Sports
EPL: Liverpool suffer sixth straight Anfield loss as Fulham win 1-0
Liverpool slumped to a sixth consecutive home Premier League defeat as they lost 1-0 to relegation-threatened Fulham after a first-half goal by Mario Lemina at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool's fortunes were summed up when unmarked substitute Sadio Mane had a great opportunity to equalise in the 80th but mistimed his downward header and the opening came to nothing.
Premier League: Man United stun City to end 21-match winning run
Football|: Manchester: Manchester United ended Manchester City’s English top-flight record winning streak of 21 games in all competitions with a 2-0 derby win at the Etihad on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes’s early penalty and Luke Shaw’s first Premier League goal for three years moved United back into second place, 11 points adrift of runaway leaders City. A landmark win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men has almost certainly come too late to reignite the Premier League title race. But just a third win in nine league games takes United back above Leicester and opens up an eight-point cushion in the battle to secure a top-four finish. City had not even trailed in a Premier League match for 20 games stretching back to their last defeat to Tottenham in November. However, the visitors were gifted the lead after just 34 seconds when Gabriel Jesus’s clumsy challenge on Anthony Martial saw referee Anthony Taylor point to the spot. Fernandes has failed to match the extremely high standards he has set as United’s key man in recent weeks, but the Portuguese midfielder has maintained his dead eye from the penalty spot and his strike had too much power for Ederson. Shaw then stung Ederson’s palms with City still shell-shocked by their slow start. Pep Guardiola’s men began to take control as the first-half wore on, but Dean Henderson was only forced into a couple of routine saves by Ilkay Gundogan. The hosts came much closer at the start of the second period when Rodrigo side-footed against the post after a patient build-up involved Riyad Mahrez and Jesus. Seconds later, City were caught out by a brilliant United counter-attack as Shaw ran from inside his own half, exchanged passes with Marcus Rashford, and then fired into the far corner for the Red Devils’ first goal from open play against a traditional top six opponent in eight league games this season. Solskjaer’s men beat City in both meetings at the Etihad last season by picking their neighbours off on the break and used the same tactic to great effect for another fine win. Martial should have ensured a much greater margin of victory as he twice fired too close to Ederson with just the goalkeeper to beat. However, United’s afternoon was slightly spoiled by an injury that forced Rashford off injured. City had the chances to at least avoid defeat in the closing stages as substitute Phil Foden sliced wide from point-blank range before Raheem Sterling completely missed a tantalising cross from Kyle Walker with the chance to score his first goal against United. But after plenty of criticism for a string of 0-0 draws against stronger opponents, United delivered a result to back up executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s message this week that the progress being made under Solskjaer is “clear” and he remains the man to lead them back into title contention next season.
59 wickets by two Indian spinners was reflection of how difficult it was: Silverwood
After losing the Test series against India, England coach Chris Silverwood praised opposition's spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin saying the duo made life very hard for them. Team India on Saturday roared into the final of the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) following an emphatic 3-1 series win over England.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Coco Gauff through as Ons Jabeur eases through
Dubai: American teen sensation Coco Gauff ensured the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships got off to a thrilling start as she scraped into the second round in Garhoud as she eventually saw off Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in three exhausting sets - 7-6, 2-6, 7-6. The unseeded teenager Gauff is hyped as a future Grand Slam champion and — while there were no fans in Dubai due to the coronavirus pandemic — she still put on a dramatic show, to ensure she will grow her following. Meanwhile, Tunisia star Ons Jabeur ensured she was in the second round as she saw off the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova. The Tunisian is a favourite in the UAE as she ran deep into the inaugural Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open earlier this year, losing to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka and she also tested eventual Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka in Melbourne before bowing out. “If you look at the results without seeing any of the matches, you might think it’s bad, but I’ve been playing good lately,” she was reported as saying. “I played Sabalenka who won the tournament and Osaka who won the tournament, so it’s tough to be too hard on myself. But I always want to play better. “You could see I was getting quite angry with myself on court today because I see myself playing well and producing good results, but in the end its second and third rounds and I see myself in finals and winning titles. I want to use that anger to play well and to show the player I am and hopefully the season can be better now.” Elsewhere, Grand Slam finalist Alize Cornet of France overcame Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. However, she has a tough task ahead of her as she will now face Abu Dhabi champion Sabalenka, the 13th seed. Svetlana Kuznetsova, a serial Dubai finalist, slogged to a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory over China’s Qiang Wang. Kuznetsova — who reached the final in 2004, 2008, and 2011 — now faces No. 1 seed and two-time champion Elina Svitolina. Veronika Kudermetova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6, 6-2, while Anastasija Sevastova eased past Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-3.
Minnesota wins Dream Gap Tour showcase in Chicago
Sports/Hockey: Team Adidas (Minnesota) claimed a 6-2 win over Team Women's Sports Foundation (New Hampshire) on Sunday at Fifth Third Arena in Chicago as the second showcase event of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association's 2021 Dream Gap Tour concluded.
Federer 'pain free' ahead of Qatar Open, says never eyed retirement
Roger Federer said retirement was never really an option during his battle with injury, insisting Sunday the pain was "completely under control" ahead of his return to competitive tennis at this week's Qatar Open.
Vijay Hazare: Rawat-Sangwan partnership takes Delhi to quarter-final
Wicketkeeper-batsman Anuj Rawat smashed six sixes in his unbeaten 95 off 85 balls as an under-pressure Delhi made a remarkable recovery to beat Uttarakhand by four wickets in the pre-quarter final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Sunday. In reply, Delhi surpassed the target in 48.3 overs after being reduced to 146 for 6 in the 33rd over.
Ravi Shastri takes a dig at ICC for 'shifting goalposts'
Known for not mincing words, India head coach Ravi Shastri on Sunday criticised the ICC for changing the qualification criteria for the World Test Championship final, saying the world governing body needs to stop "shifting goalposts".
India lacked match practice, will need time to get back into rhythm: Harmanpreet
Indian women's ODI vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Saturday said the team was lacking match practice and will need time to get back into rhythm after being away from international cricket for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Nowadays everybody is looking for a big total, every game we want to score more than 250 but for that you need some time and matches.