Arsenal v Chelsea: Premier League – live

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2 min: A mid-octane start to the game. No real shape yet, though it’s obvious that Palmer is prowling the left wing today, opposite to his usual beat.

Arteta and Rosenior embrace warmly … let’s see how long that cross-capital bonhomie lasts … and Arsenal get the ball rolling.

Published: March 1, 2026, 4:33 pm

The ultimate breakdown: everything you need to know about F1’s new regulations for 2026

Get to grips with active aero, boost mode and super-clipping as the adoption of new hybrid engines shakes up the sport before the new season begins next weekend

In a week’s time, a new era will begin in Formula One as a major shift in regulations brings with it an air of unpredictability when the Australian Grand Prix gets under way in Melbourne.

The cars have been made smaller and lighter with the intent of making them more nimble and better to drive, and to facilitate improved racing. The wheelbase has been reduced by 20cm to 340cm and the width by 10cm to 190cm. Across changes in the chassis and to the engine, the overall weight has been reduced by 30kg. Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton have declared themselves generally pleased with the improved handling characteristics of their more sprightly rides, which will operate with approximately 40% less drag, but they will not enjoy the same downforce or pace as with last year’s models and are expected to open the season a second or two slower per lap than last year.

Published: March 1, 2026, 8:00 am

US hockey star Hilary Knight hits back at Trump’s joke about women’s team during SNL skit

• Trump quipped about inviting US women to White House

• Knight appears on SNL with Hughes brothers

US ice hockey star Hilary Knight aimed a barb at Donald Trump during an appearance on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live.

Knight led the US women to gold at last month’s Olympics, scoring the Americans’ first goal as they beat Canada in overtime. But after the US men’s team won gold Trump joked that he would have to invite the women’s team to the White House too or risk being impeached. Many of the men’s players laughed at Trump’s comments, and Knight later called them “distasteful and unfortunate.” While the US men visited the White House last week, Knight and her teammates said they were too busy to attend and will instead celebrate at an event in July organized by rapper Flavor Flav.

Published: March 1, 2026, 1:15 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

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

Formula One to revise controversial rule at centre of Mercedes engine row

• Amendments to 2026 regulations approved unanimously

• Mercedes had been suspected of exploiting a loophole

Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, and rival engine manufacturers have reached a compromise solution to tackle the controversy surrounding Mercedes that had threatened to overshadow next week’s start of the season in Australia.

The sport is entering a new era with the biggest changes in decades to the engine and chassis regulations. Engine compression ratios have been a major talking point, with Mercedes suspected of exploiting a loophole to gain performance through the thermal expansion of components and there is talk of possible protests after the Melbourne race. Mercedes have said any change will make no difference to them.

Published: February 28, 2026, 11:41 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

Sesko streak continues as Manchester United fight off 10-man Crystal Palace

As the second half began, a banner appeared in the Stretford End that read: “MUFC proudly colonised by immigrants.” If this was a riposte to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s assertion that these shores have been overrun by those from overseas (for which the co-owner half-heartedly apologised), Manchester United needed their own reply to a listless opening period that left them trailing to Maxence Lacroix’s early header.

Eleven minutes after the restart, they did. First came Lacroix’s sending-off, issued by Chris Kavanagh after a pitchside monitor review for yanking over Matheus Cunha. The contact started before the 18-yard line but it continued into the penalty area, so the referee followed up awarding a spot-kick by showing his red card. Fernandes calmly beat Dean Henderson to the left of the Crystal Palace No 1, who guessed wrong.

Published: March 1, 2026, 4:23 pm

Wilson and Iwobi earn Fulham win to increase Tottenham relegation fears

As each passing week goes by, the threat of relegation becomes more real for Tottenham. This is no longer a quirk that it can be assumed will automatically be corrected. The monster exists, it is getting closer and fear is beginning to set in and make itself seen in their play. Defeat on Sunday was not only far more emphatic than the scoreline might suggest, but it was Spurs’ fourth reverse in a row, extending their run without a win in the Premier League to 10. The only sliver of relief was that all their relegation rivals lost as well.

But this was grim stuff from Tottenham. Although they were well beaten by Arsenal last week, it had at least been possible to discern vague glimmers of hope in their capacity to get bodies in the way, or in the aggression of Randal Kolo Muani. There was none of that here. Spurs were limp, apathetic. The 4-4-2 Igor Tudor slightly surprisingly deployed didn’t work. Conor Gallagher had a nightmare. Xavi Simons was nonexistent. Kolo Muani kept running the ball out of play, as though surprised the pitch were not significantly bigger. All three were withdrawn just before the hour.

Published: March 1, 2026, 4:13 pm

Welbeck lifts Brighton to leave Nottingham Forest two points off drop zone

These are concerning times for Vítor Pereira. Nottingham Forest’s fourth permanent manager of this crazy season may be only four matches into his spell in charge but – given owner Evangelos Marinakis’s record – his position is already looking precarious.

A second Premier League defeat in succession since he was appointed to replace Sean Dyche a fortnight ago leaves Forest sweating just two points clear of the drop zone and facing a daunting trip to Manchester City on Wednesday. They never looked like capitalising on West Ham’s heavy defeat against Liverpool on Saturday against a Brighton side packed with experience and who recorded their first home victory for two months thanks to goals from Diego Gómez and Danny Welbeck – his 10th of the season – to ease more of the pressure on Fabian Hürzeler.

Published: March 1, 2026, 4:12 pm

Reo Hatate grabs Celtic a draw at Rangers to leave Hearts as real winners

A penny for the thoughts of the Hearts manager, Derek McInnes, as John Beaton was diverted by the video assistant referee towards the pitchside screen. Only seconds of regulation time remained. An afternoon that for so long looked to belong to Rangers was about to take a significant twist. As Beaton awarded Celtic a penalty, via which Reo Hatate eventually scored, idle Hearts emerged as the real winners.

The Edinburgh club’s aspirations of winning the Scottish title for the first time since 1960 have been enhanced over back-to-back weekends. Hearts lead Rangers by six and Celtic, who play their game in hand at Aberdeen on Wednesday, by eight. McInnes has the making of history within his grasp. No wonder Sir Alex Ferguson, the last non‑Old Firm manager to win the top league, thought it appropriate to take in the weekend fixtures at Tynecastle and Ibrox.

Published: March 1, 2026, 2:10 pm

European football: Pavlovic shoulders scoring burden as Milan sink Cremonese

• Leão follows up 90th-minute opener in added time

• 2-0 defeat pushes Cremonese towards relegation zone

Milan moved closer to Champions League football next season after two late strikes gave them a 2-0 win at Cremonese. Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with his shoulder before Rafael Leão’s simple finish in stoppage time gave the away side a result which flattered a drab display in Cremona.

Second-placed Milan have little realistic hope of winning the Serie A title as they are 10 points behind their local rivals Inter, who beat Genoa 2-0 on Saturday. Next weekend’s Milan derby has little more than local pride riding on it with Inter speeding off into the distance with 11 games remaining in the league campaign.

This story will be updated

Published: March 1, 2026, 2:12 pm

Woodman’s quiet revolution paying dividends for table-topping Bromley

The south-east London club have promotion to League One within sight in just their second season in the EFL with their manager central to the transformation

With half an hour to go before kick-off , a roar echoes round the ground. MK Dons have levelled with Cambridge United via a penalty deep into injury time, Aaron Collins scoring from the spot to deny the hosts victory.

In the 20-minute interlude between Shayne Lavery’s opener at the Abbey Stadium and the referee’s fateful whistle, Cambridge looked set to go top of the table. Instead Bromley get under way against Accrington Stanley with a one-point lead at the summit of League Two, much to the relief of the home fans.

Published: March 1, 2026, 8:00 am

A summer season would free women’s football from constraints of men’s game | Suzanne Wrack

Breaking from European traditions would bring a TV boost and help build a schedule that works both for players and fans

The announcement that Major League Soccer (MLS) is to switch from a summer season to a winter one has reignited the debate about the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) schedule.

This is not a new conversation: the pros and cons of alignment with the European calendar have been considered for many years by the NWSL.

Published: March 1, 2026, 8:00 am

Manchester United v Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened

Maxence Lacroix put Palace ahead before being sent off after conceding the penalty from which Bruno Fernandes equalised, then Benjamin Sesko headed the winner

We will, of course, be updating you on this afternoon’s other early games: Brighton v Forest and Fulham v Spurs, but here’s Carrick.

So where is the game? Well, United will have to adjust a little, given they’re starting with a centre-forward; with Palace likely to defend deep and centrally, a reference-point will probably be a help. I’d expect Mbeumo to step inside on to his left foot and try and pick him out with crosses to the back post, because if he times it, he’s almost unbeatable in the air. Otherwise, I’d expect them to play into Bruno, who’ll slip passes down the sides of the outside centre-backs, with the two wide players looking to hit the space behind the wing-backs.

Published: March 1, 2026, 4:25 pm

Rangers 2-2 Celtic: Scottish Premiership – as it happened

Rangers went 2-0 up thanks to Youssef Chermiti’s eye-catching double, but Celtic hit back via Kieran Tierney and Reo Hatate’s dramatic late equaliser from the spot

We’re under way at Ibrox amid a deafening roar, Rangers getting us started.

The teams are in the tunnel. We’re about to get up and running.

Published: March 1, 2026, 2:12 pm

Joe Montemurro hopes focus is on football for Iran’s women at Asian Cup

• Australia coach bats away Middle East crisis question

• Matildas beat Philippines 1-0; Iran game is on Thursday

Joe Montemurro said he wants the focus before his Australia women’s team’s Asian Cup match against Iran on Thursday to be on football, as the continental sporting showpiece wrestles with the escalating Middle East conflict.

The host nation defeated the Philippines 1-0 in Sunday’s tournament opener in Perth. Iran and South Korea – the other teams Group A – meet on Monday, before the Matildas play the Iranians on Thursday.

Published: March 1, 2026, 1:14 pm

Arsenal face another title test and buildup to the Old Firm game – as it happened

Rangers and Celtic count down to a seismic Old Firm game, while Arsenal take on Chelsea and Manchester United face Crystal Palace

Arsenal fan Balaji has messaged in to say:

“Should Spurs lose to Fulham or later, Arsenal beat Chelsea, today will mark the St. Totteringham’s Day!

Brighton v Nottingham Forest

Fulham v Tottenham

Manchester United v Crystal Palace

Arsenal v Chelsea

Published: March 1, 2026, 11:59 am

Australia hammer India by 185 runs in third women’s one-day cricket international – as it happened

Australia set India 410 for victory and then their bowlers were far too good as they swept the ODI leg of the series

2nd over: Australia 11-0 (Healy 9, Litchfield 2)

Kashvee opens the bowling from the other end – she was certainly the pick of the bowlers for India on Friday. However, Litchfield is keen to get going and finds a gap in the infield immediately, driving it through cover for a single. And that has inspired Healy into action as well, she cuts it well for four – the first boundary of the match. Litchfield chases after a wide delivery and cuts it into the deep late in the over – she picks up a single, but it might provide India some hope that they can lure her into more risky shots and pick up a boundary. Healy finishes the over with another four.

Published: March 1, 2026, 11:21 am

Australia defeat Philippines 1-0 in Group A opener – as it happened

Captain Sam Kerr scores in 14th minutes as hosts hold on against dogged Filipinas for an important win to start their tournament

If you are just checking in after a long break, it shouldn’t take you too long to come to grips with who is in the squad and who isn’t as, for all the talk of renewal and generational change under Joe Montemurro, there’s plenty of familiar faces in the 26-player squad. Here’s a player-by-player guide of each and every member.

Drawn in by the prospect of another home tournament (assuming you live in Perth, the Gold Coast, or Sydney), are you checking back in for the first time since that fateful semifinal agianst England just over three years ago? Wondering what’s happened with the Matildas since?

Published: March 1, 2026, 11:20 am

Sam Kerr header delivers Matildas win over Philippines in Women’s Asian Cup opener

• Australia defeat Philippines 1-0 in first Group A match in Perth

• Captain scores in 14th minute as hosts dominate possession

The Matildas’ Asian Cup campaign is off to an ideal, if rusty, start with a 1-0 defeat of the Philippines in their first group-stage match in Perth on Sunday afternoon.

A goal from captain Sam Kerr in the first half saw the hosts secure their first points of the tournament in front of 44,379 people at Perth Stadium, breaking the record for the highest-attended Asian Cup match on its very first day.

Published: March 1, 2026, 11:10 am