match

Match of the Day pundits Joe Hart and Danny Murphy analyse Guglielmo Vicario’s mistake for Tottenham that allowed Fulham’s Harry Wilson to produce “a piece of art” and increase the pressure on Spurs manager Thomas Frank.

WATCH MORE: Booing whilst we’re still playing is completely unacceptable – Frank

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Match of the Day’s Joe Hart analyses how Phil Foden made the Etihad Stadium “his dancefloor”, scoring twice – including a late winner – in Manchester City’s 3-2 victory against Leeds United.

WATCH MORE: Foden stars as Man City leave it late to beat Leeds

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Bitter rivals India and Pakistan will face off in Group A at next year’s 20-team competition.

Archrivals India and Pakistan will clash in a politically-charged Twenty20 World Cup match in Colombo on February 15, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said as it announced the draw on Tuesday.

The 20-team tournament will be played across eight venues – five in India and three in Sri Lanka – between February 7 and March 8, the ICC said in a statement.

Pakistan will play all their games in Sri Lanka because of their soured political relations with India.

The March 8 final is scheduled for the western Indian city of Ahmedabad but would be moved to Colombo if Pakistan reach it.

A military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May overshadowed the subsequent Asia Cup 2025 in which India refused to accept the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is Pakistan’s interior minister.

The teams in the tournament have been divided into five groups of four, with the top two advancing to the Super Eight phase. The top four in that will qualify for the semifinals.

Defending champions India will begin their Group A campaign against the United States in Mumbai on February 7.

Sri Lanka and Australia are in Group B, which also includes Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.

England and West Indies, both twice winners, will face first-timers Italy and Asian sides Bangladesh and Nepal in Group C.

New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates make up Group D.

Former Manchester United and Everton striker Wayne Rooney explains how Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest side exploited Liverpool’s weaknesses in their 3-0 win at Anfield.

WATCH MORE: Forest inflict stunning defeat on Liverpool at Anfield

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Inside a dim New Orleans-style bar in Hollywood, dozens of strangers mingle under the thump of pop music while nursing complimentary cocktails. Each person is sporting a name tag along with a personality sticker, or a few, that best captures their vibe. Neat freak. Plant parent. Night owl. Craft beer aficionado.

The scene reads like a friendly singles mixer, but listen to their conversations and it’s clear the chemistry they are hoping for isn’t romantic. They are here to find the perfect roommate.

Participants mingle around the bar area during SpareRoom’s “speed roommating” event at the Sassafras Saloon in Hollywood.

(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

Hosted by rental platform SpareRoom, the monthly “speed roommating” event connects people who are renting rooms with those who are looking for one in a low-key, in-person setting — no endless online profiles to fill out, no awkward interviews. Loosely based on speed dating, sans the timed interactions, attendees put on name tags indicating either “I need a room” or “I need a roommate” along with their ideal budget and neighborhoods. Then they wander freely. One woman passed out flyers for a furnished studio in downtown L.A. with air conditioning, a Murphy bed, an in-unit washer and dryer and streaming TV. Another woman showed people her rental on an iPad.

Pris Liora, 40, who was looking for someone to rent the extra room in her Koreatown apartment, didn’t prepare any questions for potential housemates, saying she just wanted to do a vibe check. Her only deal breakers? “No pets, no children, no cigarette smoking and no secret cocaine problem,” she says with a laugh.

With the average rent for a studio starting about $1,688 per month, $2,166 for a one-bedroom apartment and roughly $2,983 for a two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, according to Apartments.com, more people are embracing shared living arrangements. Rupert Hunt, founder and CEO of SpareRoom, says they’re doing so not only to cut expenses, but also to foster community. The company’s mixers can help spark those connections, he believes — they’ve been hosting speed roommating events in L.A. since June, following successful events in London, San Francisco and New York.

“There’s something so immediate about the event,” says Rupert Hunt, founder and CEO of SpareRoom.

(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

“There’s something so immediate about the event,” Hunt says. “You meet 10 people in the time it would take you to meet one the traditional way.”

Hunt has even found a housemate for himself at one of the mixers. “I love sharing,” says Hunt, who notoriously rented out two rooms in his New York City apartment for just $1. “I think I’m a better version of myself. I think I get a bit lazy if I’m living on my own.”

At the event, Aeris DeLeon, who was wearing a sticker with the phrase “foodie,” says her mother was the person who told her about the speed roommating event. The 25-year-old was temporarily living in Bakersfield but recently moved back home to L.A.

“It was just dead over there and I was just home sick, and it wasn’t really working out for me,” she says.

Upon arrival, attendees can pick out personality stickers with phrases like coffee addict, plant lover and early bird. (Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

She decided to attend the event because it’s more “personable than just going on Craigslist or Facebook, and it’s the best [way] to weed out scammers,” she says. Her mission was to find an apartment that cost $1,300 a month max with someone preferably close in age.

James Caton, 68, was just getting started in his search for a room. After learning that his apartment building — where he’s lived for nearly a decade — might be sold, he jumped into action.

“To me, as soon as you find out, it’s better to go ahead and start looking for something,” says Caton, who attended the mixer with his childhood friend who was looking to rent a room.

SpareRoom’s speed roommating events are free with an RSVP, and each person receives two complimentary drinks along with a one month trial of SpareRoom premium.

Speed roommating is free to attend and comes with complimentary drinks.

(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

Even if attendees didn’t find a roommate at the event, several of them continued their conversations late into the evening. Some even stayed for karaoke at the bar. It seemed that in a world where talking about finances can be seen as taboo, having a space to openly discuss rent prices, how to deal with nightmare landlords and housemates and other grievances was its own win, a moment when they could feel a bit less alone.

In a cagey first quarter, both sides struggled to keep hold of the ball but the Roses edged a 14-11 lead.

The Silver Ferns quickly closed that gap in quarter two as England were punished for their sloppiness and errors began to accumulate.

Head coach Jess Thirlby shuffled the attack end to try to change the momentum, Helen Housby replacing Olivia Tchine at goal shooter as England lacked the potency under the post they had shown in game two.

But the hosts could not prevent New Zealand turning the tables and taking a two-goal lead into half-time.

England rallied after the break, much to the delight of an enthusiastic home crowd, as London Pulse defensive duo Halimat Adio and Funmi Fadoju worked hard to win the ball back and Housby and Lois Pearson combined well in the shooting circle.

But the Roses let things slip in the final couple of minutes of the third quarter, losing their way and allowing New Zealand to take a 42-38 lead going into the final period.

Fadoju claimed a loose Silver Ferns pass early in the final quarter as England tried to claw back the deficit. But defensive hard work was not always rewarded with goals at the other end as New Zealand further stretched their lead.

Shooter Grace Nweke, who has enjoyed a fruitful series, was consistent under the post while Maddy Gordon shone at centre.

Thirlby made changes in attack but no combination had the desired effect and the Roses could not close the gap.

They will face Jamaica in December before taking on South Africa in January as they continue to build up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

No. 1 Nebraska displayed every skill that’s made it a powerhouse program — the offense attacked every part of the court, defense never gave up on the ball and the fans showed up at the Galen Center.

In front of a sellout crowd of 9,072, USC’s nine-match win streak came to an end with a straight-set loss to Nebraska (26-0, 16-0 Big Ten).

“I just felt like the game was a little too fast for us today,” USC coach Brad Keller said. “I thought it was slow for them and fast for us.”

The No. 17 Trojans never led and were limited to a 20% point scoring percentage throughout the match. USC (20-6, 11-5) led in attacks, but its 16 errors were costly during the 25-13, 25-16, 25-20 loss to the Cornhuskers.

USC’s Adonia Faumuina taps the ball over the net against Nebraska at the Galen Center on Sunday.

(Kim Ly / USC Athletics)

“Nebraska is the real deal,” Keller said. “They are really, really good and they showed that today from point one to the very end. They’re hitting .400 and they held us down to .156, that kind of shows you a lot of where they were.

“Go Big Red Nation deserves credit and they deserve the fact that they travel and they support their team.”

USC outside hitters London Wijay, with 10 kills, and Adonia Faumuina, with nine kills, kept the Trojans in as much as possible throughout the three sets. After a break, the Trojans came out with some extra gusto to make things a little interesting for the Cornhuskers.

“We literally had nothing to lose,” Faumuina said.

During the match, Nebraska made 10 errors, with five spread across the first two sets. The Huskers moved the ball quickly around the court and if they made a mistake, the team quickly adjusted. In the third set, a ball bounced in the air close to the floor seats. Nebraska saved the ball and it later led to a kill by Virginia Adrian that put the Huskers three points from closing out the game.

Nebraska kept USC guessing, while exploiting the weaker USC back court and capitalizing on attacking errors. Throughout the match, they kept hitting the ball to the back, usually resulting in a point for them.

“There were some plays they made that I haven’t seen in a while and that was normal for them,” Keller said.

As the Trojans look ahead to their next match against Oregon on Wednesday, Keller doesn’t have a silver lining take-away from the loss.

“I love my team, I don’t care what their age is,” Keller said. “There needs to be a standard and we need to execute and if we don’t execute, we go back to the drawing board, we work on those things, we get better and we execute.”

Wijay said the loss exposed how much harder the Trojans must work to achieve their goals.

“I don’t want to brush off this loss,” Wijay said. “I think it’s good to use as fuel for the next game. It was a good test to see how far we are to get to that level. And I feel like the silver lining is to make sure that we’re all gonna be in the gym working even harder to make sure that we pursue the balls.”

“I think it made me more hungry to want to win,” Wijay added.

The Palestinian national football team played their first match in Europe in a generation against Basque Country at a sold-out stadium in Bilbao, Spain. Players walked onto the pitch with roses instead of children to remember those killed in Israel’s genocide. Despite a 3–0 loss, the game was seen as a symbolic victory for solidarity, with proceeds donated to Doctors Without Borders.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF SOCAL REGIONALS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

OPEN DIVISION
#1 Sierra Canyon d. #8 Mira Costa, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19
#5 Marymount d. #4 San Diego Cathedral, 26-24, 25-20, 25-9
#3 Torrey Pines d. #6 San Juan Hills, 25-15, 25-22, 25-6
#2 Mater Dei d. #7 Redondo Union, 29-27, 25-19, 25-21

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals

DIVISION I
#9 Long Beach Poly at #1 Harvard-Westlake
#12 Bishop Montgomery at #4 West Ranch
#6 Coronado at #3 Santa Margarita
#10 Bakersfield Centennial at #2 Temecula Valley, 5 p.m.

DIVISION II
#9 Arroyo Valley at # 1 Liberty, 5 p.m.
#13 Ventura at #12 La Canada
#6 Scripps Ranch at #3 Cypress
#15 Dana Hills at #7 Carlsbad

DIVISION III
#8 Royal at #1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace
#5 Patrick Henry at #4 Santa Fe Christian
#6 Ontario Christian at #3 Mission Vista
#7 Chadwick at #2 Frontier, 5:30 p.m.

DIVISION IV
#8 Grant at #1 Nipomo
#13 West Valley vs. #12 Capistrano Valley Christian at Capistrano Valley
#5 LA University at #3 Granada Hills
#10 Rock Academy at #2 Mammoth

DIVISION V
#8 Panorama at #1 East Valley
#5 Artesia at #4 Elsinore
#11 Nogales at #3 O’Farrell Charter
#10 South El Monte at #2 Morro Bay, 5 p.m.

Note: Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF SOCAL REGIONALS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

DIVISION I
#1 Harvard-Westlake d. #16 Santa Barbara San Marcos, 25-16, 25-13, 25-16
#9 Long Beach Poly d. #8 San Luis Obispo, 25-22, 25-19, 25-13
#12 Bishop Montgomery d. #5 La Jolla Country Day, 25-23, 25-19, 25-16
#4 West Ranch d. #13 Redlands, 25-19, 21-25, 25-14, 25-13
#3 Santa Margarita d. #14 San Diego San Marcos, 23-25, 25-15, 28-26, 25-15
#6 Coronado d. #11 JSerra, 25-12, 25-20, 25-18
#10 Bakersfield Centennial d. #7 Bishop’s, 19-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12
32 Temecula Valley d. #15 Orange Lutheran, 25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 27-25

DIVISION II
#1 Liberty d. #16 Oak Park, 24-26, 25-12, 25-23, 25-12
#9 Arroyo Grande d. #8 Flintridge Prep, 25-15, 14-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10
#12 La Canada d. #5 Christian, 12-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-19
#13 Ventura d. #4 Santa Ana Foothill, 26-28, 25-15, 20-25, 25-0, 15-11
#3 Cypress d. #14 Venice, 25-15, 25-15, 25-22
#6 Scripps Ranch d. #11 St. Margaret’s, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20
#7 Carlsbad d. #10 Palisades, 25-11, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23
#15 Dana Hills d. #2 Westview, 25-14, 25-19, 25-10

DIVISION III
#1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace d. #16 Arrowhead Christian, 25-11, 25-11, 25-16
#8 Royal d. #9 Garces Memorial, 23-25, 25-9, 25-22, 25-18
#5 Patrick Henry d. #12 Cleveland, 25-17, 25-17, 25-13
#4 Santa Fe Christian d. #13 El Camino Real, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19
#3 Mission Vista d. #14 Taft, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18
#6 Ontario Christian d. #11 Santa Barbara, 25-12, 25-19, 25-22
#7 Chadwick d. #10 Eagle Rock, 16-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17, 15-6
32 Frontier d. #15 Wiseburn Da Vinci, 25-22, 25-20, 25-16

DIVISION IV
#1 Nipomo, bye
#8 Grant d. #9 Oceanside El Camino, 25-7, 25-10, 25-16
#12 Capistrano Valley Christian d. #5 Chatsworth, 16-25, 25-16, 26-24, 20-25, 15-13
#13 West Valley d. #4 Olympian, 18-25, 25-14, 25-20, 20-25, 15-10
#3 Granada Hills d. #14 Cate, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20
#5 LA University d. #11 Garden Grove Pacifica, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22, 25-18
#10 Rock Academy d. #7 Granada Hills Kennedy, 14-25, 25-10, 20-25, 25-13, 15-12
#2 Mammoth d. #15 CAMS, 25-21, 25-18, 25-13

DIVISION V
#1 East Valley, bye
#8 Panorama d. #9 Loma Linda Academy, 25-20, 21-25, 25-13, 30-28
#5 Artesia d. #12 South East, 25-8, 25-6, 25-9
#4 Elsinore d. #13 Legacy, 25-9, 25-20, 25-18
#3 O’Farrell Charter d. #14 Moreno Valley, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20
#11 Nogales at #6 Schurr, 19-25, 29-27, 25-12, 14-25, 15-9
#10 South El Monte d. #7 Foothill Tech, 25-20, 15-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-12
#2 Morro Bay d. #15 Anaheim, 25-6, 25-10, 25-11

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
First Round

OPEN DIVISION
#8 Mira Costa at #1 Sierra Canyon
#5 Marymount at #4 San Diego Cathedral
#6 San Juan Hills at #3 Torrey Pines
#7 Redondo Union at #2 Mater Dei

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions I-V) Nov. 13 at higher seeds; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

Waitrose may be one of the last retailers to unveil its Christmas adverts but it has produced a cracker, with Actress Keira Knightley and comedian Joe Wilkinson making an unlikely match

Actress Keira Knightley and comedian Joe Wilkinson star as the unlikely pairing in a romantic Christmas advert for Waitrose.

The festive offering, directed by Bafta-award winning director Molly Manners, follows Knightley and Wilkinson as their relationship blossoms over a shared love of food.

It begins with Wilkinson’s character, forlorn ‘Phil’, sitting in a pub with mates who are urging him to move on in love. He says of his lost love that “the only person I could move on with was Keira Knightley”, to which his friend replies “good luck with that mate.”

As luck would have it, a downcast Phil pops into a branch of Waitrose and standing at the cheese counter when he asks – at the same moment – for the identical ‘Sussex Charmer’ variety as Knightley. Phil plucks up his courage and asks her out, to which Knightley agrees. From there love slowly blooms. But it all appears to go wrong when Phil finds a present to what he assumes is a love rival. Using his culinary skills, Phil vows to win her heart by recreating Keira’s Nan’s turkey pie recipe.

Knightley, whose big screen hits include Bend It Like Beckham through to Pirates of the Caribbean alongside Johnny Depp, said: “I love food, and so when I received this script where I get to fall head over heels in love over a shared love of cheese, I couldn’t turn it down. I adored working on this silly, fun and delicious film with Joe, and I hope those watching it fall in love too.”

Wilkinson, fresh from starring in hit BBC show The Celebrity Traitors, said: “As you can imagine, it was tough having to eat the delicious Waitrose food and falling in love with Keira, but I just got on with it, like the trooper I am.”

Wilkinson reprises his role as Phil from the grocer’s 2024 ‘whodunnit’ festive advert. The soundtrack features the song She’s A Star by British band James.

Waitrose chief customer officer Nathan Ansell said: “Our four-minute Christmas film – an industry first – pays homage to the seasonal romantic comedy tradition, celebrates the exciting and elevated Waitrose festive food offering, and adds a little more of that warm, fuzzy feeling to the holiday season.”

Ms Manners said: “We had such a great time making the perfect miniature romcom with food as a love language deep at its heart. The combination of Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson is magical in such an unexpected way. I hope they knock your socks clean off, as they did mine.”

Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney believes Virgil Van Dijk’s disallowed goal against Manchester City should have stood, saying that Andy Robertson was not blocking Gianluigi Donnarumma’s vision or impeding his ability to try to make a save.

MATCH REPORT: Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool

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Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy believes Jeremy Doku had “the best game he’s ever had in a Manchester City shirt” as Pep Guardiola’s side dominanted Liverpool in a 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

MATCH REPORT: Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool

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Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney says the “commitment” shown by Aston Villa on and off the ball was the key to their emphatic 4-0 win over Bournemouth at Villa Park.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth

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Match of the Day pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy believe Rob Edwards has “too big a mountain” to climb to keep Wolves in the Premier League, as the Middlesbrough manager is set to takeover at the club he spent four years at as a player.

READ MORE: Edwards to hold Wolves talks as deal agreed with Boro

Match of the Day’s Alan Shearer breaks down the performance of Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko who failed to capitalise on two very good opportunities in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham in the Premier League.

MATCH REPORT: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester United

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Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer explains how Alejandro Garnacho played his “best game” in a Chelsea shirt in their 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

MATCH REPORT: Chelsea 3-0 Wolves

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Final T20 of the five-match series was abandoned after 4.5 overs as thunderstorm and rain forced players off the field in Brisbane.

India have claimed a 2-1 win in the five-match T20 series against Australia after the final match was abandoned due to rain after just 4.5 overs in Brisbane.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat on Saturday, India’s openers Abhishek Sharma (23) and Shubman Gill (29) took the score to 52 for no loss before a thunderstorm swept across the Gabba cricket ground, forcing the players from the field.

Gill took the early initiative and pummelled six fours in his 29 not out. Abhishek was dropped by Glenn Maxwell and Ben Dwarshuis on his way to an unbeaten 23.

The sellout crowd at the Gabba hung around optimistically, waiting for play to resume, but the stormy weather persisted, and the match was abandoned some two and a half hours after it started.

The opening match in the series in Canberra was also washed out before Australia won the second in Melbourne by four wickets on the back of the bowling of paceman Josh Hazlewood.

Australia withdrew Hazlewood and some other players named in the Ashes squad so they could prepare to face England with the red ball, and India won the third T20 by five wickets in Hobart and the fourth on the Gold Coast by 48 runs.

Abhishek was named Player of the Series for his 163 runs at an average of 40.75.

“The way everybody chipped in in every game and we came back from being one match down, I think credit goes to all the boys; a complete team effort,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said.

India, who top the ICC rankings in the shortest format, will head home with confidence and plenty of player options, hoping to defend their T20 World Cup title on home soil early next year.

“I thought all in all it was a good series, two teams really going at it,” said Australia captain Mitch Marsh.

“India won the games when it mattered, so congratulations to them.”

India claimed a 2-1 win in their T20 series against Australia after the fifth and final match in Brisbane was washed out.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat, openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill steered India to 52-0 after 4.5 overs before a thunderstorm forced the players from the field.

Though the storm moved on, heavy rain persisted and the umpires decided no further play was possible.

It is the second match of the series to be washed out after the opener in Canberra on 29 October.

Australia won the second game in Melbourne, but victories in Hobart and the Gold Coast secured the series for the tourists.

India will defend their T20 World Cup title as co-hosts with Sri Lanka in February.

PHOENIX — Jalen Green scored 29 points in his Phoenix debut, Devin Booker added 24 points and the host Suns beat the short-handed Clippers 115-102 on Thursday night.

Green, who missed the Suns’ first eight games with a right hamstring strain, played 23 minutes and was 10 of 20 from the field, including six of 13 from behind the three-point line.

The guard was acquired from Houston in the offseason in the seven-team trade that sent Kevin Durant from Phoenix to the Rockets.

Grayson Allen, playing through an illness, scored 18, Mark Williams had 13 points and nine rebounds and Royce O’Neale scored 17, 11 in the third quarter when Phoenix outscored the Clippers 40-23 to take a 91-74 lead.

The Clippers lost their third straight. They played without James Harden, who missed the game for personal reasons, and Kawhi Leonard, sidelined with a right ankle sprain.

Ivica Zubac led the Clippers with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Cam Christie scored 17 off the bench, John Collins had 13 and Bogdan Bogdanovic 12.

Bradley Beal, in his return to Phoenix, had a miserable night for the Clippers. The veteran guard was two for 14 from the field and finished with five points. Beal played two seasons in Phoenix but was frequently sidelined by injuries. He was booed during introductions and every time he touched the ball during the game.

The Suns took their biggest lead at 104-79 on Allen’s three-pointer with 7:53 to go.