Philippe Coutinho s brilliance was not enough to secure Liverpool s first Champions League win since 2014 as Spartak Moscow earned a 1-1 draw.
Jurgen Klopp s side dominated for much of Tuesday s Group E contest at the Otkrytiye Arena, but had to settle for the point earned by Coutinho cancelling out Fernando s effort.
Liverpool entered the fixture with added urgency following a disappointing home draw against Sevilla to open their campaign.
But they got off to a nightmare start as Fernando put the limited hosts ahead with a curling free-kick.
The visitors showed great resolve over the remainder of the first half and entered the break level thanks to Coutinho s second goal in as many games.
Yet Spartak tightened up in the second period and Liver…
Manchester United are interested in signing Raphael Varane from Real Madrid and have been in talks with his representatives for three years now, and according to Manchester Evening News, they re planning to tempt him with a final offer to move to Old Trafford next summer.
With the defender under contract with the Spanish giants until the summer of 2022, United apparently feel that the moment the deal enters its final 12 months is their best chance of prizing him away from the Santiago Bernabeu.
United have been struggling with identifying the right player to lead their back line since the days of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, and that was the reason they agreed to pay £80 million to sign Harry Maguire in 2019. However, their defence still seems shaky despite the pre…
Verdict: Leicester win and both teams to score
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Two sides who firmly have their sights set on securing a top-half finish this season, Leicester will welcome Bournemouth to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Leicester
Starting with the hosts, after picking up a 2-1 win away at Burnley prior to the international break, Leicester appear to be enjoying a new lease of life. Really showing some improvements following the arrival of Brendan Rodgers last month, the Foxes have now won their last two Premier League matches on the bounce and another victory on Saturday could see them climb within touching distance of the final Europa League spot. Enduring a run of form that saw them lose their previous four matches at the King P…
Outgoing Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says Lionel Messi is likely to be the best player he will ever see.
Argentina international Messi netted his 73rd goal of the season during Barca s 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey on Friday.
The victory at Estadio Vicente Calderon meant a winning send-off for Guardiola in what was the record-breaking coach s final match in charge.
Guardiola, 41, has led Barca to 14 major honours in just four seasons at Camp Nou and paid special tribute to the contribution of superstar Messi.
It has been an honour to be the coach of the best player I have ever seen and probably the best I will see, Guardiola said.
Messi taught me to be even more competitive. We would have won trophies witho…
Disgraced former FIFA official Chuck Blazer worked undercover to help the authorities with their investigation into corruption within football s global governing body.
Back in November 2013, Blazer pleaded guilty to 10 charges including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering and tax evasion.
As part of his plea, the 70-year-old agreed to feed the authorities information pertaining to their investigation.
The 19-page agreement was unsealed on Monday, and includes references to agreements between Blazer and the United States government dating back to December 2011.
The defendant agrees to furnish to the office all documents and other material that may be relevant to the investigation and that are in the defendant s possession or control and to parti…
West Brom centre-back Gareth McAuley has signed a new one-year contract with the Premier League club.
Northern Ireland international McAuley was out of contract following the 2014-15 campaign but his new deal at the Hawthorns will commence on July 1.
The 35-year-old has made 138 appearances for West Brom, scoring nine goals, since joining on a free transfer from Ipswich Town in 2011.
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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce revealed on Wednesday that the club s deal to sign free agent Lassana Diarra has fallen through.
Sam Allardyce said administrative difficulties have prevented West Ham from completing the signing of Lassana Diarra on a free transfer.
West Ham had been expected to tie up a deal for Diarra in the coming days after the French midfielder was released by Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in August.
Diarra, 29, had been training with West Ham in the view of earning a contract but Allardyce told reporters following Wednesday s goalless draw against Southampton that the former Real Madrid man would not be arriving at Upton Park.
We have waited and we have negotiated for weeks to get the right deal and now we ve got it, we find we can t…
Erling Haaland has been backed to get even better ahead of Borussia Dortmund s DFL-Supercup showdown with Bayern Munich.
Haaland is Dortmund s outstanding star, having scored 62 goals in 61 games in all competitions since his debut for the club in January 2020.
Of players in Europe s top five leagues, only Bayern s Robert Lewandowski (74 in 63) has scored more in that time, while Haaland s shot conversion rate of 33.3 per cent is the best among those with 20 goals or more.
After a cup hat-trick at Wehen Wiesbaden and then a league double against Eintracht Frankfurt, Haaland s 2021-22 tally of five in two games already leads the way. His 15 shots represent another high, as does their expected goals value of 4.6.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann praised Ha…
Darren Bent believes that Bournemouth striker Joshua King would be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.
The former Tottenham striker has outlined the attributes of the Norway international that would make him perfect for Spurs.
According to , Spurs are interested in signing the 28-year-old striker this summer.
Bent said on , as relayed by : Someone like a Josh King would be a perfect signing because he can play left, right or down the middle. But it [the lack of a second striker] has been an issue for a while.
Joshua King stats
According to , King has played 23 minutes in the Championship for Bournemouth so far this season, while during the 2019-20 campaign, he made 24 starts and two starts in the Premier League fo…
Memphis Depay was frustrated to be restricted to the role of a substitute in the Netherlands World Cup opener, but he is confident of having a greater impact in coming matches.
Depay had been ruled out of Monday s match against Senegal in Louis van Gaal s pre-match news conference.
But the Barcelona forward appeared on the bench and was introduced in the final half an hour with the game still goalless.
Although Depay did not get on the scoresheet, he was involved in the build-up to both Oranje goals in a 2-0 win, with Cody Gakpo scoring the first before Davy Klaassen tucked away the rebound from the Netherlands number 10 s shot.
Speaking afterwards, Depay said: I feel good, I feel good, I feel fit. Obviously a player like me always wants to start from the…