Arsenal missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League as they slipped to a disappointing defeat to West Ham amid more VAR controversy.
The Gunners needed victory to replace Liverpool at the summit but lost 2-0 by the Hammers on a night where David Moyes finally landed a victory at the Emirates Stadium.
His West Ham side lost Kurt Zouma ahead of the game and Lucas Paqueta after just over half an hour but hit the front through Tomas Soucek’s strike, awarded after VAR could not determine whether the whole ball had gone out of play in the build-up.
A second-half header from former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos secured the points and things could have been even better for the visitors had Said Benrahma not seen a last-gasp penalty saved by David Raya.
Moyes had failed to secure victory in his previous 72 Premier League away games at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United, so this was a long time coming for the Scot.
Arsenal laboured when they needed to continue their recent winning run in London derbies to go back to the top of the table.
Instead, only captain Martin Odegaard could hold his head high on a night where their defence creaked and Gabriel Jesus was guilty of missing a couple of very good chances.
Arsenal started well, with some great touches in and around the West Ham box from Odegaard in particular.
But at the other end their defending left a lot to be desired, as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Magalhaes failed to deal with a simple ball into the middle.
Jarrod Bowen capitalised by latching onto the miscue and teed up Soucek to finish – the goal surviving a lengthy VAR check which could not ultimately make a call on if the ball had not gone out of play before Bowen’s cutback.
Arsenal looked to respond although the goal gave West Ham something to defend, although Jesus found a way in behind with a subtle flick into Bukayo Saka, whose header was brilliantly saved by Alphonse Areola.
Paqueta had been hurt in the warm-up and lasted just over half an hour, with his fellow Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli curling an effort just wide for Arsenal as they continued in vain to find a leveller.
The hosts were getting closer, West Ham gifting possession as two passes saw Arsenal in on goal once more, this time Saka hitting the base of the post from an acute angle.
Former West Ham captain Declan Rice fired just over from 25 yards but it was another player coming back to haunt his former club who would find the back of the net soon after.
Mavropanos made just seven league starts in three years as an Arsenal player but returned to the Premier League last summer with the Hammers and headed them two goals ahead before the hour.
Jesus then headed straight at Areola before sending another fine chance well over the bar moments after Arteta introduced Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson off the bench.
Areola was on hand again to keep out a Leandro Trossard effort, with Vladimir Coufal clearing a William Saliba header off the line from the resulting corner.
Rice had come off the bench during a 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat on his return to West Ham earlier in the season and endured another night to forget here as he conceded a late penalty for tripping Emerson Palmieri in the box – only for Raya to keep out substitute Benrahma’s tame spot-kick.
Tottenham’s Premier League revival was halted in emphatic fashion after two Joao Pedro penalties and a stunning strike from Pervis Estupinan helped injury-hit Brighton record a thumping 4-2 win.
Spurs arrived at the Amex Stadium seeking a fourth successive top-flight success to reclaim fourth spot from reigning champions Manchester City.
But the north London club were ripped apart as Pedro’s double and Estupinan’s thunderbolt added to Jack Hinshelwood’s opener.
Tottenham, who claimed late consolations through substitute Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies, could easily have lost by more as rampant Albion twice hit the woodwork and had a Facundo Buonanotte effort disallowed.
Richarlison struck a post for the visitors and was twice denied by the offside flag, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also hit the woodwork.
Yet, on this evidence, Champions League qualification looks a distant dream for Ange Postecoglou’s side, who had registered just one point from 15 before their recent upturn in form. Victory lifts Roberto De Zerbi’s hosts above Newcastle into eighth.
Depleted were missing eight first-team players while their visitors also had a lengthy list of absentees.
One-time Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck should have opened the scoring for Albion inside six minutes when he was twice denied by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, but the Seagulls deservedly edged ahead with 11 minutes on the clock.
Tottenham’s porous defence failed to halt Pedro’s mazy waltz across the 18-yard box and his offload was emphatically dispatched into the roof of the net by 18-year-old defender Hinshelwood.
Brazilian forward Pedro duly doubled the lead with a spot-kick awarded following VAR intervention.
Spurs thought they had escaped when Jan Paul van Hecke’s header from a Pascal Gross corner came back off the right post but replays showed Dejan Kulusevski pulled down Welbeck as he attempted to reach the rebound and Pedro coolly rolled home from 12 yards.
Stunned Spurs showed little response and were in danger of falling further behind. James Milner rattled the right post with a superb curling effort before Buonanotte’s clinical finish was flagged offside.
The away side almost gifted Brighton a third when Pedro was sent through by a calamitous back-pass from Pedro Porro, only to see his attempted dink pushed wide by Vicario.
Postecoglou would undoubtedly have been happy to reach the break only two behind, albeit his side’s predicament nearly improved as Richarlison swept against the outside of the left post in added time.
The Brazilian then put the ball in the net having already been ruled offside and then curled wide before again being denied by the flag of assistant referee Darren Cann.
Tottenham’s frustration was quickly compounded. Seagulls substitute Estupinan, making his first appearance since November 9 due to injury, did the damage, unleashing a thunderous, dipping effort into the top right corner from around 25 yards following Milner’s short corner.
Tormentor-in-chief Pedro rubbed salt into Spurs’ wounds 15 minutes from time by dispatching his second penalty after Evan Ferguson was brought down by Giovani Lo Celso.
Veliz’s first goal in English football, after Kulusevski and Son Heung-min capitalised on sloppy Seagulls defending, eased the embarrassment before Davies’ header from a Porro cross increased the anxiety among home fans.
But Brighton weathered a frantic nine minutes of added time, during which Hojbjerg hit the base of the right post, to claim the points.
Fifth seed and former champion Gerwyn Price was dumped out of the PDC World Darts Championship after a 4-2 defeat to Enniskillen’s Brendan Dolan.
Dolan held his nerve to close out the match with his first shot at tops after Price had clawed his way back from two legs down to level in the sixth set.
It was a crushing defeat for Welshman Price, who had been intent on repeating his victory in the behind-closed-doors tournament in 2021.
Dolan, who got through his second round match via a sudden death leg against his compatriot Mickey Mansell, had served an early warning when he took out the opening set with a 144 checkout.
His crisp finishing proved the difference as he nudged in front again at 2-1 on the bull, and 64 to repel Price’s advances to go 3-2 up and one set from victory.
Dolan looked set to be made to pay for missing a match-dart at bull at 2-0 in the sixth when Price hit back to break his throw, but the Northern Ireland 50-year-old saw it home in style.
Dolan told Sky Sports: “I was thinking we might go to a last leg but thank god it didn’t because I don’t know if I would have held myself together.”
Chris Dobey overcame a scare from Ross Smith to win 4-2 in the highlight of the afternoon session.
A back-and-forth contest that saw 27 maximums posted throughout saw Dobey march into a 2-0 lead before being pegged back by Smith.
Another tight set saw Dobey edge ahead and he hit double 16 for the match to set up a meeting with reigning world champion Michael Smith in the last 16.
Stephen Bunting set up a last 16 clash with Michael van Gerwen after a stunning 4-0 win over Florian Hempel.
Bunting, the former BDO champion, nudged the opener 3-2 and from there the momentum was firmly with him as he swept Hempel away with a whitewash, averaging 101.15 throughout.
Another close contest saw Joe Cullen reach the next round with a 4-2 win over Ryan Searle.
The Minnesota Vikings are making another late-season quarterback change, as head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Thursday that rookie Jaren Hall will start Sunday's key game against the Green Bay Packers.
Hall, a fifth-round pick out of BYU in the 2023 draft, replaces Nick Mullens after the veteran threw four interceptions in Minnesota's 30-24 home loss to the Detroit Lions last week. The defeat was the Vikings' fourth in five games and dropped them a game behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, the teams that presently occupy the NFC's final two playoff spots entering the season's final two weeks.
Minnesota will be changing quarterbacks for the fourth time since starter Kirk Cousins ruptured his Achilles tendon on Oct. 29. Hall made his first career start the following week at Atlanta, but was forced out of the game in the first quarter with a concussion.
Joshua Dobbs replaced Hall against the Falcons and helped the Vikings to a 31-28 win, then started Minnesota's next four games. He and the offence struggled in an ugly 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, however, which prompted O'Connell to turn to Mullens.
Though Mullens threw for a combined 711 yards in his two starts, he was intercepted six times and the Vikings lost both outings to fall to 7-8 on the season.
"We have to maintain possession of the football," O'Connell stated after announcing the decision. "The turnover margin has been well-talked about all season long, and I just felt like, at this time, giving Jaren a full week of preparation and a clear-cut mindset on the game plan [is the right move].
Hall has seen very limited action as a rookie, having completed 8 of 10 passes for 101 yards in two overall games. O'Connell said he's pleased by the young quarterback's progress, however, and is comfortable having Hall start in what's essentially a must-win game for the Vikings.
“He’s had a few great weeks of preparation and I’m looking forward to seeing what Jaren can do," O'Connell said.
The Vikings and Packers currently have identical 7-8 records, with the loser of Sunday's game eliminated from playoff consideration if both the Rams and Seahawks win this week.
Barbados-based seven-year-old Ashton O’Kola is back in the Caribbean after his latest triumph at the Doral Jr Classic Golf Tournament in Miami.
The best of the pint-sized O’Kola, whose parents are Jamaican, was on display at the tournament, as he came from two strokes behind after the first day to win his division with a low par of 34.
“It feels good to shoot such a low score at Doral because it’s a very tricky course and this was a really big tournament,” O’Kola said following his success.
He won ahead of Dacio Diaz (36) of Florida, and Canada's bronze medallist Edouard Marchand (38).
O’Kola is no stranger to international competitions, and this victory basically capped what was a successful year for the impressive young golfer.
Earlier in the year, he placed first in tournaments in Uganda and South Africa and won the lowest round in both tournaments. Those results followed a successful 2022 season in which he won the Pepsi Little People’s Tournament in Quincy, Illinois with a score of 29, which was one of the lowest scores in the history of the tournament.
O’Kola, who attends Providence Elementary School, also came first at Doral, and was on the podium at tournaments in Italy and Brazil.
Brian Boodramsingh is celebrating a ninth jockeys’ championship title in Trinidad and Tobago after missing almost six months of the racing year while on a stint in Canada.
On Tuesday’s Boxing Day card, the final day of the Trinidad and Tobago racing year, Boodramsingh rode three winners to survive a “tough battle” with apprentice Tristan Phillips. He achieved another championship feat with 14 wins, one ahead of Phillips and Dillon Khelawan in the 14-meet racing year.
“It was good to come back and win the championship. I believed that I could, and the trainer and owners gave me what was needed,” said Boodramsingh.
With the battle between the top three being tense throughout the race card, Boodramsingh snatched the title with victory aboard the 3-5 favourite Theory of Colours in the final race of the year, decisively edging Phillips’ mount Alpha Cetauri (5-1) by a length in a title-clinching result.
“I must thank my trainer John O’Brien for his kindness and skill in getting his horses ready to perform in the manner that they did. I thank everyone, the grooms for their support in my venture. My first two winners were easy, but I had to ride for my final victory,” Boodramsingh noted.
This was fifth-consecutive title. Boodramsingh also rode 21 winners on his just over five-month stint in Canada, where he rode predominantly at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, with some brief trips to Century Mile in Edmonton.
Rangers have announced the loan signing of Portuguese forward Fabio Silva from Wolves until the end of the season.
Silva is set to join Rangers from January 1, subject to international clearance, and will become the first new arrival under manager Philippe Clement.
After joining Wolves from Porto in the summer of 2020 for what was then a club-record fee in the region of £35.6million, Silva had loan spells at both Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven last season.
Silva, 21, has made more than 60 Premier League appearances, the last coming as a late substitute in the defeat at Sheffield United on November 4.
“I am very happy, when I spoke to people about Glasgow and about Rangers, everyone told me good things about the club and the history,” Silva said on the Rangers website.
“I played here once with Porto in the Europa League, so I already know the warm club, the environment and the stadium, so everything is perfect.
“I am very happy to be here, and I can’t wait to start training with the team.”
Clement is confident Silva can make an impact at Ibrox.
“He is a highly rated striker and it is fantastic to have him joining our squad for the remainder of the season,” the Rangers boss said.
“He is a young player who already has some great experience in his career in both England and in Europe. I am looking forward to working with him moving forward.”
Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs feels Silva will benefit from the move to Scotland.
“This is a simple one – Fabio needs to play,” Hobbs said on the Wolves website.
“He is not getting enough opportunities here, so it’s a chance to go out and score goals and we’ll look at the future in the summer.
“Rangers don’t have a buying option, but hopefully he plays and scores goals and we’ll see where we’re at in the summer.”
West Indian cricket and broadcasting icon Michael Holding has blasted the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to charge Australian opener Usman Khawaja for wearing a black armband during the Perth Test against Pakistan.
Khawaja has been told by the ICC to keep his humanitarian appeal for the people of Palestine away from the cricket field. He was officially warned for wearing a black armband during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth.
He wanted to sport a black dove on his shoe and bat in the upcoming Boxing Day Test but even that was rejected by the ICC, and Holding says he is not “surprised” by their stance of “hypocrisy”.
“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes,” Holding explained.
“So how the f*** people were allowed to take a knee for BLM (Black Lives Matter), and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colors?” Holding questioned while speaking to The Weekend Australian.
Holding argued that the ICC has not made their stance clear.
“If it would have been some other organisation with a consistent track record, I would have been surprised, but not the ICC," he declared.
The fast-bowling legend accused the ICC of being “hypocrite” and have shown again that “they lack spine as a governing body”.
Like Holding, other observers believe that by banning Khawaja's move, as well as his subsequent request to adorn his bat with the peace symbol of a dove holding an olive branch, the ICC has inadvertently boosted his message, while revealing its own hypocrisy.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler wants to show his beloved Manchester United how to win a trophy by lifting the World Championship.
The 16-year-old has taken the Alexandra Palace tournament by storm and became the youngest player to ever qualify for the last 16 when he beat Matt Campbell on Wednesday night.
Littler, who won the World Youth Championship in November, would cause one of the biggest shocks in sporting history if he manages to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy next week.
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The teenager, who received tickets for the stadium tour at Old Trafford for Christmas and messages some of the United youth team, is hoping he can inspire his favourite side.
Asked whether he will be parading some silverware when he visits United’s home ground, he replied: “Hopefully I’ll show them how to win one.
“For Christmas I got stuff for my Xbox, a controller, gift cards and got two tickets for the Manchester United stadium tour so I will go to that after the Worlds.”
Littler’s life has changed immeasurably over the last fortnight as he has stolen the headlines for his performance on the Ally Pally stage.
He is enjoying celebrity status, with social media taking a keen interest in Littler’s love of a kebab.
“I have been on social media for a few years and I still have my own account set up, I know what is going on on there but I tend to stay off it,” he admitted.
“If there is nice things my dad will say and if there are bad things he won’t mention it.
“My Instagram was on 4,000 and now it is up to 29.2k, that is on Instagram, Twitter or X has gone up to 25 so with both I have gained 50,000 followers.”
Asked who the most famous person to message him was, he replied: “Probably JaackMaate. I have had a few of the youngsters from the Man United squad, they have been messaging me and then a few from the Warrington Wolves have been messaging me.”
And as for his go-to kebab choice, Littler added: “Doner meat, wrap with lettuce and mayonnaise.”
Napoli head coach Walter Mazzarri warned his side cannot afford any more slip-ups as they look to kick-start their campaign against Monza.
The Partenopei return to action after the Christmas break looking to avoid a third straight Serie A defeat with a lengthy injury list.
Brazilian defender Natan is the latest player facing a spell out because of a dislocated shoulder while midfielder Stanislav Lobotka has a cracked rib.
Forwards Victor Osimhen and Matteo Politano are also both missing through suspension following their dismissals in the defeat at Roma.
Mazzarri, though, maintains the squad will just have to cope as best they can as the defending champions aim to close on the top four.
“It’s a huge game against Monza. We need to play with attacking impetus and also strike the right balance,” Mazzarri told a press conference.
“We can’t have any more slip-ups. We need to get back to our brilliant selves and restore our confidence levels.”
Mazzarri, who returned for a second spell at Napoli in November, added: “We have deserved two or three more points from my first cycle back in charge based on how we have performed and how we have played on the front foot.
“That is my only regret, but I’m here to help the lads out and I’m confident we can improve.
“When we’re playing well, we usually impose our game on everyone. We’re also improving defensively.
“Unfortunately, we’ve paid for some mistakes which have led to us dropping points. The aim is to have attacking threat while striking the right balance and remaining solid.”
Mazzarri feels Napoli are not far away from turning promising performances into positive results.
“I can see that mentally this team has fire on the inside and is acquiring the sort of spirit that I like. We need to channel that energy in a positive way,” he said.
“I am sure that as soon as a few things go our way, we will see a Napoli side that never gives up and shows what we are capable of – that is what will show we are on the right path.”
Monza coach Raffaele Palladino feels his side must be “hungry” to get themselves back on track following their own run of three defeats from the past four games.
“We want to put in a great performance,” said Palladino, who returns to his hometown club. “We face the Italian champions who have great players.
“I saw a good week (of training). We worked well and we want to score points. We have to start doing well again. I want a team hungry for results.”
Simone Inzaghi believes Inter Milan can head into 2024 with plenty of enthusiasm as his side aim to finish the campaign with more silverware.
The Serie A leaders return to action after the Christmas break at Genoa on Friday night for their final match of the year.
While there was disappointment in defeat by Manchester City in the 2023 Champions League final, Inter lifted both the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia.
Inzaghi feels Inter can continue to build on progress over the past year as they look to maintain the pace at the top of the table and also make an impact again in Europe, having been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16.
“2023 has been very satisfying. We’ve won a couple of trophies and played a very exciting Champions League final,” Inzaghi told Inter TV.
“It’s nice not to forget what we’ve achieved, but we have plenty of ambition and are looking ahead to the new year with plenty of enthusiasm. We want to go far together with our fans.”
Inzaghi added: “We are happy with our numbers from the first 17 matches. We still have 21 games to play and will need to maintain our excellent attacking and defensive numbers.
“The secret is the real willingness that all the players are displaying.”
Inter should have French defender Benjamin Pavard available again for the trip to Genoa, but Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco and Juan Cuadrado remain out injured.
“The rotation of the squad needs to be a solution and mustn’t become a problem,” Inzaghi said.
“It is something that has served us well during periods where we have had so many matches in quick succession.”
Genoa held Juventus to a 1-1 draw in their last home game and Inzaghi is expecting a stern test against the Rossoblu.
“It will be a hard-fought game,” he said. “Genoa are in good form and have high-quality players and a well-prepared coach who is doing well.
“We will have to be shrewd and play with real intensity.”
Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino hopes his side can produce another positive display to build on their win at Sassuolo ahead of the Christmas break.
“We face the strongest team in the championship, one of the best defences in Europe and a very good coach,” Gilardino said at a press conference.
“We come to play this match after two positive results, so we must face this match in the best way.
“We must not allow ourselves to lose even a millimetre in our approach.
“The boys are eager to get a positive result and have a positive attitude in the match.”
England will be without Manu Tuilagi for the start of the Six Nations after he suffered a groin injury in Sale’s Gallagher Premiership victory over Saracens last Friday.
Tuilagi limped off early in the second half with a grade three tear and has been told he faces six weeks of rehabilitation, although he does not require surgery.
The powerful 32-year-old centre, who was a regular in England’s midfield during the recent World Cup, will miss at least the Championship opener against Italy on February 3.
“Manu has pulled his groin and we think he’s going to be back during the Six Nations, but not for the first week,” Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said.
“I spoke to him and he’s like ‘I need to play and if I’m good to play it’s up to England regarding selection’.
“He was in the frame before and I’ve stated before his intent to keep playing international rugby.
“Six weeks is the recommended time for the injury and Manu is saying four.”
Tuilagi, who returned from the World Cup with a broken hand, was plagued by a long-term groin problem earlier in his career and more recently has been troubled by damage to both hamstrings.
Sale prop Bevan Rodd will miss the entire Six Nations after undergoing toe surgery.
Chris Dobey overcame a scare from Ross Smith to win 4-2 at the World Darts Championships.
A back-and-forth contest that saw 27 maximums posted throughout started with Dobey taking the first set with a 116 checkout before continuing his ruthless run to clinch the second with an average of 122.
The world number 17 took the opening two legs in the third, but was unable to find the crucial doubles as Smith dragged himself back into the game to pull one back.
Smith drew level but another tight set saw Dobey edge ahead and he hit double 16 for the match to set up a meeting with reigning world champion Michael Smith in the last 16.
Another close contest saw Joe Cullen reach the next round with a 4-2 win over Ryan Searle.
Cullen breezed through the opening two sets but Searle found some rhythm to take the third.
“Heavy Metal” put up a fightback in the fourth, where a tight deciding leg saw him take advantage of Cullen’s missed double with a 124 finish on the bullseye to level the match.
A cagey set followed as “The Rockstar” edged to victory and another tight set followed, but Cullen managed to hit double top for the win.
Stephen Bunting produced a stunning performance to beat Florian Hempel 4-0.
An electric opening saw Bunting set the tone with two 180s in his opening leg before winning the next one, but an excellent 164 checkout spurred Hempel on as he took the next two legs.
With the first set level at 2-2, the “Bullet” took the decider with an average of 115.62 and from there the momentum was firmly with Bunting as he swept Hempel away with a whitewash, averaging 101.15 throughout.
Victory means Bunting will now face Michael van Gerwen in the last 16.
Isco has signed a contract extension with Real Betis until 2027, the club have announced.
The midfield player, who joined Betis from Sevilla in the summer, has scored twice in 17 LaLiga appearances this season.
The former Real Madrid man has been an important player for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, who sit in seventh place ahead of their trip to Celta Vigo next week.
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