Swindon head coach Ben Garner admitted his pride in his players for seeing out a 0-0 draw with Stevenage in their first game back since a Covid-19 outbreak.The Robins played for the first time in 18 days, managing just one shot on target at the County Ground.Garner said: “I was proud of the players tonight and I think considering the number of players we have had hit by Covid and the limit...Full Story »

Pep Guardiola insisted the Premier League title race is far from over despite Manchester City heading into the new year eight points clear at the top.Phil Foden’s first-half goal was enough for City to secure a 1-0 win at Brentford and tighten their grip on top spot after slip-ups by Liverpool and Chelsea.Guardiola’s reigning champions have now won 10 matches in a row, but the City b...Full Story »

Chris Wilder knows his Middlesbrough side have a target on their backs in the Sky Bet Championship but revelled in a last-gasp 2-1 win away to Blackpool.Duncan Watmore’s goal in the 93rd minute snatched all three points for Boro, with the home side having seemingly earned a point with an injury-time equaliser from Shayne Lavery.Andraz Sporar had given Boro the lead and, while his team were...Full Story »

Tony Mowbray saluted Ben Brereton Diaz’s maturity after his 20th goal of the season earned Blackburn a vital 2-1 win over Barnsley.Rovers threatened to blow the Tykes away in a dominant first half and took the lead through Joe Rothwell’s composed effort, but they were punished for missed chances when Carlton Morris equalised via a deflection on the stroke of half-time.Chile internati...Full Story »

Steve Cotterill’s Shrewsbury played out a boring 0-0 draw against Accrington in their final home game of 2021.Both sides had chances, but it was a League One game devoid of real quality.The hosts climbed further out of relegation trouble as they went three league games unbeaten for the first time since September.Stanley squandered a great chance to fire themselves closer to a coveted play-...Full Story »

Phil Foden climbed off the naughty step to send Manchester City into the new year with an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.Foden’s first-half goal was enough for City to secure a 1-0 win at Brentford and tighten their grip on the title race after slip-ups by Liverpool and Chelsea.Foden and Jack Grealish had been benched for City’s wins over Newcastle and Leicester af...Full Story »

Thomas Tuchel has insisted Chelsea would be “stupid” to think they can compete for the Premier League title with their Covid-19 and injury-ravaged squad.Danny Welbeck’s added-time header stunned the embattled Blues to steal Brighton a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.Romelu Lukaku’s early header ensured Chelsea leapfrogged Liverpool into second place, but the Blues only lead J...Full Story »

Ben Brereton Diaz struck his 20th Championship goal of the season as Blackburn beat struggling Barnsley 2-1 to move level on points with second-placed Fulham.The Chile international’s clinical finish in the 65th minute settled a game that the hosts threatened to run away with but could not shake off the Tykes who put up a spirited display that belied their lowly position.Joe Rothwell slott...Full Story »

Middlesbrough substitute Duncan Watmore struck a dramatic 93rd-minute goal to hand his side a 2-1 win at Blackpool.Watmore charged in to slide home Isaiah Jones’ low cross to cap a frantic finish on the Fylde coast.Blackpool thought they had earned themselves a point when sub Shayne Lavery struck to make it 1-1 in the 91st minute, but Watmore was on hand to stun the hosts.Boro consolidated...Full Story »

Manchester United fail to beat Newcastle Manchester United would take on Newcastle United on Monday evening. The Red Devils have had a decent start to life under Ralf Rangnick and were expected to kick on against relegation-threatened Newcastle. However, when all was said and done at St James' Park, Man United were probably lucky to come away with a point after Edinson Cavani came on to res...Full Story »

Crystal Palace assistant Osian Roberts admitted he is not enjoying filling the void of isolating boss Patrick Vieira but was delighted to see players step up in the absence of key figures during the 3-0 win over Norwich.A positive Covid-19 test last week saw Vieira missing on the touchline for the second game in a row and the Eagles had several others unavailable including Wilfried Zaha and Cono...Full Story »

Super sub Jack Clarke’s first goal of the season scrambled Chesterfield a 1-1 draw with Halifax to keep the Spireites top of the National League.Midfielder Clarke’s tap-in cancelled out Matty Warburton’s third goal in as many games for Halifax, to keep James Rowe’s side ahead of their second-placed opponents on goal difference.Halifax thought Warburton’s early strik...Full Story »

West Ham returned to winning ways after coming from behind to secure a dominant 4-1 victory over a depleted Watford at Vicarage Road.David Moyes’ side clinched their first league away victory since October 31 and ended a five-match winless run in all competitions.Despite having only one full training session in two weeks, Claudio Ranieri’s men started on the front foot, with Emmanuel...Full Story »

First-half goals from Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jeffrey Schlupp helped Crystal Palace secure a 3-0 win over Norwich despite the continued absence of boss Patrick Vieira.Eagles manager Vieira tested positive for Covid-19 last week and was one of several missing for the hosts, including Conor Gallagher and Wilfried Zaha, but they were still too strong for the Canaries.It was anothe...Full Story »

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray is expected to choose from an unchanged squad for his side’s home game against Barnsley.Rovers, whose scheduled game at Hull was postponed two hours before kick-off on Boxing Day, reported no new cases of coronavirus after the club carried out testing on Tuesday.Mowbray, whose side are bidding for a sixth straight Sky Bet Championship win, has no new injury conc...Full Story »

Scott Wootton should be available to play for Morecambe as they prepare to welcome Crewe to the Mazuma Stadium on Wednesday.The 30-year-old defender was forced off with an injury during the Shrimps’ 2-0 loss to Portsmouth last week and sat on the sidelines for the goalless draw against Fleetwood.Fellow defender Ryan Delaney will be forced to sit out of Wednesday’s match through injur...Full Story »

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley has a major selection headache ahead of Wednesday night’s Sky Bet Championship clash with in-form Middlesbrough.Already missing Chris Maxwell, Luke Garbutt, Kevin Stewart, Matty Virtue and Grant Ward, the list of absentees grew significantly ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Huddersfield, with Reece James, Callum Connolly, Ryan Wintle and Owen Dale added to it a...Full Story »

Sergi Roberto expects to be offered a new contract by Barcelona. Sport says Roberto is recovering from the surgery he had in Finland on December 9. He is calm because Barcelona have given him their word that they will renew his deal by two more years, until 2024. Xavi spoke to the board and said he agrees with Sergi's contract being extended. His agents and Barcelona were set to meet the sam...Full Story »

Barcelona and Real Madrid have received a boost in the pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. Marca says the LaLiga Santander duo is well placed to beat competition from Premier League counterparts. Haaland, who could yet stay on at Dortmund for another season after this current campaign, has been linked with each side of the Clasico rivalry as well as Bayern Munich, Manchester...Full Story »

Watford manager Claudio Ranieri will have a number of players available when his side host West Ham on Tuesday after they had been in isolation due to Covid-19 protocols.The Hornets have not played since their 2-1 defeat at Brentford on December 10, and there have been more positive tests. The club have confirmed some players will be able to return but have not provided names.Francisco Sierralta...Full Story »