Jermain Defoe s 150th Premier League goal and a Victor Anichebe brace secured a 3-0 victory for 10-man Sunderland over fellow strugglers Hull City at the Stadium of Light as the hosts moved off the bottom of the table.
While both teams had come from behind to win their previous fixture after miserable runs of form, goals from captain Defoe and Anichebe, twice, saw the points go Sunderland s way on Saturday.
The Black Cats had not won any of their previous five meetings with Hull in all competitions, but David Moyes men brought that streak to an end despite a second-half power cut causing a temporary floodlight failure on Wearside, as well as a late red card for Papy Djilobodji.
It was a painful afternoon for Mike Phelan who was sacked as assistant manager at Manc…
Vicente del Bosque is confident that Spain will recover from a troublesome year to challenge for top honours in world football again.
Having won three successive tournaments on the international stage from 2008, Spain were widely expected to compete at the World Cup in Brazil, but things did not go to plan.
A 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands was followed by another loss against Chile, resulting in Spain exiting at the group stage.
A surprise 2-1 defeat at the hands of Slovakia in Euro 2016 qualifying has followed, but Del Bosque is convinced Spain can overcome their slump in fortunes.
I think there is a future on the Spanish national team, he told Perform.
There are many young players playing in La Liga and nowadays when a club h…
Gareth Southgate said Jude Bellingham writes his own scripts after the England star sealed a 1-0 win for the Three Lions over Serbia.
The Real Madrid midfielder was on target in Gelsenkirchen to take his international tally to four goals, becoming just the second player to score at both the World Cup and Euros before the age of 21 in the process.
Bellingham timed his run into the penalty area to perfection to head Bukayo Saka s cross beyond Predrag Rajkovic, and put on yet another mature display way beyond his years.
I mean he writes his own scripts doesn t he, Southgate told BBC Sport.
The timing of his runs, it was a super bit of play in the build-up to the goal as well, and I thought at different moments all of our forward players looked dangerous. <…
Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson described Arsene Wenger as a rival, a colleague and a friend in a glowing tribute after the Frenchman announced that he is to leave Arsenal at the end of the season.
Ferguson was in charge at United for 26 years until 2013, overlapping with Wenger s 22-year Arsenal.
The pair did not always see eye to eye on the touchline and regularly clashed as their respective teams battled for supremacy in the Premier League, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
But their fractious relationship mellowed and Ferguson hailed Wenger as one of the greats as he prepares to end a his lengthy tenure with the Gunners.
I am really happy for Arsene Wenger, he told United s official website. I have great respect for him and for t…
Roberto Mancini, Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matthaus have all applied for the role of South Africa manager, according the country s football association.
A tweet from the official Bafana Bafana account, managed by the South African Football Association (SAFA), mentioned the trio alongside Hasan Shehata, Hugo Broos, Samson Siasia and Bernd Schuster in a list of applicants for the role that has been vacant since Shakes Mashaba was fired in December 2016.
Former South Africa players Lucas Radebe and Benni McCarthy were appointed to a committee tasked with sourcing candidates and the SAFA has said its preferred candidate will be named once a shortlist has been drawn up.
Mancini has not found a new club since his departure from Inter in August 2016, while Trapatto…
Nicolas Anelka re-opened his feud with former France coach Raymond Domenech, who made disparaging remarks about the former Real Madrid striker when discussing rising star Kylian Mbappe.
There is no love lost between the two men after Domenech expelled Anelka from France s squad during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Domenech aimed a dig at Anelka when discussing Mbappe, urging the Monaco teenager to follow in the footsteps of Brazil great Ronaldo and not Anelka.
I remember Ronaldo at the Olympics in 1996, and Mbappe is of this level a world-class player. It is up to him to manage this well: he has the choice between being Ronaldo or Anelka, he told L Equipe.
Anelka has taken exception to Domenech s comments and criticised his former coach s career.
Real Madrid could go all the way in their pursuit of Mauro Icardi this summer. Perennial European champions are interested to sign Inter Milan s goalscorer, according to Marca. The Spanish media outlet with close relationship with the club claim that the Argentine striker could be leaving the Inter this summer and Real Madrid would be one of the clubs looking to sign him.
Reportedly, Real Madrid believe that an offer of just £35m, because of Icardi s strained relationship with the Milanese club. Icardi has not featured for his current team since he was stripped of the captaincy, after he got in a clash with Luciano Spalletti. Inter s manager told media his behavior was not professional and right now it is not that hard to see Icardi leave the club in the summer.
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A whole host of Premier League heavyweights are set to battle for Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland, according to the Daily Star.
A number of top flight clubs are on the lookout for a new keeper and Butland is high on the list of targets for those in need.
The England international has missed the majority of this season with an ankle injury but returned last month in a 2-0 defeat to Swansea City.
Since signing for the Potters, the twenty-four year old has racked up fifty-one appearances for the club in all competitions while he also had loan spells with Barnsley, Leeds United and Derby County.
Prior to his move to Stoke he played every game for Birmingham City in the 2012/13 campaign while he made his England debut in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Ital…
Australia striker Tomi Juric has found a new home, joining Roda JC on a one-year deal on Saturday to begin his second European stint.
The former Western Sydney Wanderers forward passed his medical this week and will immediately link up with his new club, joining fellow Australian Rostyn Griffiths at the Eredivisie outfit.
Juric, who has spent the past two seasons with the Wanderers in the A-League, previously played in Croatia for various clubs from 2008 to 2013, making his senior debut with Croatia Sesvete in 2010.
After weeks of negotiations, we finally managed to contract Tomi Juric for Roda JC of course we are very happy with that, general manager Wim Collard told Roda s website.
Tomi is a strong attacker, whose way of playing fits with our club.
Paris Saint-Germain s Kevin Trapp has gone on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt, both clubs have .
This will be the goalkeeper s second spell with Eintracht. He was originally brought to the club by their sporting director Bruno Hubner from Kaiserslautern in 2012. He spent three seasons there, appearing in 96 games in all competitions before moving on to PSG. Upon his arrival he took the place between the sticks from then Italian international Salvatore Sirigu, but now he lost it to another former Italian international Gianluigi Buffon.
With Alphonso Areola more than a capable backup option, Trapp has become surplus to requirements and a move away makes good sense.
Eintracht, however, found themselves in a difficult position with their keeper Frederik Ronnow suffering…