Wolves’ André stuns Liverpool with last-gasp winner to pile pain on Arne Slot

Even before Wolves fashioned a 94th‑minute winner, this had been everything but the stress‑free visit Arne Slot would have gladly welcomed. Just as it seemed Mohamed Salah had rescued Liverpool a point at bottom club Wolves, André’s deflected shot beat Alisson to secure for the hosts their second Premier League win in five days, having waited six months for their first, in January. Slot hunched over, winded by defeat, alarmingly a fifth in stoppage time this season. Wolves, meanwhile, are suddenly having something of a ball.

For Rob Edwards, the Wolves head coach, it was that time again. “It’s not great for my heart, but I could get used to it,” he said. Last Friday, he streamed down the touchline and pulled his calf, he said, celebrating Wolves’ second goal to secure victory against their rivals Aston Villa.

Published: March 3, 2026, 10:25 pm

Cardinals to release former No 1 overall pick Kyler Murray with QB still owed $36.8m

• Player showed glimpses of genius but was uneven

• 28-year-old played in playoffs once with Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals have informed former No 1 overall pick Kyler Murray that they plan to release him at the beginning of the new league year on 11 March, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press.

The quarterback, who is owed $36.8m in guaranteed money in 2026, will be free to sign with another team once he’s released.

Published: March 3, 2026, 10:34 pm

Braves’ Profar to land 162-game ban and forfeit $15m after reportedly failing PED test

• Designated hitter was also banned last season

• Player set to miss postseason and WBC too

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar faces a 162-game suspension after a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

If the punishment is confirmed, the 33-year-old will also forfeit his entire $15m salary for the 2026 season and will be ineligible for the postseason and for this month’s World Baseball Classic, where he was due to play for the Netherlands.

Published: March 3, 2026, 6:08 pm

NFL offseason storylines: Pro Bowler trades, the draft and some big quarterback moves

After the league gathered for the combine, we look at the plots that will dominate the news cycle in the coming weeks and months

Barring a gas mask situation, we know who will be the No 1 overall pick in the draft. The Raiders need a viable long-term solution at quarterback after Geno Smith flamed out last year. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner and national champion, is the top quarterback on the board and will be the first named called on 23 April. After Mendoza, the real intrigue begins.

Published: March 3, 2026, 10:00 am

Inside Cadillac’s F1 journey: ‘Our Silverstone shakedown was a miracle’

Formula One’s newest team join the grid having designed a car from scratch in only 12 months with the aim of becoming a championship-winning force

When the new Formula One season begins on Sunday in the usual fever of excitement and anticipation, consider amid the maelstrom the Cadillac team. Before the lights go out in Melbourne, F1’s newest entrant will have a deserved chance to take a breath and savour for but a moment, their remarkable achievement of simply having made it to the grid.

The US team backed by General Motors has been built, aside from those involved in the pre‑planning, from scratch in what will be a year and a day since its entry was formally approved. As their team principal, Graeme Lowdon, explained, that process had begun in an empty room with a screwdriver and an A4 sheet of paper.

Published: March 3, 2026, 2:46 pm

Trae Young gets ejected before even making his Washington Wizards debut

• Point guard argues with official during team’s loss

• Four-time All-Star arrived in January trade

Trae Young has managed to earn an ejection before even stepping on the court for his new team.

The four-time NBA All-Star guard, who was acquired by the Washington Wizards from the Atlanta Hawks in early January, is not set to make his debut for the Wizards on Thursday night against the Utah Jazz. However, he still found a way to be ejected for leaving the bench area in Washington’s 123-118 loss at home to the Houston Rockets.

Published: March 3, 2026, 1:03 pm

A potential strike and a season at risk: why the WNBA’s labor battle is nearing its 11th hour

The league and its players, locked in a contentious 17-month standoff, must agree to new CBA terms by 10 March or threaten not starting the season on time

It’s not dramatic to say the labor negotiations between the WNBA and its players feel like an old-timey western standoff. The opposing sides have been holding in a quick-draw stance over a new collective bargaining agreement for the past 17 months, passing proposals back and forth that contain what each side envisions for the future of the league. But with less than 70 days until the 30th WNBA season is supposed to tip off, there’s still no resolution.

The two sides blew past the original deadline of 31 October 2025 and the 9 January extension, entering a “status quo” period. The league said that if a term sheet hasn’t been agreed to by 10 March, the 2026 season is at risk of not meeting its planned 8 May start.

Published: March 3, 2026, 1:00 pm

Jon Rahm accuses DP World Tour of ‘extorting players’ by issuing LIV fines

• ‘I don’t know what game they’re trying to play,’ says Rahm

• Spaniard’s stance has put Ryder Cup place in peril

Jon Rahm’s dispute with the DP World Tour has escalated after the Spaniard accused the ­organisation of “­extorting” golfers over fines for competing on the LIV circuit. Rahm’s Ryder Cup future remains in peril with no resolution to the matter in sight, with insiders at the DP World Tour and Europe’s Ryder Cup fans baffled by his stance.

Rahm incurred fines and suspen­sions as a DP World (formerly European) Tour member playing on what are regarded as ­competing Saudi‑backed LIV events. Rahm signed for LIV in 2023 in a deal ­reportedly worth hundreds of ­millions of dollars.

Published: March 3, 2026, 3:06 pm

Calls for lifetime ban on Czech coach who filmed female footballers in changing room

• Petr Vlachovsky given a suspended prison sentence

• He has not been banned from coaching abroad

The Czech player union has called for a lifetime football ban for a coach who avoided jail despite being convicted of secretly filming his female players in the changing rooms and showers with a hidden camera.

Petr Vlachovsky was convicted in May 2025, without a public hearing, and handed a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban, after being found to have filmed 14 players at FC Slovacko over a four-year period. He was also caught in possession of child sexual abuse material.

Published: March 3, 2026, 5:01 pm

Arne Slot laments ‘same old story’ after Liverpool concede late winner at Wolves

• André scores 94th-minute winner at Molineux

• ‘This has happened to us so many times this season’

Arne Slot described Liverpool’s defeat at Wolves as an episode that “sums up our season” and warned his squad they must address their shortcomings. André’s 94th-minute strike, deflected in via Joe Gomez, represented the fifth winning goal Liverpool have conceded in stoppage time this season and Slot bemoaned a familiar theme as his team struggled to create chances from open play.

Liverpool looked to have rescued a point through Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian cancelling out Rodrigo Gomes’s opener in the 83rd minute, but in added time André seized on a clearance by Alisson to compound Liverpool’s frustrations. Liverpool return to Molineux on Friday in the FA Cup fifth round.

Published: March 3, 2026, 11:55 pm

Liam Rosenior knows clock is ticking on Chelsea’s chance of Champions League spot

After ninth red card this season, Chelsea are running out of time to fix discipline issues and must turn things around at Aston Villa

It is natural for young people to feel they have all the time in the world. For Liam Rosenior, though, part of the challenge with Chelsea’s tyros is making them knuckle down. They have to realise the competition is about to heat up. The sun was shining at training this week and the warmer weather brings a greater sense of urgency. The yellow footballs have gone into storage, signalling that the business end of the season is approaching.

“Today it’s the first time we trained with the white balls,” Rosenior said. “That’s normally a sign we’re into that period. When those white balls come out, we can’t make those mistakes that we’re making. You’re running out of time – and that’s the message myself and my staff have given the players this morning.”

Published: March 4, 2026, 7:00 am

Sandra Jessen v Essen? Footballers facing nominative opposition teams | The Knowledge

Plus: hat-trick heroes who were not named player of the match, managers sacked after big wins, and more

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“A few weeks ago, Sandra Jessen started for FC Köln against Essen,” notes James Vortkamp-Tong. “Is this the first time a player has contained the opposing side’s name in their own?”

It’s not actually the first time Sandra Jessen has played against Essen, as Alicia Butteriss points out. “From what I can tell she first started against Essen, for Bayer Leverkusen, on the last day of the 2018-19 Frauen Bundesliga,” writes Alicia. “It would be remiss of me not to add that she scored both of Köln’s goals when they beat Essen 2-1 near the start of this season.”

Published: March 4, 2026, 7:00 am

Iranian football enters post-Khamenei era with future shrouded in uncertainty

From the World Cup to the Women’s Asian Cup and the AFC Champions League, it is unclear what may happen next

A question about the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the head coach of the Iran women’s team before the Asian Cup was quickly, and unsurprisingly, shut down by officials in Australia. It is hard to know what Marziyeh Jafari could have said with events back home moving at an almost unimaginable pace. The former leader of Iran cast a large shadow over all walks of life and football was no different, though apparently he was not a fan.

But like many dictators he understood and was wary of the power of the country’s most popular sport, and the passions it provoked, especially when thousands of people came together. When times were tense, games were played behind closed doors. The heroes of Melbourne, who came from behind to win a playoff in Australia to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, were told not to come straight home to Tehran as the city celebrated. At that tournament there was more public joy after the famous 2-1 win against USAbut Khamenei’s statement was not the most sporting. “Tonight again the strong and arrogant opponents felt the bitter taste of defeat at your hands,” he told the team. “Be happy that you have made the Iranian nation happy.”

Published: March 4, 2026, 7:00 am

Alessia Russo double for England sparks Women’s World Cup qualifying win against Ukraine

• Ukraine 1-6 England

• Georgia Stanway and Jess Park also score twice

Stressed, anxious or doubtful after a goalless first half? Not these England players, who remained fully confident in their ability and found a flurry of second-half goals to begin their Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-1 win against Ukraine.

It helps when you have players with the firepower of Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park all thriving and scoring twice. The European champions may feel they should have won by a greater margin: they were profligate in the first half, but eventually opened the floodgates as Park continued her bright Manchester United form.

Published: March 3, 2026, 7:38 pm

Michael Carrick refuses to rule out Manchester United title tilt despite 13-point gap

• United manager admits a lot of wins would be needed

• Carrick: ‘You can’t rule anything out in football’

Michael Carrick has refused to rule out Manchester United catching Arsenal and challenging for the title, though the interim manager admitted a lot of wins would be needed.

United recorded a sixth victory under Carrick when defeating Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, making it 19 points from 21 since he took over. Their form is the best in the Premier League over that period but United trail Arsenal by 13 points with a game in hand and have 10 matches to play. Carrick was asked before United’s game at Newcastle on Wednesday whether he would rule out catching Mikel Arteta’s team.

Published: March 3, 2026, 10:30 pm

Habib Diarra’s decisive penalty for streetwise Sunderland sees off Leeds

Last year Sunderland departed West Yorkshire on a snowy February night with their hopes of automatic promotion from the Championship in tatters. Leeds had come from behind to clinch a 95th‑minute win that would take them top of the second tier and only the most optimistic visiting fans expected a rematch this season.

Fast forward to a balmy March evening, though, and Régis Le Bris’s well‑executed gameplan lifted an injury hit yet streetwise Sunderland and their debutant goalkeeper Melker Ellborg to 11th in the Premier League.

Published: March 3, 2026, 10:07 pm

Burnley fans turn up heat on Parker after Everton push them towards drop

Everton harbour ambitions of bringing European football to Hill Dickinson Stadium next season and a first Premier League win at their new home in seven attempts will increase the optimism. The hosts were effective, rather than magnificent, against a woefully poor Burnley but the result is all that matters.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are the next three visitors to Everton, so goals from James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were essential as they looked to build momentum. It was only Everton’s fifth win in 15 league games since leaving Goodison Park, helping solidify their position in eighth, which could be good enough for continental qualification come the end of the season.

Published: March 3, 2026, 9:36 pm

Post denies Evanilson as Bournemouth and Brentford cancel each other out

Bracketed regularly together, holding the same ambition of European football for the first time, Brentford continue to hold the advantage. The chase may come down to one of them and Bournemouth were left frustrated by a 13th drawn game of the season.

On a midweek night when the Premier League resembled Prem Rugby – all hustle, grappling, kicking for territory and physicality usually closing off creativity – Brentford toughed it out. Following the final whistle the tension spilled over. Keith Andrews was at the centre of proceedings, though claimed to have “no idea” what started a ruck that involved Jordan Henderson and the Bournemouth assistant Shaun Cooper.

Published: March 3, 2026, 9:59 pm

Dennis Cometti, Australian sports commentary great, dies aged 76

• West Australian was best known for calling AFL games

• His broadcast career spanned 51 years across radio and TV

Dennis Cometti, one of the greats of Australian sports commentary, has died at the age of 76.

The West Australian became known for his incisive calling, silky voice and sharp wit in front of a microphone over the course of a career spanning 51 years, which included stints with the ABC, Channel 7 and Channel 9.

Published: March 4, 2026, 3:17 am

Former Wallabies coach Rennie takes All Blacks job and targets World Cup glory

• Rennie succeeds Scott Robertson in one of biggest jobs in rugby

• ‘I’m really clear on the way I want the All Blacks to play,’ says coach

Dave Rennie has been named the new coach of the All Blacks and charged with taking New Zealand to a fourth World Cup triumph in Australia next year.

The 62-year-old former Wallabies coach beat out Jamie Joseph for one of the biggest jobs in world rugby after an extensive recruitment process that started when Scott Robertson stepped down in mid January after a critical review.

Published: March 3, 2026, 11:43 pm

Wolves 2-1 Liverpool, Leeds 0-1 Sunderland, and more: Premier League – as it happened

André’s deflected late winner stunned the champions, Sunderland edged to victory at Leeds and Everton saw off Burnley

It’s finished Ukraine 1-6 England in the Lionesses’ opening World Cup qualifier.

There’s another late midweek kick-off for Everton fans to navigate tonight. Andy Hunter reports on teething problems at their new home …

Published: March 3, 2026, 10:39 pm

Borthwick says England failed to meet ‘unwavering standards’ after axing players

• Historic overhaul before Six Nations match in Italy

• Only three players in same position as Ireland game

Steve Borthwick has pointed to his misfiring players’ failure to meet his unwavering standards as justification for the most radical England overhaul in the professional era, after ripping up his side for the Six Nations clash against Italy on Saturday.

Borthwick has wielded the axe for the match in Rome on Saturday, ­making nine personnel and three position changes, and sent a clear message to his out-of-form players that performances have not been up to scratch. The head coach has also fielded an entirely new backline with Tommy Freeman, the only survivor from the 42-21 defeat by Ireland, shifting from wing to outside‑centre.

Published: March 3, 2026, 8:17 pm

Ukraine 1-6 England: Women’s World Cup qualifying – as it happened

Braces from Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo and Jess Park secured a comprehensive victory for Sarina Wiegman’s side

3 min: Hemp finds room out on the left, her low ball in cleared inside the area.

2 min: England set up camp inside the Ukraine half, the nominal hosts dropping very deep.

Published: March 3, 2026, 7:42 pm

Premier League wants compensation fee cap for academy stars from EFL clubs

• EFL to discuss maximum fee proposal on Wednesday

• Top-tier clubs increasingly targeting academy players

The Premier League wants EFL clubs to agree to cap the compensation fees they pay for signing youngsters from lower-division academies.

Under current rules clubs receive compensation for the loss of young players through a combination of fixed training compensation, appearance-based payments and sell-on entitlements, which involves an element of negotiation.

Published: March 3, 2026, 6:14 pm