Michael van Gerwenadmitted he was not at his best despite winning night three at the 2024 BetMGM Premier League at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro with a 6-5 final win over Luke Humphries.

The Dutchman won in Berlin last week and on a night when teenager Luke Littler disappointed a supportive crowd by checking out in the quarter-finals, he again showed his mettle in a last-leg decider against the world champion

Van Gerwen, who is three points clear of Michael Smith at the top of the table, said: “Even without my best performance I think I  did a great job and sometimes that is really important.

“Double six let me down tonight but outside that my finishing and the way I played the game was a good standard.

“Of course my score could have been a lot better but sometimes that is darts. Another win, it is good.

“I always believe in my ability and I think I did the right things at the right moments.

“I have put so much pressure on myself. No targets. I’d say I’m at 90 per cent of my game.”

Humphries led 1-0 and 4-2 and perhaps should have made it 5-2 but the Dutchman came back to 4-4 and a 180 in the ninth leg helped him forge ahead 5-4 only to see Humphries respond to level and take it into the final leg when another 180 gave Van Gerwen the advantage and he clinched victory with double top.

In his first season in the competition Humphries said: “It was important to play well.

“I was proud of the way I played and I am where I want to be, in the top four.

“It is my first year in it and I am going to enjoy it.”

Littler made an early exit after a thrilling battle with Gerwyn Price.

The 17-year-old was given a great reception by the crowd but the Welshman stood strong.

The 2021 world champion  just missed double 12 for a nine darter at 3-2 down – Nathan Aspinall also came agonisingly close to a perfect nine-dart leg during his defeat by Humphries –  but came back to level at 3-3.

Littler went 4-3 up but again Price came back to win the next two legs before the young Englishman levelled at 5-5 but Price triumphed 6-5 in a tense last-leg decider.

Peter Wright was left frustrated after coming up well short against Van Gerwen.

Wright was cheered to the rafters when he returned to home soil with a highly-anticipated quarter-final clash but was sent packing with a 6-2 defeat.

The Scotsman said: “I was just thinking Michael is not even on it and I couldn’t even punish him. It is one of those games. Annoying.

“You see them on TV and you see the players and think, ‘oh he’s playing rubbish’ and you step up but it couldn’t find anything. It wouldn’t go in.

“I don’t know, maybe I have too much respect for Michael, I don’t know.

“But the crowd was fantastic. It was nice to see a full house and I really appreciate that and I hope they enjoy the rest of the night.

“I was gutted I let them down.

“Even at 5-1 down I was thinking, Michael is not on it, still I could win this game.

“I know what my game is and I was ready but Michael probably would have stepped up if I started hitting something.”

Tiger Woods revealed a back spasm had caused him to shank the final hole of his return to a first PGA Tour event of 2024 at the Genesis Invitational in California.

Woods, 48, is still adapting to ankle fusion surgery, having undergone treatment in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and he did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

The 15-time major champion finished Thursday’s opening round at the Riviera Country Club on one-over par after shanking his second shot on the 18th from the fairway over into the trees on the right.

Woods eventually sunk a two-putt bogey to make a five, and afterwards revealed he would need some treatment to get himself back out on the course again on Friday.

“My back spasmed on it,” Woods said in his post-round interview to the Golf Channel when asked about the shank on the 18th hole.

“It’s been spasming the last three holes, and it just locked up on me. Didn’t move, didn’t rotate, and present hosel first.”

Woods, who previously said he expects to participate in one event per month this year, added: “We have got some treatment ahead of us and some work to do, to be ready for tomorrow.

“But that’s just part of the deal, and (I) look forward to the challenge.”

Former world number one Woods hit eight fairways, 10 of 18 greens, and took 30 putts in the opening round.

“My round was good and a little bit indifferent,” said Woods, who had opened with an up-and-down birdie on the par-five first.

“I struggled with the speed of the greens, even though I made a few.. and was stressing out on the short game, I had maybe like five pars today.”

Patrick Cantlay was the early leader with his round of 64, one shot ahead of Australians Cameron Davis and Jason Day, alongside Luke List. Jordan Spieth was among the group two adrift at five-under.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice as AC Milan took control of their Europa League play-off against Rennes with a 3-0 victory in the first leg at San Siro.

Stefano Pioli’s men finished third in their Champions League group, but continue to build momentum on the back of just one defeat in 13 games now through all competitions.

Former Chelsea midfielder Loftus-Cheek put Milan in front in the 32nd minute with a glancing header and nodded home another at the start of the second half before Rafael Leao swiftly fired in a third, leaving the Italian giants within touching distance of a place in the last 16.

The Rossoneri almost took an early lead when Leao’s close-range effort struck the crossbar before Theo Hernandez blazed over from the edge of the penalty area following a corner.

Loftus-Cheek then burst down the right and cut the ball back to Yunus Musah, who sent his shot wide.

After soaking up plenty of early pressure, Rennes went close in the 21st minute when captain Benjamin Bourigeaud’s long-range effort flew just off target.

Milan broke the deadlock just after the half-hour when England international midfielder Loftus-Cheek guided a cushioned header into the bottom corner from Alessandro Florenzi’s floated cross for his fourth goal in five appearances.

The hosts – currently third in Serie A, a point behind Juventus – continued to press as Olivier Giroud’s low drive from the edge of the area was clawed away by Rennes goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

Rennes, who had been unbeaten in nine games, threatened on the counter when teenage winger Desire Doue drove forwards and drilled in a 20-yard effort, which was straight at Milan keeper Mike Maignan.

The French side fell further behind just two minutes into the second half when Loftus-Cheek nodded in from close range after Mandanda had palmed out a flicked header at the near post from Milan defender Simon Kjaer.

Before Rennes could look to regroup, Leao had fired in Milan’s third – his 50th goal for the club – after a neat exchange with Christian Pulisic down the right in the 53rd minute.

Rennes made a couple of changes to try to sharpen up the team and had a good spell of pressure heading into the final 20 minutes, with a low 22-yard drive from substitute Amine Gouiri testing Maignan.

Milan had a late chance to score a fourth when Pulisic broke down the left wing. The American’s shot was parried by Mandanda and then substitute Noah Okafor saw his follow-up hacked off the line by Rennes midfielder Azor Matusiwa.

Maignan saved again from Gouiri before Ludovic Blas fired over as Rennes were left with it all to do in next week’s second leg at Roazhon Park.

Franklin Pele and Ligi Sao were both sent off as Hull FC’s hopes of kicking off the new Betfred Super League season with a win over their derby rivals Hull KR unravelled in spectacular fashion at the MKM Stadium.

New boy Niall Evalds led from the front with two tries as Rovers cruised to a 22-0 win which was helped by their opponents’ indiscipline after debutant Pele was red-carded for a needless swing at debutant Eliot Minchella on the stroke of half-time.

With the game long gone Tony Smith’s men suffered the indignity of finishing the game with 11 players after Sao was also red-carded for retaliation after kicking out following foul play by Matt Parcell.

If it was not as emphatic as the 40-0 thrashing inflicted by Rovers last April, it strongly suggested two sides with contrasting seasons in store, with Willie Peters’ new recruits easily outshining their largely anonymous FC counterparts.

Smith’s men might have feared it was not going to be their night when Liam Sutcliffe withdrew after the warm-up due to illness, then Joe Cator was also forced to limp off early.

But for all their ill luck, the black-and-whites were emphatically also the architects of their own demise, as a series of errors and rushes of blood to the head left them 14 points adrift at the interval.

Evalds needed seven minutes to mark his Rovers debut with the opener as he took a pass from Tom Opacic on the right and stepped inside to put the first points of the season on the board.

Mikey Lewis sent Kelepi Tanginoa through a gap for the second in a move that began with an error from Morgan Smith who needlessly kicked into touch on the full.

Hull responded with an overdue spell of pressure, Jack Walker’s high kick forcing an error from Rovers full-back Peta Hiku, who was perhaps the only visiting new boy not to excel.

But errors from Jayden Okunbor and Jack Ashworth sapped most of the momentum the home side could build, and the Hull defence stood off again as the superb Lewis skipped through again to take Rovers’ lead to 12.

Hiku nailed his first and only conversion of the night before the first period ended on a desperate note for the hosts, as Pele followed up a tackle on Minchella with a needless swing towards his opponent on the ground, prompting a mass confrontation and a red card.

Cam Scott spurned a chance to reduce the deficit for Hull early in the second half after another spill from Hiku, before Rovers camped on the hosts’ try-line and after Jai Whitbread and Ryan Hall were both held up, Parcell found the inevitable gap on the last to nail Rovers’ fourth try.

Tension boiled over in the last 10 minutes as Parcell was sin-binned for elbowing Sao in the ruck, only for Sao to see red after retaliating with a kick to the head.

Evalds completed the scoring in the final minute as he raced over on the right flank to the delight of the estimated 8,000 Rovers fans in the 20,014 opening night crowd.

Laura Stephens claimed Britain’s first global title in a women’s individual event since Rebecca Adlington at the World Swimming Championships in Doha.

Stephens led from start to finish in the 200 metres butterfly, holding off Denmark’s Helena Bach by less than a tenth of a second.

The 24-year-old follows in the footsteps of double Olympic champion Adlington, who won 800m freestyle gold in 2011.

She said: “I came into this meet hoping for three solid swims, to learn through the process and to come away on top of the podium is kind of crazy.

“It’s a great way to start off the long-course season and hopefully I can just get faster and faster. This definitely gives me a lot of confidence towards Paris.”

Britain claimed a second medal later in the evening with silver in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

The quartet of Freya Colbert, Abbie Wood, Lucy Hope and Medi Harris finished behind China to improve on their fourth place from a year ago.

Lauren Cox and Matt Richards just missed out on medals in the women’s 50m backstroke and men’s 100m freestyle respectively, while Duncan Scott was sixth in the men’s 200m individual medley and Anna Hopkin qualified third fastest for the women’s 100m freestyle final.

Naomi Osaka’s run at the Qatar Open ended in the quarter-finals with a narrow defeat by Karolina Pliskova.

The former world number one was through to the last eight at a tournament for the first time in nearly two years following her maternity break but she could not capitalise on good starts in both sets.

Instead it was Pliskova, champion at the Transylvania Open last week, who continued her winning run by triumphing in two tie-breaks for a 7-6 (6) 7-6 (5) victory.

The Czech moves on to face top seed and two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, who remained unstoppable in Doha, defeating Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-0.

Having trailed 4-3 in the opening set, world number one Swiatek raced through nine games in a row to stay on course for a third straight title.

The other semi-final will be between in-form third seed Elena Rybakina and unseeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Pavlyuchenkova matched her best run at a WTA 1000 with a 7-5 6-4 win over Danielle Collins while Rybakina came from 4-1 down in the first set to defeat Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2.

Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton’s swansong season with Mercedes will be “awkward” following his rival’s 2025 transfer to Ferrari.

Hamilton stunned the sporting world by ditching Mercedes – the constructor which has carried him to six of his record-equalling seven world championships – in favour of a move to Ferrari next year.

On Wednesday, the 39-year-old Briton made his first public appearance since news of his shock transfer broke. Hamilton said he is determined to fire Mercedes back to former glories before he trades silver for red.

But speaking at Red Bull’s car launch on Thursday, reigning world champion Verstappen believes Mercedes will be forced to omit Hamilton from some meetings during the forthcoming 24-round campaign.

“For the rest of the year, I would say it’s a little bit awkward,” said Verstappen.

“It’s not like they are suddenly enemies. He has achieved so many great things with them. They are still behind him, and for sure he has a great relationship with everyone, especially (Mercedes team principal) Toto (Wolff).

“But he knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him: ‘Look, I know we’ve had all this success, but you can’t be part of certain meetings any more’.

“That is normal in F1. It’s probably a bit weird. But you are professional enough to deal with that. And once he’s sitting in the car, they will of course go flat out for him.”

Verstappen, who last year claimed 19 victories from 22 rounds as he secured his third successive title, also believes Hamilton and Ferrari were forced to reveal the tie-up sooner than they would have wished.

The Red Bull star added: “It must have been leaked to announce something that big that early in the season.

“Him going to Ferrari is not really shocking. It’s not a surprise they were talking. I just think the announcement was a bit rushed.”

Verstappen, who gets his first taste of this season’s Red Bull when testing begins in Bahrain next Wednesday, opens his bid to become a four-time world champion at the first race, also in the Gulf kingdom, on March 2.

A defiant Christian Horner said he will not be forced out of Red Bull – and vowed to be in his post as team principal for the first Formula One race of the season.

Horner broke his silence on Thursday after an investigation was launched into an allegation of “inappropriate behaviour” against him by a female colleague.

The 50-year-old, speaking at Red Bull’s car launch in Milton Keynes, revealed he had been “overwhelmed” by messages of goodwill from within the sport, and said his wife, former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, has been “very supportive”.

He also continued to emphatically deny the allegations made against him.

Asked if he will be in Bahrain for the first round of Max Verstappen’s championship defence on March 2, Horner replied: “Yes. I will be in Bahrain.

“The process has been going on in the background. Obviously, there’s been a day job to be getting on with, which is gearing up for the season ahead of us.

“I have a hugely supportive family, a very supportive wife. I have felt the support from within the business and our partners, and the support from within the industry has been overwhelming, too.

“I am confident in the process, which I have fully complied with and will continue to do so, and absolutely deny any of the allegations that have been made against me.

“For me, it is business as normal. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

Direct questions relating to the internal investigation launched by Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmBH – which leaves Horner’s career in the balance – were strictly off-limits.

Horner has been in charge of the F1 team for two decades, but he insisted the investigation has not forced him to ponder resigning.

“Not at all, absolutely not,” said Horner when asked if he had considered his role as team principal and chief executive of the racing team.

“I am fully committed. I built this team. I convinced people to come and work here.

“I’ve been here since the beginning. There have been highs and lows along the way. We have won 113 races. We have won seven drivers’ world championships. We’ve won six constructors’ world championships in 19 seasons, and that’s in the history books.

“But it’s about what lies ahead, because that’s what’s important. So my focus is on the future.”

There had been a strong desire for Horner’s future to be concluded before Thursday’s presentation which marked the 20th anniversary of Red Bull’s involvement as a constructor in the sport.

Horner, who was quizzed by a lawyer for eight hours last Friday, said he did not know when the probe will be concluded.

There will be three days of testing, starting next Wednesday, in Bahrain ahead of the first race, also in the Gulf kingdom. And sources have indicated Horner could face further rounds of questioning as he bids to prove his innocence.

The investigation against Horner has undoubtedly overshadowed the world champions’ preparations for the forthcoming campaign.

Last year, Red Bull won all but one of the 22 races, with Verstappen taking his third world title in as many years.

But the Dutch driver, 26, said: “I don’t feel it (the investigation) has been a distraction.

“Everyone is very focused and very motivated. The spirit in the team has been fantastic. It’s been honestly better than ever.”

Pressed on his relationship with Horner, the triple world champion added: “It is very good.

“We’ve seen each other quite a few times. We’ve achieved a lot of things together so that doesn’t change suddenly.

“My contact with Christian has been the same as on the first day. It’s been like normal.”

Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell believes being without star full-back Hugo Keenan against Wales could be a blessing in disguise.

Keenan suffered a knee issue during Sunday’s 36-0 Guinness Six Nations win over Italy and did not take part in physical training on Thursday.

The influential 27-year-old, who is yet to be ruled out of the round-three clash with Warren Gatland’s men on February 24 in Dublin, has been virtually ever-present in the number 15 jersey during the past three years.

Aside from Keenan, only the injured Jimmy O’Brien and out of favour Michael Lowry have started at full-back for Ireland since the end of 2020.

“He didn’t train today but he hasn’t been ruled out for the Welsh game yet,” O’Connell said of Keenan.

“He’s progressing with his rehabilitation. He was there at training today and he took part in all the organisational bits.

“He plays a big role. He’s obviously injury-free for a very long time, he’s an excellent player.

“It’s probably good for us in some ways because it makes us play someone else there if he doesn’t make it.

“But I’m not sure yet where he’s at. He was around training today so we’d be hopeful.”

Fly-half Jack Crowley filled in for Keenan in the closing stages against the Azzurri, while Ciaran Frawley is another potential replacement.

Current squad members Jordan Larmour and Jacob Stockdale were given opportunities at 15 early in Andy Farrell’s reign but have barely featured in selections since.

“At full-back, you’re covering the back field defensively and he (Keenan) has a lot of work to do in attack as well,” said O’Connell.

“There’s a lot of IP (intellectual property) that we might miss out on if he wasn’t playing.

“He also plays a big leadership role for us. He’s a very smart guy, he’s a problem-solver within the group, he’s highly regarded within the group.

“Whether he’s there or not, he’ll continue to play that role.”

Reigning champions Ireland top the table following back-to-back bonus-point wins over France and Italy.

Keenan was the only member of Farrell’s squad to sit out Thursday’s session.

Captain Peter O’Mahony, prop Tadhg Furlong and centres Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose each featured following their respective injury issues.

Former Ireland skipper O’Connell believes Ringrose, who is yet to feature in this year’s tournament due to a shoulder problem, is on track to return against Wales.

“It looks like it, he trained today, we didn’t do a massive session,” he said. “He’s in good shape.”

Scottish referees chief Crawford Allan welcomed Rangers manager Philippe Clement’s “very helpful” backing of match officials after the VAR independent review panel claimed there had been a sharp increase in wrong decisions.

The IRP judged that 16 key match incidents (KMIs) have reached an incorrect outcome since the start of the season- with 13 of them coming in the second full round of cinch Premiership fixtures.

Rangers had made a request to the Scottish Football Association that Willie Collum be excluded from any involvement in any Gers match following a non-penalty incident in the Old Firm game at the end of last year.

Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston handled the ball inside his own penalty area at Parkhead under pressure from Gers attacker Abdallah Sima.

The IRP claimed indeed that Collum should have recommended an on-field review for a potential penalty but noted that the offside ruled that the decision not to award the spot-kick was ultimately correct.

Ahead of Collum taking charge of rangers’ cup tie with Ayr last weekend, Clement dismissed notions that any referee is “not neutral” and vowed to leave the past behind as he noted that he makes mistakes “every day probably”.

Allan, head of referee operations at the SFA, said of Clement’s support: “That was very helpful. That comment was very supportive and I know it was well received by the referees.

“I think that’s what we should be doing, we should be focusing in on the positive.

“I have seen other recent appointees to Scottish football, managers, saying that the initial experiences of Scottish referees are positive, so long may that continue.”

Allan was keen to stress that there was no chance that Collum would have been taken off Rangers duties.

He said: “Every referee will get considered for every match which is at their experience level. I will reiterate that, the Scottish FA will appoint referees to matches as they see fit.”

Among the 13 decisions that the IRP questioned  this time around were two penalties for Rangers  – one given for a challenge on Ross McCausland at Livingston and against Sima against Dundee at Ibrox – and the one awarded against Light Blues defender John Souttar against Kilmarnock.

It was also claimed that the yellow card initially handed out to Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes against Dundee in December should have been sufficient.

Cifuentes was initially booked by referee Kevin Clancy for a challenge on Amadou Bakayoko but that was upgraded to a red following a VAR review.

Asked if the rise in wrong calls from the perspective of the IRP was a concern, Allan said: “We see it as realism. Football is subjective. We accept the view of the independent review panel and we think they have a role to play in assisting us to ensure we are not seen to be marking our own homework.

“In terms of the numbers, we look at the reviews and types of incidents and we have got a heck of a lot more right.

“We have literally got hundreds correct and Scottish football has a habit of focusing in on the tip of the iceberg when we have a huge iceberg below which no-one really bothers about because we get it right.

“In the hundreds of potential reviews that we have had this year, we are in the same percentage areas as other countries.

“It is something we won’t lose sight of but we will continue to develop our referees and support them.”

Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Jamie Moore has announced his retirement from the saddle on medical advice following a fall last year.

Moore, 39, is the son of trainer Gary and the brother of Josh, Ryan and Hayley – all of whom are well-known faces in the racing industry.

After starting out in 2001, Moore was the champion conditional rider at the end of the 2003-04 season when based in Somerset with Martin Pipe, for whom he rode his first significant winners in graded events.

Naturally much of his riding was on behalf of his father and it was the popular chestnut Sire De Grugy who became the horse of a lifetime for both when winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in 2014 – one of 17 victories, with Moore in the saddle each time.

Moore rode 968 winners across his career and took the 2014 Scottish Grand National on Al Co for trainer Peter Bowen in the same season that Sire De Grugy was on the Grade One-winning streak that saw him named British Jumps Horse of the Year.

A heavy fall at Lingfield in late November last year left the rider with a fractured vertebra as well as broken ribs and a broken nose, with doctors advising him not return to the saddle as a result of the injuries he sustained.

In a statement issued via the Professional Jockeys Association, he said: “It is with huge regret that, following my last fall in November 2023, I will not be returning to race riding.

“After being checked by top neurologists and spinal specialists, and taking advice from Dr Jerry Hill and the doctors who’ve seen me the most in my career – Dr Rizwan Ghani and Dr Lucy Free – I have been medically advised not to race ride again.

“I would like to thank everyone who has stuck by me and supported me throughout my 22-year career. Obviously I have been very lucky to have such a good trainer in my father Gary, who’s always supported me, along with his brilliant, faithful owners. My mother Jayne and my wife Lucie have also always been there for me.

“Back to the start and my first boss, Mr Pipe, who helped me become champion conditional. To every other trainer and every owner I’ve ridden for; my agent Dave Roberts; my sponsors; all the brilliant stable staff and the PJA and the Injured Jockeys Fund, who have always been so supportive.

“Finally, to the best place you could wish to work – the weighing room. To all the physios, tea boys and ladies, nurses and weighing room staff who have made each day of going to work much more enjoyable.

“And to all the brilliant jockeys and valets past and present who I’ve made lifelong friends with. I will hugely miss the weighing room. There have been some ups and plenty of downs but everyone is always there for you. You’ve all been top class.

“It’s impossible to put into words how thankful I am to each and every one of you.”

Dale Gibson, executive director of the PJA, added: “Jamie unfortunately suffered more than his fair share of long-term injuries and missed the equivalent of four years race riding during his career as a result, but his remarkable fortitude and appetite for race riding shone like a beacon throughout his career.

“Jamie was and will remain universally popular within the weighing room and wider racing industry. His down to earth, no-nonsense approach alongside his genuine love of the horse (should) be wholeheartedly applauded.

“He also served his colleagues and the PJA exceptionally well as southern-based National Hunt safety officer since December 2019, as well as being a dependable source for general advice to the PJA and younger jockeys both on and off the racecourse.

“Jamie has been a pleasure to represent and will be sorely missed in the weighing room. We wish him, his wife Lucie and their family all the very best and we look forward to seeing him on a racecourse soon in his second career.”

Moore’s father expects his son to become an even more integral part of the family stable and said to Racing TV: “I’m very proud of him, you’re proud of your children anyway, aren’t you? But he’s done really, really.

“He was champion conditional one year, thanks to Martin Pipe. He always wanted to do it from the age of 14 and he’s done remarkably well.

“It’s a shame he didn’t quite make the thousand (winners), but at least he’s come out in one piece.”

Of Sire De Grugy the trainer added: “He was just an unbelievable horse who was Jamie’s best mate really, it wasn’t just the Champion Chase, it was the Celebration here (at Sandown) and the Clarence House. What he did that season was unbelievable.

“I can’t go on forever and him and Josh work very well together. He was in Newmarket last week doing his (training) modules so something will happen in the new future hopefully.”

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is in a stable condition and having tests in hospital after being taken ill during training on Thursday, the Premier League club have confirmed.

The 76-year-old was due to speak at a scheduled press conference at 1.30pm to preview Monday’s Premier League game against Everton, but members of the media waiting outside the club’s New Beckenham training ground were informed the briefing would not take place.

According to reports, Palace are set to sack Hodgson, with ex-Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner a strong favourite to take the job.

An update from the club later on Thursday read: “Following news that Roy Hodgson was taken ill during today’s training session, we can confirm that he is now stable and is currently undergoing tests in hospital.

“Everybody at the club sends their best wishes to Roy for a speedy recovery.”

Palace sit 15th in the top flight, five points above the relegation zone, ahead of the upcoming clash with third-from-bottom Everton.

Hodgson took charge of his 200th match as Eagles manager on Monday when his side were beaten 3-1 at Selhurst Park by Chelsea.

The former England boss is in his second spell in charge of the south London club, having returned for the final 10 games of last season when he signed a short-term deal to take over from the sacked Patrick Vieira.

He guided the club to an 11th-placed finish before agreeing to continue as manager for the 2023-24 campaign.

Palace have won just six of 24 league fixtures this term, with only three of those victories coming since a 1-0 success at Manchester United in September.

Disgruntled fans have displayed banners in recent weeks calling for Hodgson to be sacked and vented frustration with how the club is being run.

Austrian Glasner guided Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022 following a penalty shoot-out victory over Rangers in Seville.

The 49-year-old, who has also managed Wolfsburg, has been out of work since leaving the Bundesliga side last summer.