LONDON — West Ham United manager David Moyes blasted VAR as embarrassing after Tomáš Souček was harshly shown a straight red card in stoppage time of their 0-0 Premier League draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
A drab derby was drifting to its conclusion when midfielder Souček tangled with Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović before a West Ham free kick in stoppage time.
NEWCASTLE — Newcastle United hung on for a valuable 3-2 victory over Southampton despite finishing a rip-roaring Premier League contest with nine men at St James' Park on Saturday.
Southampton, hammered 9-0 at Manchester United in midweek, fell 2-0 behind after 25 minutes with Joe Willock netting on his Newcastle debut and Miguel Almiron scoring via a large deflection off Jan Bednarek.
FREIBURG, Germany — Borussia Dortmund conceded two goals in three minutes to slump to a 2-1 loss at Freiburg on Saturday and drop 16 points behind leaders Bayern Munich while putting their hopes of a Champions League spot next season at risk.
Dortmund, who needed extra time to beat second tier club Paderborn 3-2 in the German Cup on Tuesday, have long given up on the title but their third loss in the last four league games meant they remained in sixth place.
BERLIN — Bayern Munich was unaffected by heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures as it beat host Hertha Berlin 1-0 to go 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga on Friday with its fifth consecutive league victory.
French winger Kingsley Coman scored the winner with a deflected shot from the edge of the box in the 21st minute, with the ball flying over goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, who had earlier saved a penalty from Robert Lewandowski.
BERLIN — RB Leipzig does not yet know where it will play its Champions League last-16 first leg against Liverpool on Feb. 16, with the club working on a number of options if German authorities refuse entry to the English club.
Germany has banned all arrivals from areas affected by COVID-19 mutations until at least Feb. 17, with the only exceptions made for German citizens or residents.
Along with Leipzig, Borussia Mönchengladbach is also weighing its options for the first leg of its tie against Manchester City on Feb. 24 should the ban be extended.
HONG KONG — When the Chinese Super League (CSL) kicks off its 2021 season much will have changed since Jiangsu Suning defeated Guangzhou Evergrande to claim their first title in early December.
The imposition of a neutral name rule, first mooted two years ago, by Chinese football authorities means professional clubs must remove references to corporate sponsors from team names and crests ahead of the new season, which is expected to start in April.
AMSTERDAM — Ajax Amsterdam will try everything possible to have record signing Sebastien Haller available for the Europa League knockout rounds after failing to register the Ivory Coast international, coach Erik ten Hag said on Thursday.
But he conceded an administrative error will likely cost the club a vital player in their bid to win the trophy, blaming a computer glitch for leaving the 26-year-old French-born striker off the additions to the squad for the rest of the competition.
Mexican side Tigres UANL secured a place in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 comeback win over South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai thanks to first-half goals from French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac in Al Rayyan, Qatar on Thursday.
Tigres, who won their maiden Concacaf Champions League title last year, will next face Brazil's Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras for a place in next week's final.
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Lille maintained its two-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings with a 3-0 win away to mid-table Girondins de Bordeaux thanks to second-half goals by Yusuf Yazici, Timothy Weah and Jonathan David on Wednesday. Weah, 20, and David, 21, were both born in New York City, with the former representing the USMNT and the latter representing Canada internationally.
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United returned to winning ways in ruthlessly emphatic fashion with a Premier League record-equalling 9-0 home win over Southampton, who ended the game with nine men.
The victory moves Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side level on 44 points with leaders Manchester City although United have played two more games, with City travelling to Burnley on Wednesday.