Soccer

8:00 AM ET Mikel Arteta was entitled to breathe a sigh of relief after Arsenal‘s 3-1 victory against Chelsea on Saturday ended a seven-game winless streak in the Premier League and took the edge off what was beginning to look like a defining, and potentially decisive, week for the Gunners’ manager. Just imagine how intense

3:35 PM ET While Chelsea were far better against Aston Villa than in their limp 3-1 defeat at Arsenal, the football world is still waiting for Frank Lampard’s side to return to top form. Monday’s 1-1 draw was not the result Chelsea wanted, or needed, to get their season back on track. Instead, things are

4:00 AM ET The transfer window is a month away, but clubs across Europe have been planning their January business for months after the COVID-19 pandemic cut short the summer break and injuries have been mounting around the top leagues. ESPN’s writers bring you everything you need to know about the top teams’ hopes and

5:12 PM ET Lionel Messi says former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu lied to him repeatedly over the course of several years but he won’t rule out staying at Camp Nou beyond this season despite wanting to leave four months ago. – Messi, bad blood, and a burofax: Behind the Barca drama– Messi gets extended

5:24 PM ET Jose Mourinho doesn’t like statistics being used to assess a football match. Just last week, the Tottenham manager complained that, too often, they are like “badly cooked meat or fish” when used out of context, but here is one stat that the Portuguese cannot argue against — Spurs have now collected just

Dec 22, 2020 Liverpool are top of the Premier League table at Christmas. On the face of it, that’s no great surprise considering the comprehensive manner of their title triumph last season, which saw Jurgen Klopp’s side crowned champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Manchester City, but securing the Christmas No. 1 spot this

10:48 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent LEICESTER, England — Manchester United‘s Premier League title ambitions were not dealt a significant setback by a 2-2 draw against Leicester, but there was evidence at the King Power Stadium that they are still growing into their role as genuine contenders. The result maintains momentum during a hectic run of

4:20 PM ET LONDON — Mikel Arteta desperately needed a result to back up his rhetoric, and Arsenal beating Chelsea 3-1 on Saturday, is precisely it. It is a popular refrain among managers attempting to arrest a decline to cite the importance of hard work, but you suspect Arteta means it more than most given

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5:30 PM ET Frank Lampard has said Chelsea have been disadvantaged in the title race by being forced to play twice in 48 hours over Christmas, accusing the Premier League of taking football “back in time” and compromising the integrity of the competition. Chelsea travel to Arsenal on Boxing Day for a 5:30 p.m. GMT

5:55 AM ET Paris Saint-Germain have sacked manager Thomas Tuchel after a disappointing start to the season, sources have told ESPN. PSG have already lost four matches in Ligue 1 this season and enter the winter break in third position in the table, a point behind Lyon and Lille. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on

11:52 AM ET Over the past six months, Manchester United‘s Harry Maguire has played 38 matches in all competitions, logging a total of 3,421 minutes. In the six months before the coronavirus stoppage — so, mid-September 2019 to mid-March 2020 — he put in 40 matches for 3,552 total minutes. Teammate Bruno Fernandes has logged

Dec 23, 2020 The transfer window reopens on Jan. 1 and to judge by what we’re hearing from clubs and agents, the twin forces of COVID-19 and bad contracts will dominate. The former because the global pandemic has left clubs short of immediate cash (zero or few spectators in the stands, rebates on TV money)

1:50 PM ET Thomas Tuchel can’t say that he didn’t see it coming. The now-former Paris Saint-Germain manager — sources told ESPN the German has been relieved of his duties — had sensed for some time that he was swimming against the tide. He knew that the Ligue 1 defeats at home against Marseille and

4:00 AM ET The coronavirus pandemic saw the summer transfer window impacted across Europe, though some clubs still pushed through some big-money moves. Now we’re on to January and not much has changed, with loan moves, free transfers and cut-price deals on the agenda. 2 Related January is traditionally a quieter window, though with many

6:13 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — Something is beginning to stir at Manchester United, maybe even the reawakening of a club that has appeared to be sleepwalking through the past seven years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager. A 2-0 Carabao Cup quarterfinal win at Everton is by no means the golden moment of

3:14 PM ET Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has criticised Dele Alli for his performance despite Spurs’ 3-1 win over Stoke City to reach the Carabao Cup semifinals. – Watch Carabao Cup matches on ESPN+ (U.S. only) Alli has been out of favour for Mourinho this season but started in Wednesday’s game. However, he was

5:32 PM ET When it comes to Lionel Messi, you could be excused for thinking that there are no more records left to break but the Barcelona great has set a big one — and it was one he almost missed altogether. With his 65th minute strike against Real Valladolid on Dec. 22, Messi scored