Sports

Bolton Wanderers defender Stephen Darby has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, leading to his retirement from football. The 29 year old has requested for privacy so that he can adjust ahead of what is sure to be the toughest battle of his life, with tributes pouring in from every corner of the football world since the news was announced. MND is a vicious disease that many are already well aware of, and all we can do now is pray for Stephen as he begins this journey.

Darby began his career with Liverpool around ten years ago, and since then he s played for a handful of clubs across English football. The outpouring of love and affection showed towards Stephen draws comparisons to Carl Ikeme, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last year.

Stephen Darby signed for Cham…

Chelsea have made a £35m approach for Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to the Daily Star.

The twenty-three year old is entering the final year of his current deal with the Gunners, who are yet to offer him an extension that meets his vast wage demands.

Blues’ boss Antonio Conte is an admirer of the England international and is keen to add him to his squad as he prepares for a return to the Champions League.

Liverpool have also been monitoring the situation but appear reluctant to pay more than the £25m that was initially offered by the champions.

Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to the Emirates Stadium from Southampton in the summer of 2011 and has since racked up almost two hundred appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty goals.<…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no concerns about Manchester United s return to Old Trafford for another big match against Manchester City, despite their humiliating defeat to Liverpool in their previous home game.

United were hammered 5-0 by Liverpool last month, their largest ever home defeat in that famous fixture.

After a 3-0 win at Tottenham and a 2-2 draw with Atalanta, Solskjaer s side are back on home turf for the visit of rivals City.

City have matched Liverpool with a record seven away wins at Old Trafford, but Solskjaer is not concerned a result he described as his darkest day last time out will still be on his players minds.

We ve moved on from that one, he said during a news conference. Of course, it s going to be in the history books, but we …

Seattle Sounders made league history after the MLS champions humiliated San Jose Earthquakes 7-1.

The Sounders became the quickest team to score five goals in an MLS game, requiring just 33 minutes to achieve the feat against the Earthquakes on Thursday.

Seattle – whose six-goal margin of victory is the largest in club history – also tied the record for the most goals scored before half-time in MLS, following in the footsteps of Dallas (2017) and Chicago Fire (2019).

The Sounders fell just one goal short of the all-time MLS record for most goals scored in a match, held by LA Galaxy (1998), as they moved back to the top of the Western Conference.

5 scored 5 goals in the first half against San Jose, tying the record for goals before halftime. Flying. …

Barcelona equalled Bayern Munich s record of 29 successive home games without defeat in the Champions League following their draw against Tottenham.

Tuesday s 1-1 stalemate at Camp Nou extended Barca s undefeated streak on home soil in Europe – a run dating back to September 2013 with 26 wins and three draws.

Bundesliga giants Bayern set the record in a sequence that spanned 1998 to 2002 at their former stadium, Olympiastadion.

Already guaranteed a spot in the competition s last 16, Lionel Messi and Barca shared the spoils against visitors Tottenham on the sixth and final matchday in Group B.

Ousmane Dembele s stunning opener was cancelled out by Spurs forward Lucas Moura with five minutes remaining as Barca recorded a lower possession figure (48.8 per…

Jose Mourinho insisted he won everything he possibly could at Manchester United as the Tottenham head coach prepares to face his former club.

Mourinho and Tottenham will travel to Old Trafford to meet United in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Portuguese boss spent two and a half seasons in charge of United before he was sacked in December 2018 and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Mourinho, who was appointed by Spurs in November last year, did not deliver Premier League glory following a runners-up finish in 2017-18 but won the Europa League (2016-17), EFL Cup (2016-17) and Community Shield (2016) during his time in Manchester.

Bear with us, it s been a while

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

The fans, they know that I gave every…

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has been banned for three Copa del Rey matches after being sent off during his side s quarter-final exit at the hands of Sevilla on Tuesday.

The Argentine was sent from the dugout shortly after Sevilla scored their third goal in the 3-1 victory at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan that gave them a 5-2 aggregate triumph.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation s Competition Committee has given Simeone a one-match ban for his dismissal and increased the suspension by a further two games after he applauded the officials as he departed the touchline.

The suspension only applies to Copa matches, meaning it will carry over into next season. He will be free to take his place in the technical area for Sunday s LaLiga meeting with Las Palmas…

Luis Diaz ended a traumatic week by coming off the bench to save Liverpool from a shock defeat at Luton with a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Substitute Tahith Chong looked to have secured a sensational Hatters win when he finished off a superb break to slot past Alisson 10 minutes from time.

On their first league visit in more than 30 years, Liverpool appeared rocked by a raucous atmosphere inside Kenilworth Road and were never at their free-flowing best against a side that dug in, ground out and waited for their chance.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

And Chong’s goal looked to have been decisive until Diaz, who came off the bench seven minutes from the end for his first appearance since his father was kidnapped in Colombia, got his head on…

Former Atletico Madrid head coach Radomir Antic does not see how Antoine Griezmann will fit at LaLiga champions Barcelona.

Griezmann is reportedly ready to join Spanish giants Barca after confirming on Tuesday that he will leave Atletico following five years in Madrid.

The 28-year-old French World Cup winner spurned a move to Camp Nou 11 months ago but a blockbuster transfer to Ernesto Valverde s side appears back on.

However, Antic – who guided Atletico to LaLiga and Copa del Rey success in 1996 – cast doubt over star Griezmann s potential switch.

.: Han sido cinco años increíbles; muchas gracias por todo, os llevo en el corazón .

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti)

Given how Barcelona play, I don t see where he would fit, the 70-…

Pep Guardiola saw his Manchester City side beat West Ham to remain one point behind leaders Liverpool, though he expects both title-chasing sides to drop points during the run-in.

Sergio Aguero s 59th-minute penalty at the Etihad Stadium earned City their fourth successive top-flight win on a night when Jurgen Klopp s Liverpool thrashed Watford 5-0 to stay at the summit.

City have now won eight of their previous nine Premier League games only dropping points once in a loss to Newcastle United last month.

And while Liverpool sent an emphatic message by returning to winning ways in style, Guardiola insists both clubs will slip up across the final 10 games of the campaign.

We knew it – Liverpool is a top side, we know that, City manager Guardiola told …