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Nottinghamshire Police on Wednesday arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault after Sheffield United's Billy Sharp was attacked on the pitch at the end of the second leg of their Championship playoff semifinal at Nottingham Forest.

Forest supporters ran onto the pitch when the hosts sealed a 3-2 win on penalties, after the tie was locked 3-3 on aggregate. Television cameras showed an individual approach Blades striker Sharp on the sidelines and attack him.

Liverpool is still assessing the fitness of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk ahead of Tuesday's Premier League trip to Southampton where it could close the gap on leader Manchester City to one point, manager Jürgen Klopp said on Monday.

Forward Salah and defender Van Dijk were substituted during Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea, which Liverpool won on penalties to lift their second trophy of the season.

HONG KONG — China will no longer host the 2023 Asian Cup finals due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Saturday, adding that it will decide on a new host in due course.

The event, which is played every four years and features 24 national teams from across the continent, was due to be held in 10 cities from June 16 to July 16 next year.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said his squad was not deep enough to challenge for multiple trophies earlier in his reign as they look to end a long FA Cup drought in Saturday's final against Chelsea.

The Merseyside club advanced to the FA Cup final for the first time under Klopp, who took over at Anfield in 2015, and are chasing an unprecedented quadruple this season having already won the League Cup in February.

Liverpool, seven-time FA Cup winner, beat Manchester City to reach its 15th final but their first in 10 years, and have not lifted the trophy since 2006.

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City may appear to be a relentless winning-machine, but manager Pep Guardiola wants his side's legacy to be that their period of Premier League dominance was "fun" as the team close in on their sixth title.

City lead the standings on 89 points, three ahead of Liverpool with two games to play. Thanks to their superior goal difference, a win against West Ham United on Sunday would all but assure them of a second successive league triumph.

Lionel Messi was the world's highest-paid athlete over the last year, according to the annual Forbes list released on Wednesday that had the Paris Saint-Germain forward ahead of the NBA's LeBron James and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

A Russian representative was allowed to attend UEFA's Congress in Vienna on Wednesday despite the country's national teams and clubs being barred from competitions.

Europe's governing body UEFA and world soccer governing body FIFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from their competitions in February until further notice after the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." Russia has been accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine. 

MELBOURNE — Eight months after fleeing Kabul as the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan, Farida trains at a suburban Melbourne pitch, dreaming of one day playing soccer for her country while lamenting the fate of fellow women players back home.

The 20-year-old striker was one of 77 Afghan athletes, family members and officials evacuated from Afghanistan last year by the Australian government after lobbying by prominent figures in the sporting world.

BRIGHTON, England — Brighton & Hove Albion trounced Manchester United 4-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, as Ralf Rangnick's side suffered a fifth straight away defeat with another woeful defensive display.

The result was Brighton’s first victory at home since December and they got it in style with the Seagulls thoroughly dominating, as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard all found the net.