And after achieving his lifelong dream, the new champ paid a superb tribute to another man who recently achieved their own global destiny - a certain Lionel Messi. Smith won his first world title by beating van Gerwen in an incredible final Credit: EPA Smith prevailed 7-4 over Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally in what's been widely regarded as one of the greatest finals ever. Having lost his p...Full Story »

Leeds boss Jesse Marsch admitted his side cannot play without fear for the full 90 minutes following their 2-2 home Premier League draw against West Ham.Rodrigo’s second-half strike rescued a point for Leeds after Lucas Paqueta’s penalty and Gianluca Scamacca’s effort had cancelled out Wilfried Gnonto’s opener.Leeds remained 14th in the table, two points above the relegat...Full Story »

Southampton boss Nathan Jones insisted he will remain “thick-skinned” after his side were loudly booed off following a damaging 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.Disgruntled home fans vented their displeasure following Saints’ sixth successive Premier League defeat, with the full-time jeers followed by chants of “you don’t know what you’re doin...Full Story »

Rodrigo salvaged a point for Leeds as a see-saw battle with fellow Premier League strugglers West Ham ended 2-2 at Elland Road.The Spanish forward rifled home his 10th league goal of the season midway through the second half to deny West Ham a much-needed victory.The Hammers were on course for their first league win since October after quickfire goals either side of the break – via Lucas P...Full Story »

Harry Kane struck twice as Tottenham turned on the style in the second half to return to form with a 4-0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace.England captain Kane provided the spark after a goalless first half at Selhurst Park by heading the opener on 48 minutes and following up with a well-taken second five minutes later.Matt Doherty and Son Heung-min then put the result beyond doubt as Antonio...Full Story »

Harry Kane’s quickfire brace helped Tottenham return to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.The hosts had put in a fine performance in a goalless first half but Kane struck twice inside five early second-half minutes to change the momentum.Goals from Matt Doherty and Son Heung-min extended the visitors’ advantage as they picked up their first victory ...Full Story »

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone courtesy of a precious 1-0 victory which heaped more misery on bottom club Southampton.Taiwo Awoniyi’s fifth goal of the campaign earned Forest a first top-flight away success of the season to strengthen their survival hopes.Steve Cooper’s resurgent side have now taken 11 points from the last 21 available, having onl...Full Story »

Boss Marco Silva vowed Fulham were focused on beating the drop and not Europe after Aleksandar Mitrovic sunk Leicester.The Cottagers sit seventh in the Premier League after reaching 28 points – the same amount the were relegated with two years ago – following Tuesday night’s narrow 1-0 win.Mitrovic’s 11th goal of the season also equalled his best Premier League tally, alt...Full Story »

Aleksandar Mitrovic boosted Fulham’s European charge as the Cottagers downed Leicester with a narrow win on Tuesday night.The striker fired Marco Silva’s side to a third-straight win after a 1-0 Premier League victory at the King Power Stadium.It left Fulham seventh in the Premier League on 28 points – the same amount they were relegated with in 2021 – and level with Live...Full Story »

Marcus Rashford scored for a fourth consecutive game as Manchester United eased to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.Goals from Casemiro and Luke Shaw had already put United in command and this result had a routine feel – something that has been missing at Old Trafford in recent times but which is returning as Erik ten Hag shifts the mentality of this club.United were not at their free-flowing be...Full Story »

Erik ten Hag has said Manchester United need to add a striker to their squad during the January transfer window, but added he won't "burn money" by signing the wrong player. United face Bournemouth at home on Tuesday having climbed into the top four at the weekend despite having the lowest strike rate in the top six with just 24 goals from 16 games so far this season. With only 12 goals from ...Full Story »

John Egan’s goal in the final seconds rescued a point for promotion-chasing Sheffield United in a 1-1 draw at QPR.Egan atoned for a terrible mistake which handed Rangers an early lead at Loftus Road.Ilias Chair’s fortuitous opener after 11 minutes – the Morocco international’s fourth goal of the season – was a much-needed boost for Rangers following four consecutive...Full Story »

Jamie Gullan’s early goal handed Raith a hard-fought 1-0 Scottish Championship victory at bottom-of-the-table Hamilton.Rovers took a ninth-minute lead when Gullan converted Ross Millen’s pass from close range for his third league goal of the campaign.Scott Brown and Gullan might both have doubled their advantage, but Scott Martin and Lewis Smith threatened to level as a tight first h...Full Story »

In-form West Brom made it eight wins in their last nine Sky Bet Championship games with a 1-0 triumph over Reading to move within a point of the play-off zone.Daryl Dike’s goal on the hour mark was the difference between the sides at The Hawthorns but the Baggies could have been out of sight by half-time if they had converted their chances.The result, on an afternoon which saw home fans co...Full Story »

Wrexham closed the gap to Notts County at the top of the National League to two points with a 2-1 victory at Solihull Moors.The Welsh side arrived in the West Midlands unbeaten in 11 matches and off the back of a 5-0 win over the same opponents on Boxing Day, and stormed out of the blocks as Jordan Tunnicliffe put them in front after 10 minutes with his first goal for the club.The visitors doubl...Full Story »

Dagenham moved to the edge of the National League play-off places as Josh Walker’s late goal secured a 1-0 win at struggling Maidstone.The Daggers won by the same scoreline against the Stones on Boxing Day but had to wait until six minutes from time to make the breakthrough when Walker headed in Myles Weston’s cross.Walker thought he had put the visitors in front in the 28th minute, ...Full Story »

Red-hot Matt Crooks inspired Middlesbrough to victory at Birmingham as they charged back into the Championship’s top six.The midfielder bagged a quickfire second-half double and set up Chuba Akpom’s late clincher as Boro sealed a 3-1 win.Crooks now has four goals in his last five games with Boro up to fifth in a congested and competitive Championship – having reached the play-o...Full Story »

Two screamers from Dutchman Ian Maatsen enabled Championship table-toppers Burnley to kick-off their New Year with a sixth win in a row as they completed the double over Swansea in a 2-1 win at the Swansea.com Stadium.Burnley’s energetic high press forced Swansea into some errors, and it was Vincent Kompany’s side who bossed the early exchanges. Not many teams get better possession s...Full Story »

Leaders Leyton Orient were beaten for just the third time this season when going down 1-0 to promotion chasing Northampton at Sixfields.Ben Fox scored the game’s only goal early in the second half as the Cobblers bounced back to winning ways, opening up a seven-point cushion over fourth in the process.Orient edged a cagey first half and they had the better moments in front of goal as Idris...Full Story »

Defender Carl Piergianni’s third goal in two games earned promotion-chasing Stevenage a scrappy 1-0 victory over League Two’s bottom side, Gillingham.Second-placed ‘Boro, who have the best home record in the fourth tier, extended the gap between them and the play-off places behind them to 12 points, while ensuring the Gills remained five points adrift of safety.Gillingham had a...Full Story »