Football

2:37 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — Sir Alex Ferguson used to say the key to the title race was to stay in touch with the leaders until Christmas and then win it in the second half of the season. For the first time since Ferguson retired in 2013, Manchester United have done the

12:16 PM ET As Leicester City‘s celebrations subsided following their second goal in this 2-0 win over Tottenham, one voice could be heard ringing out around Spurs’ cavernous arena. “Hey, come on!”, Jose Mourinho screamed at his players, many of them with their heads down, trudging back towards the centre circle to restart a game

Dec 17, 2020 Leicester City aren’t too far removed from their incredible Premier League title, but it’s a brand-new team in 2020. How good are they? Laurence Griffiths/PA Images via Getty Images Let’s attempt a small exercise. For each of the past five full Premier League seasons, and for each club that isn’t among England‘s six

3:49 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — As first anniversaries go, Mikel Arteta could definitely have asked for a better way to mark one year in charge of Arsenal. Yet all he got on Saturday was a seventh defeat in 10 Premier League games and a run of results that marks the club’s worst start to

10:30 AM ET Liverpool ensured they remain top of the Premier League on Christmas Day for the third year running with their most ruthless performance of the season as they beat Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park — their biggest-ever away win in the top flight. In so many ways, being top of the holiday

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12:25 PM ET Sid LoweSpain writer At the end of Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory against Atletico Madrid last week, Zinedine Zidane was asked to define Karim Benzema in a word. In the end, he needed two … and then, a few more. “The best,” Real Madrid’s manager said, pausing to add: “I’d describe him as

10:46 AM ET Edin Terzic, a son of immigrant parents from the former Yugoslavia, is living the Dortmund dream. Like many other football-mad kids born and raised in Germany‘s industrial west, his formative years were often spent conjuring up mental images of scoring goals for his club of choice, of course the Schwarzgelben. While that

3:32 AM ET Paul Pogba to Juventus and Paulo Dybala to Manchester United? ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest: PLUS: Lionel Messi waits for the new Barcelona president. Jump to: Messi future depends on next Barca president | Liverpool’s Wijnaldum replacement | Moukoko gives hopes to Germany refugees | Real Madrid kids win 31-0, sparking

6:32 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent SHEFFIELD, England — The nervousness in the build-up to the trip to Sheffield United is evidence enough that not all Manchester United fans are convinced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team. But there will be renewed optimism about what could be possible this season after a 3-2 comeback win at Bramall

11:18 AM ET Major League Soccer concluded its season with Columbus Crew SC‘s MLS Cup victory on Saturday night, and with preseason preparations for the upcoming campaign set to begin as early as one month from now, attention is already turning to 2021. But before we look too far into the future, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle

6:58 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — There were only 2,000 fans inside Anfield to celebrate Roberto Firmino‘s 90th-minute winner for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur, but the noise that the small crowd generated told you everything about the importance of the Brazilian forward’s late header. Firmino knew too, as his celebratory run deep into his own

4:46 PM ET Roberto Firmino was Liverpool’s hero against Tottenham. Clive Brunskill/AP Roberto Firmino scored a dramatic late winner to give Liverpool an important 2-1 victory against Tottenham in a top-of-the-table clash at Anfield. Firmino thumped a header into the corner of Hugo Lloris‘ goal in the 89th minute to send Liverpool ahead of Jose Mourinho’s

4:46 PM ET Liverpool have proved themselves the Premier League’s irresistible force in the past 18 months, and we’re about to find out whether Tottenham Hotspur can become the immovable object at the top of the table this season. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp put it slightly differently in his Tuesday news conference, labeling Spurs a

6:40 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — West Brom have never won a Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium and kicking off here 19th in the table and with just one win all season, they were never expected to start now. That said, it says everything about where Manchester City are at the

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3:30 AM ET Remember the soccer team that went viral after they released a tuxedo-themed kit? Perhaps you saw the stir caused by a muscular uniform that made the players look like figures in a medical school textbook? Or even the club that fielded a team of players all dressed as The Hulk? Well, behind

7:00 AM ET Multiple Contributors “In Barcelona, on Dec. 14, 2000, in the presence of [Josep Maria] Minguella and Horacio [Gaggioli], Carles Rexach, FC Barcelona’s sporting director, hereby agrees, under his responsibility and regardless of any dissenting opinions, to sign the player Lionel Messi provided that we keep to the amounts agreed upon.” The above