League

Coventry City edge towards Premier League promotion – who will join them?

Middlesbrough, who went into the Easter weekend in the top two, still had the opportunity to end it there with victory at Swansea City in the 17:30 BST game.

Alex Bangura set them on their way with a 12th-minute goal but, after two Zan Vipotnik penalties put the Swans in front, Boro needed a Tommy Conway spot-kick to rescue a point.

Boro are floundering with two wins in their past 10 matches and while they scored more than once for the first time in five games, the feeling remains they are a frustrating and inconsistent proposition in front of goal.

Manager Kim Hellberg said after the match there would be more “twists and turns” to come in the fight for promotion – after a day of such similar rollercoaster emotions.

“You’ve got three teams on 72 points – Ipswich have some games in hand, so they’re in a better position than the other two, but we are in a better position than Millwall because of our better goal difference,” he told BBC Radio Tees.

“There will be twists and turns. No team will just go and win games. It’s difficult and you need to just try in this period to get those points and wins.

“We have to keep fighting. It’s tough we didn’t win, because we thought we were good enough in the game to win, but then you have to do it.

“The easy answer at the moment is that we’re not being clinical enough or smart enough in different ways.”

With a four-point deficit to Ipswich, and a vastly inferior goal difference, plus the games in hand the Tractor Boys hold, Hull can be considered the outsiders in this race.

But the Tigers showed against Coventry they can match anyone in the division and once again reaffirmed the fantastic job Sergej Jakirovic has done in his first season in English football under a transfer embargo.

Although when asked about what that point means in terms of the wider context of Hull’s season, Jakirovic was talking more play-offs than automatic promotion.

“Somebody said it is 73, 74, 75 [to reach the play-offs] but God knows how many. Until we are in this position we will just look at ourselves and try to take points in every game,” Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

“Norwich are coming, Derby is there, Southampton… but, no matter, we must look at ourselves.”

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta calls for perspective before crucial Sporting Champions League tie

When Arsenal face Sporting in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, there will be much more riding on the game than just a knockout match in Lisbon.

For many, this is where the Gunners need to show back-to-back defeats, against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and the damaging loss to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final, will not leak into their European and Premier League campaigns.

Arsenal have been tagged as the ‘nearly men’ under Mikel Arteta with three successive second-placed finishes in the Premier League in the last three seasons.

But the Gunners have played a ruthless style of football this season, which has seen them establish a nine-point lead in the Premier League, reach the final of one cup competition and, depending what happens in two legs against Sporting, at least the quarter-final stage of the two other cup campaigns they began.

Their style of play has been questioned at times but now it is the team’s mentality that is coming under the spotlight.

The Gunners have been so impressive this season that their defeats by City and Saints are the first time they have lost successive matches this campaign, while the loss on the south coast was just the fifth of the season.

But, with the Champions League and Premier League the top prizes for the Gunners, this is where Arteta needs to show the pain of coming so close in precious campaigns is not going to overwhelm his side as they look to win their first major trophy since 2020.

“Have some perspective about how difficult it is what we have done until now,” said Arteta, when asked how he and the team prevent a longer run of defeats.

“Feel the pain, feel the emotion and use it to be better and improve.”

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Champions League: Bayern Munich waiting on fitness of ‘very special’ Harry Kane

Bayern Munich are waiting on the fitness of “very special” Harry Kane to see if he can lead their challenge to overcome Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final.

The 32-year-old England captain took part in training in Munich on Monday morning, before travelling to Madrid with the rest of Bayern’s squad after the “minor issue” – believed to be an ankle knock – that kept him out of England’s friendly defeat against Japan at Wembley.

Kane was also missing for Bayern’s 3-2 victory against Freiburg, and coach Vincent Kompany was playing his cards close to his chest about his involvement at The Bernabeu.

Kompany said a final decision on whether Kane starts will be made on Tuesday, but speaking on Monday evening, he said: “Harry’s part of the team so that’s positive for us. We have to wait until tomorrow (Tuesday) to get the final information, then we will make our decision.

“It was important that he did a lot of training today (Monday). I don’t think he’s lost his rhythm.”

Kane is a key part of Bayern’s plans for the quarter-final first leg, having scored 10 goals in the Champions League this season. He is also the Bundesliga’s leading scorer with 31 this season.

Bayern team-mate Joshua Kimmich underlined Kane’s importance, as he said: “How many goals has he scored? How many assists does he have? Forty or 50 this season?

“This shows how important he is – apart from all the goals – extremely vital for our game.

“We are glad he is here with us. He is not only a poacher or a selfish goalscorer just trying to score as many goals as he can for us.

“He is an absolute leader who is always trying to have the maximum success for the team. This is a very special mindset for an attacking player. He’s a role model.”

Kimmich added: “It is important to have Harry on the pitch with us with all his qualities of leadership.”

Kompany fielded several questions on Kane’s fitness, saying: “Harry Kane knows how important this game is, but it is important to take a decision with each player.

“You keep asking about Harry Kane and to be honest I like it. I don’t mind but I don’t give you an answer.”

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Angel Reese is traded to Atlanta Dream after two years with Chicago

Angel Reese has a new WNBA home.

After spending her first two seasons with the Chicago Sky, the two-time All Star has been traded to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, the teams announced Monday morning. Atlanta also receives the option to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.

“An Angel’s DREAM,” Reese posted on X. “ATL WHAT UP?!”

Reese was already a star before coming to the WNBA after helping Louisiana State win the national championship over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in 2023 and leading the Tigers back to the Elite Eight the following year.

Selected by Chicago with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft, Reese finished as runner-up to Clark in rookie-of-the-year voting and led the league in rebounds per game in each of her first two seasons. Overall, she has averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds a game.

The Sky have gone 23-61 and missed the playoffs both seasons since drafting Reese. On Sept. 3, the Chicago Tribune published quotes from the star player that indicated her frustration with the team’s inability to build a winning roster and an inclination to leave if the organization isn’t able to get it right.

“I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me,” Reese told the Tribune.

After the Sky’s 88-64 victory over the Connecticut Sun that night, Reese told reporters she had apologized to her teammates about the article.

“I think the language is taken out of context,” she said, “and I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates, because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year. They’ve busted their ass, just how I bust my ass, they showed up for me through thick and thin, and in the locker room when nobody could see anything.”

Reese did not play for Chicago again. She was suspended half a game for her comments, which were deemed “detrimental to the team,” served a separate mandatory one-game suspension by the WNBA for receiving eight technical fouls during the season and missed the final three games of the season with what was listed as a back injury.

The Sky said in a statement Monday that the “trade is designed to achieve roster balance and represents a great opportunity for all parties.”

“Angel has achieved many record-breaking milestones in her first two years in the WNBA and has been a competitive force for the Sky,” the team wrote. “We are thankful for her many important contributions to this league and this game, and we know she will continue to have a big impact on the court and beyond.”

Reese joins an Atlanta team that went 30-14 and finished first in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs. The roster includes Allisha Gray, who finished fourth in the MVP voting last season, as well as sixth player of the year Naz Hillmon and All-Star Brionna Jones.

“Angel is a dynamic talent and a perfect fit for what we are building in Atlanta,” Dream general manager Dan Padover said in a statement. “She has already proven herself as one of the most impactful players in the league, and her competitiveness, production and drive to win align seamlessly with our vision. This is an exciting moment for our organization and our fans.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Champions League: How Rangers could bypass qualifiers by winning Scottish Premiership

Since 2024, European governing body Uefa has given club coefficients over the latest five-year period an important role via something called “title-holder rebalancing”.

Therefore, should the Champions League winners have also qualified for the league phase via their domestic league position, “the club with the best individual coefficient of all the domestic champions involved in qualifying will enter the league phase directly instead of the original round they had qualified for”.

Ironically, last season’s beneficiaries were Olympiakos, with European champions Paris St-Germain having already qualified as French title winners.

The Piraeus side had finished seven points behind Athens neighbours AEK in the Greek Super League but this season the positions look likely to be reversed.

A 1-0 defeat at home to an AEK side for whom former Hearts left-back James Penrice was back in the starting line-up after a two-game absence leaves Olympiakos five points adrift of the leaders.

Indeed, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side have slipped to third behind PAOK Salonica, who drew 0-0 at home to Panathinaikos with former Celtic left-back Greg Taylor an unused substitute on the bench.

There are five games left of the title play-offs, during which the top four play one another twice and statisticians suggest Olympiakos only have a 16% chance of securing a 49th domestic title.

Olympiakos are again the club with the most co-efficient points from countries outside the top six in Europe but, if they fail to retain that title, Rangers are next in line for that spot straight into the Champions League’s league phase.

There will be more than a few Rangers supporters monitoring the results when AEK entertain PAOK while Panathinaikos host Olympiakos next on Sunday, 19 April.

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Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Gabriel return to training before Champions League tie against Sporting

Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Gabriel have trained before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final with Sporting.

Midfielder Rice, 27, left the England squad following a medical assessment during March’s international break and missed Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton.

Brazil defender Gabriel, meanwhile, was forced off with a knee issue after taking a knock during the defeat on the south coast.

Both players were involved in first-team training at the club’s London Colney base on Monday before Mikel Arteta’s side travel to Lisbon for the first leg.

Belgian winger Leandro Trossard also returned to training but Bukayo Saka was not involved after he also left the England camp early.

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Will entertainment-led Rock League be future of curling?

Seven Scots will be playing – five of whom were at the Winter Olympics in Cortina and another couple who were at the recent World Championship – while 2022 Olympic gold medallist Eve Muirhead will take on a general manager role.

Mouat skips Northern Shield and is joined by Olympic mixed doubles partner Jen Dodds and Robin Brydone.

Muirhead joins Hammy McMillan in the other European franchise, Alpine Curling Club. “I think we’ve five Olympic medals between us from this recent Games, which is pretty incredible,” Muirhead, who was Team GB’s chef de mission, said.

Grant Hardie is with American outfit Frontier Curling Club and Ross Whyte joins Canadian team Maple United.

Perhaps most interestingly, Bobby Lammie is part of Asian franchise Typhoon Curling Club and will team up with girlfriend Seol Ye-eun.

“That could be an interesting dynamic,” he tells BBC Sport Scotland. “I’m looking forward to it, but hopefully we don’t fall out.”

“The main challenge for us, in the Asian franchise, is going to be the language barrier because there’s Chinese players, Japanese, Korean, as well as New Zealand, and Sweden. But that’s part of the fun.”

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Man City captain Silva to leave Premier League club at season’s end | Football News

Silva will leave Manchester City after winning the Champions League and six Premier League titles during his nine-year spell.

Manchester City ‌‌captain Bernardo Silva will leave the club ⁠⁠at the ⁠⁠end of the season, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed.

“Every good story comes to an end,” Lijnders told reporters after City’s 4-0 FA ‌‌Cup quarterfinal victory over Liverpool on Sunday.

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“I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks left – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention.”

The 31-year-old Portugal international, who has ⁠⁠won six Premier League titles and the Champions League during nine years at the Etihad ⁠⁠Stadium, will depart as a free agent when his contract expires after the campaign concludes.

Pep Guardiola, who was serving a touchline suspension during the match, has previously described Silva ⁠⁠as “irreplaceable”.

Silva joined City from AS Monaco ⁠⁠in 2017 for a reported fee of about $57.35m and has since made 450 appearances for the club.

Known ⁠⁠for his tactical versatility, superb technique and tireless work rate, the midfielder has ⁠⁠been a cornerstone of City’s ⁠⁠side under Guardiola.

After winning the League Cup last month, City remain in contention for a domestic treble as the 2025-26 campaign enters ‌‌its final weeks, despite trailing Premier League leaders Arsenal by nine points.

The Manchester club have a game ‌‌in ‌‌hand and eight matches remaining to bridge the deficit.

Silva will become the second major player to leave the top four Premier League clubs this season, joining Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah, who confirmed he will exit the defending champions in May.

The 33-year-old Egypt international confirmed the news via a video message on his social media accounts last month.

“Unfortunately, the day has come. This is ‌‌the first part of my farewell,” Salah said. “I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.”

Signed from AS Roma in 2017, Salah established himself as one ⁠⁠of the best players in the club’s ⁠⁠history, helping Liverpool to two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups, as ‌‌well as an FA Community Shield.

He has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, making him the club’s all-time third ‌‌highest ‌‌goal scorer, during which he won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions.

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How ‘Swiss Leicester’ Thun ran away with the Super League

Thun’s story provides a timely reminder that at football’s core are people, connection and emotion.

Lustrinelli knows this better than most. Months after scoring 20 goals in 30 league games during that historic 2004-05 campaign, he became a club legend by scoring twice as Thun defeated Sweden’s Malmo in the Champions League play-offs to reach the group stage.

“When I came back to Thun, the possibility to live one more time something special was in my head and my heart,” Lustrinelli said.

“My mission is to help this club, the players, to reach something special and historical. To go to the glory. But it’s not just a mission, it’s a joy.”

If he and his players finish the job, it would sit alongside the underdog triumphs of Kaiserslautern in 1997-98, Leicester in 2015-16 and Sweden’s Mjallby in 2025.

“History tells us sometimes crazy things happen in football,” added Lustrinelli.

“Some value is not with money. For the future it’s important that you can have something good without money.

“One of the most beautiful things we can do is show the world there are crazy moments, and for the kids in the stadium, so that they can hope to become footballers in the future and give emotions.”

The traditional title contenders can’t begrudge Thun their moment in the spotlight, either.

“That’s why we love football, because it has its own rules, and stories like this go around the world. All of Switzerland is happy for FC Thun,” said Young Boys and former Thun winger Christian Fassnacht.

It looks like football history is about to be written. But will the heroes on the pitch join their president in the lake?

“That’s the smallest thing we would do,” said captain Burki.

“I cannot speak for everyone, but I think they have no other choice.”

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How Arsenal are building something ‘special’ in Champions League

Slegers described an “unbelievable performance” in the second leg because of the fightback Arsenal knew Chelsea would give.

Goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar returned to the starting XI and put in a stunning performance, denying Sam Kerr on several occasions in the second half.

England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was a rock at the back in the absence of Leah Williamson and Arsenal were not shaken when fellow centre-half Steph Catley went off with a calf injury at the end of the first half.

In-form striker Alessia Russo was full of tricks and flicks. The England international usually keeps touches on the ball to a minimum but she did what it took to escape tricky situations when pressure was building.

Slegers said her team were prepared to “suffer” in order to get what they wanted and it paid off in the end.

“It’s suffering for something you love. I think that’s what the team did really well. They were prepared for a difficult scenario and for momentum shifts,” she added.

“In the first 15 minutes, potentially at the end of the game when things changed again, they just stayed in the ‘controlled middle’, as we call it.

“They stayed in the game and were constantly in control of whatever scenario or momentum swing. They did their job. Mentally we were in control.

“Of course, we wanted to stop them getting chances and in an ideal world there are no shots but it was two really good teams going against each other.”

Former England captain Steph Houghton said Arsenal were “better in big moments” and deserved to progress on the balance of the tie.

Brighton forward Fran Kirby added: “Arsenal allowed Chelsea to have the ball, they were comfortable in their block and defensively worked really hard.

“With the opportunities that they had, they could even have gone on and won the game, so they will be really proud of the performance.

“It showed a different side to Arsenal. It showed what they can do when they have to defend.”

Arsenal will hope to book their place in the final when they take on the winner between Lyon and Wolfsburg – who play each other on Thursday night.

The final takes place on 23 May in Oslo, Norway.

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NBA Europe: Billion-dollar bids made for franchises in proposed league

The NBA has received several billion-dollar bids for teams in the proposed European league, BBC Sport understands.

Initial plans for ‘NBA Europe’ are for 10 to 12 franchises that would stay in the league on an annual basis.

It is understood multiple bids worth between $500m and $1bn (£375m to £750m) have been made, while there are also several above the billion-dollar mark.

Europe’s best teams currently compete in the EuroLeague, which was started by basketball’s international governing body Fiba but has been run by Euroleague Basketball since 2000.

Mark Tatum, the NBA’s deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, said the NBA had “received significant interest from a range of prospective teams”.

The league is expected to be made up of new franchises, current basketball teams and football clubs who may or may not already have associated basketball teams.

More than a dozen existing teams have been in talks with the NBA, including some EuroLeague teams, sources said.

BBC Sport has contacted EuroLeague for comment.

Reports have previously said that EuroLeague has concerns about the new venture, threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new competition.

With a current working title of NBA Europe, the plan is to launch the new league as soon as the 2027-28 season.

As many as 16 teams across the continent could be involved, with a team from both London and Manchester expected to feature.

Tatum said: “The level of engagement and the scale of the bids reflect the marketplace’s belief in our proposed model and the enormous, untapped potential for European basketball.

“We will now review the bids in more detail and shortlist the partners who share our vision and commitment to accelerating the growth of the game across the continent.”

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VAR: FSA survey finds 75% of Premier League fans against system

There is little prospect of VAR being removed from the Premier League, or having its remit reduced.

In 2024, 19 out of 20 top-flight clubs voted to keep VAR, with only Wolves voting against, having proposed the poll themselves.

In order for VAR to be scrapped, 14 out of the 20 Premier League clubs would have to vote against it following a new proposal for abolition by a club.

The independent key match incident (KMI) review panel estimates there has been an accuracy rate of 96-97% for refereeing decisions made in Premier League matches since the introduction of VAR, while time delays caused by VAR have dropped by 25% in the past two seasons.

This year an FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle United, which did not have VAR, featured three significant refereeing errors, leading it to being labelled the best advert yet for the technology.

The Premier League said: “VAR delivers more correct decisions.

“In recent seasons, there have been around 100 correct VAR overturns per season – instances where goals would otherwise have been incorrectly awarded or disallowed, or red cards or penalties missed or wrongly given.

“The league applies a high threshold for VAR intervention, with the referee’s call taking precedence. As a result, VAR is less intrusive in the Premier League than in other European leagues, including the Champions League, where VAR intervenes almost twice as often.”

But the FSA believes the results of its survey should be listened to and acted upon.

“Supporters naturally raise their concerns and they fall on deaf ears far too much,” Concannon says.

“That’s really disappointing, especially when all we hear is that the fans are the lifeblood of the game.

“Don’t just ignore what supporters are telling you in great numbers – that the enjoyment of football isn’t there any more in comparison to what it used to be.”

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Connecticut Sun reach deal to relocate team to Houston in 2027

The Connecticut Sun have reached an agreement to sell the team to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for $300 million and will move to Houston in 2027, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press on Friday because the deal hasn’t been announced publicly.

The WNBA Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and the move. The team will play in Connecticut for the upcoming season before moving to Houston and becoming the Comets again.

This will end a 23-year run by the team in New England after the team moved to Connecticut from Orlando in 2003.

Houston was one of the groups that expressed interest in buying the team last year, eventually raising its bid to $250 million — the amount that Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia paid for expansion fees. Now with the $300 million sale price that’s the highest a team has been sold for in WNBA history.

The Sun had an offer for $325 million from a group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca that would have moved the franchise to Boston. The WNBA basically blocked that deal from happening by saying that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams.”

The league also went on to say that other teams had gone through the expansion process and had priority over Boston.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during a news conference to announce the three new expansion teams that Houston was up next.

Ever since Mark Davis bought the Las Vegas Aces in 2021, the league has added new owners that have some sort of NBA tie. Golden State, which came into the league last season, is owned by the Warriors. Portland and Toronto are coming into the WNBA this season and the ownership groups are connected to NBA teams.

The next three expansion teams — Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — are all owned by NBA groups in those cities.

The WNBA just agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement last week where teams need to have top notch facilities similar to those of NBA franchises.

With the news of the deal on Friday, it allows the franchise to have clarity for potential free agents who could sign with the Sun next month.

The Houston Comets were one of the original franchises in the league that won the first four WNBA championships from 1997-2000. The franchise disbanded after the 2008 season.

The last WNBA team to move cities was the Las Vegas Aces, who relocated from San Antonio in 2017.

Feinberg writes for the Associated Press.

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Super League: York Knights 14-26 Wakefield Trinity

It was a scoreline which looked emphatic enough at the hooter but was built on rather shaky foundations with a poor start from the visitors.

Indeed, if the first half was a poor advert for Super League, Wakefield more than played their part in that by coughing up three penalties in the first quarter of an hour, struggling under the high ball and gifting 75% possession to their hosts.

York have shaken better teams than Wakefield already, making an assured start to Super League with victory over reigning champions Hull KR and suffering a narrow one-point defeat by Wigan.

Yet for all the ball they had here, and despite multiple chances from inside 10 metres, they came away from the first 20 minutes with just one converted try from Wood to show for it.

It always looked a light haul and, as Wakefield slowly started to get their own game into gear, it became clear the Knights were going to pay for a lack of finishing power when they had the chance.

On 18 minutes, York’s Williams dropped the ball as he went over which was to prove the first of two costly mistakes.

Wakefield’s Hamlin-Uele levelled matters shortly after, charging in from two metres with a great angled dart. Max Jowitt added the extras.

A crossfield kick from Ata Hingano gathered and touched down by 37-year-old Jones-Bishop restored York’s advantage at 10-6 but a poor miss from the goal attempt from Williams, his kick drifting wide from 15 metres just outside the right hand post, proved a body blow.

A Pratt try out wide for Trinity on the left flank and Jowitt adding the extras delivered a 12-10 half time lead, an advantage they never gave up.

Johnstone erred early in the second half, knocking on 10 metres out but York failed to capitalise, Paul McShane fumbling a pass with the line beckoning.

At the other end, Corey Hall went close to going in for Wakefield in the left corner only for the try to be ruled out for an elbow in touch.

Johnstone’s redemption was close at hand, though, with the Trinity winger dotting down hard against the left touchline on 57 minutes.

Jowitt was sin-binned for kicking Will Dagger’s hand as he tried to get the ball down and, despite Xavier Va’a being held up, York finally made the extra man count with Williams going over in the left corner.

But Wakefield were to finish strongly, first with 12 then back to a full complement.

Johnstone, less than convincing with his hands earlier, was dazzling with his feet on 75 minutes, picking a Hall offload and stepping inside Dagger to make it 22-14 with Jack Sinfield adding the two.

York started to fray – they had lost Toa Mata’afa to a nasty looking elbow injury just before Johnstone’s second – and with Rowitt back on, Pratt scored his second to secure victory.

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BBC Sport weekly quiz: How many Premier League Golden Boots has Mohamed Salah won?

So much has happened over the past seven days, including the Carabao Cup final, World Indoor Athletics Championships and possibly the most clinical performance of all time in football’s Championship.

That last one’s still up for debate, but what isn’t is 4% of quizzers getting full marks in last week’s edition. Will you make the grade this week?

After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.

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