Sport News

No more chocolate, no more Nando's but Emile Smith Rowe will feel it's all worth it. As the Arsenal forward stepped out to train at St George's Park on Tuesday for the first time as a senior England international, he may have reflected on all the sacrifices he has made. None more so than having to ignore his sweet tooth.

Last week's dramatic loss of a two-goal lead at home to Brighton was a warning. They could have lost then too. On Sunday, there was no escape despite a late renaissance. And despite all the protests afterwards, it signified the Reds' first Premier League defeat of the season. This is no in-depth crisis dissection though. Jurgen Klopp's (left) side are still just four points off the top of the table, are in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and have cruised into the Champions League last-16 from a unquestionably tricky group. We'll leave the 'where is it all going wrong?' pieces to Manchester United down the road. Yet there have been signs in the opening three months that Liverpool are not quite at the level of their two 95-plus point seasons. Perhaps that's natural - they in itself were freakily impressive accomplishments. But despite a positive start to this campaign, the most obvious indication of a slight dip has been defensively.

Justin Gaethje (right) warned that he would 'riot' if he misses out on a title shot next - and that was before he delivered a brutal, brilliant display to beat Michael Chandler. The American banished the ghost of Khabib Nurmagomedov by finally stepping back into the octagon and putting his name right back in the frame. Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (inset top) is taking on Dustin Poirier (inset bottom) on December 11 and the victor will surely face either Gaethje or Islam Makhachev (left) next.

The latter stages of a world title fight are usually tense, breathless and dramatic - but listening to a casual conversation between Caleb Plant and Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night would give you the impression it was anything but.  Canelo emerged victorious against the American after securing a stoppage in the 11th round of their undisputed clash in Las Vegas, becoming the king of the welterweight division with four title belts. But just two rounds earlier both fighters had stood off each other for around 20 seconds as Plant began chatting to his opponent in the ninth - complimenting him on his skills and asking what he thought of his own. 

NASSER HUSSAIN: For England to be within two games of holding both white-ball World Cup titles six years after hitting rock bottom in Adelaide with a 50-over defeat by Bangladesh is an extraordinary achievement. And to have reached Wednesday's Twenty20 semi-final against New Zealand here after losing so many players to injury - Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran before the tournament, Tymal Mills and Jason Roy during it - is phenomenal, too. This, of course, is a rematch of that great day at Lord's in 2019 with the same two wonderful captains in charge. We all recognise how good Eoin Morgan (left) is but I think Kane Williamson (right) is almost as good, if not as good. It is a battle of two of the greats (pictured inset before the 2019 World Cup final).

Ever bullish, Andrea Radrizzani, the Leeds United chairman, sat down in front of an audience in Lisbon earlier this month to articulate his vision for the Premier League club. 'If we stay in it this year I think we can go much more than last year and go into the top six,' the Italian told Web Summit attendees last week. 'Start to renovate the stadium and continue to grow the value of this club.' It is a rosy vision of the future. It is also one that is currently under threat by the club's form on the pitch. As things stand, the size of that 'if' is quite substantial. Marcelo Bielsa (left) and his side have failed to build on the swashbuckling form that saw them win over the hearts and minds of many football fans during their first season back in the big time. Their top-half finish - a widely lauded ninth place - was thoroughly merited. This season, those lofty heights haven't been quite so easy to reach.

UFC star Michael Chandler has been forced to wear a ice mask to help him recover from the injuries he suffered in his brutal fight with Justin Gaethje. The 35-year-old was left bloodied and bruised following his defeat after three hard rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday.  Now back home in Nashville, Tennessee, Chandler posted a video on Instagram of him explaining why he was wearing the mask to his four-year-old adopted son Hap Whitaker.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn't one to shy away from experimental fashion choices and he took to social media on Tuesday to highlight that again. Captioned with a butterfly emoji, Calvert-Lewin took to Instagram to reveal he will be on the front cover of The Homme + Magazine for issue 56 of their publication. Dressed in a white polkadot shirt, black tie and blazer, the Everton and England striker completes the bold look in flared suit shorts, white socks and smart shoes.

David Moyes could only scoff when asked if it would prove easier for clubs to sign Declan Rice next summer as he continues to hold off signing a new deal. 'There was a bargain to be got with Declan at £100million,' he said. 'That bargain's now gone.' Under contract at the London Stadium until the summer of 2024, Rice has elevated himself to become the face of a West Ham team that is pushing to break up the Champions League elite. Comments around Rice right now are gushing - and in some cases both premature and over the top. No, he isn't, as John Terry boldly claimed on Twitter, the best defensive midfielder in world football, but at 22 Rice is thriving and is continuing to get better and better.

Eddie Howe (left) took his first Newcastle training session (right) on Tuesday after a rigorous opening day in the Magpies role that started just before 7am. On Monday, the 43-year-old was confirmed as Newcastle's first appointed manager following the Saudi takeover of the club earlier this year, signing a contract until 2024.  And Howe took no time at all to get stuck into his new role a day later, arriving with his assistants at the club's training ground in the dark at around 6.55am, with the former Bournemouth coach taking control of his first training session later in the day.

Neil Warnock had celebrated his 1,602nd game in charge, breaking the record for the most matches managed in the Football League, so having such unprecedented experience behind him must have helped when he was so unceremoniously sacked only days later. The Middlesbrough boss passed the record set by former Crewe coach, Dario Gradi, when he presided over a 3-1 defeat away to Luton Town. However, the next game, his 1,603rd, might yet prove to be his last as a boss as he was sacked before - yes, before - a creditable draw at high-flying West Brom. Despite such an inglorious end at Boro, Warnock is still as feisty as ever. He has enjoyed an incredibly successful time in management and an extraordinarily colourful one, annotated with enough feuds, confrontations and one liners to fill several volumes.

The waves are crashing overboard on the ship that is Manchester United right now, that much is no secret to anybody. Seas are getting rougher and, at this precise moment, kinder elements do not appear to be on the horizon for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (right). Of the unhappy crew mates, Bruno Fernandes (left) appears to be the one with the biggest axe to grind. The Portuguese talisman is far from happy. He went missing during the abject Old Trafford defeat to noisy neighbours Man City and former Red Gary Neville labelled him 'too emotional' in the aftermath. So, is Fernandes himself part of the problem?

Shock wins, Covid-hit teams and refereeing woes as the regular season hits halfway. Bill Belichick defended his quarterback while MP Peter Bone explained his connection to the NFL.

Under Roy Hodgson Crystal Palace would always be steady and the risk of relegation was typically minimal but Patrick Vieira (left) seems to have put forth a shift in mentality, one in which players and fans can feel Palace is the place to go to realise ambition. 'We have high ambitions, the team have big ambitions and myself as well,' defender Joachim Andersen (top right, with Marc Guehi) said recently. 'We are just trying to win every game.' Vieira arrived with an ageing squad that was in need of an injection of youth. Tipped to be in a dogfight akin to what Newcastle, Burnley and Watford find themselves in at the bottom, Palace are proving their doubters wrong with strength in depth, youngsters on the rise, Conor Gallagher (main, with Wilfried Zaha) in contention for Young Player of the Year and older players like James McArthur (bottom right) have a new lease of life.