhuman,” Finn said of the Lancashire seamer, who has 34 wickets and boasts an average of 29.32 from 13 Tests in India.

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“People have been anticipating he will retire for about seven years now and he keeps surprising people and performing.

“He didn’t have a fantastic summer last year, but I know from knowing him as a character that he wouldn’t be doing this unless he felt he could make a difference.

“I think a determined Jimmy Anderson, well managed, is someone who will be important to England, especially making the most of the reverse swing because he is an absolute master at that.

“He would have worked on his fitness, he would have trained hard, he has got the skills and has got the experience so I anticipate when he plays, he’ll be an important cog.”

India have not lost a home Test series since England’s 2-1 win nine years ago and Finn predicted this would pose the “toughest challenge” of the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era.

England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ style of play has taken the cricket world by storm over the past 18 months, but eyebrows have been raised at their preparation for this series, which begins in Hyderabad next Thursday.

Stokes’ squad have spent this week in state-of-the-art facilities in Abu Dhabi on a training camp and will only arrive in India three days before the first Test. It led to former seamer Steve Harmison predicting a 5-0 defeat.

Finn added: “I think if someone had offered (former head coach) Andy Flower three days’ preparation before a Test series his head would have exploded.

“I think there are a couple of caveats: times have changed, clearly. We don’t even go to an Ashes and have three warm-up games now, like we did on my first tour in 2010/11.

“I do think we encounter problems with the warm-up games because on that 2012 (India) tour, we turned up for a game and they played six 70mph medium pacers and no spinners and it didn’t replicate what you were going to find in the Test matches.

“I think the changing landscape of cricket has just meant they thought their preparation was best served elsewhere and it’s very hard to question this management team because every time we have over the last 18 months or so, they’ve dumbfounded everything we’ve thought of their decisions.

“I wouldn’t be as vociferous against it as Steve Harmison was a few weeks ago. It’s less than ideal but I don’t think it’s absolutely critical.”

IG, a leading trading and investments provider, has renewed its partnership with the ECB for a further three years. Through the Net Gains Fund, IG and the ECB will commit £1 million towards initiatives in under-served communities by 2027, including building new net facilities in five English cities in 2024.

The Premier League risks losing the trust of fans over its handling of financial cases, an Everton supporters’ representative has said.

Everton face the threat of a further points deduction after being referred to an independent commission for the second time within 12 months this week for a breach of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

A PSR complaint against Nottingham Forest was also referred on Monday.

Everton were docked 10 points last November for the first PSR breach, and expect to learn the outcome of their appeal against that sanction by the end of February.

Julie Clarke, the secretary of the Everton fan advisory board, sat behind Premier League chief executive Richard Masters as he gave evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday.

Everton and Forest could both be sanctioned before a hearing considering more than 100 charges against Manchester City has even taken place, and Clarke says she spoke to Masters after the hearing and took him to task over what she saw as the league’s lack of transparency over PSR matters.

“If he wants to say (other cases are) taking longer because there are different considerations, you have to tell people what those considerations are. Football fans are intelligent and articulate. They’re not fools. Only a fool would think that,” Clarke told the PA news agency.

“They need to be clear about what’s holding up the other clubs while they can investigate and sanction us, and then announce they’re holding another investigation with us and Nottingham Forest without announcing why other clubs that they’re investigating still haven’t had a hearing.

“I’ve never believed a club is too big to be relegated – if you play badly you should be relegated.

“But when there are intervening bodies coming in to expedite that process which are not transparent and seem unfair and disproportionate, then that’s where the Premier League starts to lose the trust of fans.”

Masters told MPs the “volume and character” of the more than 100 charges laid against Manchester City meant that case was being heard “in a completely different environment”.

Clarke felt the committee should have pressed Masters to reveal the date for City’s independent commission hearing, after he confirmed one had been set.

“I wouldn’t have accepted that and I was furious actually that nobody came back and challenged him on that,” she said.

“If he knows, and he’s sitting there in front of a select committee, I think it was within their gift to say ‘I’m sorry, we don’t accept that you won’t tell us’.”

Clarke revealed she had spoken to committee member Rupa Huq over her fears regarding Everton’s future as a community asset should further sanctions be applied.

“I explained to her the risk that they were putting Everton Football Club in, and all of the work that they do in the community, the mental health and wellness hub, the new stadium and what it’s bringing to that part of the city that’s been massively underprivileged for years and years,” Clarke said.

“What the new stadium is going to bring to the city can’t be measured at the moment. It was very important that those people on that committee knew how important Everton is in its community, not just as a football club.”

Clubs opted not to adopt a sanctioning framework for PSR when the issue was raised at a Premier League meeting in 2020. The expedited PSR process under which Everton and Forest have been referred was agreed by clubs at last summer’s league annual general meeting.

The Premier League has been contacted for comment.

The independent commission which heard the first PSR complaint against Everton last year found the club’s desire to improve their on-pitch performance had resulted in them acting “irresponsibly” and exceeding permitted losses under PSR by £19.5million.

Qatar became the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the Asian Cup after a 1-0 win against Tajikistan on Wednesday.

Akram Afif scored his third goal of the tournament to secure victory for the host nation and defending champions at Al Bayt Stadium.

As hosts of the World Cup in 2022, Qatar exited the competition at the group stage after three straight losses, but now maximum points from their opening two games in the Asian Cup have ensured they advance as group winners.

Afif lifted a shot over Tajikstan goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov in the 17th minute and Tajikistan finished the game with 10 men after Amadoni Kamolov was sent off in the 81st.

The other Group A contest between China and Lebanon finished 0-0.

After back-to-back draws, China likely need at least a point against Qatar in their last game to have a chance of advancing.

Both China and Lebanon's hopes of reaching the round of 16 are in the balance. While China are second in Group A on two points, they have the daunting task of facing Qatar in their final game, knowing a loss could see them overtaken by Lebanon or Tajikistan.

"We know that we depend on ourselves and that is something that every team would like to be in that position before the last game," China coach Aleksandar Jankovic said. 

"No matter if we play against a host country, Qatar, with their World Cup experience, we still depend on ourselves and I always like to be in this kind of situation."

Hassan Maatouk and Hasan Srour hit the bar for Lebanon either side of half-time, while Wu Lei thought he had broken the deadlock for China in the 65th minute, only for his close-range shot to be hooked off the line at Al Thumama Stadium.

China were quarter-finalists in each of the last two Asian Cups.

Lebanon lost 3-0 to Qatar in their opening game and sit bottom of the group with one point, but could still advance.

"It is a very important point for us, especially after a tough defeat against Qatar," coach Miodrag Radulovic said.