Sports
Man City’s comeback thriller vs. Liverpool keeps Premier League title race alive
LIVERPOOL, England — Erling Haaland kept Manchester City alive in the Premier League title race on Sunday with a penalty game winner to defeat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai‘s stunning 74th minute free kick looked set to send Liverpool to victory and boost the reigning champions’ hopes of a top-four finish. But Haaland then turned the game in City’s favor by creating Bernardo Silva‘s equalizer before winning the game from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Man City thought they had scored a third goal in the final seconds when Rayan Cherki landed a shot in an empty net from inside his own half. But the goal was ruled out following a VAR intervention that led to Szoboszlai being sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity when Haaland chased down the ball in pursuit of a second goal.
With the result, Man City have reduced their gap at the top to six points behind leaders Arsenal while Liverpool remain outside of Champions League position. — Mark Ogden
Nope, Man City can’t be counted out of title race
Manchester City’s title hopes looked to be dead and buried when Szoboszlai scored his incredible free-kick opener — a goal that would have left Pep Guardiola’s side nine points behind Arsenal if Liverpool held on for victory.
But despite not playing well at Anfield, City rallied in the closing stages to seal a huge win with goals from Silva and Haaland.
The three points will be welcomed by City, but perhaps the most important aspect of the result was the manner of the win and the lift it will give Guardiola’s players — and also the impact it will have on Arsenal.
The Gunners still have to visit the Etihad before the end of the season, so as long as they fail to shake City off, they will be haunted of memories of two previous campaigns when they allowed Guardiola’s men to overhaul them in the final stretch of the season.
This isn’t a vintage City team, but when they have the goal threat of Haaland and mercurial players of the quality of Silva, they will always be a title contender. Their title-winning pedigree may yet prove to be a crucial ingredient as they attempt to chase Arsenal down.
Winning at Anfield is always a major result for any team,, and this will count heavily for City. They showed they can win against a big rival when not playing well. It is the kind of stuff that will give Arsenal nightmares. — Ogden
Liverpool let Champions League hopes slip further
The full-time scenes at Anfield spoke volumes. As Liverpool fans trudged for the exits, the Manchester City supporters celebrated wildly in the away end. For many in attendance, it will have been the first time they have ever witnessed Guardiola’s side win at Liverpool’s famous home, with City’s last Anfield victory having come in 2003.
For Liverpool manager Arne Slot, it is another unwanted blot on his copybook in a season that continues to plummet to new depths for the Premier League champions. At 1-0 up, Liverpool looked like the team that romped to the title last term — but as soon as Silva equalized in the 84th minute, it was as if the home crowd could sense what was coming.
Haaland’s 93rd-minute penalty is the sixth goal the Reds have conceded after the 90th minute in the top flight this season, with all of those goals coming in one-goal defeats or draws. Having profited from late wins in the early weeks of the campaign, Liverpool are now the masters of crumbling in the dying seconds of games.
With a five-point deficit to make up on fourth-place Manchester United, it is a habit they need to kick very quickly — or else Champions League qualification will soon be out of their reach. — Beth Lindop
Even on a bad day, Haaland can be a game-changer
Haaland showed just why he is the most dangerous forward in football by sealing City’s win after a largely anonymous afternoon at Anfield.
The City forward had gone into the game having scored just once in his previous seven league games and he looked both disinterested and out of form for most of the game.
But the reason why Haaland is so important for City is that he is always capable of deciding a big game. Haaland had done nothing until the 84th minute, when he headed the ball into Silva’s path for the midfielder to cancel out Liverpool’s stunning free-kick opener.
Seven minutes later, Haaland stepped up to score from the penalty spot after goalkeeper Alisson had fouled Nico O’Reilly. It was a big pressure penalty in a game that had huge implications for the title race, but Haaland showed nerves of steel to score the goal — his first in the league at Afield — and win the game. — Ogden
Declines of Salah and Allisson exemplify Liverpool transition
When it comes to players who have formed the bedrock of Liverpool’s success over the past decade, Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker are pretty much peerless.
The duo’s brilliance at both ends of the pitch has inspired the Reds to many a victory over Manchester City in recent years, but on Sunday afternoon, evidence of their diminishing powers was plain to see.
Salah’s record against City is extraordinary. Before Sunday, the Egypt international had either scored or assisted on 15 of Liverpool’s previous 20 Premier League goals against Guardiola’s men.
While he was unlucky not to claim an assist for Hugo Ekitike in the second half, it is impossible to argue with the fact that his star is now on the wane. The same can be said for Alisson, who needlessly brought down Matheus Nunes inside the box to hand City the chance to win it late on.
Of course, both players still have a role to play for Liverpool this season and maybe even next. But at present, they are a reminder of the fact that Slot’s side are still a team in transition, with the superstars of the Jurgen Klopp era now beginning to lose their shine. — Lindop
Szoboszlai red card makes Liverpool loss extra costly
There is a certain irony to the fact that Szoboszlai — Liverpool’s player of the season and their goal scorer against Manchester City — was dismissed before the final whistle after pulling back Haaland. Szoboszlai has so often been Liverpool’s hero this season, but it seems even he is not immune from the madness that continues to plague the Reds’ topsy-turvy campaign.
Szoboszlai thought he had won it for the hosts when he curled a sublime free kick past Gianluigi Donnarumma 16 minutes from time. It was a brilliant goal that capped an all-action display from the Hungary international. He has now scored four direct free kicks in all competitions this season, the most in a single campaign by a Liverpool player since Luis Suárez scored five in 2012-13.
Tasked with playing at right back against City, Szoboszlai sought to drive the hosts forward in the second half, once again reinforcing the notion that he has all the ingredients to become a future Liverpool captain. However, with Alisson out of his goal in stoppage time, a rush of blood to the head saw Szoboszlai yank at Haaland’s shirt and, following a VAR review, receive his marching orders.
It means he will now be unavailable for Liverpool’s tricky midweek trip to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. When it rains for Slot and Liverpool this season, it pours. — Lindop
Guehi shows Liverpool what they are missing
Marc Guéhi should be a Liverpool player now, but Crystal Palace‘s decision to pull the plug on his move to Anfield on deadline day last September cost him his move to the champions, denying Liverpool a much-needed center half.
Liverpool have never really recovered from their failure to bolster their defensive options, and they continue to lack competition at the back.
Despite missing out on Guehi in the summer, Liverpool didn’t go back in for the England defender in January because City had already moved ahead of them in the chase for the Palace captain.
By completing a £20 million deal for Guehi, City completed a bargain transfer deal and kept him out of the clutches of one of their big rivals. And although he was booed by the home crowd whenever he touched the ball, Guehi had an impressive 90 minutes and showed Liverpool what they missed out on.
He did pick up a yellow card for a shirt tug on Salah, but otherwise, Guehi was rock solid. One can only wonder what might’ve gone differently had Guehi been playing for Liverpool on Sunday instead. — Ogden
Sports
Tiger Woods arrested, charged with DUI after Florida crash: police
Tiger Woods’ turbulent career veered into fresh turmoil on Friday when the golf icon was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a rollover crash near his Florida home, authorities said.
Woods, 50, escaped injury but was detained after his vehicle clipped a truck while attempting to overtake on a residential road on Jupiter Island, flipping onto its side before sliding to a stop.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods — who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017 — showed signs of “impairment”, although he passed a breathalyser test.
“When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash,” Budensiek said.
The 15-time major champion was released later on Friday, with Florida law requiring him to remain in jail for at least eight hours before he could post bail.
Budensiek said drug recognition experts who examined Woods at the scene found the golfer “lethargic” and believed he was impaired with “some kind of medication or drug.”
No drugs or medication were found in his vehicle and since Woods refused the urine test, his right under Florida law, authorities “will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash,” Budensiek said.
‘Could have been worse’
While neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle was injured, Budensiek said the incident on the two-lane road “could have been a lot worse.”
“Had somebody been moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there was no injuries,” he said.
Budensiek said he didn’t know how fast Woods was driving in the moments before the crash.
He said the driver of the truck had slowed to make a turn, then tried to move to the side of the road when he saw Woods’s fast-moving vehicle attempting to overtake him.
“When I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves … you can see that [Woods] slid for a decent space before he came to a stop,” said the sheriff, who said that after the crash Woods climbed out of the passenger-side window of his Land Rover.
President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Woods in remarks to reporters in Miami following the incident.
“He’s got some difficulty, there was an accident, and that’s all I know,” Trump said. “Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, amazing man, but, uh, some difficulty.”
Woods was arrested in Jupiter in 2017 after police found him asleep at the wheel of his damaged car. Woods eventually pleaded guilty to reckless driving and said he had taken a mix of painkillers.
Five years ago, Woods was involved in a serious car crash in California that left him with severe right leg injuries that required pins inserted in his foot and ankle and a rod in his tibia as well as a follow-up surgery in 2023.
Woods returned from that crash at the 2022 Masters, where he struggled to walk all four rounds on the way to a 47th-place finish.
Woods, whose clean-cut image was left in tatters after a 2009 sex scandal that upended his career, has been working to return from an Achilles tendon rupture last March and back surgery last October.
He competed earlier this week in the TGL simulator indoor golf league finals and had not ruled out playing in next month’s Masters, where his five victories include his first major title in 1997 and his most recent in 2019.
“This body … it doesn’t recover like it did when it was 24, 25. It doesn´t mean I’m not trying,” Woods said. “I keep trying.”
Woods, whose 82 PGA Tour career victories are level with Sam Snead for the all-time record, has not competed on tour since missing the cut at the British Open in July 2024.
He last made the cut at the 2024 Masters, where he finished 60th.
Sports
Men’s March Madness live tracker: Updates from every Sweet 16 game Friday
The first half of the Elite Eight is set with Arizona, Illinois, Purdue and Iowa punching their tickets Thursday. Who could join them in the regional finals of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament?
ESPN reporters on-site in Chicago and Washington, D.C. tracking Friday’s Sweet 16 action in real-time.
Jump to: Game previews, predictions
SWEET 16 LIVE TRACKER

SWEET 16 PREVIEWS
All times Eastern.
9:45 p.m., CBS
Borzello’s prediction: UConn 68-64
Medcalf’s prediction: UConn 70-65
How Michigan State can advance to Elite Eight: Personnel matchups generate the most headlines during the NCAA tournament, but coaching matchups are equally — if not more — impactful. During a tenure that began in 1995, Tom Izzo has developed an uncanny ability to zero in on an opposing team’s top players and create problems for them. That’s the Spartans’ ticket to another Elite Eight.
Izzo’s primary mission against UConn is to limit Tarris Reed Jr.’s impact on the game. The Huskies are a different team when he’s a dominant presence in the post. If Reed is grabbing offensive rebounds and giving them an abundance of second-chance opportunities, Michigan State will be in a tough spot. The good news for the Spartans is that they are connecting on 35.9% of their 3-point attempts and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities with a No. 10 national ranking in offensive rebounding rate. It will be key for them to hit more 3s, extend UConn’s defense and create more paths to the basket for Jeremy Fears Jr. & Co. They have to give UConn a reason to guard on the perimeter — if the Spartans just allow the Huskies to sit in the lane, challenge shots around the rim and grab rebounds, Michigan State could lose.
Izzo has been in this position before — against better teams — and won. His experience will matter in a matchup against Dan Hurley.
How UConn can advance to the Elite Eight: To beat Izzo, UConn will have to show up as the top-notch defensive outfit that held UCLA to just a 39% clip inside the arc in the second round. The Huskies’ win over the Bruins served as a reminder that they can be a great defensive team when they want to be. In the Big Ten tournament, UCLA had produced 132 points per 100 possessions in a win over Michigan State. In the round of 32, the Bruins — who played without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau (knee) — scored only 57 points, their second-lowest total of the season. UCLA star Donovan Dent had nine assists but also finished 2-for-9 shooting with a pair of turnovers. That’s the same attention UConn will need to give Fears. When he’s comfortable, Michigan State’s offense soars. The Huskies can’t let that happen.
On offense, Braylon Mullins could be an X factor. Reed had a double-double against UCLA but not the historic numbers he put up against Furman in the first round (31 points, 27 rebounds). Alex Karaban recorded a career-high 27 points against the Bruins, with Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. scoring two points combined. If Reed and Karaban can create a balanced inside-outside attack, Michigan State will have to find a way to disrupt that, which could give Mullins — who is averaging 14.5 points in two NCAA tournament games — more freedom and opportunities to make plays and create off the dribble or on off-ball screens.
The Huskies have a multitude of options to score, and as long as most of them are effective, they can get back to the Elite Eight. — Medcalf
10:10 p.m., TBS/truTV
Borzello’s prediction: Iowa State 67-65
Medcalf’s prediction: Iowa State 74-68
How Tennessee can advance to the Elite Eight: To beat Iowa State, Tennessee will have to play the same disciplined defense that stopped Virginia in the final minutes of Sunday’s second-round game. That task begins with Felix Okpara, who had four blocks against the Cavaliers and altered other shots, including a late drive by Thijs De Ridder that Okpara blocked during Virginia’s comeback attempt. Opposing players had made only 30% of their shots around the rim against Okpara entering Sunday’s game, per Synergy Sports data. He’ll have to protect the rim against Iowa State, which had a significant advantage in paint points against Kentucky (34-20) — but he won’t have to do it alone.
Tennessee has the personnel to handle every one-on-one matchup defensively. The Vols can guard at every spot. They will have to put pressure on Tamin Lipsey, sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson, if he plays, to win. That defensive effort coupled with standout performances from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament would be the formula for a Tennessee trip to the Elite Eight.
How Iowa State can advance to the Elite Eight: With or without Jefferson, Iowa State will have the same blueprint against Tennessee: Move the ball to find the best shot on offense, force turnovers with defensive pressure and score on fast breaks. Although they didn’t have Jefferson, who is a game-time decision because of an ankle injury, the Cyclones forced 20 turnovers in their second-round win over Kentucky. Playing through Lipsey — who finished with 26 points, 10 assists and only three turnovers against Kentucky — the Cyclones registered 150 points per 100 possessions and made 63% of their shots after halftime. They are 18-2 when Lipsey’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 3-to-1 or better.
Gillespie and Ament combined for five turnovers in Tennessee’s second-round win over Virginia. Iowa State can pressure that duo into the same mistakes Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen (eight turnovers combined) made for Kentucky, even if Jefferson sits out another game. That’s how the Cyclones can advance. — Medcalf
Sports
Ben White booed in return — but he did more than flat England teammates in Uruguay draw
LONDON — However Ben White imagined his return to the England setup would play out, not once could he have pictured this.
Booed by some supporters when introduced as a 69th-minute substitute, he then marked his comeback after a four-year absence with his first international goal — only to be booed even more.
And just when it looked as though his efforts had salvaged victory from a thoroughly abject collective display, White conceded a stoppage-time penalty, which Federico Valverde converted to give Uruguay a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.
Even before White stepped onto the field, his presence in the England squad for this window was not without controversy.
He declined to play for England ever since leaving the 2022 World Cup early for what the Football Association described at the time as “personal reasons.” Various outlets, including ESPN, reported at the time that White had in fact fallen out with a member of the coaching staff, and although Gareth Southgate later publicly denied any bust-up, the Arsenal defender subsequently refused a call-up and did not play for England again.
That was, until Friday.
England manager Thomas Tuchel did not select White in his initial expanded 35-man squad for this camp, but Jarell Quansah‘s injury triggered a surprise late inclusion. Tuchel justified the decision by saying “everybody deserves a second chance” following talks with White in recent months, but there were many among the 80,581 crowd who clearly did not agree.
“I [was told] that he was booed,” Tuchel said. “I didn’t hear it on the field because I was involved in the changes and instructions. It cannot be the majority. There were some boos and some mixed reception for him, which I am disappointed about because, of course, protect our players.
“He was excellent in camp. He deserved to come on. He deserved also to start and got us almost the winner. But I also understood that it happened to other players before here.
“He needs to take it on the chin,” Tuchel said. “We will always protect him, and hopefully we can put it behind [us] because he is ready to write some new chapters. We are ready to give him the chance, so hopefully everyone can move on and accept it.”
White’s roller-coaster cameo contrasted markedly with England’s flat-line performance that preceded it.
Tuchel had talked up the merits of his split-squad idea — 11 players were given this week to rest and occupied a Wembley box together here before resuming training ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Japan — by framing this as a key audition for a “plane ticket” to the World Cup.
1:44
Burley slams ‘awful’ England after draw with Uruguay
Craig Burley reacts to England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley.
What greeted the players instead were paper planes. In many ways, this was a throwback to the dark days of years gone by: desperately uninspired football and fans expressing their discontent by throwing folded paper at the pitch, waving phone lights like they’re at a Coldplay gig and booing whichever player they had in their crosshairs.
Southgate worked exceptionally hard to move England on from nights like this, and although there were the occasional nonevents, by and large he achieved it.
And Tuchel will hope White is a unique case. Perhaps part of it was that his selection came at the expense of Trent Alexander-Arnold, a popular and decorated player for Liverpool and Real Madrid yet one who has never fully been trusted by Southgate and now Tuchel.
But more likely, it is White’s perceived indifference in playing for his country. The accusation of insouciance is difficult to shake, and these supporters, many of whom are facing bills running into the tens of thousands to follow England at this summer’s World Cup, do not take kindly to any ambiguous loyalty.
2:09
Tuchel: Trent must accept England squad decision
Thomas Tuchel explained why he left Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the latest England squad.
The team’s overall level of performance did not help the mood, either. Phil Foden was given a chance — perhaps his final chance — to stake a claim for the No. 10 role, but he could not get England playing. What he got for his trouble was an appalling tackle early in the second half from Ronald Araújo that left Tuchel incensed but somehow went entirely unpunished. Foden was subsequently substituted due to injury.
England were equally irate at the decision to award a spot kick after VAR review for White’s challenge on substitute Federico Viñas, a decision Harry Maguire branded a “ridiculous penalty.”
German referee Sven Jablonski appeared to give Manuel Ugarte two yellow cards but not send the Manchester United midfielder off, with the officials later saying the second one was in fact rescinded.
“I think it was not a good performance [from the referee] at all throughout the match,” Tuchel said.
“And I cannot understand that the tackle like this [on Foden] is not even checked. I think the penalty in the end was very, very soft and then there were like debates that a player got two yellow cards in the match and not being sent off. OK, bad day at the office.”
But once the refereeing row subsides, England will reflect on an evening when few individuals pressed their claims. James Trafford and James Garner made their debuts. Fikayo Tomori appeared for the first time in 2½ years, Maguire for the first time in 18 months, Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a substitute for the first time in almost five years.
Garner and Maguire were probably the standouts on a very ordinary night. Tuchel has vowed to harness the Premier League trend of set-piece prowess, and so in that context, England’s goal coming from a corner will be a source of encouragement.
He was, in fact, quite upbeat about the performance as a whole, aside from Foden and Noni Madueke both leaving the field prematurely, the latter seen wearing a knee brace as he departed the stadium.
“I learned a lot because it was a tough opponent — you just see it in the details, you learn a lot and you see the level,” Tuchel said. “We knew it would be a difficult opponent, and we needed this kind of test.”
It might have been one Tuchel anticipated but White, for certain, did not.
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