O’Reilly doubles up as Manchester City sink Newcastle to keep up title chase

Manchester City are timing their title run-in perfectly, to give Pep Guardiola a fine chance of a seventh title in a decade and to break Arsenal’s hearts yet again.

For fans of each team squeaky posterior time is officially entered. For the neutral the final 11 matches for City and the Gunners promise to be a cannot-miss spectacle.

Published: February 21, 2026, 10:16 pm

Rahm’s refusal to pay fine over LIV Golf puts Ryder Cup future in peril

• LIV rebel rejects European Tour Group’s offer

• Tyrrell Hatton has settled over seven-figure fine

Jon Rahm’s Ryder Cup future is in serious doubt after the Spaniard failed to join his teammate Tyrrell Hatton in settling a dispute over a seven-figure fine with the European Tour Group over participation in LIV Golf.

Hatton is one of eight players who have agreed to settle all outstanding fines due in Europe and withdraw any appeals in return for releases to play on LIV tournaments in 2026. Luke Donald, who is expected to remain in office for a third stint as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, wanted the situation with Hatton and Rahm resolved. Donald has only partly got his wish, with Adare Manor in 2027 looming ever closer.

Published: February 21, 2026, 11:49 am

Bill Mazeroski, walk-off hero of Pirates’ 1960 World Series win, dies at 89

• Infielder hit historic shot in 1960 World Series’ Game 7

• Pirates pay tribute to ‘one of a kind’ Hall of Famer

Bill Mazeroski, the Hall of Fame second baseman who won eight Gold Glove awards for his steady work in the field and the hearts of countless Pittsburgh Pirates fans for his historic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, has died at the age of 89.

Pirates owner Bob Nutting said “Maz was one of a kind, a true Pirates legend ... His name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship, but I will remember him most for the person he was: humble, gracious and proud to be a Pirate.”

Published: February 21, 2026, 5:50 pm

Cheating, Penisgate and boos for Vance: the 10 wildest stories of the Winter Olympics

Amid the triumphs, failures and broken medals in Milano Cortina, here’s our countdown of the outstanding moments that will live long in the memory

Cheating has been part and parcel of the Olympics since at least Eupolus of Thessaly in 388BC. But crooked boxers from ancient Greece never confessed their indiscretions on live television. The Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid did exactly that after winning bronze in the men’s 20km biathlon for his first individual Olympic medal, publicly admitting he’d two-timed his girlfriend three months earlier and calling it “my biggest mistake” in an overshare for the ages carried live by national broadcaster NRK. Lægreid’s shot appeared to have missed the target one day later when the wronged party, wishing to remain anonymous, told the Norwegian paper VG it was “hard to forgive” what he did.

Published: February 21, 2026, 8:00 am

Alysa Liu released the pressure, reclaimed her joy and turned it into Olympic gold | Bryan Armen Graham

After stepping away from figure skating, the US star climbed back on her own terms. Her journey culminated in a medal, but it was about much more than that

Alysa Liu made her way through a mixed zone teeming with hundreds of reporters at a quarter past midnight early Friday morning, an Olympic gold medal draped around her neck, the sequins in her color-coordinated dress glimmering beneath the klieg lights and crush of television cameras. The 20-year-old from West Oakland had just become the first American woman to win figure skating’s biggest prize in 24 years, drilling seven clean triples to leapfrog a pair of Japanese rivals from third place after Tuesday’s short program and gatecrash her sport’s most rarefied air. But to hear Liu tell it, her second gold in 12 days was merely a passing footnote in a Milan fortnight she doesn’t want to end.

Liu’s carefree mindset should and will be studied in the weeks, months and years after these Olympics – especially these Olympics – as a counterpoint to the results-obsessed mindsets that have shattered the mental wellbeing of so many athletes thrust into the pressure-cooker of the world’s biggest sporting event. She spoke candidly and insightfully on how her unique journey from child prodigy to burnout case to second-act skater gave rise to an indifference to scores or placements. All she wanted in the end was a chance to make the US team and share her artistry on the world stage.

Published: February 20, 2026, 3:35 pm

Brady Tkachuk admits to ‘hatred’ as US and Canada prepare for Olympic men’s ice hockey final

• Long-time rivals play for gold on Sunday at 2026 Games

• Tensions are high between two teams

• Status of Canada’s Sidney Crosby still uncertain

The US and Canada are prepared for a stormy men’s ice hockey final on Sunday as the long-time rivals face off for Winter Olympic gold.

This year’s Olympics mark the first time NHL players have competed at the Winter Games since 2014, meaning many of the best players in the world will face each other on Sunday. While Canada are the betting favourites – and have won the most ice hockey golds in Olympic history – the US players say they have motivation to upset their northern neighbours.

Published: February 21, 2026, 3:38 pm

Ilia Malinin performs to Fear as he completes cathartic Olympic gala routine

• American given rousing reception by crowd in Milan

• Alysa Liu and Mikhail Shaidorov among other performers

Alysa Liu had the opportunity to cherish skating on the same Olympic ice where she won two gold medals one more time. Ilia Malinin had the chance to replace some disappointing memories with much better ones.

The two Americans were among more than 40 Olympic figure skaters who took part in the traditional exhibition gala on Saturday night, which not only serves to wrap up the program but to celebrate the entire sport.

Published: February 21, 2026, 10:44 pm

Jorrit Bergsma wins mass start to continue golden Winter Olympics for 40-somethings

• Dutch skater claims his first gold since 2014

• Jordan Stolz misses out on fourth medal of Games

Jorrit Bergsma, the mullet-wearing 40-year-old speed skating legend from the Netherlands, won the men’s mass start on Saturday afternoon for his second medal of the Milano Cortina Games and his first Olympic gold since 2014.

Bergsma crossed first in 7:55.50, ahead of Viktor Hald Thorup of Denmark and Andrea Giovannini of Italy, denying American star Jordan Stolz in his bid to become the first man in 32 years to win three long-track speed skating golds at a single Olympics.

Published: February 21, 2026, 5:09 pm

Polish speed skater Kamila Sellier undergoes surgery after taking blade to face at Winter Olympics

• 25-year-old says she is ‘doing okay’ after injury

• Athlete posts update to Instagram after scary crash

Polish short track skater Kamila Sellier says that she is “doing okay” after suffering a bad cut to her face in a crash on Friday.

Sellier went down along with 14-time Olympic medalist Arianna Fontana of Italy and American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold, who was penalized for an illegal lane pass that contributed to the collision. That kept Santos-Griswold from advancing through the quarter-final round.

Published: February 21, 2026, 7:56 pm

‘Worst skis I ever had’: Swedish biathletes blame poor Olympic form on waxing team

• Wax technicians apologise after mass-start failure

• Sweden’s trio finish 18th, 21st and 26th in event

Sweden’s biathletes have struggled to deliver medals at the Winter Olympics and on Friday they finally ran out of patience with their waxing team, blaming a bad job on their skis for an embarrassingly poor performance in the men’s mass start.

Often among the favourites in biathlon events, the Swedes had a dismal day in the final men’s race of the Games, with Sebastian Samuelsson finishing 18th, Martin Ponsiluoma 21st and Jesper Nelin 26th in the 30-man field.

Published: February 21, 2026, 12:17 pm

Norway’s Klæbo seals historic sweep with record sixth gold of Winter Games

• Victory in 50km mass start breaks record from 1980

• Teammates Nyenget and Iversen lock out podium

At the end of one of the great races in the history of the Winter Olympics, there was the greatest athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics. After a little over two hours of racing Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won his sixth gold medal of these Games when he beat his Norwegian teammate Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget by 17.4 seconds to win the men’s 50km classic.

The triumph meant the 29-year-old set the record for the most gold medals in a single Winter Games, set by the US speed skater Eric Heiden when he won five at Lake Placid in 1980. In an age of exaggeration and in an industry that loves overstatement, it is entirely true to say that there has never been anything quite like it.

Published: February 21, 2026, 12:59 pm

‘Delighted’ James Milner celebrates record with Brighton win at Brentford

James Milner showed he can still contribute during his record-breaking 654th Premier League appearance as Brighton won at Brentford. Milner’s inclusion meant he moved past Gareth Barry’s record tally in the competition and it proved an occasion to remember for the Seagulls after first-half goals by Diego Gómez and Danny Welbeck.

The pressure had mounted on Fabian Hürzeler after one league win in 13 games and he turned to the veteran midfielder in an attempt to arrest a worrying run of results after a recent start at Aston Villa. The 40-year-old produced an accomplished display on a landmark occasion before his 90th-minute substitution was marked with applause from both sets of supporters.

Published: February 21, 2026, 5:07 pm

Charles Leclerc clocks quickest time at final F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain

• Lando Norris second fastest; Max Verstappen third

• Aston Martin completed just six laps after problems

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the bragging rights with the quickest time at the final Formula One test before the season proper begins in Australia in just two weeks, while Aston Martin endured a horror show.

At the end of the final day of the third test, some of the cars were let off the leash to put in some runs on soft tyres with lower fuel loads and Leclerc looked very much at home as he hurled his Ferrari around the circuit in Bahrain. He set a time of 1min 31.992sec, eight-tenths clear of the second-placed McLaren of Lando Norris and a second up on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Published: February 20, 2026, 5:18 pm

‘Flattered. Thanks, JD!’: Eileen Gu claps back at Vance after criticism for representing China

• Olympic freeski star was born in San Francisco

• VP suggested US-born athletes should compete for US

Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu has responded after vice-president JD Vance appeared to criticise her choice to represent China on the international stage instead of the United States.

With five medals, the 22-year-old Gu is the most decorated female freeskier in Olympic history. She won two golds and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Games and has claimed two silvers at the Milano Cortina Games, with one more medal event set for Saturday in the halfpipe.

Published: February 20, 2026, 2:58 pm

Chelsea’s Fofana and Burnley’s Hannibal abused by online racists

• Fofana’s first of two bookings was for fouling Hannibal

• Burnley: ‘There is no place for this in our society’

Hannibal Mejbri and Wesley Fofana have both been racially abused on Instagram in the wake of the former’s Burnley side drawing 1-1 at Chelsea after the latter was sent off.

Hannibal, who was fouled for the first of the two yellow cards that led to Fofana’s dismissal, posted the abuse he had received via a direct message on Instagram and wrote: “It’s 2026 and there still ppl like that … Educate yourself and your kids pls.” Fofana likewise posted the abuse he received.

Published: February 21, 2026, 10:43 pm

West Ham miss chance to boost survival hopes with wasteful draw against Bournemouth

When it comes to the back end of May and West Ham reflect on the season that was, there is every chance that this soggy Saturday will go down as a missed opportunity that proved decisive in their survival plight.

Victory here would have raised the possibility of Nuno Espírito Santo’s side ending the weekend out of the relegation zone for the first time since early December. In keeping with those over recent weeks, much of the performance was befitting of another three points. But, thanks to a couple of smart Djordje Petrovic saves and some profligacy in front of goal, the hosts had to make do with a draw – an expected goals (xG) total of 2.87 from 20 shots yielding a blank in the only column that matters.

Published: February 21, 2026, 7:42 pm

Tammy Abraham salvages late point for Aston Villa to deny battling Leeds

This felt like the day Aston Villa’s faint title hopes were extinguished despite Tammy Abraham’s late equaliser against Leeds. Unai Emery’s side have won only once in their past four Premier League home games and fell short again to leave them seven points behind leaders Arsenal. They were punished for a sloppy opening 45 minutes when they failed to get almost anything right against their more aggressive opponents.

Anton Stach’s incredible free-kick looked like it would secure victory for Leeds until the 88th minute but it felt like another important step in their fight for survival.

Published: February 21, 2026, 5:13 pm

Birmingham’s Hurtré piles pain on Chatham during 8-0 rout in Women’s FA Cup

• Fifth round: Birmingham 8-0 Chatham

• Hurtré 26 59 68, Sarri 53, Louis 65 89, Lee 70, Leidhammar 76

“It is like me coming up against Usain Bolt,” is how Chatham Town’s manager, Keith Boanas, compared the difference in speed and stamina between his fourth-tier underdogs and full-time professionals Birmingham City. The minnows kept themselves in this contest for far longer than 9.58 seconds, testing the second-tier side for just under an hour, before eventually the home side’s superiority told.

Given they are paid only their travel expenses, while their opponents are chasing promotion to the top tier, that was an admirable effort from the lowest-ranked side in the Women’s FA Cup fifth round. They were powerless, though, to stop Birmingham charging into the quarter-finals with a hat-trick from Océane Hurtré.

Published: February 21, 2026, 7:24 pm

European football: Osasuna stun Real, Kane edges Bayern past Frankfurt

• Raúl García’s 90th-minute winner sinks Real Madrid

• Bayern go nine clear at top; PSG return to Ligue 1 summit

Raúl García’s superb 90th-minute strike consigned La Liga leaders Real Madrid to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday.

Champions Barcelona trail Madrid by two points but can overtake them on Sunday if they beat Levante at Camp Nou.

Published: February 21, 2026, 10:30 pm

Scottish Premiership: Islam Chesnokov gets Hearts’ title push back on track

• New signing makes mark as leaders see off Falkirk

• Dundee win at Aberdeen; Motherwell thrash St Mirren

Hearts got their Premiership title push back on track with a 1-0 win over Falkirk at Tynecastle. The Jambos, beaten 4-2 at rivals Rangers last weekend, broke the deadlock just before half-time when the January signing Islam Chesnokov lashed home his first goal for the club. Hearts held out to move five points clear of Rangers, who travel to bottom side Livingston on Sunday.

Ethan Hamilton’s late goal gave Dundee a 3-2 win at 10-man Aberdeen, who had Liam Morrison sent off just before half-time. The Dons had gone in front after 13 minutes when Kevin Nisbet’s shot was fumbled by the Dundee keeper Jon McCracken and looked to have gone over the line before Toyosi Olusanya knocked in the rebound.

Published: February 21, 2026, 9:41 pm

Championship roundup: Wrexham beat Ipswich 5-3, Coventry pull clear of Boro

• Coventry win 2-0 at West Brom; Oxford hold Boro

• Millwall lose to Portsmouth, Birmingham beat Norwich

Wrexham boosted their promotion hopes with a 5-3 victory over fellow high-flyers Ipswich in a crazy game at the Stok Cae Ras.

Eight days after Josh Windass’s goal had decided the FA Cup fourth-round tie between the sides in Wrexham’s favour, the goals flowed in north Wales.

Published: February 21, 2026, 9:09 pm

Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle: Premier League – as it happened

City closed the gap on Arsenal at the top thanks to two first-half goals from Nico O’Reilly

Newcastle get the ball rolling! “No-one actually believes we’ll win this game, do they?” sighs Toon fan Chris Paraskevas. “I mean the last time we won at the Etihad, the goal-scorers were Moussa Sissoko (now ruining his reputation at Panathinaikos with Rafa Benitez) and Ryan Taylor.”

The teams are out. Manchester City, in sky blue, are given a guard of honour by members of their 1976 League Cup winning side. The 50th anniversary of that victory, over Newcastle, comes up next week. The Toon in third-choice blue. As for the weather, Bert Challenor, the talent scout from Comedians by Trevor Griffiths, says it best: “I’ll never understand why they don’t run boats to Manchester.” We’ll be off in a minute.

Published: February 21, 2026, 10:29 pm

Heartbreak for Team GB as Canada take men’s curling gold on last stone

• Great Britain 6-9 Canada

• Mouat’s side take silver after falling short in last end

Sometimes the silvers you win feel more like the golds you lose. After an excruciatingly tense three-hour final, there’s no doubt which way Bruce Mouat and the British men’s curling team will see this one. They were beaten 9-6 by Canada, in a game that took several twists and turns on its way to the very last stone of the 10th end. It is their second Olympic silver medal, after the one they won when they lost to Sweden in Beijing in 2022. After 10 days of competition, the Olympic title is still the one thing in the sport that this world champion team haven’t won, and that will sting.

The British rink had the better start. They forced Canada to settle for one from the 1st end, even though they had last stone advantage. But Grant Hardie is a gnarly competitor and he and his team worked their way into a 4-3 lead at halfway with a couple of double take-outs in the 3rd and 5th ends. In the 4th, when Britain had the hammer, they were made to play the same clearing shot four times in a row, before Hardie finally nailed it. Then Mouat missed with his penultimate stone, which clipped his own guard on its way home.

Published: February 21, 2026, 9:10 pm

West Ham 0-0 Bournemouth: Premier League – as it happened

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side remain in relegation zone after struggling to take chances in stalemate

9 min: Summerville shows off his quick feet inside his own half as West Ham try and counter.

8 min: It’s an aerial game as the sides play volleyball inside the Bournemouth half.

Published: February 21, 2026, 7:48 pm

Wales v Scotland: Six Nations rugby union – as it happened

Scotland pinch victory over spirited Wales five minutes from time in thrilling Six Nations contest in Cardiff.

Yes, we know the team is struggling, but the Principality Stadium looks incredible!

If you are a rugby fan and you’ve not visited this cathedral, get your accountant on the line and book yourself a trip.

I am not a confident Welsh fan. There are so many issues at the moment, it’s hard to know where to start. The WRU is spectacularly badly run. We were fortunate to have a couple of generations of genuinely World Class players between the mid 00’s and 2020ish, and considering the resources available, population, player base etc, that was always likely to drop off at some point. But I don’t think anyone expected the drop-off to be quite so drastic. We kept being told that it was a young side who would gained experience and improve. But that’s been a stuck record for 4 years or so. There’s no identity to the team. When you watch them, you often cant see what they’re trying to achieve. The basics, the flipping basics(!), are repeatedly falling apart. The first quarter against England was as bad a spell of international rugby as you’re ever likely to see. I don’t know where to go from here. It’s hideous.

Published: February 21, 2026, 6:54 pm

Winter Olympics 2026: GB curlers go for gold, bobsleigh, ice hockey and more – as it happened

• Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing
• Klæbo claims sixth gold of Games | And email James

Men’s four-man bobsleigh In the workshop, a man carefully waxes down a sleigh. Another Canadian team next, under Dearborn, but they can’t improve on their countrymen.

Men’s four-man bobsleigh: The French have a cracking silver sled, but it all goes wrong at the start when one of the riders gets his foot stuck.

Published: February 21, 2026, 9:47 pm

USA and Canada to meet in Olympic men’s ice hockey gold medal game

• Hughes and Eichel spark US rout of Slovakia

• MacKinnon scores late to send Canada through

• Border rivals to meet for men’s hockey gold

The United States and Canada men’s ice hockey teams will play for the gold medal on Sunday’s final day of the Milano Cortina Games after both teams came through semi-final contests of varying difficulty on Friday evening, setting up a blockbuster final in the first Olympic tournament to feature National Hockey League players in 12 years.

Canada left things late in the first game, fighting back from two goals down to win 3-2 over Finland on Nathan MacKinnon’s winner with 35.2 seconds remaining. The US made far lighter work of Slovakia in the nightcap to set up the heavyweight clash, strolling to a 6-2 win after Jack Hughes and Jack Eichel scored in a 19-second span during the second period to blow things open, ensuring the Americans no worse than silver and their first men’s hockey medal in 16 years.

Published: February 20, 2026, 10:41 pm

US skier Hess describes ‘hardest weeks of my life’ after Trump’s ‘real loser’ comment

• American halfpipe competitor says he has no regrets

• Britain’s Gus Kenworthy just misses out on medal

At the start of the Winter Olympics, Donald Trump called Hunter Hess a “real loser” after the US freeskier dared to admit that he had mixed feelings about representing his country.

As he swooped down the halfpipe on Friday morning, Hess delivered a neat riposte, flashing a L-sign with his hand before insisting his row with Trump was something “I definitely wear with pride”.

Published: February 20, 2026, 9:58 pm

Winter Olympics 2026: Norway break own record for golds won in single Games after biathlon triumph – as it happened

South Korea win gold and silver in women’s speed skating as new champions were crowned in men’s freeski, men’s aerials, men’s biathlon and women’s ski cross.

The first person down the half pipe was world champ, Finley Melville Ives, who lost a ski mid-air and is languishing at the bottom of the leader board.

Ah, here comes Gus Kenworthy, he of the the urinated ‘fuck ICE’ snow message, and silver medallist in the 2014 ski slopestyle for the US, before switching to Team GB. He’s a brave guy, and has received death threats since his protest.

Published: February 20, 2026, 9:56 pm