Football: Arsenal close in on top four with 4-1 winArsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka stabbing the ball past Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico from close range to open accounts in a 4-1 English Premier League win at the Emirates Stadium in London yesterday. The visitors could have taken the lead in the first half but Ryan Sessegnon...

Leicester axe Puel, target Rodgers as successorLONDON • Leicester City yesterday sacked manager Claude Puel after their 4-1 Premier League home thrashing by Crystal Palace on Saturday and want to appoint Celtic's Brendan Rodgers as his successor.The club are expected to make an immediate attempt to lure the Ulsterman,...

Football: Klopp, Guardiola would back players leaving pitch over racist abuseLONDON (REUTERS) - Juergen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are both willing to halt matches if players are subject to racist abuse, the like of which experienced by some England players in Montenegro this week.Uefa has opened an investigation after England...

Football: Everton bounce back with 5-1 rout of BurnleyBURNLEY, England (REUTERS) - Everton ended their five-game winless run in emphatic fashion by drubbing relegation-threatened Burnley 5-1 at Turf Moor on Wednesday (Dec 26) as they bounced back from their humiliation against Tottenham Hotspur in real style.Everton, thrashed...

Ole-ole-ole-ole-ole, now bring on SpursFA CUPManchester United 2Reading 0LONDON • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been a breath of fresh air the past month, not only because Manchester United are winning games again, but also because of his humility. Following yesterday's 2-0 FA Cup third-round win over Reading at home, the...