Tom Bradshaw’s first-half strike helped Millwall extend their unbeaten run to four Championship matches with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at The Den.

The Lions striker netted his second goal in two games to inflict back-to-back defeats on David Wagner’s inconsistent Canaries.

City dominated possession throughout the first half but went into the break behind after Bradshaw poked home from close range after 18 minutes.

Wagner’s side continued to lack creativity across a toothless festive performance as Joe Edwards’ hosts survived a late George Saville red card to hold on and climb eight points clear of the drop zone.

Wagner rang the changes from City’s Boxing Day defeat at West Brom as Ben Gibson, Danny Batth, Christian Fassnacht, Onel Hernandez and Hwang Ui-jo all started in a surprise away XI.

While for Millwall, Shaun Hutchinson, Murray Wallace and Zian Flemming all came in after the Lions’ much-needed 2-0 against QPR.

The visitors started brightly as Ashley Barnes shot straight at Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic and Hwang fired wide of the post from range.

And Korean striker Hwang almost emulated his stunning 30-yard strike against Watford last month when his free-kick whistled ferociously past a post.

But it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play when Bradshaw slid in from close range after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s inviting low delivery across the face of goal.

City responded by enjoying several sustained spells of possession but continued to lack ideas when in the final third.

And Millwall almost punished them on the stroke of half-time when Angus Gunn pulled off a brilliant acrobatic save to deny Flemming’s venomous goalbound effort.

The Lions looked lively straight after the break as Aidomo Emakhu stung the palms of Gunn once again with a rising near-post piledriver.

And Norton-Cuffy missed a golden opportunity to double their advantage when he inexplicably headed straight at the Norwich goalkeeper while completely free in the box.

Tempers flared on the hour mark when Barnes and Jake Cooper were booked for a pair of separate altercations that saw both sets of players clash and the atmosphere in Bermondsey reach boiling point.

Wagner threw on attacking trio Jonathan Rowe, Adam Idah and Marcelino Nunez shortly after and in-form winger Rowe injected some immediate impetus down the left-hand side.

But City continued to struggle for any cutting edge as Millwall battled bravely against prolonged periods of pressure out of possession.

The contest became increasingly end-to-end as City pressed for a leveller and Bradshaw came close to grabbing another when he fired over from a tight angle.

Gunn once again kept City in it with a flying save to deny Ryan Longman before Saville saw red with two minutes remaining for a cynical late lunge on a rampaging Rowe.

City rallied for a late equaliser but suffered another defeat on the road as Millwall took a significant further step towards Championship safety.

Second-half goals from Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo gave Bolton a well-deserved 2-0 win at Fleetwood.

The visitors dominated throughout in atrocious conditions on the coast but had to wait until the 49th minute to lead, then seeing out the victory with little resistance and sealing it with a late goal from Adeboyejo.

Title challengers Bolton made all the running in the first half but failed to turn their dominance into goals.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson went closest as half-time loomed but his reaction finish from Charles’ cross cannoned back off the post at close range.

The Iceland striker had also been inches away from turning home when Fleetwood keeper Jay Lynch parried Randell Williams’ shot.

Bolton did have the ball in the net after 25 minutes, Charles sliding in a cross from Josh Dacres-Cogley, but the offside flag cut short their celebrations.

Fleetwood, second bottom and without a league win since early November, offered little going forward with a weak shot from Phoenix Patterson, easily collected by Nathan Baxter, their only effort on goal.

It took Wanderers just four minutes of the second half to finally edge ahead. The ball fell to Charles in the Town box and his shot took a cruel deflection off Josh Earl, wrong-footing Lynch.

Substitute Adeboyejo doubled Bolton’s lead after 83 minutes. Charles stepped over Kyle Dempsey’s pass and Adeboyejo, who hit a hat-trick in their home win against Fleetwood in August, duly hammered in the second.

Napoli keeper Alex Meret saved Matteo Pessina’s second-half penalty to ensure the Serie A title-holders walked away with a point as they played out a disappointing goalless draw with Monza.

Amir Rrahmani could have given the hosts the lead after the break but wasted a free header, and while Meret made the vital stop to preserve the draw he was worryingly forced off soon after.

Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri was sent off while his side’s finishing woes were highlighted by substitute Gianluca Gaetano’s inability to find the back of the net when in acres of space just outside the six-yard box.

The visitors, who saw Mirko Maric dismissed late in stoppage time, mustered few further chances and would be happy with the point, while the hosts extended their poor run of form at the Maradona Stadium.

Mazzarri was without the suspended Victor Osimhen and Matteo Politano, both of whom were sent off against Roma last time out.

Frank Anguissa had a deflected effort comfortably saved while at the other end of the pitch Meret looked on relieved when Pedro Pereira’s early attempt took a deflection before sailing narrowly past his left post.

The hosts had found a slightly stronger foothold by the halfway point in the first period but neither keeper found himself with much work to do.

Giacomo Raspadori nodded wide and Napoli were nearly ahead just before half-time, when an excellent Mario Rui cross found Anguissa in an ideal position but he was only able to direct his effort – easily the best chance of the first half – straight at keeper Michele Di Gregorio.

There was a second-half change for Raffaele Palladino with Samuele Birindelli coming on to replace Pereira, who had been booked, with Napoli wasting an early free-kick near the corner flag.

Rrahmani then somehow sent a free header over the crossbar from Piotr Zielinski’s delivery before Raspadori sent the ball skipping across the face of goal from a tight angle.

Valentin Carboni scuffed an effort for the visitors and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came close for Napoli, nutmegging the Monza keeper who subsequently smothered the ball before Birindelli forced Meret into his first real save.

While Napoli had looked likelier to score since before half-time, it was Monza who won the best chance after Jesus was penalised for handball inside the penalty area, Pessina stepping up but squandering the spot-kick as Meret proved alert to his intentions.

Meret’s evening worryingly came to a close after 74 minutes and, with Pierluigi Gollini a last-minute absentee from the matchday squad due to an left ankle issue, on came Nikita Contini, while Giorgio Cittadini would soon replace the injured Danilo D’Ambrosio for the visitors.

Mazzarri, who had previously been booked, was sent off after he got involved in a touchline scuffle, while Rui, Kvaratskhelia and finally Gaetano seemed only able to direct efforts directly at the keeper as they ran out of time to find a winner.

Che Adams and Carlos Alcaraz netted as Southampton continued their assault on the Sky Bet Championship automatic places by beating Plymouth 2-1 at St Mary’s.

Alcaraz’s and Adams’ second-half strikes were also given an official seal of approval as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – a Southampton fan – celebrated them from the stands.

Ryan Hardie pulled one back in stoppage time but Saints are now on a 17-league match unbeaten run – two off their 102-year club record – and have scored 12 goals in their last four fixtures to turn up the pressure on Ipswich and Leicester.

The first half was summed up by Southampton having 81 per cent of possession but not legally finding the back of the net.

Striker Adams did roll the ball past Conor Hazard and into the goal in the fifth minute only to see the offside flag raised.

And then Adam Armstrong had the net rippling as he took aim from inside the centre circle but the ball landed on the roof of the goal with a scrambling Hazard beaten.

Saints continued to push. Kyle Walker-Peters twisted and turned in the box but his shot was weak, Alcaraz swivelled on the edge of the area but struck wide and Ryan Manning dragged wide.

They even hit a post as Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis glanced a header from a corner onto the upright.

Argyle had little attacking threat, but Morgan Whittaker was chased down by Samuel Edozie when clean through and their only shot of note saw Ben Waine slice high over the goal.

The visitors thought they had scored 10 minutes into the second period but Bali Mumba was offside before nodding in – moments later Alcaraz had opened the scoring for real and they stared down the barrel of continuing their 100 per cent winless away record.

The Argentinian had already gone close twice since the restart before receiving the ball from Edozie just outside the area before curling sumptuously into the top corner for his fourth goal of the season.

The goal opened the visitors up and after Will Smallbone had glanced a header wide, Adams made it two with some fine strength.

Harwood-Bellis spotted his run and unleashed him with a perfectly clipped ball down the middle, which allowed Adams to hold off his defender and finish past Hazard.

Joe Aribo crashed just wide, Adam Armstrong forced a save out of Hazard while Sekou Mara and Jack Stephens were both blocked on the line.

The Pilgrims did score the first away goal at St Mary’s since November 11 when keeper Gavin Bazunu had the ball pinched off him on his own goalline by Hardie – who tapped in.

Ryan Fraser squandered a one-on-one and Whittaker curled over in a breathless finale but Saints made it seven home victories on the spin.

Anthony Davis lauded the Los Angeles Lakers for "playing the right way" after condemning the Charlotte Hornets to yet another defeat on Thursday.

Davis had 26 points and eight rebounds as the Lakers cruised to a 133-112 victory, moving the 17-time NBA champions up to 17-15 on the season and giving their playoff hopes a much-needed boost.

Davis was thrilled with his team's display on Thursday, telling reporters: "Guys were playing for each other, playing the right way.

"I'm able to bank some minutes, especially going into a tough back-to-back in Minnesota and New Orleans, it helps us as a team."

Two days before he turns 39-years-old, LeBron James had 17 points and 11 assists in helping the Lakers to the win, and Davis hailed the impact the four-time MVP continues to have, saying: "It's always good things that happen when the ball is in his hands.

"He makes great reads. He's a student of the game. He's seen every coverage and made a lot of great reads throughout his career, so every time we can get the ball in his hands, it's good for us."

The Hornets, meanwhile, lost for the ninth consecutive game, their longest losing run since 2014. The defeat dropped Charlotte to 7-22 on the season.

Head coach Steve Clifford lamented injuries to the likes of Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams, as well as the continued absence of LaMelo Ball, that have hampered the team on their six-game road trip.

"Our guys have worked hard, [but] they know we're short-handed," Clifford said. "This is a tough trip. A lot of times in this league, it's not just how many injuries you have, but when they come. Unfortunately for us, we've had more than our share of injuries, and this is not the time to be short-handed.

"But we played 41 good minutes the other night [against the Los Angeles Clippers]. We were right there. We've just got to defend."

Luke Littler and Raymond van Barneveld will clash in the last 16 of the World Darts Championship on Saturday.

Forty years separate 16-year-old Littler, the youngest player to reach this stage of the tournament, and the 56-year-old five-time world champion.

Here the PA news agency underlines the vast differences between the duo as they go head to head for a place in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace.

Experience

Van Barneveld won his fifth and most recent world title in on New Year’s Day in 2007, 21 days before Littler was born.

The Dutchman has also won a number of major ranking crowns in both the PDC and BDO organisations.

Littler won his first senior event at the 2021 Irish Open at the age of 14.

He won the World Youth Championship in Minehead last month, averaging 102.16 in the final, to qualify for Ally Pally.

Skill

As of Friday afternoon, Littler was one of only 10 players to average over 100 in a single match in this year’s tournament so far. His statistics of 106.12 in his first round win over Christian Kist ranking second only behind Stephen Bunting’s 107.28 against Ryan Joyce.

Littler also averaged over 90 in his subsequent victories over Andrew Gilding and Matt Campbell, and has lost just two sets in the tournament so far.

Van Barneveld averaged almost 100 in his first win over Radek Szaganski, but less than 90 in his win over Jim Williams.

Fuel

Littler’s penchant for kebabs has provided plenty of food for thought with one London takeaway promising him free meals for life if he wins the world title, while an establishment in his hometown of Warrington is advertising Littler’s ‘favourite kebab’ on its menu.

Van Barneveld is less likely to opt for the takeaway option. His 2022 campaign almost came unstuck after a bout of food poisoning brought on by a dodgy Chinese.

Instead, the Dutchman said he expected to celebrate Christmas with a “gourmet dinner” after his opening win.

What they say

There is no disguising the age discrepancy between the pair as they prepare for one of the most eagerly awaited darts clashes of recent times.

“It would be unbelievable to play Raymond,” said Littler. “I used to imitate him all the time – stood in my nappy, celebrating like Barney.”

Van Barneveld responded: “The guy is amazing. When I was 16 I was playing with Lego and Playmobile, we didn’t have the internet or whatever.”

Cyriel Dessers says scoring a winning goal for Rangers at Celtic Park on Saturday would be a dream come true for him.

The 29-year-old Nigeria striker had a slow start to his Gers career after joining from Cremonese in the summer but he will travel to Parkhead with increasing confidence after four goals in his last seven games, taking his tally in Light Blue to nine so far.

Dessers admits an Old Firm derby clincher in boss Philippe Clement’s first experience of the fixture would be “amazing” as Rangers go in to the match five points behind the league leaders but with two games in hand.

He said: “It would be a dream actually.

“When you sign here, you know the city, you know the clubs, you know the Old Firm.

“To score there as a striker, that is something you dream of as a kid and hopefully tomorrow it will be my first in an Old Firm game.

“The start was pretty rocky, individually and as a team. You can see if you look at the results in the last two months that things have been improving and that we are in a good place right now.

“As a team, we are playing more fluidly now. We have more attacks rolling, more chances.

“For myself, I have got a little bit more confidence and in better form. I am still growing and there is a lot more to come.

“As a striker, you know how it works, once you get the goals flowing then you can follow them up and normally they keep going.”

Raymond van Barneveld set up a mouthwatering clash with teenage sensation Luke Littler after fighting through to the last 16 of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

Van Barneveld was far from at his best but still beat Jim Williams 4-1 to secure a Saturday clash with 16-year-old Littler, who was born 21 days after the Dutchman won the most recent of his five world titles in 2007.

Van Barneveld told Sky Sports: “I will love to play Luke Littler. When I was 16 I was playing with Lego and Playmobile, we didn’t have the internet or whatever.

“This guy is amazing, and I am looking forward so much to that game. He is a quality player and I can’t wait to meet him tomorrow night.”

Van Barneveld was not required to find top gear against Williams, a former BDO runner-up who finished with a higher average but managed to hit only seven of his 28 doubles.

Having nudged into a 3-1 lead and moved one leg from victory at 2-0, Van Barneveld missed five match darts and allowed the Welshman a glimmer of hope as he pulled back to level in the set.

But backed by the sizeable Ally Pally crowd, Van Barneveld nailed double eight for the match to book his place in the last 16 for the first time since 2018.

He added: “I was lucky to win this afternoon’s game. You have to be clinical and if you’re 2-0 up (in legs) you have to hit that double 16, and I let him back in at 2-2.

“The crowd were helping me but in the end you’re the one who throws the darts. I was in control but I felt a little bit nervous and I’m happy to go through.”

Littler, the world youth champion, is the youngest player to reach the last 16 after reeling off three impressive victories, including averaging over 106 in his first round win over Christian Kist.

Jonny Clayton joined Van Barneveld in the last 16 as he saw off Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski 4-2, while Australia’s Damon Heta edged to a 4-3 win over Dutchman Berry van Peer.

Celtic host Rangers in the final cinch Premiership game of 2023.

Both sides have positives and negatives to contend with going in to Saturday’s match at Parkhead.

Here,  the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points which surround what is normally a combustible encounter.

Bench boost for Celtic?

Liel Abada and Reo Hatate look likely to be among the Celtic substitutes after returning to training following significant lay-offs. Winger Abada last featured in Celtic’s 1-0 Ibrox win on September 3 before suffering a thigh injury while training with Israel, and Japan midfielder Hatate has been out for two months with a hamstring problem. The influential pair have scored five goals between them in this fixture in the past two seasons.

Big miss at the back for the champions

Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss out with a tight hamstring in a major blow for Celtic. The United States international has been the rock at the back for the past two-and-a-half years but Brendan Rodgers’ side won at Ibrox without him in September. That match saw Liam Scales establish himself almost instantly as a Celtic player and he never looked back. Gustaf Lagerbielke had a less convincing part in the win, benefiting from a VAR decision to disallow a Kemar Roofe goal after he lost the ball. The Swede has only started three games since and is likely to be overlooked for Stephen Welsh, who has never been on the winning side in six appearances against Rangers.

Silver lining among Rangers injury crisis?

Philippe Clement has been frustrated and by his squad’s injury problems since taking over from Michael Beale in October. First-choice centre-back Connor Goldson limped off close to the end of the Christmas Eve win over Motherwell at Fir Park with a groin injury, adding to a list which included Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Ben Davies, John Lundstram, Jose Cifuentes, Kemar Roofe and Danilo. Clement revealed on Friday, however, that Goldson had trained and will be assessed, while a couple of other players could return – but not striker Roofe or Danilo. A fit Goldson would go a long way to increasing the visitors’ chances of a positive result.

No Rangers fans at Celtic Park

Due to an ongoing ticket allocation dispute between the Glasgow giants, there will be no Gers supporters inside Celtic Park. Clement, looking forward to his first Old Firm game, described the situation as a “pity for football.”  Celtic went to Ibrox in September without any backing and won 1-0 but it will arguably be the stiffest test yet for Clement, who is unbeaten in his first 16 games.

Who is best set for victory?

Rangers are five points behind the cinch Premiership leaders with two games in hand. The Light Blues, while not always playing sparkling football, have found a way to win under Clement and have already won the Viaplay Cup and reached the Europa League last 16. After successive league defeats to Kilmarnock and Hearts, Celtic bounced back to beat Livingston and Dundee. A draw would not be the worst result for either side but a second Hoops victory of the season over their Old Firm rivals would signal the return of their recent superiority. A Rangers win would embolden the Light Blues, who have been playing catch-up for most of the season.

Nico de Boinville will miss key rides aboard highly-touted duo Willmount and Jeriko Du Reponet at Newbury on Saturday following a fall at Doncaster on Friday.

The 34-year-old was riding 13-8 favourite Therapist for his boss Nicky Henderson in the La-Z-Boy At KC Sofa’s Fillies’ Juvenile Maiden Hurdle when coming to grief at the second-last flight, suffering a suspected collarbone injury.

It continues a mixed Christmas period for the rider who tasted success aboard his star mount Constitution Hill and hot Triumph Hurdle prospect Sir Gino at Kempton, but was unseated from Shishkin at the second last when leading Boxing Day’s King George VI Chase.

De Boinville told Sky Sports Racing: “I think it’s a collarbone job. I’ve got to go to the X-Rays and see how we are.

“What can you do, you can’t cry about it.”

Fresh from a first Grade One victory at Aintree on Boxing Day, it is fellow Seven Barrows rider James Bowen who will take De Boinville’s place aboard Willmount in the Coral Challow Hurdle and Supreme Novices’ Hurdle favourite Jeriko Du Reponet in the Coral Committed To Safer Gambling ‘Introductory’ Hurdle.

Bowen also picks up the ride on Steal A March for the King and Queen on the Newbury card, with David Bass taking Bowen’s place aboard outsider Brave Jen in the Challow.

Nicky Henderson is counting on the experience of Willmount coming to the fore as the exciting novice bids to maintain his unbeaten record in the Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.

Bought for £340,000 after impressing in the pointing field, Willmount performed as expected in his bumper season, winning twice at Doncaster for former trainer Neil Mulholland and creating a taking impression in the process.

Switched to Seven Barrows in the off-season by his owner Olly Harris, he picked up from where he left off for his new handler, registering a bloodless 13-length victory on his hurdling bow at Newbury in November.

He is now tasked with becoming Henderson’s third winner in the final Grade One of the calendar year and is in fact just the second runner he will saddle in the race since Champ’s success in 2018.

“We’re running him because he has a bit of experience and we wanted to split up him and Jeriko (Du Reponet), which was the main idea,” said Henderson.

“He’s a pretty sensible sort of horse and he behaves like he has been at it a while, which he has been in fairness. He had a point-to-point and then two bumpers and one run over hurdles and he knows what he is doing, I hope.

“I hope he’s a horse with a bright future, but it’s a good race – a very competitive race.”

It will be the first time Willmount will race beyond two miles under rules and although Henderson admits he may end up campaigning over further in the future, the trainer does have slight concerns about the prospect of testing ground at the Berkshire venue.

On the step up in trip, he added: “I don’t think it is imperative, I must admit. He doesn’t scream to you that he wants further, but I hope he will cope with it.

“The ground would be the biggest concern. This will be very hard work, I anticipate.”

Paul Nicholls is the race’s most successful trainer and has dominated the contest in recent years, winning the last three renewals.

Denman, Stage Star, Bravemansgame and Hermes Allen all feature on the roll of honour and the Ditcheat handler has a strong hand once again with both Champion Bumper third Captain Teague and the unbeaten Farnoge attempting to uphold the champion trainer’s fine record in the contest.

“We have two nice chances in a red-hot renewal of this Grade One which we have won for the past three years and the more it rains, the better for both my runners,” Nicholls told Betfair.

“Captain Teague ran well when a close second last time at Cheltenham under a penalty. He is an exciting prospect and will gallop all day.”

On Farnoge, he added: “He is unbeaten for us having won his bumper last season and both starts over hurdles and has earned a shot at the Challow as I don’t think he is far behind Captain Teague.

“He made all the running at Ascot, the form looks useful, he stays well, keeps on winning and soft ground will be ideal for him.”

Another heading to the contest with a lofty reputation is Jonjo O’Neill’s Johnnywho, who is unbeaten both between the flags and under rules and sports the green and gold of owner JP McManus, while Ben Pauling’s The Jukebox Man is yet to put a foot wrong since finishing runner-up to Gidleigh Park in a bumper and runs in the colours of Harry Redknapp.

Masaccio was just touched off by a smart Seven Barrows operator in Jingko Blue over course and distance earlier this month and represents the Alan King team that won this in 2016 with Messire Des Obeaux.

Meanwhile, Neil King has elected to step Lookaway up in trip after his three-race winning run came to an end when a gallant second in the Greatwood Hurdle.

“I thought we had the best handicapped horse in England going into the Greatwood, but Mr Henderson had one better, but he ran a terrific race to finish second,” said King.

“He’s been in very good form since, we just gave him a little break afterwards to get ready for Newbury but we had plenty of time on our hands, so he is raring to go now.

“After the Greatwood, both Jack (Quinlan) and I feel that stepping him up in trip might be the way forward to seek out a bit of improvement in him and as a Grade One we need to improve.

“It looks a competitive renewal, but he deserves his place in the line-up and I’m sure if he was trained by Mr Henderson or Mr Nicholls he would be half the price that he is.”

Course runner-up Brave Jen is a second runner in the race for Henderson, with Ella Pickard’s Bullets Hill completing the line-up.