Could an Arsenal win in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final begin the passing of the torch from Pep Guardiola to Mikel Arteta? The Anglo-Scottish Cup, which had a brief and never particularly beloved life between 1975-76 and 1980-81, always struggled to find a place in the calendar. In its second season, the two legs of the final had to be squeezed into 48 hours, Nottingham Forest drawing 1-1 away at Leyton Orient before a 4-0 win at home. Only 12,717 bothered to turn up at the City Ground to see it. It was all very anticlimactic. Yet that game holds a place in football’s history. “Our lot tasted champagne,” said Brian Clough, “and found that they liked it.” Forest would win promotion to the First Division that season and, within three years, had added a league title, two European Cups and two League Cups. It had been a similar story for Clough at Derby who, two seasons before lifting the league title, won the Watney Cup, a pre-season tournament for the two highest scorers in each of the four divisions who had not been promoted or qualified for Europe. In both cases, Clough was adamant that the experience of winning even a minor competition was a vital part of the greater glories that followed. Continue reading...

The Premier League may have treated Chelsea lightly for cheating over a seven year period but Everton left them battered and bruised, and Liam Rosenior in a whole world of trouble, with a resounding victory at a raucous Hill Dickinson Stadium. Two goals from Beto and a brilliant finish from Iliman Ndiaye delivered Everton’s biggest win over Chelsea since 1987 and capped their new home’s finest occasion so far. Jordan Pickford also secured the 100th clean sheet of his Everton career with a stupendous save from Enzo Fernández, but in truth the threat from the visitors was minimal. A fourth consecutive defeat for Rosenior’s team, and second 3-0 reverse in succession, maintained their downward trajectory under the former Strasbourg coach. Everton look a stronger bet for European qualification than Chelsea on current form. Continue reading...

⚽ Updates from the 8pm GMT Premier League kick-off ⚽ Ten things to look out for | Table | Mail Dominic Leeds: Darlow; Bogle, Rodon, Bijol, Struijk, Justin; Ampadu, Stach, Aaronson; Nmecha, Calvert-Lewin. Subs: Perri, James, Longstaff, Piroe, Okafor, Tanaka, Bornauw, Gnonto, Gruev. Continue reading...

When Tracy Crisp was at her ‘messiest and darkest’, Adrian didn’t diminish her pain, but he did help her look beyond it Find more stories from the moment I knew series I met Adrian when I was 18 and we married when I was 23. I fell in love with Adrian because he made me laugh, he was smart and he looked good in footy shorts. Continue reading...

Hospitality can be anything but hospitable to workers. But in regional Victoria, I found a community – and rediscovered something I’d lost Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email I was a keen-bean 15-year-old when I got my first job in a commercial kitchen in Canberra, raised on a diet of Jamie and Nigella and bursting with a passion for food. I dived headfirst into an apprenticeship and eagerly put my training into practice on my days off, cooking elaborate meals for friends and creating plenty of dirty dishes. But as the years went on, my love for the kitchen was dulled by a series of toxic workplaces, bullying bosses and long hours. Eventually cooking for myself became a chore. I was more likely to eat cereal on my kitchen floor than do anything creative that would result in dirty dishes. Continue reading...

Kerr wins final in a time of 7min 35.56sec Scot holds off Hocker and Schrub to regain title After the injuries and the trash talk, Britain’s Josh Kerr delivered where it mattered most on Saturday night by winning a thrilling 3,000m world indoor title with a last-lap surge. It had been billed as the race of the championships, with all three 1500m medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympics going mano a mano once more. On that occasion Kerr had been pipped to the line by the American Cole Hocker, who took a shock gold medal, with Yared Nuguse taking bronze. This time, though, Kerr was not to be denied. Continue reading...

President attacks ‘Radical Left Democrats’ after homeland security funding bill again sinks in Senate Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to deploy federal immigration agents to US airports on Monday if Democrats do not agree to measures aimed at strengthening security and immigration enforcement. “If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. Continue reading...

Wrexham owners Mac and Reynolds helped commentate ‘Buildup and coverage of the game left a lot to be desired’ Swansea’s chief executive has said the club will raise concerns over television coverage of their all-Welsh affair against Wrexham with the English Football League (EFL), with Tom Gorringe saying the team owned by Hollywood stars Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds “were given priority at every opportunity”. Wrexham won the Championship match 2-0 on a night when Mac and Reynolds provided alternative commentary alongside the Sky presenter David Prutton, marketed as “Live from Wrexham with Rob & Ryan”. Sky Sports trailed the live commentary – which ran on one of its channels alongside the usual match coverage on its main platform – as “part of a first-of-its kind broadcast”. Continue reading...

Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul (via Netflix) In front of 100,000 screaming fans, it barely feels like the eyes of the world are upon them, as the group showcase new album with cool confidence “Annyeong Seoul. We’re back.” A drone soars over the South Korean capital, revealing 100,000 screaming fans filling the city’s historic Gwanghwamun Square. With the palace gates behind them, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook stand swathed in leather, game-faces fixed, ready to perform as a group for the first time in four years. Streaming live via Netflix to 190 countries, this is a comeback of epic proportions – but BTS have always known how to put on a show. Continue reading...

Manager defends club’s spending record in dig at critics ‘We need to make sure we qualify for Champions League’ Arne Slot has defended Liverpool’s spending record but admitted the pressure was now on to qualify for the Champions League. Their chances of making the top five – likely enough to qualify – took a significant hit after they lost 2-1 at Brighton in what has been a disastrous season in the context of a £450m outlay on players in the summer shortly after they had lifted the Premier League trophy. Continue reading...

Defender breaks deadlock against Dundee in 77th minute Livingston further adrift at bottom of table after 2-0 loss Oisin McEntee headed a crucial late goal as Hearts reasserted themselves at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 1-0 win over Dundee. On a tense day at Tynecastle, Hearts looked in danger of dropping points for the second weekend running after their deflating 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock last Saturday. The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when McEntee rose at the back post to head Marc Leonard’s free-kick powerfully beyond Jon McCracken. This story will be updated Continue reading...

Family says Mueller, who also examined Russian interference in 2016 election that Trump won, ‘passed away last night’ Robert Mueller, the former special counsel who investigated Russian interference in 2016 and links between Donald Trump and Moscow, has died. He was 81. In a statement from Mueller’s family, relayed by the New York Times on X, said “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected.” Continue reading...

Northampton 28-27 Newcastle Bottom side secure losing and try bonus-points On the face of it, not a lot to see here. The league leaders return to the top of the table with a bonus-point win over the team placed bottom. But don’t you believe it. Newcastle may have shipped 60 the last time they played a Prem game here, but they pushed the Saints all the way. Northampton, it must be said, were about as far from full strength as can be. George Furbank was given his latest run-out at full-back, but otherwise none of their myriad England internationals were present. They will consider this a smart collection of the full five points. Continue reading...

Harry Wilson grabbed his 10th goal of the season as Fulham sent their former boss Scott Parker closer to the drop with a 3-1 win against Burnley. Wilson fired Fulham into the lead after Josh King had finally scored his first Premier League goal to cancel out Zian Flemming’s opener for Burnley. Continue reading...

Mark Robinson, who ran for North Carolina governor in 2024, tells podcast he had ‘obsession’ with porn and sex The former Republican North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson has admitted he misled voters during his unsuccessful 2024 gubernatorial campaign when he denied posting racist and offensive comments on a pornography website – suggesting he did so to protect Donald Trump’s successful presidential run. Robinson, who worked in furniture manufacturing before entering politics in 2020, told the After the Call podcast on Thursday: “I won’t say that I completely lied. Some of the things about the whole story – some of it — there’s some truth to it.” Continue reading...

Videos of Labour’s Al Carns include him talking about his time as a marine and challenging a firefighter to pull-up contest Labour minister Al Carns has claimed thousands of pounds on parliamentary expenses for promotional videos including one showing him doing pull-ups at a fire station in competition with a firefighter. The veterans minister and former Royal Marine, who is tipped by some MPs as a leadership hopeful, claimed about £3,000, approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), for the production of 17 videos that show him interacting with local businesses. Continue reading...

⚽ Updates from the 5.30pm GMT Premier League kick-off ⚽ Ten things to look out for | Table | Live scores David Moyes makes one change to the Everton side that played well in defeat at the Emirates a week ago: Joey O’Brien replaces Tim Iroegbunam, with James Garner moving into midfield. There are three changes for Chelsea. Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia come in for Trevor Chalobah, who is injured, Malang Sarr and Andrey Santos. It’s only Lavia’s second Premier League start this season. Continue reading...

With major developments collapsing, pressure is growing on councils to concede on affordable housing and public amenities Donald Trump has done his best to crush the green shoots of the global, post-pandemic economic recovery – nowhere more so than in the UK. The US president’s vandalism can be seen across the economic landscape, especially in the property sector, which has become more sensitive to international events since the spread of Covid-19 disrupted long-established supply chains and sent the cost of raw materials soaring. Continue reading...

The US has been targeting not only people who have violated the law but many who are in the country legally The Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration policy has led to a crackdown on immigrant communities that, increasingly, targets not just people who have violated immigration law but many immigrants who are in the US legally. Throughout the past year, policies – many of which are actively being challenged in court – amount to the government attempting to strip people of their status, with countless numbers suddenly finding themselves undocumented, or about to be, and under threat of deportation. Continue reading...

Italian tumbles over guardrail down Cipressa climb 27-year-old conscious as she was transported to hospital The Italian cyclist Debora Silvestri was taken to a hospital after a horrific-looking crash during the women’s Milan-Sanremo one-day classic on Saturday. Several cyclists were caught up in the incident, with Silvestri tumbling over a guardrail as riders tried to avoid the pileup. Silvestri’s team, Laboral Kutxa, said the 27-year-old was conscious as she was transported and that it would give an update on her condition later. The incident happened on the descent down the famous Cipressa climb, less than 20km (12 miles) from the end of the 156km route. Continue reading...

Manchester City striker completes fastest WSL hat-trick Manchester United go second after injury-time winner Khadija Shaw scored the fastest hat-trick in Women’s Super League history as the leaders, Manchester City, beat Tottenham 5-2 at the Joie Stadium. The Jamaica international completed the feat in 13 first-half minutes to give the hosts a commanding lead after Olivia Holdt cancelled out Shaw’s opener. Kerolin added another and an own goal from Amanda Nildén extended City’s lead before the break, with Bethany England’s late goal a reward for Tottenham’s improved second-half performance. Continue reading...

Michael Smith, 52, charged after flooding platforms with thousands of AI songs and boosting them with bots Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to defrauding music streaming platforms and his fellow musicians out of millions in royalties by flooding the services with thousands of AI-generated songs – and using automated “bots” to artificially boost the number of listens into the billions. As part of a deal with federal prosecutors in New York’s southern district, 52-year-old Michael Smith pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Continue reading...

Second, third and fourth in table all draw Rhian Brewster’s winner a boost for Derby Josh Coburn earned what could prove to be a priceless point with a second-half equaliser as Millwall drew 1-1 against promotion-rivals Ipswich at Portman Road. The home side took the lead late in the first half through Jack Clarke with Coburn responding early in the second period. The result kept the two teams in third and fourth respectively, two points behind second-placed Middlesbrough, who drew 0-0 at Blackburn, but with Ipswich having a game in hand. Continue reading...

Footage shows US musician struggling with field sobriety tests he calls ‘really hard’ before his 2024 arrest in New York Justin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after the pop star was pulled over in New York’s Hamptons in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to video footage released on Friday. Timberlake tells officers at one point, “these are like really hard tests.” Continue reading...

Danny Welbeck has not given up on making England’s World Cup squad and showed exactly what Thomas Tuchel is missing with two goals to dent Liverpool’s Champions League hopes. The Brighton striker moved past Dominic Calvert-Lewin – selected ahead of him – with his 11th and 12th league goals of the season, making him the Premier League’s highest-scoring Englishman. At 35, this is the most prolific campaign of his career. Could he really warrant a place in the England squad this summer? It seems a stretch, but with players extending their elite years longer than ever, there is at least some logic in taking an experienced forward – one with 16 goals in 42 England games – to the US as Harry Kane’s understudy. Continue reading...