Manchester City close gap to two points at top after Semenyo sinks Leeds

For those wondering if Manchester City are overreliant on Erling Haaland, they offered a riposte at Leeds. It was neither a fluid nor entertaining victory but importantly it closed the gap at the top to two points, increasing the pressure on Arsenal in the process.

It helps that when the league’s top scorer is absent, City can rely on the third man in the charts. Antoine Semenyo scored his 14th of the season on a difficult night for Pep Guardiola’s side, making the full-time euphoria well deserved after what felt like a significant win. A number of City players sunk to the turf once the whistle went, having called on all their reserves to get over the line.

Published: February 28, 2026, 7:36 pm

Liverpool’s five-star display heaps more pressure on wobbling West Ham

The contrasting strengths of Liverpool and West Ham are reflected on the balance sheet, the team sheet and ultimately the score sheet. Arne Slot’s side improved their prospects of Champions League qualification with a peculiar victory at Anfield, the winning margin far more resounding than the performance.

In the week Liverpool announced record overall revenue of £703m in their latest accounts, most of it ploughed back into the bank balances of a title-winning team, West Ham warned that players will have to be sold this summer whether they stay up or not having suffered a £104.2m loss in the same financial year. Their prospects of avoiding relegation look bleak in the context of such a heavy defeat yet, strange as it seems, Nuno Espírito Santo could take encouragement from elements of West Ham’s display.

Published: February 28, 2026, 5:13 pm

Barry and Pickford stun Newcastle to extend Everton’s fine away form

As rain fell, incessantly, Eddie Howe wandered around the pitch alone. The final whistle had just gone and, with Everton celebrating a deserved win, Newcastle’s lingering hopes of a top-six finish were also blown.

Newcastle look shattered, mentally as much as physically, by a Champions League campaign that will soon pit them against Barcelona and their Premier League form is suffering accordingly.

Published: February 28, 2026, 5:27 pm

‘I know I can do it again – 100%’: Lando Norris on proving himself against the best in F1

Briton overcame crippling self-doubt to become F1 world champion and is determined not to relinquish his crown

Lando Norris recalls being rendered speechless with joy when he was given his first contract with McLaren. Sitting in the cramped office of a paddock truck, the confirmation that he had made it to Formula One left him “very smiley for a long time”. Seven years on, he enters the new season having achieved his lifelong ambition of becoming world champion and is wearing an equally irrepressible grin as he sets about defending his title.

Claiming the championship after a monumental season-long tussle that went to a thrilling three-way fight at the finale in Abu Dhabi was the defining moment of the 26-year-old’s career and perhaps something of a turning point.

Published: February 28, 2026, 7:00 am

Oleksandr Usyk to defend title against kickboxer at Pyramids of Giza in Egypt

• Champion will face Rico Verhoeven for WBC belt in May

• ‘I respect people who reach the very top in their sport’

Oleksandr Usyk, who has not fought since a fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois at Wembley in July, will defend his WBC heavyweight title against a kickboxer at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

The bout with Rico Verhoeven on 23 May, dubbed “Glory in Giza”, will be the first title fight held in Egypt, according to The Ring magazine, and will be streamed live on Dazn.

Published: February 28, 2026, 11:14 am

Parker rues ‘injustice’ as VAR denies epic Burnley comeback in seven-goal thriller with Brentford

Scott Parker was left sad and disappointed by more video assistant referee controversy after Burnley’s spirited comeback came to nothing. The home side were 3-0 down in 34 minutes and facing hostility from their own fans, but fought back to level before having a fourth goal ruled out after Jaidon Anthony was adjudged to be a shoulder-width offside.

Mikkel Damsgaard then put Brentford back in front three minutes into injury time only for Ashley Barnes to net and spark scenes of jubilation, but his apparent equaliser was also chalked off, for handball, after a long delay.

Published: February 28, 2026, 5:27 pm

European football: Kane double helps Bayern Munich sink Borussia Dortmund

• England captain scores twice in 3-2 win in Der Klassiker

• Lamine Yamal fires hat-trick in Barça win over Villarreal

Harry Kane scored twice again and Bayern Munich opened an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga with a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Saturday.

Joshua Kimmich let fly with his left boot to score the winner with a volley in the 87th minute, just four minutes after Daniel Svensson equalised for Dortmund with a brilliant volley inside the left post. Nico Schlotterbeck put Dortmund 1-0 up at the break, but Serge Gnabry set up Kane’s response and the England captain got his second from the penalty spot – after a foul by Schlotterbeck on Josip Stanisic – to take his league tally to 30 goals this season.

Published: February 28, 2026, 11:00 pm

Football’s rulemakers to launch review of VAR and plan for ‘Vinícius Law’

• New rules will be added before World Cup finals

• Corners and second yellow cards can be checked

Football’s lawmaking authority, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), is to conduct a two-year review of the video assistant referee to ensure the technology is being used “to its best”. The announcement on Saturday came alongside a flurry of enhancements to the rulebook before the World Cup, including expanding the use of VAR into determining corner kicks.

Another proposal could mean punishments for players obscuring their mouths being fast-tracked for implementation at this summer’s tournament, after the alleged racist abuse of Vinícius Júnior by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.

Published: February 28, 2026, 3:55 pm

Pep Guardiola condemns fans who booed as Muslim players broke Ramadan fast at Leeds

• Section of fans reacted as play paused at Elland Road

• Guardiola: ‘Respect the religion, respect the diversity’

• Leeds coach calls it ‘disappointing … we need to do better’

Pep Guardiola has called on football supporters to “respect religion and diversity” after fans booed a brief stoppage in play at Elland Road to allow Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast.

Play was halted in the 13th minute of Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Leeds after the sun had set to allow the Muslim players to eat. At this point, despite a clear message on the big screen, fans audibly jeered the situation.

Published: February 28, 2026, 8:42 pm

Spring in Sesko’s step is thanks to Carrick scrapping Amorim’s tactical stranglehold | Jonathan Wilson

The starkest improvement under the interim manager has been the Slovenian supersub’s attacking potency

Benjamin Sesko’s career at Manchester United breaks into two distinct periods. In the first, he played 1,404 minutes of football and scored two goals. In the second, he has played 274 minutes and scored six goals: 702 minutes per goal and then 45 minutes 40 seconds per goal.

There’s a very obvious explanation. On 4 January, Sesko toiled in a 1-1 draw at Leeds. He didn’t manage a shot on target. He completed only 76% of his passes. He didn’t attempt a dribble but still lost possession five times. He was caught offside twice. On 5 January, Ruben Amorim was sacked.

Published: February 28, 2026, 8:00 pm

Braga keeps Hearts on title track against Aberdeen with Ferguson watching on

Sir Alex Ferguson watched on as Hearts defeated Aberdeen 1-0 to move seven points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Ferguson, the last manager to win the title with a team that was not Celtic or Rangers when his Aberdeen side were back-to-back champions from 1983-85, was at Tynecastle as a guest of the Hearts coach, Derek McInnes, and he saw Cláudio Braga score what proved to be the only goal of the game just before the half-hour mark.

Published: February 28, 2026, 6:39 pm

Arsenal are easy targets for TikTok mockery – they must not be prisoners of that narrative | David Hytner

Goaded by Tottenham and lampooned by Wolves, Mikel Arteta’s side face Chelsea this weekend with rivals hoping to prey on their sensitivities

Arsenal had to expect the jibes from Tottenham and they were not disappointed. Just before kick-off in last Sunday’s north London derby, the Spurs support in the South Stand of their stadium spelled out a giant message in mosaic form. “North Ldn since 1882,” it read.

A clear dig, then, at Arsenal’s south of the river history from the Woolwich days and, as mentioned, very much a part of a rivalry where goading and baiting go hand in hand with the loathing. Arsenal had been similarly provocative before the derby against Spurs at the Emirates Stadium last November, lighting the pre-match scene with a tifo featuring images of various club greats. The most prominent at the top of it? Sol Campbell, of course.

Published: February 28, 2026, 7:00 am

Leeds United 0-1 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

Antoine Semenyo’s goal in first-half stoppage time was enough for City to close the gap on Arsenal at the top

Here come the teams! Leeds wear white, just as The Don decreed all those years ago. Manchester City in second-choice black, as per their Puma contract. A rare old atmosphere at Elland Road, as there always is, the home fans Marching On Together. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!

Sky have also just flashed up an intriguing stat that we may as well nick bears repeating. As mentioned in the preamble, during half time of the corresponding fixture in Manchester last November, Daniel Farke switched things around, changing to a back three, and nearly pulled off a great comeback …

Published: February 28, 2026, 8:05 pm

Pakistan crash out of T20 World Cup despite victory against Sri Lanka

• Pakistan 212-8, Sri Lanka 207-6. Pakistan win by five runs

• New Zealand into semi-finals on net run-rate

Pakistan went out of the T20 World Cup despite a five-run victory against Sri Lanka in the Group Two Super 8s match in Pallekele on Saturday. Their inferior net run rate meant Pakistan had to win convincingly in order to pip New Zealand and join group winners England in the semi-finals.

“When I lost the toss, it was always going to be challenging [bowling second] because of the dew,” said the Pakistan captain, Salman Ali Agha. “Then it was a very good pitch and restricting them below 148 was going to be a challenge. But we tried. I think if I won the toss then it could have been a different story.”

Published: February 28, 2026, 5:50 pm

Championship roundup: Coventry strike late to seal fourth win in a row

• Rudoni scores in added time to put leaders eight clear

• Drop fears grow for Leicester with 2-0 loss to Norwich

Jack Rudoni’s goal four minutes into second-half stoppage time gave leaders Coventry their fourth win in a row with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Stoke.

Haji Wright headed them ahead before Ben Gibson equalised on the stroke of half-time with what proved to be Stoke’s only shot on target. Rudoni capitalised on an error from the onrushing Tommy Simkin in added time to put Coventry eight points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough, who travel to Birmingham on Monday.

Published: February 28, 2026, 5:38 pm

Liverpool 5-2 West Ham, Newcastle 2-3 Everton, Burnley 3-4 Brentford – as it happened

On a dramatic afternoon in the Premier League, Burnley suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Brentford, Everton clinched a 3-2 win over Newcastle and Liverpool scored five against West Ham

It’s full-time across the grounds in the lunchtime games. Let’s take a look at the results…

Premier League:

Bournemouth 1-1 Sunderland

Leicester City 0-2 Norwich City

Derby County 3-1 Blackburn Rovers

Portsmouth 0-1 Hull City

Leyton Orient 1-3 Barnsley

Northampton Town 1-1 Peterborough United

Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Walsall

Swindon Town 1-1 Bristol Rovers

Cambridge United 1-1 MK Dons

Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Walsall (live)

Swindon Town 1-1 Bristol Rovers (live)

Cambridge United 1-0 MK Dons (live)

Fleetwood Town v Newport County

Crewe Alexandra v Tranmere Rovers

Barnet v Chesterfield

Notts County v Grimsby Town

Oldham Athletic v Crawley Town

Colchester United v Salford City

Barrow v Gillingham

Bromley v Accrington Stanley

Published: February 28, 2026, 5:36 pm

Mighty Mathieu van der Poel powers to victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

• Dutch rider triumphs on debut in Belgian spring classic

• Demi Vollering beats Niewiadoma to win women’s race

Mathieu van der Poel broke away 16km from the finish line and soloed to victory at the season-opening cobbled classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday.

The former road race world champion entered the classic on the back of a record eighth cyclo-cross world title where he was unbeaten all winter. The 31-year-old Alpecin rider finished in 4hr 53min 55sec, more than 20 seconds ahead of fellow Dutchman Tim van Dijke and the Belgian Florian Vermeersch.

Published: February 28, 2026, 4:27 pm

Bournemouth 1-1 Sunderland: Premier League – as it happened

There were contentious refereeing and VAR decisions aplenty as Evanilson cancelled out Eliezer Mayenda’s opener at the Vitality

• Read John Brewin’s report from the Vitality Stadium

Andoni Iraola: “It’s a team that has played really well this season,” he said of today’s visitors. “Starting from the goalkeeper - he has been very, very good for them. He has a really long kick so it puts you under pressure really early. Every free-kick and every set-piece situation, they put a lot of pressure on you, they manage the situations very well.”

Regis Le Bris: “We are in a tough league – a young team with injuries, suspensions and different events,” said Sunderland’s head coach, upon being asked about his side’s run of three league defeats. “We expected that a bit earlier [in the season]. It is not the best period from a results perspective. We are learning a lot, and it is often in these tough phases that you are learning more.”

Published: February 28, 2026, 3:09 pm

Premier League buildup, early team news and European draw reaction – matchday live

News, buildup and discussion before a busy day of football action in the Premier League and beyond

Wolves finally look like they’re in some sort of shape, well done Rob Edwards, albeit it’ll be far too late to stay up.

And what about this chat with the Premier League’s all-time top appearance-maker, Mr James Milner?

Published: February 28, 2026, 11:59 am