England

MANCHESTER — Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Manchester United in their derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Gifted two goals by United in the first half, City were happy to control the game after the break, while their hosts failed to present any sort of real threat.

It was ultimately a disappointing derby with City's superiority in all areas confirmed abundantly while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's showed once again they simply lack enough quality to mount even a token title bid.

LONDON - Antonio Conte got a crash course in what he can expect as Tottenham Hotspur's new manager after the Italian's first game in charge ended in a 3-2 home victory over Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Conte, who replaced Nuno Espírito Santo this week after the Portuguese was sacked 10 Premier League games into his first season, watched his side tear into a 3-0 lead after 28 minutes with Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura on target plus an own goal.

Sports fans across the U.S. were appalled by news in November 2021 that Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III drove drunk and crashed into a car going 156 mph, killing a woman and her dog. What sports fans may not know is that one of Christian Pulisic’s former teammates committed a similar crime. Did Marcos Alonso kill someone? Let’s compare the Ruggs and Alonso situations.

LONDON - A comfortable win at troubled Tottenham Hotspur and then a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired escape from defeat at the hands of Atalanta have taken some of the heat off under-pressure Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But a more severe test of his side's health will come this Saturday when they host Premier League champions Manchester City in the derby — a game fraught with danger for a United side that has been wildly unpredictable this season.

On Wednesday morning, the NCAA slammed Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball team with a postseason ban for an infraction that happened four years ago where the only player involved received a mere $300 (players are now allowed to be paid). For fans of college sports, this was yet another case of the NCAA crushing a smaller school for a minor infraction while letting the blue bloods of the sport off scot-free for major violations. 

It looked like the writing was on the wall for Ole Gunnar Solskjær on Tuesday in Bergamo. As we entered second half stoppage time, Atalanta held a 2-1 lead. Manchester United’s attack had been disjointed, so much so that Paul Pogba was hooked in the 69th minute and Donny van de Beek was allowed to escape from his cave. 

It's not uncommon for England-born footballers to represent other countries. The Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Jamaica are just a few of the national sides with a decent proportion of English natives in their squads.

But a player from the outskirts of London suiting up for Poland? Now that's a new one. Yet that's exactly what happened to Matty Cash, who earned his first Poland call-up this week. Is Matty Cash Polish?

LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur have named Antonio Conte as manager until the summer of 2023, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, a day after sacking Portuguese coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur, Antonio Conte. pic.twitter.com/3faSqLW38g

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 2, 2021

Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic is ready to return from a long-term injury for Tuesday's Champions League group game against Malmo but Mason Mount will miss out after failing to recover from illness, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Monday.

U.S. international Pulisic, 23, has not played since the Premier League opener in August due to an ankle problem, while Mount travelled with the squad for the 3-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday but had to withdraw on the eve of the game.

Manchester United's trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday was billed as the last chance saloon for United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it turned out it was opposite number Nuno Espírito Santo who was being kicked out of the swinging doors on Monday.

Antonio Conte, the former Juventus and Chelsea manager, who was, according to some media reports, about to take over from Solskjaer at United, is now the favorite to be the new Spurs boss.