Author: AC

Two first-half goals from West Ham put the match to bed as Fulham struggled to finish chances during a frustrating night at Craven Cottage. Managing 16 shots, with only four on target, Fulham had their fair share of chances in the Hammers' half – but too often shots came from range or were inaccurately placed. André Schurrle in particular was a culprit of a…

In Maurizio Sarri‘s short time at Chelsea the Italian coach has already brought revolution upon the West London side. The combative counterattacking football of Antonio Conte, which had been familiar to Chelsea fans for an era which started with Jose Mourinho‘s first spell, is gone. ‘Sarriball' is the new philosophy, and it is already reaping success. The pivot to possession and attacking football brought…

Cheltenham 1.55 – Baron Alco You’ve got to be good to do the Nov/Dec Cheltenham double, but I think Baron Alco’s exceptional display of front running has been underestimated. He goes on soft if the rain comes, is equally effective on the New Course and can go very close again here. Cheltenham 2.30 – Supremely Lucky You can make a pretty strong case that…

Geraint Thomas and Lewis Hamilton also in the frame Harry Kane leads the race to win this Sunday’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, according to our latest odds. Kane finished as the top scorer at this summer’s World Cup in Russia. His displays helped England to reach the semi-finals – equalling their best performance since 1966. He’s now 6/4 to win the…

Odds and preview for European ties The last places in the Europa League knockout stages will be settled tonight, as we head into the final round of group games. We’ve got a full preview of Celtic’s game against Red Bull Salzburg for you to enjoy, with the pick of the action elsewhere the continent right here… MOL Vidi v Chelsea (5:55pm) Chelsea are 4/7…

Odds and preview of Premier League clash Manchester City host Everton this lunchtime looking to return to winning ways following the loss at Chelsea. The Merseysiders have enjoyed recent success over City at Goodison Park and have steadily improved under boss Marco Silva. Pep Guardiola’s men are a point behind leaders Liverpool and could shuffle the pack for this one. But will they come…

Photo by TJ Dragotta on Unsplash Friday night promises be a big one in the NBA as some key clashes should give us further insight into who will make it through the business end of the season. Here are the four clashes to keep an eye on. Bucks @ Cavs Friday, 14 December, 00:30 Inconsistent is certainly the way to describe the Bucks at the moment, having won…

Newcastle could be in danger of losing its reputation as a party city following the decision – for the second year in a row – of Newcastle United players not to hold a Christmas night out. Led by club captain, Jamaal Lascelles, Newcastle’s players had been planning a Christmas celebration after tomorrow’s Premier League match at Huddersfield. But last Sunday’s late loss to Wolves…

Leaning over the rope, post pad-session sweat collecting around his temples, Tommy Fury stares straight down the lens. The impression he wants to convey is that of the archetypal fighting man, a boxer to the bone. Good luck with that. The problem is obvious and two-fold. Firstly he is following a famous brother into a sport that already carries the Fury imprint. Not easy.…

So that's it then. Rangers' long, unglamorous, often dour, occasionally thrilling European adventure came to a limp end on Thursday, beaten 1-0 by Rapid Vienna. It seems a half-a-lifetime since that first round qualifier against FK Shkupi, the fourth (fourth!) best side in Macedonian football. And the question for Steven Gerrard to ponder, five months later, is – was it worth it? If nothing…

Premiership bosses have defended the 43-week season being faced by England rugby players next year by insisting mental and physical welfare will be protected by mid-season breaks, while presenting data to show that injuries are more likely to occur if a player does not play often enough. In an exclusive interview with i, the Premiership’s chief executive Mark McCafferty, rugby director Phil Winstanley and…

Cristiano Ronaldo snapped a few times. Even Gareth Bale, the mild-mannered, quietly spoken character that he is, has glared in their direction from time to time. On Wednesday night, it was Isco’s turn to hit back at the notoriously tough to please Santiago Bernabeu crowd. And he went further than anyone else has before. The Real Madrid playmaker couldn’t take any more. Having been…

Game of the weekend The Premier League has a new leader. Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over Bournemouth in last Saturday’s early kick-off lifted the Reds to the summit of the standings, which is where they remained when Manchester City lost 2-0 to Chelsea later in the day. There is, of course, a long way to go, but Liverpool’s record of 13 victories and three draws…

Saturday racing odds, tips and preview Ed Chamberlin and his pals are stationed at Cheltenham today for another busy afternoon at the races. There’ll be seven races to peruse and enjoy, including the International Hurdle at 3.05. A quartet of outings from Gloucestershire is joined by a trio over at Doncaster. Summerville Boy – 3:05 Cheltenham The Tom George-trained Summerville Boy heads the betting…

The latest insight from the Tizzard stables Battle of Ideas Battle of Ideas was supposed to run at Taunton on Thursday, but we just weren’t quite happy with him and he had a bit of a dirty nose. I’m glad we didn’t run him as he would probably have disappointed and we’d have wasted a few weeks. When they have a dirty nose it’s…