IN ENGLAND

Arsenal scored two goals from corners to comfortably beat Manchester United as Ruben Amorim suffered his first defeat in English football.

Defenders Jurrien Timber and William Saliba did the damage as Arsenal took advantage of Liverpool dropping points to trim its lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal sit third with twenty-eight points, level on that mark with Chelsea and seven behind Arne Slot’s Reds.

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Chelsea has produced an impressive performance to beat Southampton five-one.

Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for Chelsea as the team ruthlessly capitalised on a series of Southampton errors to run out comfortable winners.

Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer scored a goal each for Chelsea, while Southampton’s only goal was scored by Joe Aribo.

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Manchester City put its recent disastrous spell behind its as the team ended a seven-game winless streak by beating Nottingham Forest three-nil.

First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and star man Kevin de Bruyne put Pep Guardiola’s side in command by the break, with Jeremy Doku adding a third twelve minutes after the interval.

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Newcastle star Fabian Schar hooked in a late equaliser as impressive Newcastle held Premier League leaders Liverpool to a three-all draw in a hugely entertaining game at St James’ Park.

The Reds thought they had done enough to secure a victory that would have maintained their nine-point lead at the top of the table after twice coming from behind before Mohamed Salah put them three-two ahead with seven minutes to go.

Mohamed Salah scored a brace and Curtis Jones scored a goal for Liverpool, while Newcastle’s three goals were scored by Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar.

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Everton has ended a five-game winless Premier League run by thrashing hapless Wolves four-nil at Goodison Park, piling the pressure on beleaguered Gary O’Neil.

Both managers were under intense scrutiny heading into the game after their sides conceded four goals apiece at the weekend.

As O’Neil faced taunting from Wolves’ own fans, with Craig Dawson netting two own goals, Everton boss Sean Dyche witnessed the team put in a much more convincing performance than of late as the team moved five points clear of the relegation zone.

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West Ham will decide Julen Lopetegui’s immediate future by the weekend.

Lopetegui is under huge pressure following Tuesday’s three-one defeat at Leicester and sources say the manager’s future hinges on a club board meeting to be held later this week.

West Ham spent more than one hundred and twenty million pounds on nine new players in the belief Lopetegui could steer them towards a return to Europe after missing out last season for the first time in four years.

The Hammers have managed just one win in five games since the victory over Manchester United on 27th October that triggered the dismissal of United boss Erik ten Hag.

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Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi says the ‘Jesus loves you’ message he wrote on his rainbow armband on Tuesday was one of “truth and love and inclusivity.

The Football Association is not going to take formal action against the England centre-back or Palace, despite the 24-year-old ignoring the organisation’s reminder that religious messaging is banned on kits.

Guehi was told about the FA’s regulations on the issue after he wrote the message ‘I love Jesus’ on his rainbow captain’s armband for Saturday’s match against Newcastle United.

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Streaming platform DAZN has secured exclusive rights to broadcast next summer’s Fifa Club World Cup.

DAZN will show all sixty-three matches during the expanded 32-team tournament, which takes place in the United States between 15th June and 13th July next year.

Every match will be live-streamed and free to view on on its platforms, while there is also potential for DAZN to sublicense rights to local free-to-air broadcasters.

The partnership with football’s global governing body Fifa begins on Thursday, when the Fifa Club World Cup draw is held in Miami.

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IN NIGERIA

Super Falcons and Paris FC goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has made the final shortlist for the 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year award.

Nnadozie is one of five players who made the final shortlist which was announced on CAF’s X handle.

Nandozie will be up against Zambia’s Barbara Banda and sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga from Malawi and also Sanaa Mssoudy from Morocco.

Also, Nnadozie made the final five shortlist in the Goalkeeper of the Year category.

She is up against South Africa’s Andile Dlamini of Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa, Khadija Er-rmichi of ASFAR and Morocco, FC Masar and Egypt’s Habiba Sabry and Fideline Ngoy of TP Mazambe and DR Congo.

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In the National Team of the Year category for women, Nigeria made the cut alongside Cameroon, Morocco, Zambia and South Africa.

Edo Queens, who finished fourth at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League, will battle TP Mazembe, FC Masar, ASFAR and Mamelodi Sundowns for the award.

Falconets striker Chiamaka Okwuchukwu is in the final five shortlist for the Young Player of the Year award, while Christopher Danjuma is in contention for Coach of the Year award.

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As the celebration for the 2024 CAF Africa Player award gears up, Cameroon international Flavien Enzo Boyomo is confident that Nigeria international and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is the favourite to win the men’s best player award.

Lookman, who made history as the first player to score a hat-trick in a European club competition final during his club’s triumph over Bayer Leverkusen last season, has been getting massive backing from teammates, stakeholders and fans since CAF announced the final shortlist for the award.

Boyomo is the latest to throw his weight behind the Nigerian to claim the honour when the winner will be announced at the CAF Awards 2024 on December 16.

Lookman faces competition from Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Algeria’s Amine Gouiri, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.

Galatasaray president Dursun Özbek has declared Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen will not be forced to leave the club when the transfer window reopens in January.

Osimhen is on loan at the Turkish Super Lig champions from Serie A club Napoli.

Özbek insisted that the decision to leave before the end of the loan deal will rest on the player himself.

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The National Sports Commission has pledged support for the development of weightlifting in the country.

Its Chairman, Shehu Dikko, said this at the closing of the Habu Gumel National Open Weightlifting Championships at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

Dikko promised to partner with federations, emphasising on the Commission’s role in ensuring their success.

He also promised that future editions of the tournament would be bigger, enhancing opportunities for weightlifters to showcase their talents and improve their skills.

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Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua may soon have a chance to fight for the WBC interim title.

This development follows the WBC’s approval of a bout between Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel for the interim belt, as confirmed by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman.

The winner of the Zhang-Kabayel fight could face Joshua, offering the British-Nigerian a new path back to heavyweight prominence.

This route bypasses immediate rematches against top contenders like Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, or Oleksandr Usyk.

Meanwhile, International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois has expressed his desire for a rematch with Anthony Joshua, despite being scheduled to defend his title against Joseph Parker in February.

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Fencing top country Saudi Arabia has joined the train to Lagos for the Fencing World Cup holding from December 14 to 15.

The Saudi team is the latest to register for the International Fencing Federation -ranking tournament.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, countries such as U.S, Hong Kong, Benin Republic, Greece, Togo, Senegal, Angola, and Ghana have confirmed their participation. Kenya has also recently shown interest in joining the tournament.

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OTHER LEAGUES

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham’s fourth goal in four games was not enough to prevent the team falling to its second La Liga loss in an enthralling encounter at Athletic Club.

The England midfielder put Carlo Ancelotti’s side on level terms in the 78th minute after he reacted first to a poor save from Julen Agirrezabala.

Athletic Club’s two goals were scored by Gorka Guruzeta and Alex Berenguer.

Real Madrid’s second defeat of the La Liga season means Ancelotti’s team remain four points adrift of leaders Barcelona with a game in hand.

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Rangers star captain James Tavernier scored his first Scottish Premiership goal of the season as Rangers equalled its biggest win of the campaign by thrashing lacklustre Kilmarnock six-nil at Ibrox.

Cyriel Dessers scored a brace, and Danilo, Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny scored a goal each for Rangers.

The win condemns Derek McInnes’ 10th-place side to a fourth defeat in a winless run of five.

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OTHER SPORTS

In Basketball; Lakers star LeBron James surpassed Kyle Korver for seventh place in career 3-pointers Wednesday during Los Angeles’ 134–93 loss to Miami.

James hit the historic shot midway early in the third quarter on a straightaway jumper. It was the only 3-pointer of the game for James, who finished with 29 points, five rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers fell to 12-10.

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In Tennis, Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have recently tested positive for banned substances.

Their cases have led to questions over the way anti-doping cases are handled and whether players are treated differently.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep and British doubles player Tara Moore have, in recent years, spent significant time out of action waiting for doping cases to be heard.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency, which handles doping cases, has strenuously denied any differences in the way players are treated.

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In Formula one, the Dutch Grand Prix will fall off the Formula 1 calendar after 2026.

A one-year contract extension to host the race at the Zandvoort track, which returned to the schedule in 2021 after a 36-year absence, has been signed to ensure there will be two more events.

The track, in a holiday town on the North Sea coast, had been struggling to make the event work financially despite sell-out crowds attending to support Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver won the first three races after Zandvoort returned to the calendar, before McLaren’s Lando Norris triumphed this year.

The race will be held on 29-31 August in 2025.

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In Cricket, England is beaten by six wickets after a below-par showing in the first one-day international against South Africa.

Chasing one hundred and eighty-seven in scorching conditions in Kimberley, Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt anchored the innings with a gritty unbeaten 59 from 114 balls to reach the target with 11.4 overs to spare.

England’s bowlers toiled, but were left to rue dropping Wolvaardt on five and twenty-seven as the opener held the innings together before Nadine de Klerk’s lively forty-eight not out from twenty-eight balls secured the victory in style.

The second of three ODIs takes place in Durban on Sunday.

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In Golf, Tiger Woods has suggested that each American player in the Ryder Cup should receive three point nine million pounds and give that money to charity.

Last month it was reported that the twelve US players competing at next year’s 45th staging of the biennial contest against Europe, at Bethpage Black in New York, will each earn four hundred thousand dollars.

In its 97-year history, players have never received money for playing for their respective teams.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You do not do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time…….Words from Vince Lombardi.