Football/Soccer 8 Hours

Last updated: August 29, 2026, 10:37 PM ET

Premier League: Spurs' Crisis Deepens

Tottenham's nightmare start to the season continued as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, with Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa scoring for the visitors. The result leaves Spurs bottom of the Premier League without a point or a goal despite spending more than £300m in the summer, though boss Roberto De Zerbi remains optimistic rather than angry. De Zerbi believes changing the mentality at the club is his biggest challenge, with Jamie Carragher claiming their start "couldn't have gone any worse." The Italian coach also revealed that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr have all asked to leave the club. Player ratings showed new signing Sandro Tonali struggled on his debut, while Nicolas Gonzalez impressed for the visitors in the 2-0 win. Newcastle have shown there's plenty of life after Tonali, reinvesting the money wisely after selling the Italian midfielder to Spurs. The loss prompted questions about whether Spurs' $500M+ spend can buy the mentality required, while De Zerbi admitted the biggest problem facing his squad is psychological rather than tactical.

Premier League: Liverpool Held, Man City Target Gakpo

Liverpool's new era under Andoni Iraola showed last season's bad habits remain as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest at Anfield, with a late equalizer from Muñoz rescuing a point. Meanwhile, Manchester City are in talks to sign Cody Gakpo from Liverpool, sources have told ESPN, with the Netherlands forward also attracting interest from Tottenham. Reports indicate City is his preferred destination if he leaves Anfield. The transfer window remains open, and Arsenal's title rivals are scrambling to keep up with the champions, who look as strong as ever. Liverpool are also continuing talks to sign Crystal Palace winger Sarr, according to Sunday's newspaper reports. Elsewhere, Manchester United have been offered Alexander Sørloth of Atlético Madrid, while Napoli are interested in a loan move for Newcastle forward Nick Woltemade, and Arsenal are exploring a move for Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo, according to Sunday's gossip column.

Premier League: Carrick Defends United, Hull Sign Bahoya

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has branded claims that his side lacked motivation in their defeat to Hull City as "lazy", defending his players' commitment. Hull City have agreed a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt to sign winger Jean-Matteo Bahoya, strengthening their squad for the season ahead. In the Championship, Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson said he was left "shellshocked" by the goals his side conceded in a 2-1 defeat to Birmingham, calling the defensive display "unacceptable." BBC Final Score pundit Sam Parkin has looked at the weekend's EFL talking points, including a perfect start for Charlton Athletic and whether they can challenge for promotion.

Champions League: Draw Reaction and UEFA's Legal Battle

Record 15-time European champions Real Madrid will start the league phase of the Champions League on Sept. 8 when they host Inter Milan. The draw in Monaco produced mixed fortunes, with the reaction suggesting it was good for Liverpool, bad for Barcelona, and featuring several must-see games. Beyond the pots, however, the big news involved Europe taking their battle with FIFA president Gianni Infantino into criminal court, as UEFA filed criminal charges against the FIFA chief, flexing their muscles in the ongoing dispute between the governing bodies.

La Liga and Serie A

Julián Álvarez was not even on the bench as Atlético Madrid cruised to a 3-1 victory over Sevilla, with a brace from Baena sealing the win. José Mourinho said Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior's "super quality" will be key to forging a connection which will help Real Madrid win trophies this season, with the former manager backing the partnership to deliver success. In Serie A, Christian Pulisic was an unused substitute as Ruben Amorim continued his perfect start to life at AC Milan with a 2-0 win over Venezia on Friday. Rafael Leão has arrived in Istanbul ahead of a $52M switch from AC Milan to Galatasaray.

European Football Roundup

Cristiano Ronaldo secured a 2-1 victory over Al Taawoun, extending Al Nassr's perfect record and keeping them atop the Saudi Pro League. Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique praised his team's fighting spirit after they staged another late comeback, scoring two stoppage-time goals to secure a 2-2 draw against Lille in Ligue, calling it "our hallmark." Across Europe's major leagues, matches kicked off with all five of the continent's top competitions finally in action, with live updates covering Spurs' stumble against Newcastle and Liverpool's draw with Forest.

Golf: LPGA and PGA Tour Updates

Ruoning Yin produced a final-hole chip-in to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the LPGA Tour's FM Championship, as European title hopes faded in Boston. Viktor Hovland takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the Tour Championship, as Scottie Scheffler stayed in contention and Rory McIlroy kept his Fed ExCup hopes alive in a thrilling finale. In England, Marco Penge holds a share of the lead heading into a marathon final day at the weather-affected Husqvarna British Masters, with Tom McKibbin heading the chasing pack.

Boxing, Tennis, and Darts

Chantelle Cameron has called for a three-minute-round rematch against Mikaela Mayer after beating the American by unanimous decision to become the unified WBA, WBC and WBO super-welterweight champion, with the British fighter seeking a more demanding contest next time. Arthur Fery's hopes of landing his maiden ATP Tour title at the Winston-Salem Open was ended in emphatic fashion by Peruvian Ignacio Buse on Saturday, with the British player falling short in the final. Luke Humphries suffered a shock 6-3 defeat to Dirk van Duijvenbode in the second round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy as the tournament favourite crashed out in Budapest on Saturday night.

Scottish Football

Martin O'Neill says Celtic "might as well not get any" tickets after Rangers offered just 300 for the sides' League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox next month, with the former manager critical of the allocation. Kilmarnock's losing start to the Scottish Premiership season continued with a fourth consecutive defeat, leaving manager McCann "angry and apologetic" as questions mount over what is going wrong. There were important wins for Celtic and Hearts as Dundee United picked up their first league victory, with reaction on the Scottish football podcast.

Cricket and Other News

Joe Root's lbw struggles have become a talking point after his dismissals at Lord's, with analysts examining what lies behind his problems against Pakistan. A seething Nasser Hussain said the umpires' decision to abandon play late on day three of the second Test between England and Pakistan was "a joke" as sunshine bathed Lord's.

ESPN's Top Players Ranking

ESPN has released its new ranking of the world's top 10 male soccer players right now, and some names might surprise you. The list, which ranks the best in the game for the 2026 season, provides a definitive answer to who is the best player in the world at this moment. Meanwhile, Chris Richards has put his World Cup heartbreak behind him, with the USMNT defender finding luck after the tournament's abrupt end and returning to the Premier League.