Beating Tottenham can be a ‘turning point’ for Arsenal, says proud Arteta

• Manager delighted with reaction to midweek draw

• Arsenal go five points clear of Manchester City at top

Mikel Arteta said that he could not be “prouder or happier” after his Arsenal side restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a 4-1 win against Tottenham on Sunday that he suggested could be a “turning point” in their season.

This was an emphatic response after squandering a 2-0 lead at Wolves on Wednesday, a result that means City will win the league if they win all their remaining 11 games this season.

Published: February 22, 2026, 9:19 pm

Lionel Messi’s referee confrontation in tunnel did not violate policy, MLS says

• Miami star confronted officials in a doorway after 3-0 loss

• League determined area was not off-limits to players

• MLS has suspended players for entering officials’ room

Major League Soccer has cleared Lionel Messi of wrongdoing after the Argentinian appeared to pursue match officials after Inter Miami’s season-opening loss to LAFC on Saturday evening.

In a video posted to X by Síntesis Deportes reporter Giovanni Guerrero, Messi appears to confront match officials as they entered a doorway within the LA Coliseum after the match, a 3-0 win for LAFC. Miami forward Luis Suárez is seen restraining Messi, who slips out of his teammate’s grip and disappears behind a door. He emerged seconds later and retreated with Suárez to Miami’s locker room.

Published: February 22, 2026, 8:23 pm

NFL receiver Rondale Moore dies at age of 25: ‘Way too soon. Way too special’

• Former coach says player was ‘complete joy’

• Teammates pay tribute after Moore’s death

NFL wide receiver Rondale Moore died on Saturday at the age of 25, his former college coach, Jeff Brohm, has confirmed.

“Rondale Moore was a complete joy to coach,” Brohm, who worked with Moore at Purdue, said in a statement. “The ultimate competitor that wouldn’t back down from any challenge. Rondale had a work ethic unmatched by anyone. A great teammate that would come through in any situation. We all loved Rondale, we loved his smile and competitive edge that always wanted to please everyone he came in contact with. We offer all of our thoughts and prayers to Rondale and his family, we love him very much.”

In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Published: February 22, 2026, 3:33 am

The Great Olympic lie: untold story of Winter Games’ huge environmental impact

Rivers drained dry to create artificial snow, a forest cut down for the bobsleigh track – IOC’s claims to prioritise sustainability at Milano Cortina exposed

On the foothills of the mountains, by the banks of the river in Cortina, there was a forest. It was full of tall larch trees. Arborists said the oldest of them had been there for 150 years and dendrologists that it was unique because it was unusual to find a monocultural forest growing at such a low altitude in the southern Alps.

The locals knew mostly it was the place where the old wooden bobsleigh run was, where you went on your walks in summer or autumn, or when you wanted to play tennis on the small courts built near the bottom. They called it the Bosco di Ronco and it isn’t there any more.

Published: February 22, 2026, 8:00 am

‘He is an animal’: Jack Hughes loses teeth then scores Olympic ice hockey winner for US

• Center secures first men’s title for US since 1980

• Americans break Canadian hearts in overtime

It might not have been a shocker on the order of a bunch of scrappy college kids toppling the polished Soviet juggernaut at Lake Placid. But 46 years to the day of the Miracle on Ice, it often felt that way as another underdog United States men’s hockey team ended their Olympic gold drought in a white-knuckle contest dominated by Canada until Jack Hughes’ seismic overtime winner.

Call it the Marvel in Milan.

Published: February 22, 2026, 9:12 pm

‘Hockey’s not hockey any more’: did three-on-three overtime ruin Canada’s Olympics?

Two Olympic finals between Canada and the US were settled by sudden death. The format made the showpieces feel more like a coin toss than a climax

Two Olympic finals against the US, two strong performances, two sudden-death losses. Canada is so over overtime.

While all good things must come to an end, it’s hard to fathom why hockey’s international rule-makers think that the very best things – huge clashes that were some of the hottest tickets of the entire Olympics – should be ended using three-on-three golden-goal overtime, a concept beloved only by people with a train to catch or firm dinner reservations.

Published: February 23, 2026, 12:05 am

Norway (population: 5.7m) beats US (342m) to top Winter Olympics medal table

• Country wins most golds (18) in Winter Games history

• USA, GB and Australia also set team records

• Norwegians put emphasis on participation

Norway has once again topped the Winter Olympics medal table, surpassing countries with far larger populations.

The Scandinavian country won more gold medals (18) and more total medals (41) than the US, who came second in both categories (12 golds and 33 total medals). Norway’s 18 golds were the most by a country in Winter Olympics history, while their cross-country skiing hero Johannes Høsflot Klæbo accounted for six golds on his own, more than the all but seven other countries at this year’s Games.

Published: February 22, 2026, 4:24 pm

Lindsey Vonn hits back at ‘haters’ who questioned her place at Winter Olympics

• American fractured tibia in downhill last week

• Skier is recovering from injuries in US

Lindsey Vonn has hit back at the “haters” who were critical of her decision to take part at this year’s Winter Olympics.

The American crashed out early in her run during the women’s downhill competition during the opening weekend of this month’s Games. She suffered a complex tibia fracture and underwent multiple surgeries in Italy before being flown back to the US for further treatment earlier this week.

Published: February 22, 2026, 5:16 pm

China’s Eileen Gu soars to ski halfpipe gold but controversy surrounds Zoe Atkin’s bronze

• Gu and Li Fanghui take Winter Olympic gold and silver

• Atkin’s bronze matches that of sister Izzy in 2018

Say what you like about Eileen Gu. Plenty have since she switched allegiances from the US to China in 2019. But the most compelling athlete at these Winter Olympic Games sure knows how to deliver. On the slopes. In front of the world’s media. And especially in the blazing heat of competition.

On the final run of a women’s halfpipe final that many in Livigno reckoned was the greatest in history, Gu stepped up again, sliding down a 22-foot wall of ice before twisting and spinning her body high into the brightest of blue skies to become these Games’ alpha female yet again – just as in Beijing four years ago.

Published: February 22, 2026, 12:30 pm

Mac Allister’s last-gasp winner gives Liverpool points at Nottingham Forest

As this game ticked into the 97th minute – or as Arne Slot put it, the extra time of extra time – Liverpool snatched victory with Alexis Mac Allister feasting on a loose ball in the Nottingham Forest six-yard box. If it felt like a touch of deja vu, that was because just before stoppage time it was Mac Allister who hurtled off celebrating what would have been a bizarre winner.

After Stefan Ortega pawed away Hugo Ekitiké’s header from Rio Ngumoha’s feathery dinked cross with his right glove, the Forest defender Ola Aina sought to clear the danger once and for all. But he inadvertently smashed his clearance against Mac Allister, who turned his back on the ball and it cannoned off his elbow and into the back of the Forest net. The intervention of the video assistant referee, Paul Tierney, extended the at least five minutes of added time.

Published: February 22, 2026, 4:13 pm

How Italians fell in love with their Winter Olympics after gaffes turned into gold

After a slow start, when the hosts began to pick up medals in the second week the public’s imagination was captured

With the atmosphere in Rome subdued as the Winter Olympics unfolded across northern Italy, travelling to the Games was not on Amity Neumeister’s radar.

That was until the event entered its second week and, inspired by images of the Dolomites on TV, Italy racking up the medals and friends in Milan describing an energetic vibe, Neumeister, originally from the US, decided she wanted to join the action. “It was a late-night, last-minute crazy decision, completely unplanned,” she said. “I hadn’t even considered going before, but it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Games and celebrate people coming together from around the world.”

Published: February 22, 2026, 8:00 am

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Rio Ngumoha lifts Liverpool, the tussle to be Harry Kane’s England deputy and Chelsea self-destruct

Tottenham weren’t quite as dreadful as they were in losing 4-1 to Arsenal in November, but they were still extremely so, devoid of wit, energy, solidity, creativity, quality, and everything else one would hope to see in a football team. Make no mistake, they are in serious danger of going down and, assessing their fixtures, it is not easy to see where they might win enough points to stay up – all the more so given the form of West Ham and Nottingham Forest who are both playing well. Spurs, on the other hand, haven’t won a league game in 2026 and look like they’ve forgotten how –­ partly, it must be said, because of an awful injury list. So, where does Igor Tudor go from here? It may well be that his only option is to pick both Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, get balls into the box, and hope they can make enough of them to save him – which might not be The Tottenham Way^TM, but is a lot better than relegation. Daniel Harris

Published: February 23, 2026, 8:00 am

Arsenal win battle of derby narratives but tell us little we didn’t already know | Jonathan Wilson

It was a close run thing for a time, but Tottenham’s haplessness prevailed over the idea that the league leaders might be inveterate bottlers

It was a derby but it was also a clash of emerging narratives, which is always a confusing, if thrilling, moment for the great soap opera of the Premier League. In the end, Tottenham’s haplessness prevailed over the idea that Arsenal might be inveterate bottlers, fated to let another title race get away from them. But there was a time in the first half when it seemed like it might be a close-run thing.

It shouldn’t have been. Arsenal are better than Spurs. They outplayed Tottenham for long periods. They had 20 chances to Spurs’ six. They won 4-1 and could easily have won by more. But bottling takes no account of that; indeed, the better the side play the more certain it is that they are bottling if they somehow fail to win. And frankly, the fact that Arsenal were level at half‑time was hard to explain as, for the third league game in a row, and fourth in the past six, they conceded within 10 minutes of scoring. Only the vague sense that this is the sort of thing Arsenal do made it seem like they might drop points, but football is rooted in such anxieties.

Published: February 22, 2026, 8:35 pm

Michael Carrick says he has not spoken to Jim Ratcliffe since last month

• Manchester United manager last saw Ratcliffe on 25 January

• ‘I’m fine with that,’ says Carrick, in buildup to Everton game

Michael Carrick has revealed he and his Manchester United squad have not received an apology or a message of any sort from Sir Jim Ratcliffe after his claim that the United Kingdom has been “colonised by immigrants”.

Ratcliffe, United’s largest single shareholder and head of the club’s football policy, made the comments during a Sky News interview on 11 February. The outcry was strong and immediate, leading the 73-year-old to say the next day he was sorry if his “choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe”.

Published: February 22, 2026, 10:30 pm

Scottish Premiership: Rangers and Celtic lose ground on Hearts amid late drama

• Rangers draw despite late comeback at Livingston

• Hibs’ Kai Andrews strikes in 87th minute to stun Celtic

Celtic and Rangers both lost ground on Hearts in the Scottish Premiership title race, losing and drawing respectively amid dramatic scenes with late goals and dismissals on Sunday.

Rangers fought back furiously from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with 10-man Livingston in West Lothian but dropped two valuable points.

Published: February 22, 2026, 5:39 pm

Alex Iwobi seals Fulham’s victory at Sunderland after Raúl Jiménez double

Raúl Jiménez will turn 35 in May yet Fulham’s Mexican striker remains as vital to Marco Silva’s team as ever. It is now approaching six years since his career was placed in serious jeopardy by a skull fracture but Jiménez exhibited precious few signs of wear and tear as his latest two goals, a second-half header and a penalty, sunk Sunderland.

Although Enzo Le Fée’s penalty briefly reduced the deficit, Alex Iwobi’s deft chip rubber-stamped Fulham’s victory, leaving the home side to rue clearcut chances missed by Romaine Mundle and Nilson Angulo.

Published: February 22, 2026, 4:30 pm

Girma winner sinks Manchester United to send Chelsea into Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals

A 99th-minute winner from Naomi Girma sent holders Chelsea through to the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals as they saw off a stubborn Manchester United 2-1. In a competitive encounter at Kingsmeadow, Sonia Bompastor’s side needed extra time to keep their Cup defence alive after Simi Awujo had cancelled out Sam Kerr’s opener in normal time.

“I am really pleased because this competition is really special for us,” Bompastor said. “We want to go as far as possible. It was a tight game because Man United are a great team. I am really pleased with the result and the performance.”

Published: February 22, 2026, 4:42 pm

European football: Barça retake top spot, Parma stun Milan to deal title blow

• Fermín López goal caps 3-0 win over Levante

• Milan’s Loftus-Cheek hospitalised as Parma win 1-0

Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Levante as Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong and substitute Fermín López struck at Camp Nou.

Last season’s champions moved to 61 points from 25 games, one ahead of Real Madrid after their rivals’ defeat by Osasuna on Saturday. Barça had slipped to second after last week’s 2-1 loss to Girona but rarely looked troubled by a Levante side second from bottom on 18 points.

Published: February 22, 2026, 7:27 pm

Sheffield Wednesday endure historic relegation from Championship after derby defeat

Sheffield Wednesday’s three-year stay in the Championship was ended in a cruel final twist of fate by their city rivals Sheffield United after a derby defeat at Bramall Lane.

It takes some doing to be relegated while the snowdrops are still out but for a red hand to operate the trap door only added insult to injury as Wednesday’s miserable mathematical fate was confirmed.

Published: February 22, 2026, 2:23 pm

‘The Brits are coming again’: Team GB hail their greatest ever Winter Olympics

• ‘Historic’ Games leaves Britain 15th in medal table

• ‘We can all get excited for 2030 and for Los Angeles’

Team GB have hailed a “historic” Winter Olympics after Britain’s greatest performance in the 102 years of the Games left them 15th in the medal table – and warned their rivals the “Brits are coming again”.

Zoe Atkin’s women’s halfpipe bronze medal on Sunday ensured that Britain left Milano Cortina with five medals – equalling the tally from Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018. However, Team GB also won a record three gold medals with Matt Weston winning two of them in the individual skeleton and the mixed event with Tabitha Stoecker. Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale also took gold in the mixed snowboard cross, while the men’s curling team won silver.

Published: February 22, 2026, 10:13 pm

Winter Olympics 2026 come to a close at Verona Arena after Norway top medal table – as it happened

The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics closed in style amid a fanfare of opera, dance and song in the Verona Arena as Norway topped the medal table

We’re heading over to Livigno shortly for the women’s halfpipe. Team GB’s Zoe Atkin qualified first but there is plenty of competition, not least from China’s Eileen Gu.

Some big news coming out of the 50km women’s cross-country skiing, with Frida Karlsson pulling out. The Swede was the gold meal favourite having won the skiathlon and the 10km intervals, as well as a silver in 4x7.5km relay.

Published: February 22, 2026, 10:11 pm

Schoolgirl Indra Brown soars as freeski’s superstar predicts 16-year-old’s ‘time will come’

• Freestyle skier finishes fifth in halfpipe final at Milano Cortina

• Eileen Gu says Australian ‘has many, many, many medals in her future’

Melbourne schoolgirl Indra Brown missed out in her quest to become Australia’s youngest Winter Olympic medallist at just 16, ending up fifth in a spectacular final of the freeski halfpipe on the last day of the Milan-Cortina Games.

The teenage prodigy, who has soared from nowhere to top the World Cup standings this season, had been hoping to provide a glorious flourish to Australia’s most successful winter Games by landing medal number seven on Sunday.

Published: February 22, 2026, 9:28 pm

Tottenham v Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Two goals from Eberechi Eze and two from Victor Gyökeres sent Arsenal five points clear at the top, while Spurs are in serious danger of relegation

It was quite the finish at the City Ground:

“Vitor Pereira’s just been sacked...” chortles Dave Estherby.

Published: February 22, 2026, 7:11 pm

France 33-8 Italy: Six Nations rugby union – as it happened

France score five tries to one to blow Italy away and take comfortable lead at the top of the Six Nations table.

Bad news for the mercurial 10.

Although it’s hardly a downgrade as Ramos, who has found himself at first receiver this campaign, slots in at 10.

Published: February 22, 2026, 6:11 pm

Bielle-Biarrey and France power past Italy to keep Six Nations grand slam plans on track

• France 33-8 Italy

• Wing scores in eighth consecutive match

France pulled clear at the top of the table and kept their grand slam ambitions on track with a hard-fought win against Italy on Sunday.

The Azzurri had unfinished business in Lille. It was two years ago in the northern city that Les Bleus, still in the midst of a post-World Cup hangover, escaped with a draw after being outplayed by the visitors.

Published: February 22, 2026, 6:03 pm

England to conduct ‘uncomfortable’ review of Six Nations defeat by Ireland

• George Ford: ‘We want to get to root of the problems’

• Second straight loss destroyed championship hopes

George Ford has vowed that England will conduct a “properly honest” and “uncomfortable” review of their Six Nations humiliation against Ireland on Saturday.

The hosts collapsed spectacularly in the face of an Irish onslaught at Twickenham, falling 22-0 behind after half an hour, with Ford’s surprising inaccuracy at fly-half exemplifying an error-strewn team display. The Sale No 10 missed two kicks for touch which proved terminal to England’s hopes of applying pressure in the decisive early stages.

Published: February 22, 2026, 6:00 pm

Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey final: USA beat Canada in overtime to end 46-year wait for gold – as it happened

Team USA are the men’s Olympic champions for the first time since 1980 after Jack Hughes scored a dramatic winner

• Medal table | Full game report | Results | Briefing

Away we go …

What else has happened at the Games today? And what were some of the highlights of the past two weeks and change? Check our multisport coverage:

Published: February 22, 2026, 4:15 pm

USA stun Canada in overtime to win first Olympic men’s ice hockey gold since 1980

• US win third Olympic gold, first since Miracle on Ice

• Jack Hughes’ golden goal ends 46-year wait in Milan

The United States claimed their third Olympic men’s hockey title – and first since the Miracle on Ice team of 1980 – with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Canada in Sunday’s gold medal game at the Milano Cortina Games. In the third Olympic final meeting between the border rivals and the first since Sidney Crosby’s epochal golden goal in 2010, the Americans seized their moment despite getting outplayed for long stretches to end a 46-year wait and dethrone the sport’s most decorated nation on its grandest stage.

Canada had been chasing a record-extending 10th gold medal in men’s ice hockey, but it was the United States who delivered when it mattered most through Jack Hughes’ winner less than two minutes into the extra period and a superhuman effort from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, capping an unbeaten run through the first Olympic tournament to feature National Hockey League players in 12 years.

Published: February 22, 2026, 4:13 pm