Soccer

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

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8:30 AM ET Jose Mourinho’s fears over Stoke City‘s away dressing room, described as a “pigsty” by some managers, have been eased after the Championship club upgraded their facilities in time for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Tottenham. The Spurs boss said he had been shown a video of conditions at the Bet365 Stadium which

8:00 AM ET Neatly sandwiched between all the festive games in England are the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup. Four of the usual Big Six in the Premier League are in action, with Arsenal hosting Manchester City, while Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton will look to continue their gradual rise with a victory over resurgent Manchester United.

6:12 PM ET A brace against West Ham United needs to be the start for Tammy Abraham if he is end Frank Lampard’s search for Chelsea‘s best No. 9. The scoreline flattered the Blues given their performance but for a team that has struggled to win when playing badly this season, Lampard will welcome the

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5:14 AM ET Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is facing a second scan on a calf problem but Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful the Gabon striker will make a quick return to action. The 31-year-old is expected to be sidelined for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Manchester City after sitting out Saturday’s Premier League defeat at Everton.

2:37 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — Sir Alex Ferguson used to say the key to the title race was to stay in touch with the leaders until Christmas and then win it in the second half of the season. For the first time since Ferguson retired in 2013, Manchester United have done the