Soccer

Open Extended Reactions LONDON — Deep in stoppage-time, Chelsea were frantically defending a single-goal lead with five at the back and no discernible presence up front against a team without a win at Stamford Bridge since 1979. These are desperate days for manager Mauricio Pochettino and his young side. Holding on for a 1-0 victory

Field Level Media Jan 12, 2024, 09:09 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Utah Royals FC selected North Carolina midfielder/forward Ally Sentnor with the first overall pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft on Friday night. It marked the Royals’ first draft choice since being revived for the league’s expansion this year. Utah played in 2018-20

ESPN News Services Jan 12, 2024, 06:43 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Burnley co-owner J.J. Watt hit out at the decision to allow Luton Town‘s controversial last-gasp equaliser in Friday’s Premier League draw, calling it “truly disgraceful.” The NFL legend was incensed after a lengthy VAR check failed to rule out Carlton Morris‘ stoppage-time goal,

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentJan 12, 2024, 03:43 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Girona broke their transfer record last summer to sign Artem Dovbyk. The Ukraine striker joined for a €7.5 million fee from Dnipro-1. That’s around 7% of what Real Madrid paid to bring in Jude Bellingham. It’s not even 5% of the €160m transfer

Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Jan 11, 2024, 06:04 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández wants to dominate Real Madrid in Sunday’s Spanish Supercopa final after his side beat Osasuna 2-0 in Thursday’s second semifinal in Saudi Arabia. Second-half strikes from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal extended Barça’s stay in Riyadh and set

Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored second-half goals to give Barcelona an 2-0 win over Osasuna in a dour Spanish Supercopa semifinal in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Barca setup a dream showpiece clash on Sunday with Real Madrid, who had beaten city rivals Atletico Madrid in a breathtaking 5-3 derby earlier in the week. –

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 11, 2024, 04:14 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Aside from Pep Guardiola pulling the ball down with a deft touch that provided a brief glimpse of his illustrious past as a silky Barcelona midfielder, the biggest cheers at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday were reserved for Kevin De Bruyne. It happened first

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jan 10, 2024, 02:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Antoine Griezmann became Atletico Madrid‘s all-time leading goalscorer on Wednesday, scoring with a brilliant finish for his team’s second goal against Real Madrid to overtake club legend Luis Aragones. Atletico and Real were playing in the semifinals of the Spanish Supercopa at

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jan 10, 2024, 06:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Toni Kroos was whistled continuously by fans during Real Madrid‘s 5-3 Spanish Supercopa semifinal win over Atletico Madrid in Riyadh on Wednesday, after the Germany international previously criticising the growing trend of top players moving to Saudi Arabia. The midfielder was introduced

Jon Molyneux-Carter, Senior EditorJan 10, 2024, 04:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Once again, men’s soccer clubs around Europe spent an incredible amount of money to sign players in the summer transfer window, breaking multiple records. According to Deloitte, Premier League clubs’ gross spend of £2.36 billion was almost £440 million higher than the previous

Open Extended Reactions Ajax are interested in signing Jordan Henderson from Al Ettifaq, sources have told ESPN, but face competition from the Premier League and the Bundesliga for the England midfielder’s signature. Former Liverpool captain Henderson, who left Anfield last summer, is reportedly keen to return to the Premier League only months after moving to

Chelsea suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at second-tier Middlesbrough in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Tuesday with Hayden Hackney’s goal giving Mauricio Pochettino’s wasteful side plenty to do in the return. The 21-year-old Hackney’s silky finish from an Isaiah Jones pass stunned the visitors in the 37th minute at the Riverside

Open Extended Reactions Liverpool’s Premier League title bid has suffered a new injury blow with Trent Alexander-Arnold set to be sidelined until mid-February with a knee ligament tear. The 25-year-old has undergone a scan to assess the full extent of the damage sustained while playing in Sunday’s FA Cup third round win against Arsenal at

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 8, 2024, 06:27 PM ET Open Extended Reactions WIGAN, England — In the debate about the importance of the FA Cup, Erik ten Hag can leave the chat. Floundering in the Premier League and out of Europe before Christmas, the Manchester United manager needs a trophy to underline to new minority owner

Jan 8, 2024, 03:57 PM ET Open Extended Reactions FA Cup holders Manchester City face a tricky trip to Tottenham Hotspur, while in-form Aston Villa have been drawn to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round. Third-placed champions City are a point above Spurs with a game in hand in the Premier League

Open Extended Reactions What next for Paris Saint-Germain‘s Kylian Mbappé? It is the question that will dominate the transfer market in 2024, with one of the best players in the world due to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of this season. Real Madrid are the long-term front-runners to sign

Open Extended Reactions LONDON — Rarely in elite sport is problem-solving as simple as this, but the case for Arsenal signing a striker to realise their ambitions grows stronger by the day. The Gunners exited the FA Cup on Sunday with a 2-0 third-round defeat to Liverpool that owed more to their own profligacy than

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 7, 2024, 05:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Erik ten Hag has suggested some players can’t handle the pressure of representing Manchester United but insists signing for the club is still “the best challenge” for any footballer. Ten Hag has sanctioned Donny van Beek’s loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the January