SPORTS

Arsenal closed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to six points as Gabriel Jesus extended his hot-streak in a 3-1 win at Brentford on Wednesday.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri called Wednesday for a two-tier structure in Test cricket with relegation and promotion to ensure the survival of the red-ball game.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka used a rain break to her advantage to power to a straight-sets win in the second round of the Auckland Classic on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, celebrating his 40th birthday Monday, said he could play another five to seven years in the NBA at a high-caliber level -- though he conceded he would probably retire before then.

The blockbuster clash against India on Monday became the best attended Test in Australia's history as fans flocked to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the final day.

Liverpool powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favourites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against Leicester, while Bruno Fernandes was sent off in Manchester United's dismal 2-0 defeat at lowly Wolves.

Liverpool swept four points clear at the top of the Premier League as Mohamed Salah's masterclass inspired a memorable 6-3 rout of Tottenham, while Manchester United crashed to a humiliating 3-0 home defeat against Bournemouth on Sunday.

Manchester City travel to Aston Villa on Saturday desperately seeking to halt their dramatic slide while Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League, if only briefly.

Liverpool moved into the League Cup semi-finals as the holders won 2-1 against managerless Southampton, while Gabriel Jesus ended his goal drought with a hat-trick in Arsenal's 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Catarina Macario scored two penalties in the space of five second-half minutes to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 comeback over Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League on Tuesday and confirm their status as group winners.

World Cup winners Spain will play Italy, Belgium and Portugal at Women's Euro 2025, while England face a tough path to defending their title at the tournament in Switzerland.

Elsewhere on a day of high drama in the English top flight, Wolves manager Gary O'Neil and Southampton boss Russell Martin were both sacked, paying the price for their teams' struggles.

Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title.

India's aspiring chess players and their parents woke up Friday with big dreams after 18-year-old hometown hero Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest world champion.

An investigation into alleged rape and sexual assault in Stockholm which Swedish media said targeted Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been closed due to insufficient evidence, the Swedish prosecutor said Thursday.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup will send dozens of football teams and hordes of fans crisscrossing the globe for matches on three continents, sparking alarm over the environmental cost.

Arsenal worked their set-piece magic to beat Manchester United 2-0 on Wednesday, ending Ruben Amorim's unbeaten start to life in the Old Trafford hotseat and closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The draw for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup takes place in Miami on Thursday, offering a first glimpse into the fine detail of a tournament that has been viewed with indifference or even outright hostility across parts of the football world.

Liverpool have been used to second best during Pep Guardiola's era at Manchester City, but a 2-0 victory over the crisis-hit champions left little doubt over who are the team to beat in this season's Premier League title race.

Liverpool can take another giant step towards just a second English top-flight title in 35 years against fragile Manchester City on Sunday as Ruben Amorim aims for a first Premier League win as Manchester United manager.

Newly-crowned quadruple world champion Max Verstappen will switch his attention from the drivers' title race to the teams' contest this weekend when he leads Red Bull's unlikely bid to retain their crown at the Qatar Grand Prix.

With Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior injured for the Champions League clash at Liverpool on Wednesday, superstar summer signing Kylian Mbappe will become their key attacking weapon.

Pep Guardiola said he expected a slip in Manchester City's standards sooner or later but even he has been shocked by the English champions' implosion in a five-game losing streak.

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Pep Guardiola has extended his contract as manager of Premier League champions Manchester City for a further two seasons, saying Thursday "I could not leave now" with the club facing arguably the toughest period of his time at the Etihad Stadium.

Antoine Dupont's resurgent France host a vastly-improving Argentina on Friday in their final game of the November internationals with Les Bleus head coach Fabien Galthie already thinking of next year's Six Nations.

Rafael Nadal said he has left both a sporting and personal legacy after retiring from professional tennis on Tuesday at the Davis Cup.

India head into a hotly anticipated five-Test showdown against Australia starting in Perth on Friday wounded by their first home series loss in 12 years and with a point to prove.

Josko Gvardiol continued his scoring streak to earn Croatia a 1-1 home draw with Portugal on Monday that allowed them to squeak into the Nations League quarter-finals.