Villa are fortunate others have stumbled sooner and for longer this season – ensuring they have maintained a decent grip on third place until now.
Chelsea have dropped 17 points from winning positions at Stamford Bridge and 19 points overall in the Premier League this season.
They go to Arsenal on Sunday hoping to capitalise on Villa’s latest slip – before travelling to Villa Park on Wednesday for a game which could define both teams’ seasons.
Lille, in the Europa League on March 12, and a trip to Old Trafford on 15 March will then loom large for Villa.
Individual form has also plummeted, with Ollie Watkins scoring just once in 11 games – reminiscent of the spell where he scored only one goal in the opening 19 matches – while Morgan Rogers is on a similar streak.
The slump was sparked by injuries to Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans last month as Villa’s lack of depth was exposed.
Players argued between themselves as Ezri Konsa – who also had a flashpoint with fans at the end – and Amadou Onana urged Emi Buendia to leave the pitch quicker as he was substituted.
The cracks are showing and even the players are admitting to feeling the pressure.
“It does weigh on us but it shouldn’t,” said Rogers. “We deserve to be here and we should not forget that.
“Our run lately has not been as good as usual but that is the battle of the Premier League. We are going to get back to our good run of wins.
“We set our standards high and we have the ability to win every game. Obviously that is not realistic but we are playing good football as a whole and there is nothing to worry about.
“They [the next fixtures] are the games you want to play and, with so much on the line, we need to show why we deserve to be where we are.”
Gyokeres and Eze both score braces as Arsenal win North London football derby to move five points clear at top of the table.
Published On 22 Feb 202622 Feb 2026
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Eberechi Eze has reignited Arsenal’s title ambitions in English football’s Premier League by being the scourge of Tottenham once again.
Three months after scoring a hat-trick against Spurs, the England midfielder netted two more goals against Arsenal’s fiercest rival in a 4-1 away win on Sunday. Viktor Gyokeres also scored twice for the leaders.
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Eze came close to joining Tottenham in the summer, only for Arsenal – his boyhood club – to swoop in and sign him instead for a reported 60 million pounds ($80m). Spurs are suffering even more now – his only goals since the start of November have come against them.
Arsenal rebounded after two straight draws that have let second-place Manchester City back in the title race.
The Gunners regained their five-point lead, but City has a game in hand and still has to host Mikel Arteta’s team in the league in mid-April. They also meet in the English League Cup final on March 22.
It proved to be a tough start to life as Tottenham manager for Igor Tudor, who has made a habit of picking up good results early in his tenures at previous clubs.
Not this time, though. Tottenham did equalise two minutes after conceding the opener to Eze when Randal Kolo Muani dispossessed Declan Rice and drilled home a finish for 1-1 in the 34th minute.
Gyokeres made it 2-1 with a shot from the edge of the area in the 47th, and Eze stretched the lead in the 61st with a rebound after Bukayo Saka’s shot was saved. Gyokeres scored again in stoppage time.
Arsenal have 10 league games remaining in their bid for a first top-flight title since 2004.
Eze has scored six league goals this season, of which five have been against Spurs. Asked why he holds that record against their rivals, he told Sky Sports: “I don’t know. I try to score every single game. It seems to work quite a lot against Tottenham. It’s a feeling you get.”
Elsewhere in the Premier League on Sunday, Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister struck a winner deep into stoppage time as his side snatched a scarcely-deserved 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest in their Premier League clash.
After a pedestrian 90 minutes in which they barely managed a shot on target, Mac Allister lit the fuse with a stoppage-time effort that was ruled out for handball before rifling home a rebound in the 97th minute to snatch the win.
Meanwhile, with doubts swirling around the future of Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, his team dug out a 1-0 win over last-place Wolverhampton thanks to a last-minute goal.
Evann Guessand prodded home a far-post finish after coming on as a substitute.
Fulham climbed above Sunderland into the top half of the table after becoming just the second visiting side to win at the Stadium of Light this season.
Raul Jimenez’s double secured a 3-1 victory for Marco Silva’s men.
The last time Ireland visited Allianz Stadium, in 2024, they had just equalled England’s Six Nations record of 11 straight wins and were chasing the rarefied air of back-to-back Grand Slams.
Since that 23-22 defeat, however, Ireland have lost six times in 20 Tests. All six of those losses have come against the other three nations – South Africa, New Zealand and France – currently ranked higher than Andy Farrell’s side.
In the 12 months since beating England in last year’s Six Nations, Ireland have lost to France (twice), the All Blacks and the Springboks by a combined 61 points.
Their miserable return to Paris a fortnight ago ended with their heaviest Six Nations loss in 16 years, giving fuel to the ‘Ireland in decline’ debate.
Indeed, a succession of humbling in-ring experiences with the game’s heavyweights have intensified the scrutiny on a team who have slipped to fifth in the world rankings after entering the 2023 World Cup as number one.
Whether it’s been age profile, a creaking scrum, a sputtering attack, the unsettled fly-half situation or a British and Irish Lions hangover, most of the discussion has been largely negative.
But from an Irish perspective, there is no better way to flip the narrative than a big win over the English, who are wounded from last week’s Calcutta Cup defeat by Scotland.
Of course, having left Stade de France empty-handed before failing to secure a bonus point in the win over Italy, Ireland know another loss would dash their title hopes for another year.
“I think the lads are going to be a bit annoyed at the negative chat that’s surrounding the team for the past while,” legendary Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray said on the Ireland Rugby Social.
“There’s so many quality, world-class players and leaders in that team. I hope they just go there and say ‘let’s go for it here, lads, we’re sick of people talking about us in a negative light, look at the quality we have in the room.”
Great Britain’s women’s team are in a similarly precarious position.
The inexperienced rink – with only Jen Dodds surviving from the 2022 gold-medal winning team – finished sixth in last year’s World Championships and were some way short of their best against the US, with opportunities missed and mistakes made.
It looked for all the world like their chances were gone, trailing 7-6 going into the final end, and without the hammer.
However, Rebecca Morrison executed a sensational double takeout with her final throw and the Americans faltered under pressure, botching their effort to hand the British rink an implausible 8-7 triumph.
The Scottish quartet still need to win their final two games and hope for favours elsewhere if they are to salvage a place in the medal matches.
The next hurdle is a meeting with bottom-of-the-table Japan later on Wednesday (18:05 GMT) before they face second-bottom Italy on Thursday (13:05).
“There was a lot at stake but we just need to keep believing,” Morrison told BBC Sport. “We were up against it but we’re here to fight and that’s what we did.”
The Winter Olympics medal hopes of Team GB’s men’s curlers have been cast into doubt after a shock 8-6 defeat by Norway left them scrambling to make the semi-finals in Cortina.
Bruce Mouat’s world champions had lost two of their opening six matches, and were expected to beat the Norwegians for their fifth victory of the competition.
Leading 4-2 after six ends, they appeared to be in good shape. But a few untimely errors, combined with a disciplined display by their unheralded opponents, left them 6-4 down with two ends left.
Mouat’s attempted triple takeout in the penultimate end was a fraction out, but still yielded two to level the scores going into the last. However, Norway held their nerve with the hammer to close out an unexpected victory.
But the British rink will need to beat both Canada on Tuesday and the United States the following day (both 18:05 GMT).
“We need to win our next two to make sure we’re definitely in the semis,” lead Hammy McMillan told BBC Sport. “We’re doing a lot of the right things, we just need to find that extra inch.”
The women’s rink are not well-placed, either, but they did deliver their best in the biggest moment to beat Denmark 7-2 and keep their hopes alive.
Having lost three of their opening four, Rebecca Morrison’s rink need victories in at least four of their final five matches to have any chance of salvaging a place in Friday’s last four – and they began that quest well.
An aggressive start was rewarded with an early 2-0 advantage and the British rink led 3-2 at the break.
Another fine two-point haul in the sixth, followed by a steal in the seventh, opened up a four-point gap with three ends to play and the Scottish quartet closed out the win.
They are back on the ice against Switzerland at 18:05 GMT in another must-win contest, live on the BBC.
Megan Grant laughs after hearing that at one point during her basketball career, she was shooting .500 from field-goal range, better than her career .348 batting average.
The two-time NFCA All-American utility player has made softball look easy during her time with UCLA. She holds a career .727 slugging percentage, .978 fielding percentage and hit 26 home runs during the 2025 season, a Big Ten single-season record.
Is basketball just that much easier for her?
“I wouldn’t say easy but I would always say fun,” Grant said. “It’s something where I can just easily lose myself in the competitive nature and just the process of things.”
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Grant has been a member of the Bruins’ women’s basketball team this season, an opportunity brought to her by her softball coach. When coach Kelly Inouye-Perez asked her if she would be interested in joining the team for the Bruins’ current season, she felt like she couldn’t turn down the opportunity.
Training with the basketball team would allow her to add new skills to her game. While developing, she would be doing it at a high level of college basketball competitiveness — it was a win-win situation.
“Just being able to say I played basketball at such a high level collegiately, it’s always an honor to say,” Grant said.
UCLA forward Megan Grant (43) is surrounded by teammates while celebrating after a win over North Carolina on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.
(Steve Marcus / Associated Press)
Throughout the season, Grant has played 33 minutes off the bench and made three of nine field goal attempts. The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team is 22-1 and undefeated in Big Ten play.
Softball season began Friday, so her time on the court has come to an end. As she transitions to the diamond, Grant is entering her senior season with ambition, gratitude and a new sense of leadership.
“I feel like all programs all throughout our campus, we just have this competitive greatness about all of us that we know we will do whatever it takes to win,” she said. “It’s really refreshing to even see that from [women’s basketball] coach Cori [Close’s] side and just to get to learn her little nuggets.”
No. 7 UCLA softball is 5-0 after the opening weekend, including a record-setting 17-0 rout of UC Riverside.
The Bruins were the runner up in last year’s Big Ten tournament after falling 2-0 to Michigan in the championship game. In the Women’s College World Series, after Grant hit a two-run home run to tie a game against Tennessee, UCLA lost in extra innings.
The Bruins begin the season with a versatile and close-knit roster, Grant said. The team spent the fall getting to know each other, on and off the field.
“I feel like almost every single player is playing both infield and outfield and that kind of depth that we have is something that we haven’t had in a while,” she said.
Grant says even during her stint with the women’s basketball, her goal remained the same — winning softball Big Ten and national championships. Ultimately, she just wants to have the best time with her teammates along the way.
“If that moment were to come, I know in my heart, I have the confidence to just be able to say, ‘Yup, I worked on this and I’m ready,’” Grant said.
Rose Bowl scores a court win
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied a request from UCLA last week seeking to move its dispute with the Rose Bowl Operating Co. and the city of Pasadena to arbitration as it stated was required by their lease contract.
Officials who operate the Rose Bowl filed a lawsuit against UCLA after it learned the Bruins were heavily considering ending their lease early and instead playing home football games at SoFi Stadium. The Rose Bowl is seeking to enforce terms of a lease that runs through 2044, arguing taxpayers are backing costly renovations at UCLA’s request and the Bruins’ departure would cause irreparable harm.
Arbitration proceedings would limit the Rose Bowl’s right to obtain records related to the stadium lease and would be closed to the public. City of Pasadena and Rose Bowl attorneys argued public funds were at stake and the dispute should play out in court proceedings open to the public.
Judge Joseph Lipner ruled the contract’s arbitration clause contains “unusual and exceeding narrow language,” with evidence to suggest both sides did not want to use arbitration to settle disputes over termination of the agreement.
The next case hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27.
The streak continues
Lauren Betts pulls a rebound away from two Michigan players Sunday.
(Lon Horwedel / Associated Press)
No. 2 UCLA faced its toughest test of Big Ten play so far this season, earning a 69-66 win at No. 8 Michigan and extending its win streak to 17 games.
“What I’m proud of is, … our team in the midst of situations we haven’t been in very much this season, we found ways to win,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “To go into a hostile environment, and really in the second half, do it with our defense.”
The Bruins close out a tough trip at No. 12 Michigan State on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PST. The game will be streamed on Peacock.
A Prince tribute
Jordan Chiles earlier this season.
(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)
UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles dusted off last season’s floor routine set to Prince’s music in honor of the team’s meet at Minnesota on Saturday. Chiles nailed the routine, scoring a perfect 10 for the fourth consecutive week. After the meet, Chiles addressed the crowd, saying that the Prince routine was a tribute to the Minnesota fans who have endured immigration raids.
“I know it has been a lot of tough weeks going on here and I just want to say we stand with you,” Chiles told the crowd. “The Prince routine was meant for you guys and I wanted to bring that energy here and so I hope it uplifted you guys in this very dark time and that the Bruins will always be by your side.”
UCLA won the meet 197.550-197.275, with Chiles winning her fourth consecutive individual all-around title.
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Erling Haaland’s penalty in second-half stoppage time kept Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge alive with a chaotic 2-1 win away at Liverpool.
Haaland’s spot kick sealed a comeback victory for Pep Guardiola’s team in an explosive football game at Anfield on Sunday and brought the gap on first-place Arsenal back to six points.
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City’s title prospects looked in dire shape when Dominik Szoboszlai crashed a stunning long-range free kick in off the post in the 74th minute.
And even when Bernardo Silva equalised 10 minutes later, second-place City was still looking at ending the match eight points adrift of the leader.
But Haaland sent the away fans wild by firing into the bottom corner from the spot in the 93rd after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson brought down Matheus Nunes in the box.
Then City substitute Rayan Cherki scored from the halfway line – only for VAR to overrule it and send off Szoboszlai for a foul on Haaland in the process of the ball crossing the line.
These two clubs have combined to win the last eight titles in English football’s Premier League. But both showed the flaws that have opened the door for Arsenal to potentially end their long wait to be crowned champions once again.
Haaland has scored just once from open play in his last 13 games, and an uncharacteristic lack of confidence from the Norwegian showed with the best chance of the first half inside the opening two minutes.
Silva’s clever pass split the Liverpool defence, but Haaland’s shot lacked conviction under pressure from Milos Kerkez, and Alisson Becker was able to save low to his left.
Haaland hooked another effort straight at Alisson among 10 first-half City attempts without a breakthrough.
Second-half slumps have been a consistent feature of City’s season, and the visitors again faded in the second period until a late flurry saved their title challenge.
Hugo Ekitike should have opened the scoring when he completely miscued his header just before the hour mark after a lightning-fast Liverpool break.
Marc Guehi was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card when he dragged down Mo Salah just outside the box.
But it was City who were left fuming at the award of the free kick that led to the opener when Ryan Gravenberch went down under minimal contact.
Szoboszlai scored the only goal with an outrageous free kick when Arsenal visited Anfield in August and produced another stunning strike that clipped the inside of the post before finding the net.
However, the Hungarian went from hero to villain when City levelled six minutes from time.
Szoboszlai played Silva onside as he slid in to volley home Haaland’s header for City’s first second-half goal in the Premier League this year.
Alisson then wiped out Matheus Nunes to concede a penalty and Haaland kept his cool from the spot to put City in front.
Pep Guardiola’s men still needed a stunning save from Gianluigi Donnarumma to tip behind Alexis Mac Allister’s deflected shot.
With Alisson remaining forward from the resulting corner, the Liverpool goal was open when Cherki took aim from the halfway line to roll the ball into an empty net.
However, Haaland and Szoboszlai’s grappling as the ball trickled towards the goal saw the strike ruled out, with a free kick awarded to City instead, and the Liverpool player given his marching orders.
Silva, who was named player of the match, told Sky Sports that it was a vital win for City.
“I feel the whole team knew before the game if we lost it then the title race was probably over. We felt like we needed to win,” he said.
“The hope is there, and we are going to fight until the end. We need to keep doing our job that we haven’t lately.”
Liverpool boss Arne Slot said he was disappointed not to come away with a result and claimed that several key decisions had gone against his side.
“You cannot compare this game with three or four months ago. We have improved so much – but we need to improve the results,” he told Sky.
“So many times this year we haven’t got what I think we deserve, and this is another time.”
Palace end dire run at Brighton
Earlier on Sunday, Crystal Palace ended a 12-game winless run in all competitions by beating rival Brighton 1-0.
Ismaila Sarr scored the only goal of the match at the Amex Stadium to move Palace nine points clear of the relegation zone and leapfrog Brighton into 13th place.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere and what a way to start my Palace career, a win in a derby,” said Palace’s record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen, who joined from Wolves on deadline day. “It was really important to win, as there has been a run without wins before I joined.
“This is the most intense game I have ever played, so I’m tired now, but it is worth it.”
Sarr’s winner came after running through in the 61st minute and firing past goalkeeper Bart Verburggen. It was his second goal in as many games and his 10th of the season.
Get ready for the return of bow ties for Redondo Union basketball coach Reggie Morris Jr. It’s his signature wardrobe item added whenever the playoffs begin, and the Sea Hawks (25-3) are capable of extending their season for more than a month the way they are playing.
“It means time to dress the part, time to win,” Morris said.
Few coaches in the postseason have achieved what Morris has. The son of City Section Hall of Fame coach Reggie Morris Sr., Morris Jr. has won Southern Section titles at Redondo, Leuzinger and St. Bernard along with winning a City Section title at Fairfax. He has one state title at Redondo.
Reggie Morris Jr., in 2013. He has a collection of bow ties he brings out for the playoffs.
(Nick Koza)
The Sea Hawks are seeded No. 3 in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs behind top-seeded Sierra Canyon (22-1). Both teams are similar, relying on pressure defense, athleticism and talent. If they ever get to meet, the game should be a good one.
“They have great personnel, a great coach,” Morris said. “There’s a lot of respect for what they do.”
Morris is familiar with many of the Sierra Canyon players, having coached them in travel ball, from Maxi Adams to Brannon Martinsen. And he knows Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier, who’s a fellow City Sectiongrad.
Last year in the playoffs, Redondo gave Sierra Canyon two of its toughest games, losing in overtime 69-66 during the Southern Section playoffs and losing 74-68 in the regional semifinals.
“Last year’s experience has helped us tremendously,” Morris said. “The level of intensity, the talent, the attention to detail — they’ve applied that all season long. We have a lot of lessons to pull from.”
Redondo’s big three are SJ Madison, Devin Wright and Chace Holley, all seniors. Playing in the Open Division requires extreme focus on taking it one game at a time and never looking ahead because every game can be won or lost by the slimmest of margins. Redondo opens pool play on Wednesday at home against Etiwanda.
“This year I feel anybody can be beaten,” Morris said. “We can beat anyone and they can beat us.”
Even though the Sea Hawks cruised to their Bay League championship with few challenges, they played a competitive nonleague schedule with two wins over Crestview League champion Crean Lutheran, the No. 1 seed in Division 1, and wins over Arizona power Phoenix Sunnyslope, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Crespi and Damien.
“We’ve played the most teams in the top 15 in Southern California,” Morris said. “We’re confident we can play with anybody. We’re battled tested. We feel we can make noise.”
Sierra Canyon and Redondo have been considered the top two teams in Southern California for months, but the computer rankings put Santa Margarita as the No. 2 seed.
The real surprise would be if either Redondo or Sierra Canyon fails to reach the Open Division championship game the final weekend in February at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.
Just keep track of Morris wearing bow ties in February for clues as to how the Sea Hawks are doing. He has plenty.
Asked what color of red he wears, Morris said, “Game time decision.”
One traveller is urging others to complete a quick safety check before falling asleep in their accommodation after a horrifying experience.
Travel guide asks tourists to do a 10-second task before falling asleep in a hotel(Image: Getty)
If you’re someone who enjoys exploring foreign destinations, you’ll understand how draining travel can sometimes be, and after an action-packed day all you crave is climbing into a comfortable bed. Nevertheless, it’s absolutely vital as a tourist to inspect your hotel room before settling down for the night, as even a brief moment of precaution can help prevent potential issues.
Sue Ross, a travel expert and founder of Sue Where Why What, has revealed she was recently burgled whilst on holiday. She explained: “On my recent trip to St Lucia, I was robbed. I was staying alone in an apartment, and an intruder broke in while I was sleeping and stole from me. It was a sickening experience, but I was also very lucky. “
Sue is now determined to help fellow travellers remain safe and has disclosed that the single hotel safety measure she wishes she’d adhered to was ensuring the windows were shut.
As reported by the Express, she continued: “If there is one big thing I have changed it’s appreciating air conditioning, or using fans to get the air circulating. I will never open the windows at night again.
“Or, only if I’m sure that there is no way of this incident being repeated. If there isn’t any air conditioning or a fan, then again, the higher your room, the better for both safety reasons and access to a cooling breeze.”
Whilst it may appear straightforward, leaving windows open makes it easy for intruders to gain entry, and even occupying a higher floor isn’t without risk if there’s a balcony or fire escape close by.
Simply take a moment to ensure the windows and curtains are fully drawn as this helps keep you as protected whilst you’re sleeping.
You should also think about securing the door before retiring for the night with a rubber doorstop, a more sophisticated alarmed version or even positioning a chair against the door can be sufficient to frighten off intruders.
Burglars typically look for easy opportunities, and any obstruction can make them think the person they are robbing is on high alert so it is not worth the effort.
Taking the time to lock up is usually enough to get robbers to turn away from your room, and thereby keeping you safe while on holiday.
Most guests also avoid using the hotel safe in case they forget their valuables, but it’s a useful place to store your items so that they don’t get stolen.
If you’re worried you might leave behind valuables in the safe box when it’s time to check out, then there’s actually a straightforward method to prevent this.
Simply place your shoes on top of the safe box, as a reminder to check the safe before leaving your hotel room for the airport.
