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The midfielder says he is fully focused on "getting back to the old Jesse" after leaving Old Trafford until the end of the seasonJesse Lingard has explained why he took the decision to join West Ham in January, insisting "I didn't get my chance" at Manchester United after lockdown last season. United were happy to sanction Lingard's departure when the Hammers enquired about a short-term loan deal last month, with the midfielder moving to London Stadium on a contract set to run until

As one England batsman after the other walked back to the pavilion in an innings that lasted just 59.5 overs and yielded a total of 134 on Day 2 of the second Test, there was a hue and cry, particularly from a few former England cricketers and a section of the British media, about the poor nature of the pitch. “The pitch is a shocker. It is akin to a Chennai beach,” former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted. While there is no doubt

An out-of-sorts Manchester United could only draw 1-1 at struggling West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, leaving them second in the Premier League but seven points adrift of Manchester City. West Brom, who need a remarkable turnaround to avoid relegation, stunned their visitors with a second-minute goal from on-loan Senegalese striker Mbaye Diagne who beat defender Victor Lindelof to head home. United looked lethargic for the rest of the half, but their inspirational Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes stepped up yet again in the 44th

Wolverhampton Wanderers mounted a second-half comeback to beat Southampton 2-1 on Sunday, avenging Thursday’s 2-0 FA Cup loss to the Saints and inflicting their sixth league defeat in a row. Danny Ings gave the home side the lead but a Ruben Neves penalty and a superb Pedro Neto goal gave Wolves all three points as they leapfrogged Southampton into 12th in the Premier League, dropping Ralph Hasenhuettl’s side to 13th. Southampton have won only once in their last 11 league matches and Hasenhuettl

An error by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson helped Leicester come from behind to earn a 3-1 win on Saturday, with the champions losing three successive Premier League games for the first time since November 2014, when they were managed by Brendan Rodgers. Liverpool were forced into another defensive reshuffle due to Fabinho being injured, with January loan signing Ozan Kabak handed his debut. The 20-year-old’s slip let Jamie Vardy in in the first half, only for the Leicester striker to hit the crossbar. It

Australian Open: Naomi Osala beat Hsieh Su-Wei 6-2, 6-2 to seal a berth in the semi-finals. World number three Naomi Osaka sailed past Hsieh Su-wei in straight sets Tuesday to book an Australian Open semi-final against either Serena Williams or Simona Halep. The Japanese three-time Grand Slam champion overcame the Taiwanese world number 71's unorthodox style 6-2, 6-2 in an all-Asian quarter-final at a crowd-less Rod Laver Arena. "I was pretty calm. I'm really happy how I played today," said Osaka, who hit

The German Badminton Association made the decision 'in consultation and agreement' with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body said in a statement. New Delhi: The upcoming Yonex German Open 2021 was on Thursday cancelled owing to restrictions imposed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was to be held in Mlheim an der Ruhr from 9-14 March. The German Badminton Association made the decision "in consultation and agreement" with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body said in a

Rafael Nadal looks to be peaking at the right time after brushing aside Fabio Fognini to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. The second seed came into the tournament with serious concerns over a back problem but revealed after beating Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the third round that it had finally started to improve. Fognini came from two sets down to beat Nadal at the US Open in 2015 but, after failing to convert a lead in the second set, he swiftly succumbed to a 6-3, 6-4,

The Scot, now ranked 125th, lost 6-2, 6-4 to 33-year-old Ukrainian Illya Marchenko, who is ranked 212th, in the hard-court event. Rome: Former world number one Andy Murray, forced to miss the Australian Open by a positive COVID-19 test, lost the final of the Biella Challenger event in Italy on Sunday. The Scot, now ranked 125th, lost 6-2, 6-4 to 33-year-old Ukrainian Illya Marchenko, who is ranked 212th, in the hard-court event. The indoor event in the foothills of the Italian Alps carried a modest overall

The 29-year-old added to her 3,000m steeplechase world record with a time of 14 minutes 43 seconds in Monaco. Paris: Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech set a new road five-kilometre world best time on Sunday, beating the old mark on the streets of Monaco by one second. The 29-year-old added to her 3,000m steeplechase world record with a time of 14 minutes 43 seconds in Monaco. "Even though there was a lot of wind, I managed to run right on pace," she said. "In the end,

Novak Djokovic says it's a 'gamble' to keep playing the Australian Open and his abdominal injury could have an impact on the rest of his season, but the world number one is prepared to take the risk. The Serbian eight-time champion sustained a "muscle tear" during a thrilling five-setter against Taylor Fritz on Friday. He didn't train the following day but took to Rod Laver Arena on Sunday evening dosed up on painkillers to see off the threat posed by big-serving Canadian Milos

“Madness,” Lionel Messi called it, but even he hadn’t imagined it being this mad. One Friday in September Messi walked into the dressing room at Barcelona’s Sant Joan Despí training ground and it hit him. After six years his best friend wasn’t there, so he sent him a message. “It’ll be strange seeing you in another shirt,” it said, and two days on he discovered how strange when Luis Suárez made his Atlético Madrid debut. Introduced as a sub against Granada, 90 seconds later, Suárez

Naomi Osaka battled back from the brink to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Garbine Muguruza on Sunday. Naomi Osaka saved two match points and came back to beat Garbine Muguruza in a big-hitting fourth-round matchup of Grand Slam champions at the Australian Open. The third-seeded Osaka grabbed the last four games to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in Rod Laver Arena. That result puts her back in the quarterfinals of a tournament she won in

With the win Leicester City went second ahead of Manchester United while Jurgen Klopp's side are fourth on the table, 10 points behind leaders Manchester City. Champions Liverpool faced an embarrassing loss to Leicester City on Saturday after looking like winning the game for most parts. After a goal-less first half, Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock in the 67th minute and put the champions ahead and it looked like they would go on to earn the much-needed win, but the defence imploded in

James Harden says there’s no bad blood between him and the Houston Rockets after a whirlwind start to the season that resulted in his trade to the Brooklyn Nets last month. Harden apologized in a recent interview with ESPN for the drama that unfolded in Houston as reports of his wanting out reached a climax. "I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful," Harden said. "I wasn’t trying to be selfish. I feel like the front office knew where I stood, and what I wanted.

Rohit Sharma scores seventh Test ton as India close day one of second Test against England 300-6 on spinning pitch; Moeen Ali bowls Virat Kohli for a duck on Test comeback; recalled Olly Stone impresses on day of controversial third-umpire decisions Rohit (161 from 231 balls) scored a seventh Test century, hit 18 fours and two sixes, and shared a fourth-wicket stand of 162 with Ajinkya Rahane (67) as India - who lost the first Test at the same venue by 227 runs

India vs England, 2nd Test: Moeen Ali on Saturday bowled Virat Kohli for nought in the first session and became the first spinner to dismiss Kohli for a duck in Tests. Moeen Ali on Saturday became the first spinner to dismiss India skipper Virat Kohli for a duck in Test cricket. Moeen Ali bowled a stunning delivery and it turned to rattle the stumps of Virat Kohli (0) in the first session on Day One of the ongoing second Test between India and

Europa League: Arsenal's second leg match against Benfica on February 25 will be played in Greece, UEFA announced on Friday. The venues for Europa League ties involving both Arsenal and Tottenham have been switched because of Covid-19 restrictions, UEFA announced on Friday. Arsenal's second leg against Lisbon giants Benfica on February 25 will be played in Greece. The game will be played at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium of Olympiakos at 1755 GMT. The first leg of the last 32 tie on February 18

3 Indian race walkers qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics during the National Open Race Walking Championships, with Sandeep Kumar and Priyanka Goswami shattering national records in the men's and women's 20km events respectively. Three Indian race walkers qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics during the National Open Race Walking Championships on Saturday, with Sandeep Kumar and Priyanka Goswami shattering national records in the men's and women's 20km events respectively. The National Open Race Walking Championships are the first major athletics event after

The Australian state of Victoria will lock down for five days in a bid to curb the spread of a more contagious coronavirus variant, meaning the Australian Open will go without fans during what is usually its busiest few days. Authorities have identified 13 new cases tied to an employee of a quarantine hotel in Melbourne, who tested positive for the so-called United Kingdom coronavirus variant on Monday. Five of those cases were identified in the previous 24 hours, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews