Arsenal go seven points clear with Saka on target in battling win at Brighton

Arsenal did not come to see the seaside. There were not here to make friends – which was just as well. It was purely about the points. Mission Eyes On The Prize. They accomplished it and then some.

There were 78 minutes on the clock when the travelling support got wind of Nottingham Forest’s equaliser at Manchester City. How they belted out their anthems at that point – about previous title-winning glories – and when it was all over, there was plenty more from them.

Published: March 4, 2026, 9:54 pm

Lou Holtz, legendary college football coach and broadcaster, dies at age of 89

• Coach won national title with Notre Dame in 1988

• Holtz became a successful broadcaster in later years

Lou Holtz, one of the most revered coaches in the history of college football, has died at the age of 89. He had entered hospice care in January, shortly after his birthday.

A statement from his family said Holtz would be “remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service and an unwavering belief in the potential of others”.

Published: March 4, 2026, 9:51 pm

‘It’s not acceptable’: Will a small town be left $7.8m on the hook for the World Cup?

At a meeting of the board that governs the World Cup stadium in Foxborough, promises were made if not accepted

Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Foxborough, Massachusetts, Select Board is still minutes from starting, but a local resident can’t keep himself from approaching the bench. He has an urgent question for the five members, who in effect serve as the town’s primary governing body. His tone isn’t one of anger, more of concern.

“Do you think we’re going to have the World Cup here?”

Published: March 4, 2026, 12:59 pm

Formula One 2026: team-by-team guide to the cars and drivers

McLaren could start slowly, Mercedes may set the pace, while newcomers – and returning heroes – add huge interest

Car MCL40 Engine Mercedes Principal Andrea Stella Debut Monaco 1966 GPs 994 Constructors’ titles 10 Last season 1st. Held their nerve to close out the constructors’ and drivers’ double last season, albeit with the latter going to the wire as they rather tied themselves in knots trying to be fair to both drivers. Enter this year a little off the front but in a season likely to be marked by a fierce development battle, will expect to exploit their huge strengths in bringing the car on with alacrity and be in the mix in no short order.

Published: March 4, 2026, 5:00 pm

Burner account or not, Kevin Durant is bitter, petty and entirely relatable

The future Hall of Famer’s behavior over the years has been rash and erratic. But it’s understandable given the scrutiny he finds himself under

They’re calling the posts the “KD Files”. There’s no definitive proof that Kevin Durant is the man behind the X account @gethigher77 (display name: getoffmydickerson), but if he isn’t, somebody has done a phenomenal impersonation. In various screenshots splashed across the internet, getoffmydickerson took shots at Durant’s teammates, as the player himself has done before. There was also creative and amusing trash talk, something Durant has shown a talent for. Some of it crossed the line: the account made a reprehensible joke about supplying drones (Durant invests in the company Skydio, which has provided the Israel Defense Forces with weapons) and called Durant’s teammate Jabari Smith Jr “retarded”. When asked about @gethigher77, Durant said, “I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense” – far from a denial that he was behind it, and in the eyes of many, confirmation that he was. We’ve got people writing in-depth proofs that the account is real.

Not that getoffmydickerson is Durant’s only problem. Shortly after the tweets blew up, Boardroom, which defines itself as a “sports, media, and entertainment brand” co-founded by Durant and his agent Rich Kleiman, laid off three of its staff writers, rationalizing the move as part of a pivot to video. (An aside: what’s the point of having career earnings of half a billion dollars if you’re not willing to invest some of it to protect your media company from financial headwinds?)

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:00 am

Chiefs reportedly trade All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie to Rams for first-round pick

• Kansas City gain 29th pick in this year’s draft

• Rams also have the 13th selection in 2026 draft

The Los Angeles Rams are acquiring All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs in a blockbuster trade that includes the 29th overall pick of this year’s draft, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

The Chiefs reportedly would also receive the Rams’ fifth- and sixth-round selections in this year’s draft as well as a third-round pick in 2027.

Published: March 4, 2026, 5:40 pm

Intercontinental World Cup playoffs in doubt as Iraq squad face travel chaos

• Iraq team due in Mexico for playoff final on 31 March

• Middle East crisis has made travel plans uncertain

The intercontinental World Cup playoffs are in doubt with officials from the Iraq Football Association (IFA) in crisis talks with Fifa over concerns they may be unable to take part in the final scheduled for Mexico later this month.

The Guardian has learned that the IFA received a letter from Iraq’s national airline, Iraqi Airways, and the Ministry of Transportation informing them that the country’s airspace will remain closed for “at least four weeks”, which would leave around 40% of the squad unable to travel.

Published: March 4, 2026, 7:15 pm

With or without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami’s Trump visit means something | Leander Schaerlaeckens

The MLS champions face a familiar conundrum: lend credence to a warmongering administration, or sit out and draw heat

Donald Trump was not at the White House when the military he commands began bombing Iran over the weekend. He was at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Florida, following the action from a makeshift situation room apparently built from those curtains that you can wheel away. That’s also where he was when American forces kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife a few weeks earlier.

On Thursday, however, Trump will be at the White House for the really important business – namely, receiving Inter Miami as winners of the 2025 MLS Cup.

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:00 am

Manchester United’s Jack Fletcher given six-match ban for homophobic slur

• Incident took place at EFL Trophy game with Barnsley

• Player ‘truly sorry for the offensive word that I used’

Jack Fletcher – the son of club legend Darren Fletcher – has received a six-game ban and been fined £1,500 for calling a Barnsley player a “gay boy”, with the Manchester United midfielder apologising for his conduct.

Fletcher made the comment when playing for United Under-21s in October’s 5-2 EFL Trophy loss at Oakwell. On 62 minutes Fletcher used the homophobic term in an argument with an unnamed Barnsley player, according to the testimony of Will Davis, the referee, who subsequently sent the 18-year-old off. Fletcher admitted the charge, with both the opponent and the FA regulatory commission accepting he did not wish to be intentionally homophobic.

Published: March 4, 2026, 1:02 pm

Anderson saves draw for Nottingham Forest as Manchester City slip back

“Vamos, vamos!” screamed Rodri in his native Spanish following a 62nd-minute header that seemed to grab a precious victory for Manchester City. But the title chasers’ 2-1 lead lasted only 14 minutes as Phil Foden allowed Elliot Anderson to run off him and the Nottingham Forest midfielder, from range, curled a sublime equaliser beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma that silenced City’s faithful.

Before Anderson’s leveller Erling Haaland was denied a penalty by the referee, Darren England, and the video assistant referee, for a coming together with Matz Sels, the visiting No 1. Bernardo Silva did not agree. “I just watched it,” City’s captain said afterwards. “It’s a penalty. We’re used to it this season, all the 50-50s have gone against us.”

Published: March 4, 2026, 9:49 pm

João Pedro hat-trick fires Chelsea to emphatic comeback win at Aston Villa

As these teams emerged for kick-off, the Holte End displayed a tifo proudly flaunting Aston Villa’s deck of cards, chiefly an ace of clubs. By the end, however, their upper hand in the race for the Champions League felt rather hollow, if not diminished. Chelsea had dismantled Unai Emery’s side to move within three points of Villa, João Pedro scoring a hat-trick to take his tally to 17 goals for the season.

The Brazil striker was in the mood for a fourth and tried his luck with an audacious overhead kick, while Emiliano Martínez prevented Alejandro Garnacho from adding a bruising fifth late on. For Villa and their grand aspirations, it was a sobering evening, even if Manchester United’s late defeat by Newcastle surely softened the blow.

Published: March 4, 2026, 9:50 pm

Crysencio Summerville sinks Fulham as West Ham edge closer to relegation rivals

West Ham looked damaged beyond repair when they fell seven points below Nottingham Forest in early January. Two months on, they could be forgiven for wondering why anyone was worried. It has been a remarkable turnaround from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side and, while there is still a long way to go, they will know that survival is within reach after closing on Nottingham Forest and Tottenham thanks to a resilient victory over Fulham.

The only disappointment for Nuno was that a first win in four games was not enough to lift West Ham out of the bottom three. Yet while they remain below Forest on goal difference, as well as a point off Spurs, the direction of travel is clear. West Ham have momentum. They are scrapping for everything and capitalised on an unfocused performance from Fulham when a rejuvenated Crysencio Summerville scored his seventh goal in 10 games after an error from Bernd Leno midway through the second half.

Published: March 4, 2026, 9:57 pm

Osula wonder goal for 10-man Newcastle ends Carrick’s unbeaten Manchester United start

Eddie Howe accepts his Newcastle side are at their best when they create chaos and no one in black and white is better at conjuring it than Will Osula.

The maverick Denmark Under-21 striker is, to say the least, unpredictable. No one, least of all Osula himself, ever seems quite sure what he will do at any given moment. Here though he stepped off the substitutes’ bench to score a fabulous, virtuoso 90th-minute winner for a home team reduced to 10 men by Jacob Ramsey’s controversial 45th-minute sending off for a perceived dive.

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:32 pm

Celtic close gap on Hearts after Tierney and Nygren secure win at Aberdeen

Benjamin Nygren’s 19th goal of the season sent Celtic into second place in the Scottish Premiership as the champions won at Aberdeen.

Nygren combined with his fellow substitute James Forrest to put the visitors back in front midway through the second half with a deft finish. The Swede faced a lengthy wait for confirmation as the offside lines were drawn but Gavin Molloy’s outstretched foot was ultimately judged to have played the midfielder on.

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:29 pm

Igor Tudor calls Tottenham rescue job biggest ‘problem’ of his career

• ‘I’m not coming here to scream at players’

• Rates pressure he is under as seven out of 10

Igor Tudor has insisted honesty is the best remedy for Tottenham, as he continued to describe the club’s fight against relegation as his biggest challenge.

“Without honesty you are dead,” Tudor said before Thursday’s home game with Crystal Palace. A third defeat in three games would bring into serious question the Croat’s interim appointment. Though having not held back after Spurs’ loss at Fulham last Sunday, he asserted there is far more to his coaching approach than simply bawling players out.

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:30 pm

‘These women are prisoners’: Iran protesters make voices heard at Women’s Asian Cup | Samantha Lewis

In the vacuum of the players’ silence, it has been the Iranian diaspora in Australia who are speaking out against the regime

As Iran’s national anthem began to trumpet around Gold Coast Stadium on Monday night, members of an Iranian fan group who had gathered near the halfway line began to unfurl red, white and green flags.

They weren’t the flags of their home nation, though. At least, not the nation they want to remember.

Published: March 5, 2026, 4:03 am

Aston Martin reveal fears over nerve damage will prevent F1 team from finishing Australian GP

• Vibration from Honda engine causing issue with drivers’ fingers

• Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be unable to complete race

Aston Martin have admitted that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will not be able to complete even half race distance at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend for fear of suffering permanent nerve damage because of a vibration problem with their car.

The team principal Adrian Newey, who also designed the team’s new car, revealed on Thursday in the Melbourne paddock that both drivers were suffering such severe vibration through the steering wheel that they would only be able to complete 25 and 15 laps respectively.

Published: March 5, 2026, 2:24 am

‘Only one team tried to play’: Hürzeler hits out at Arsenal after win at Brighton

• ‘They are doing their own rules, no matter how they play’

• Arsenal moved seven points clear at top with 1-0 victory

Fabian Hürzeler accused Arsenal of playing by their own rules in a void left by weak Premier League refereeing in a furious broadside at their approach. The Brighton manager boiled over after his team lost 1-0 at home to them on Wednesday night, Bukayo Saka’s early goal moving Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the table.

Hürzeler had called out Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s time-wasting beforehand and he did not hold back after witnessing a game in which he said there was “only one team who tried to play football”. He raged about how the Arsenal goalkeeper, David Raya, went down injured three times and insisted the authorities had to have stronger rules to help referees or the future of the game would be undermined.

Published: March 4, 2026, 11:52 pm

Iranian journalist barred by AFC has Women’s Asian Cup accreditation reinstated

• Alireza Mohebbi was stripped of tournament credentials on Monday

• Reporter accused of carrying prohibited flags into stadium

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reinstated the accreditation of a veteran Iranian-Australian journalist three days after it had been removed while he was covering Iran’s national team at the Women’s Asian Cup.

Alireza Mohebbi, a journalist with London-based Iran International whose question about the death of Ayatollah Khamenei was shut down at a press conference last weekend, spent some time with a group of Iran fans in the stands during their opening match against South Korea on Monday. When he returned to the media centre, he was pulled aside by a security officer and accused of carrying prohibited flags.

Published: March 4, 2026, 11:48 pm

Brighton 0-1 Arsenal, Man City 2-2 Nottm Forest, Aston Villa 1-4 Chelsea – as it happened

Arsenal stretched their lead to seven points as City slipped up, while Chelsea thrashed Villa and West Ham earned a huge win

Some pre-game chat from Pep Guardiola, who confirms Nico O’Reilly is out of the squad after “feeling uncomfortable” in training with a knock.

“We can only focus on ourselves for the rest of the games … I don’t know what is going to happen. Today is how we behave against Forest. Haaland has made an incredible impact since he arrived years ago. In the first quarter of this season he was outstanding. We need everyone. Everyone has to be ready.”

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:06 pm

Curling stones worth £750 stolen from Cortina venue before Winter Paralympics

• Theft of two stones in Italy being investigated

• Mixed doubles wheelchair event started on Wednesday

The theft of two curling stones due to be used at the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics is being investigated, World Curling has confirmed.

Action in Italy got under way on Wednesday night with the round robin of the inaugural mixed doubles wheelchair competition, but the drama started earlier when it was discovered the rocks, believed to be worth about £750, were missing from Cortina’s curling stadium.

Published: March 4, 2026, 8:01 pm

New Zealand demolish South Africa to reach T20 World Cup cricket final – as it happened

Finn Allen’s riotous 33-ball century propelled New Zealand to a stunning victory in Kolkata

Two in two balls! Ryan Rickelton slashes his first ball – a bit of a long hop in truth – straight to backward point and walks off shaking his head.

The offspinner Cole McConchie takes the new ball for only the second time in the competition – and the plan pays off in spade. De Kock skipped down to hit a majestic four but pulled the next ball high in the air and was easily taken at mid-on by Lockie Ferguson. That’s the fourth time in this World Cup that De Kock has been out to an offspinner.

Published: March 4, 2026, 5:25 pm

Finn Allen’s record ton blasts New Zealand past South Africa into T20 World Cup final

• New Zealand, 173-1, bt South Africa, 169-8, by 9 wkts

• Black Caps opener Allen blasts 100 not out from 33 balls

South Africa won every match they could afford to lose in this tournament and then lost the first one that they had to win.

They were completely marmalised by New Zealand, who won the first semi-final by nine wickets. Finn Allen ripped through South Africa’s feared fast bowling attack, and hit an unbeaten hundred off just 33 balls. It was the fastest century in the history of the competition, and, as Allen said himself, the innings of his life. Only two batters have ever hit a faster ton in international T20 cricket.

Published: March 4, 2026, 5:21 pm

Ally Sentnor strike helps US top Canada, extending dominant defensive record

• Sentnor scored in the 55th minute, her seventh US goal

• Canada hasn’t kept a clean sheet since April 2025

• Both teams next play on 7 March

The US women’s national team notched a seventh consecutive clean sheet, narrowly beating rival Canada 1-0 in the second game of the SheBelieves Cup. Ally Sentnor notched her seventh international goal early in the second half, capitalizing on a corner kick to swing the result in the hosts’ favor.

The United States last gave up a goal on 23 October against Portugal, a dominant defensive stretch that’s now extended to 714 minutes. Canada are now winless in their last six matchups against the USWNT, though their last win was the most consequential result of all: the 2021 Olympic semi-final.

Published: March 5, 2026, 2:00 am

‘It’s a generous deal’: McIlroy’s surprise at Rahm not accepting DP World Tour offer

• Spaniard’s stance could complicate Ryder Cup place

• Luke Donald confirms he will captain Europe again

Dust was yet to settle on Luke Donald’s commitment to a third successive stint as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain when Rory McIlroy highlighted the elephant in the locker room.

McIlroy, in a sentiment shared by other European players, finds it hard to fathom why Jon Rahm has not reached agreement to make his participation at Adare Manor next September straightforward. Rahm’s Ryder Cup involvement sits in serious jeopardy amid a dispute with the DP World Tour. McIlroy calmly warned that the biennial contest matters more than any single individual.

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:37 pm

Donald Trump ‘really does not care’ if Iran play at World Cup 2026

• Iran was only country missing from Fifa planning summit

• US and Israel began attacking Iranian targets on Saturday

Donald Trump has said he does not care whether Iran participate in this summer’s World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The US and Israel began attacking targets in the country on Saturday, with the conflict in the Middle East since spreading to the wider region.

US president Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.” Iran was the only nation missing from a Fifa planning summit for World Cup participants held this week in Atlanta, deepening questions over whether the country’s team will compete on US soil this summer amid an escalating regional war.

Published: March 4, 2026, 10:28 am