Jack Butland believes Rangers are continuing to grow under Philippe Clement after showing their adaptability to beat St Mirren 1-0 in Paisley.
Swirling wind at the SMiSA stadium on Saturday lunchtime made good football all but impossible but ultimately striker Cyriel Dessers’ goal after 14 minutes – his 12th of the season – was enough to take the three points back to Ibrox.
Rangers remain five points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand and Butland told RangersTV: “We are developing as a team. There is obviously an end goal of what we want to achieve but we have to take it a game at a time and get the results that we want and we did that.
“We got the job done. We went there to get three points and a clean sheet and we have done that.
“As far as playing the football that we want, perhaps not, but it is what this league is about.
“You have different tests, it was a different game to Wednesday night (3-0 win at Hibernian) where we are able to play more football in better conditions but it is a sign of how the team is growing.
“It (conditions) don’t allow you to get it down and play the passes you want to play in tighter areas so you do have to adapt and play to the conditions but that is part and parcel of the game.
“We would be naive if we thought we could play exactly how we played the other night.
“Sometimes you have to be sensible and get the result and that’s what we’ve done.
“We’ve created openings without taking too many chances. It was a great finish from Cyriel and we got the result we wanted which is the business we are in.”
Stephen Robinson handed a first league appearance to January recruit Hyeok-kyu Kwon, the midfielder who is on loan from Celtic.
Attacker James Scott, initially signed on loan from Exeter before he joins Saints on a permanent two-year-deal in the summer, came on in the second half to make his debut while Jaden Brown, who arrived on loan from Lincoln last week, remained on the bench.
The Buddies boss told stmirren.com: “I don’t expect to bring anyone else in.
“The deal was I could only bring players in if I got players out so ultimately maybe one more player will leave to balance the three players that came in.
“But I believe we will come out of this transfer window in a better position with a more balanced squad with competition in each position.”
Maidstone goalkeeper Lucas Covolan is eyeing a move to the Sky Bet Championship after a “normal day at the office” in the club’s historic 2-1 win at Ipswich.
National League South club Maidstone produced one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets on Saturday after goals from Lamar Reynolds and Sam Corne in Suffolk.
Covolan also starred at Portman Road as Maidstone lost the shot count 38-2, but had their former Brazil Under-20 goalkeeper to thank following a string of excellent saves.
It helped Maidstone become only the 11th non-league club to reach the fifth round in what was their seventh tie in this season’s competition.
“It’s a normal day at the office isn’t it,” Covolan told BBC One.
“I had a great game and I am so happy I could help my team-mates. Here we go, we’re in the hat again and I am so proud of the team.
“Hopefully I can get a move now to the Championship as well!
“What we have achieved now is something unbelievable. To be in the last 16 teams in England, it’s brilliant, just brilliant.
“Credit to all the fans, all the team performance. Everyone was cramping up at the end, but we kept fighting, bodies on the line and everything. What a great day.”
Before kick-off 98 places separated the teams and Ipswich could have been 3-0 up inside 11 minutes, but Jeremy Sarmiento and Omari Hutchinson hit the post, while Covolan denied Hutchinson and Nathan Broadhead.
Further saves from Covolan thwarted Hutchinson and Sam Morsy before Reynolds sent the 4,472-travelling fans into pandemonium with a superb chip in the 43rd minute.
Ipswich did finally beat Covolan 11 minutes after half-time when Sarmiento rolled into the bottom corner, but Corne put George Elokobi’s side back in front with 66 minutes on the clock after another fine breakaway goal.
All eyes were on whether the sixth-tier outfit could hold on and Covolan ensured they did with a sensational save to deny Conor Chaplin following a corner with six minutes left.
It resulted in jubilant scenes at full-time, with Covolan tearful after an eventful career that has seen him score in the National League play-off final for Torquay in 2021, but suffer with depression during a spell at Port Vale.
The 32-year-old added: “It means a lot. I just want to thank my whole family, my wife and everybody that’s been supporting us.
“It means so much because my career in the last few years was not very good and now all the bad parts of the career comes in my head and we produce this.
“It’s unreal. It was very, very good.”
Ipswich captain Morsy urged his team to bounce back as quickly as possible in their bid for promotion after he acknowledged the day belonged to Maidstone.
“We have to look at it and things we can work on because ultimately we didn’t do enough to win the game,” Morsy told Town TV.
“Sometimes it is the other team’s day.
“We haven’t had many disappointing days but sometimes in football it can happen.”
West Indies earned a famous victory over Australia as Shamar Joseph overcame injury to inspire them to an eight-run victory at the Gabba.
Joseph had retired hurt while batting on day three after being hit by a Mitchell Starc yorker but claimed figures of seven for 68 in only his second Test to rip through the batting order and earn a first Windies win on Australian soil since 1997.
Steve Smith carried his bat for 91 but none of his colleagues reached 50.
The hosts started day four 60 for two, needing 156 runs to secure a win in the second Test, and looked to be going well as Smith and Cameron Green added 71 for the third wicket.
Joseph ended the partnership with a brilliant delivery to send the top of Green’s off-stump flying.
He struck again the following ball to send Travis Head back to the pavilion with a king pair and Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey soon followed as the Australia batting line-up began to dwindle.
Starc fought back alongside Smith, scoring 21 off 14 before being caught by Kevin Sinclair off Joseph, and captain Pat Cummins was unable to recreate his first-innings heroics as he fell to Joseph for two.
Alzarri Joseph picked up his second wicket of the game to dismiss Nathan Lyon before Smith ran out of partners and was left stranded as Joseph wrapped up a famous win by bowling Josh Hazlewood to earn the tourists a series draw.
It is the first time the Windies have avoided a Test series defeat in Australia since 1993.
Aryna Sabalenka believes she can bring her Australian Open dominance to other grand slams after lifting a second successive title in Melbourne.
The Belarusian will stay world number two behind Iga Swiatek but that could well change this year if Sabalenka can maintain her impressive consistency at the majors.
In the last five slams, Sabalenka has won two titles, reached another final on hard courts at the US Open and never lost before the semi-finals, while Swiatek’s only run to the last four saw her retain her French Open title.
Getting the better of Swiatek at Roland Garros is likely to be Sabalenka’s biggest challenge but she certainly has the game for grass and, with more composure, could have reached all four finals last year.
“I think last year I proved that I can play on each surface,” said the 25-year-old. “I think those two semi-finals I got super emotional.
“I played against incredible players, and they just played an unbelievable level, but I felt like I got super emotional and I just let those semis go away.
“But I definitely think that if I’m going to keep working like I’m working right now, and if we’re going to keep building what we are building right now, I’m definitely able to do the same on the clay and on the grass.
“So then I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully this year I’ll achieve the same goal.”
It was a statement fortnight from Sabalenka, who did not drop a set through seven matches, with only Coco Gauff in the semi-finals taking more than five games off her.
Speaking on Eurosport, former British number one Laura Robson said: “To deliver that kind of performance across the two weeks, getting better and better, I feel like the rest of the players in the locker room are thinking ‘uh oh’ for the rest of the season.”
There is certainly no sign of Sabalenka being happy with two titles, and the calm manner with which she demolished the rest of the field will give her rivals plenty of pause for thought.
She is now two slam titles behind Swiatek, and was relieved to escape the box of one-slam wonder.
“Actually it’s been in my mind that I didn’t want to be that player who won it and then disappeared,” she said.
“I just wanted to show that I’m able to be consistently there and I’m able to win another one. I really hope that (it will be) more than two, but for me it was really important.”
Sabalenka’s ambitions are shared by her coaches, with fitness trainer Jason Stacy, saying: “We’re the coaches in our different areas but during the match and straight after the match, we’re already talking about the things we need to work on.”
Stacy has been walking around Melbourne Park with Sabalenka’s signature written in pen by the world number two on his bald head.
It is part of the team’s efforts to keep things light and fun off court, although Stacy is ready to draw the line at the next suggestion.
“It might get worse actually,” he said. “Now they’re trying to say I’ve got to get a tattoo of this on my head. I’m like, ‘I don’t know about that’. Every tournament we always find some thing we’re doing and we just kind of go with that.”
Shoaib Bashir rejoined his England team-mates on Sunday after finally arriving in India with his delayed visa.
The uncapped spinner was unable to join the rest of the squad when they transferred from their training camp in Abu Dhabi last weekend due to a hold-up with his paperwork.
Although born in Surrey, the 20-year-old’s family heritage in Pakistan caused lengthier than expected checks and he was ultimately forced to fly back to London to receive a stamp at the Indian high commission.
He finally landed in Hyderabad on day four of the first Test and made his way to link up with the side at the Ranjiv Gandhi Stadium.
The 20-year-old made his way out to the field of play at the lunch break and was soon playing his part, feeding throws to head coach Brendon McCullum as he warmed up his slip catchers ahead of India’s fourth-innings chase.
England captain Ben Stokes had expressed sympathy for Bashir on the eve of the match, saying: “I’m pretty devastated that Bash has had to go through this.
“As a leader, as a captain, when one of your team-mates is affected by something like that, you get a bit emotional. It’s obviously a frustrating situation, more importantly, for him.”
The Somerset off-spinner could now come into contention for a Test debut next week in Visakhapatnam, with Jack Leach suffering from a knee injury.
Ollie Pope was last man out for a stunning 196 as England’s rousing resistance left India chasing 231 to win the first Test on day four in Hyderabad.
Pope fell four short a deserved double century, clean bowled attempting to scoop Jasprit Bumrah over his shoulder with just the injured Jack Leach for company, as the tourists fought their way to 420 all out in a stirring fightback.
They added 104 runs in the morning session as they became just the ninth away team in history to pass 400 in their second innings on Indian soil. When Ben Stokes departed midway through the third day, leaving the score at 163 for five, such an outcome seemed almost impossible.
Pope resumed on 148, a knock hailed by team-mate Joe Root as an “absolute masterclass”, and made it clear he was not finished yet as he reached 150 then sent a sizzling cover drive racing away for four.
His seventh-wicket partnership with Rehan Ahmed reached 64, the teenager contributing 28, before Bumrah had the 19-year-old caught behind.
That looked like a window of opportunity for India but the arrival of Tom Hartley confounded them even further, the tall left-hander looking entirely untroubled as he joined Pope in a stand of 80 in 106 balls.
The hosts were increasingly listless as England took the game on, Hartley producing a no-look scoop early in his innings before charging Ravichandran Ashwin and lacing him for four down the ground.
The arrival of the new ball did not bring the desired effect, Pope quick to flip it over his head for four more and Hartley pinging Ravindra Jadeja over the top.
When Ashwin did beat the bat, an increasing rarity, the ball nipped past Pope’s outside edge and skimmed away for four byes. Moments after unfurling a glorious straight drive Pope was granted a life on 186, fencing Mohammed Siraj to slip only for KL Rahul to spill a low catch.
Hartley, who joined Pope in using the reverse sweep to quell the spin, was finally undone for 34 by a shin-high grubber from Ashwin and that was the turning point India needed. Mark Wood came and went for a duck, caught behind off Jadeja, and when Leach hobbled to the crease Pope decided to force the issue.
With lunch approaching he decided to stoop low paddle Bumrah over the wicketkeeper, a plan that ended with his off stump out of the ground. It was the end of a career-best knock and the seventh highest ever scored by an Englishman in the second innings.
Another game, another win for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Saturday for their 16th win in a row to move within one victory of the longest winning streak in NHL history.
Edmonton (29-15-1) now begins the All-Star break and won't have a chance to match the record held by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins until February 6, when it visits the Vegas Golden Knights.
With the win, the Oilers tied the league's second-longest single-season winning streak, held by 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets.
Connor McDavid led the way, tallying a goal and three assists, while Leon Draisaitl recorded a goal and two assists for the Oilers, who improved to 24-3-0 since November 24.
The Oilers, who last lost on December 19, are outscoring teams 61-24 during the winning streak and have a franchise-record streak of 14 consecutive games of allowing two goals or less.
Stuart Skinner had another solid showing between the pipes, turning aside 28 shots. He has yielded one goal in each of his last three games and has started 12 games during the winning streak, posting a 1.41 goals-against average in those outings.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins opened the scoring for Edmonton with a power-play goal in the first period and Zach Hyman ended the scoring with an empty-netter for his 30th goal of the season.
Draisaitl scored on the power-play for his 800th career point to reach that milestone in his 683rd game - the fourth-fastest player to reach that mark.
Colton Sissons had the lone goal for the Predators (26-22-1), who lost for the third time in four games.
Matthews scores league-leading 40th goal as Maple Leafs beat Jets
Auston Matthews reached a pair of milestones in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, scoring his league-leading 40th goal to reach 600 career points.
Matthews, who has three more goals than the Florida Panthers' Sam Reinhart, has scored in three straight games and has seven goals and three assists in his last six contests.
Playing in his 527th game, Matthews became the fastest skater in Toronto franchise history to 600 career points with his power-play goal with 4:32 to play in the third period.
Ilya Samsonov finished with 24 saves as the Maple Leafs (25-14-8) swept a home-and-home set with the Jets and extended their winning streak to three games.
Ryan Reaves, John Tavares and Simon Benoit also scored goals for Toronto in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.
Winnipeg's Dylan Samberg opened the scoring when the defenseman found the back of the net on the Jets' first shot of the game 4:13 into the first period.
Mason Appleton added a late goal for the Jets (30-12-5), who lost their third straight game after losing just three of their previous 17 contests (14-1-2).
Rangers score 7 straight goals to rally by Senators
The New York Rangers are heading into the All-Star break on a positive note, rallying from a 2-0 deficit for a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Artemi Panarin was one of six Ranger skaters recording multiple points, tallying a goal and two assists, as New York (30-16-3) bounced back from back-to-back defeats and enters the break atop the Metropolitan Division.
After falling behind 2-0, the Rangers erupted for five goals in the second period, tying the game on Chris Kreider's 23rd goal of the season. New York took the lead just 39 seconds later on Zac Jones' first goal.
With the victory, first-year Rangers coach Peter Laviolette moved into a tie for seventh place on the all-time wins list, sitting alongside Al Arbour with 782.
The Senators (18-25-2) lost in regulation for the first time since January 16 after going 3-0-2 in their previous five contests.
LeBron James is in his 21st NBA season, and still accomplishing things he's never done before.
James had a career-high 20 rebounds as part of a triple-double and hit two late free throws in the second overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 145-144 road win over the Golden State Warriors in an epic showdown with Stephen Curry on Saturday.
James also had 36 points and 12 assists as part of his 110th career triple-double while playing a season-high 48 minutes.
He became the first Laker to have at least 35 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game in the last 40 seasons.
Curry scored 10 of his season-high 46 points in the second overtime, and put the Warriors up 144-143 on his season-best ninth 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds to play.
On the Lakers ensuing possession, James drove the lane and drew a foul with 1.2 seconds remaining. He hit both free throws to put Los Angeles up by one point and Curry then missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
D'Angelo Russell finished with 28 points, and hit a key 3-pointer late in regulation and another clutch 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Anthony Davis exited for a bit in the third quarter due to a hip spasm but returned to finish with 29 points and 13 rebounds for Los Angeles (24-23), which trailed by as much as 15 points.
The Warriors (19-24) lost for the fourth time in five games despite scoring a season high in points and making a season-best 23 3-pointers.
Klay Thompson drained a tying 3 with 5.9 seconds to play in the first extra period and then hit another with 1:53 to play in the second, but he ended up fouling out 39 seconds later. He finished with 24 points and made six 3-pointers.
Clippers roll in Boston for fifth straight win
One month ago, the Boston Celtics trounced the Clippers in Los Angeles.
The Clippers returned the favour.
Los Angeles led by as much as 36 en route to a 115-96 victory over the NBA-best Celtics in Boston.
The Pacific Division-leading Clippers (30-14) rode a 21-0 run in the third quarter to avenge a 37-point home loss to the Celtics on December 23. The Clippers have won five in a row with all victories coming by double digits.
Kawhi Leonard had a game-high 26 points, while Paul George added 17 points in just 22 minutes for Los Angeles, which scored 64 points in the paint.
With the outcome in little doubt, both teams emptied their bench for the fourth quarter.
The Celtics (35-11) were opening a season-high seven-game home-stand, but came out sluggish, scoring a season-low 21 first-quarter points.
Jayson Tatum was the only Celtic starter in double figures, scoring 21 while the other four Boston starters combined for 17 points on 5-of-37 shooting (13.5 per cent).
It marked the second straight home loss for the Celtics, who opened the season 20-0 in Boston.
Knicks win sixth in row but Randle injured
The New York Knicks' latest win may have come at a cost.
The Knicks extended their winning streak to six games with a 125-109 victory over the Miami Heat, but Julius Randle injured his shoulder late in the fourth quarter.
Randle exited with 4:27 to play after appearing to land hard on his right shoulder after colliding with the Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. He was reportedly diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder, and it's uncertain how long he'll be sidelined.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points and eight assists, and Randle had 19 points and nine rebounds before getting hurt. OG Anunoby also scored 19 for the Knicks (29-17), who improved to 12-2 since the calendar flipped to 2024.
Things have not been going nearly as well for the Heat (24-22), who have lost a season-high six straight games.
Jimmy Butler had 28 points and eight assists for Miami, which is still atop the Southeast Division despite its recent slide.
France’s Matthieu Pavon has claimed victory at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, becoming the first French player to win on the PGA Tour since Arnaud Massy in 1907.
Pavon hit the winning putting a birdie with an eight-foot putt on the final hole to secure the one-shot win, celebrating the moment with his arms raised and a hug to his caddie Mark Sherwood.
The 31-year-old PGA Tour rookie was playing in his 11th PGA Tour event and said after the day’s play that he hopes the win inspires people.
“I still can’t believe it,” Pavon said.
“It is big for our country. I hope it will inspire a lot of people, because coming from an amateur player which is 800 in the world to a PGA Tour winner is pretty big.”
Pavon hit three under par on the final day, edging out Denmarks Nicolai Hojgaard who finished one stroke behind in second place.
German Stephan Jaeger and Americans Nate Lashley and Jake Knapp finished tied in third place.
Adam Silver is finalising a contract extension to remain as commissioner of the NBA.
The agreement, which is expected to extend "through the end of the decade," was first reported on Saturday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Silver is nearing his 10-year anniversary as the league's commissioner, taking over for former Commissioner David Stern on February 1, 2014.
This would be the second extension for Silver, who also was approved by the league's owners for one in June 2018. His current one runs through the end of this season's NBA Finals.
The 61-year-old Silver oversaw the most recent CBA and has helped the NBA enjoy remarkable growth.
Under Silver, the NBA has introduced the Play-In Tournament, as well as the In-Season Tournament, which debuted this season. He also helped navigate the league through the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing 22 teams into a bubble near Orlando, Florida to complete the 2019-20 season.
Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president, Christopher Samuda, welcomed a recent move by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to accommodate athletes' freedom of expression, albeit with certain restrictions, during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Though athletes have frequently used the Olympic stage to make statements through boycotts and protests, the IOC in a bid to not only protect the Games integrity, but also to strike a balance between freedom of expression and maintaining a respectful and competitive environment, has set out the places and forbidden topics where competitors will be able to express their opinions.
At the Paris Games, athletes will be able to express themselves freely in all but five moments –the opening and closing ceremonies, the medal ceremonies, during competition and during their stay in the Olympic Village.
As such, the mixed areas where they interact with the media, press centres, press conferences, interviews, team meetings, traditional or digital media, social networks and pre-competition moments, such as call room and athlete presentation, will be the appropriate places for athletes to defend their points of view, but still under certain conditions.
For Samuda, the move represents a step in the right direction in the current era.
The Tokyo Games opened the door to the expression in the Olympic environment, which had been completely banned at previous editions. This, as players from the women's football teams of Great Britain, Chile, United States, Sweden, and New Zealand knelt on the pitch before some matches to protest against racism.
“The decision of the IOC to give a voice to athletes in designated spaces at the 2024 Olympic Games is laudable. The recognition of the inalienable right to freedom of expression which, notwithstanding, must be exercised responsibly so as to safeguard the integrity and reputation of the Games, which is of immense brand value to athletes, and importantly, to protect sport, which creates a meaningful livelihood for athletes and stakeholders,” Samuda told SportsMax.TV.
“Giving athletes a voice to articulate their viewpoints in spaces including the mixed areas where they will interface with the media, and also in press conferences, centres and interviews, as well as team meetings and traditional and new media, demonstrates athlete centricity on the part of the IOC,” he added.
Among the restrictions placed on athletes is the fact that they must respect the basic principles of Olympism, and refrain from attacking individuals, organisations or countries. Athletes are also expected to follow the instructions of their Olympic committee or federation, and avoid disruptive behaviour.
Disruptive behaviour in this case, could be making comments during the presentation or anthem of other athletes, or displaying a flag or banner at that moment.
According to rules published by the IOC, failure to comply with these rules may result in disciplinary action proportionate to the offence.
This, Samuda believes is a responsible stance by the IOC, as with the conferment of a right comes responsibility and therefore, athletes in their expression must also adhere to the IOC rules and guidelines.
“A very reasonable position which I have no doubt will be subject to further refinement as sport evolves globally, and the imperative to protect its integrity becomes more acknowledged in the interest of athletes and their livelihood,” Samuda reasoned.
“Capital and stakeholder satisfaction prefer a risk free and regulated environment in which to thrive. So, striking a balance between liberty to speak and the responsibility of remaining silent provides a safe haven for viable return on investment and engagement,” he ended.
Luke Littler’s bid to win back-to-back World Series titles was dashed by Michael van Gerwen in the final of the Dutch Darts Masters in Den Bosch.
Littler was beaten 8-6 by the three-time world champion, who had fallen to the 17-year-old in the final in Bahrain last weekend.
With nothing to split the pair after the first 12 legs, Littler missed two darts at double eight to break van Gerwen’s throw and leave him one leg from another title.
Instead van Gerwen nudged one leg away, and needed a single chance to take out an 85 finish and bring Littler’s winning run to an end.
Littler had started his campaign on Saturday by gaining revenge over Luke Humphries, who denied him in the world final at Alexandra Palace last month.
Littler trailed 4-2, but hit back to claim a dramatic 6-5 victory with an 88 checkout on the bull.
The Warrington man then beat Gerwyn Price – who had missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in his last-eight win over Kevin Doets – 7-4 to book his return to a World Masters final.
In contrast, van Gerwen had looked below-par in back-to-back victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Gian van Veen – but stepped up when it mattered.
Van Gerwen told ITVX: “This is what people like to watch – he put me under so much pressure.
“Luke Littler is going to have a bright future, we all know that, but you still have to do the right thing against him. His scoring power is immense and you have to keep fighting.”
Eddie Howe praised the resilience of his Newcastle side after their 2-0 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage saw them progress to the FA Cup fifth round for just the second time in 18 years.
Only once since 2006 have the Magpies reached the competition’s last-16, when the side managed by Steve Bruce fell at the quarter-final stage against Manchester City.
Howe emphasised the importance of the club’s last shot at winning a trophy this campaign after they despatched Marco Silva’s team in west London.
“It was a big result for us,” he said. “We knew we wanted to progress. It’s our last chance at silverware this season so I think the expectation from us internally was that we had to give it everything to try and get through.
“I didn’t think it was the most fluent performance we’ve ever delivered but we got the major things right which were resilience, really good character and attitude. We improved in the game, we got better in the second half.
“It’s a competition that we want to do well in. Hopefully there’s more to come.”
Newcastle took the lead six minutes before half-time and Fulham had themselves to blame.
A free-kick hoisted over from the right was dealt with indecisively by the home side’s defence, as two players got in each other’s way in a doomed attempt to clear. From there, the ball dropped to Sean Longstaff, who with a confident swing of his left foot fired Howe’s side in front.
VAR was called upon to adjudicate on a possible handball against Bruno Guimaraes as the ball pinged loosed inside the box, but the goal was deemed legitimate and Newcastle led.
Earlier, Rodrigo Muniz had had Fulham’s best chance of the half, striking low towards Martin Dubravka’s bottom corner and drawing a superb stop from the goalkeeper, who clawed it away at full stretch.
Newcastle doubled their lead on the hour mark, Sven Botman rising to thump a powerful header at goal from Kieran Trippier’s corner. Marek Rodak beat it away with two firm hands but could not get it clear of danger and Dan Burn tapped home.
The result brought welcome respite to what has been a torrid patch of away form for Newcastle, after five consecutive league defeats on the road.
“It’s strange because you look at us in the cups and we’ve been OK (away),” said Howe. “We just haven’t carried it across to the Premier League form, which has been a huge frustration. But I don’t see any reason why we can’t start winning away from home.
“We prided ourselves last year on being hard to score against. We’ve got the players to score at the other end. It’s been missing this year, but hopefully that will return quickly.”
Fulham boss Silva reflected on a a second cup exit in a week following Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final loss to Liverpool.
“That is football sometimes,” he said. “You play well but the key moments were not clear for us and that is our fault. The chances that we did create, with the amount that we created, we should have been more ruthless.
“We arrived so many times in dangerous areas that we have to better decide the last action, the pass or the finish. We have to be stronger in those situations, on the set pieces and with our finishing.”
Ademola Lookman scored twice as Nigeria beat fellow Africa Cup of Nations heavyweights Cameroon 2-0 in Abidjan to set up a quarter-final meeting with Angola.
Former Everton forward Lookman put the Super Eagles in front with a 36th-minute finish and added a second late on to seal the win over a lacklustre Cameroon, the five-time AFCON champions who finished third on home soil two years ago.
While Rigobert Song’s Indomitable Lions exit, three-time winners Nigeria, managed by Jose Peseiro, will now face Angola at the same venue on Friday for a place in the last four.
After an early looping header from Victor Osimhen was caught by Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, Nigeria had the ball in the net in the ninth minute via Semi Ajayi’s shot, but a VAR check led to the effort being disallowed for offside.
They did take the lead when Osimhen showed his strength as he dispossessed Oumar Gonzalez before laying the ball to Lookman, whose strike squirmed under the body of Ondoa and over the line.
Lookman subsequently curled a free-kick over the crossbar from the edge of the box 10 minutes into the second half before a rare Cameroon attack saw Nouhou Tolo blast high into the stand.
Nigeria were forced to change their goalkeeper after Stanley Nwabali was left hurt after a collision with Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and was carried off on a stretcher, being replaced by Francis Uzoho in the 80th minute.
Peseiro’s side then passed up a couple of good chances to extend their lead, with Ola Aina seeing a shot blocked by Tolo and Alex Iwobi scuffing wide, before Lookman wrapped things up by diverting Calvin Bassey’s cutback past Ondoa in the 90th minute.
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