Bale back in Premier League action for Spurs for first time since May 2013

Bukayo Saka scored twice as England made a flying start to their World Cup campaign by thrashing Iran 6-2 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday.

Saka – whose penalty miss proved decisive in the Euro 2020 final last year – netted a stunning volley to help Gareth Southgate s side take a 3-0 lead into half-time, before he doubled up after the break.

With Iran crumbling after goalkeeper Alireza Beyranvand suffered a nasty head injury early on, Jude Bellingham set the tone by scoring his first international goal, while Raheem Sterling prodded home England s third.

Mehdi Taremi denied England a clean sheet with a powerful finish, but substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish responded as the Three Lions sent out a message to their Group B rivals despit…

Jurgen Klopp will not let the frustrating draw with West Brom distort his impression of the Liverpool team he still regards as a top group .

The champions have not had it all their own way this season, but they are top of the Premier League again as others scrabble to stay in touch.

After dominating the first half at Anfield against West Brom on Sunday, Liverpool s levels dipped and they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with their lowly visitors.

Klopp s side have not lost in the English top flight since the freakish 7-2 loss to Aston Villa on October 4, however, and they head to Newcastle United on Wednesday looking to end the year on a high note.

Match highlights from Sunday s Anfield stalemate. |

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

In their game…

Alejandro Gomez s seven-year association with Atalanta is over after their former captain completed a move to Sevilla.

Gomez, 32, joined Atalanta from Metalist Kharkiv in 2014 and was a key factor in the club s rise from mid-table also-rans to regular top-four challengers.

He became captain in 2017 after a personal-best haul of 16 Serie A goals in 2016-17 and then skippered the club to their highest-ever top-flight finish of third in 2018-19.

They repeated the feat in 2019-20 and Gomez, whose 16 assists was the most by any player in a single Serie A season this century, was named the league s best midfielder in the end-of-season awards.

But Gomez and coach Gian Piero Gasperini reportedly fell out earlier this season, with Italian media claiming the player…

Manchester United moved a step closer to playing in the Champions League next season as Casemiro’s brilliant overhead kick earned a 1-0 win away at Bournemouth.

Victory on the south coast, together with Liverpool’s failure to beat Aston Villa, strengthened United’s grip on a top-four spot with two games to play and meant Erik ten Hag is close to achieving his primary objective in his first season in charge.

This was not Ten Hag’s side at their best, but once they were in front they limited a spirited and organised Bournemouth to a handful of chances, with David de Gea in form to deny Gary O’Neil’s side whenever they threatened.

Casemiro s early acrobatic effort earns all three points for

— Premier League (@premierleague)

A point a…

Kylian Mbappe rescued a late victory for Paris Saint-Germain on their return to Ligue 1 action as his injury-time penalty seized a 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Wednesday.

The league leaders had looked destined for a draw at Parc des Princes after captain Marquinhos had cancelled out his opener with an own goal and Neymar had been sent off for consecutive bookings.

But a 96th-minute spot-kick for the France international, just under a fortnight on from his hat-trick in defeat for France in the World Cup final, ensured his side avoided dropping points for the third time this season.

It marked a major reprieve for Christophe Galtier s side, who were without Qatar 2022 winner Lionel Messi in the French capital, and struggled to convert their early dominance into a m…

History and odds will be stacked against Ukraine in their first ever European Championship quarter-final against England on Saturday.

The Three Lions have only lost one of their previous seven meetings with Ukraine, who never scored more than once in any of those matches.

That does not bode well when you consider England are yet to even concede once at Euro 2020, having become only the third side in Euros history to keep clean sheets in all of their first four games of a tournament.

If England do shut Ukraine out, they will match the record set by Italy at the 1990 World Cup of five successive clean sheets from the start of the competition.

While England fans may already be mentally preparing themselves for a second successive major tournament semi-final…

European champions Italy will face Spain in the last four at the Nations League Finals in June, with hosts Netherlands drawn against World Cup semi-finalists Croatia.

Italy, who were absent from a second consecutive edition of the World Cup in Qatar last year, reached the Nations League semi-finals by edging out Hungary for top spot in a group which also contained Germany and England.

Standing between Roberto Mancini s men and the final are Spain – who beat the Azzurri 2-1 at the same stage of the competition in 2021 before losing the final against France.

Spain, who saw off Portugal to win Group A2, will be led by new head coach Luis de la Fuente after Luis Enrique departed in the aftermath of their surprise World Cup exit against Morocco.

The Netherla…

Erik ten Hag said it would be normal if he has already held talks about becoming Manchester United s next manager.

The Ajax boss did not confirm whether discussions have taken place, and stressed he would wait until the end of the season before declaring his intentions.

But the 52-year-old appeared to give a strong hint his future could lie at Old Trafford, and said he hoped Ajax would understand if he elects to leave a year ahead of his contract expiring.

In an interview with Germany s Sport1, Ten Hag was asked about reports he has already spoken to United about the vacancy that will materialise when interim manager Ralf Rangnick steps aside.

Everyone knows each other in the industry. There are always talks with representatives from other clubs, that s…

Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score a quickfire hat-trick as Manchester United claimed back-to-back Champions League wins with a 5-0 hammering of RB Leipzig.

Mason Greenwood scored his first goal in the competition to give United the lead in the first half with a fine finish from a tight angle at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

But it was fellow striker Rashford, a 63rd-minute substitute, who left his mark on the game after twice breaking clear of the Leipzig finish and finishing emphatically.

Anthony Martial was on target from the penalty spot before Rashford put the gloss on the scoreline with another goal late on.

The victory leaves United top of Group H on six points, three clear of Leipzig and Paris Saint-German, who were 2-0 winners ove…

“He is one of the best in the business in the world,” Hyypia told the PA news agency at a Nike Game On initiative which, in conjunction with the LFC Foundation, has provided more than 8,000 local schoolchildren with access to a range of sports.

“I think he has raised the standard with everyone expecting him to play at that level every time and that is very difficult.

“But he is doing well, he is a big part of our team and a big leader of the team so I think we all need to be patient and his best is coming.

“I think this season he has shown in some games he is still at the level and I have no doubts he will be the best centre-back in the league this season.”

Despite their good start to the season there has been scrutiny on Liverpool’s defence…