Arsenal returned to winning ways in unconvincing fashion as Mesut Ozil s stunning volley gave them a 1-0 Premier League win over struggling Newcastle United.

The Gunners had failed to win in their last three league games but the visit of Newcastle side without a victory since October will have been viewed as a welcome one.

Most will have expected the floodgates to open when Ozil opened the scoring in magnificent fashion after 23 minutes.

But Arsenal struggled to put the game to bed as Newcastle produced the kind of battling performance their fans have wanted during a worrying slide down the table that has now seen them collect only one point from nine games.

The Magpies began the game just a point above the bottom three and their lack of reward for a com…

American businessman Frank McCourt has taken control of Marseille after the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner completed his purchase of the Ligue 1 outfit.

The deal was finalised on Monday, with McCourt taking over from Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, having entered into exclusive discussions in August.

McCourt, who also owns the Los Angeles Marathon, sold MLB franchise the Dodgers for $2.15billion in 2012, which represents the highest price ever paid for a sports team.

Marseille nine-time winners of France s first division with their last title coming back in 2010 are 12th in the table this season following a 13th-place finish in 2015-16.

Today opens a new chapter in the great history of Olympique de Marseille, McCourt said in a statement. A chapter of which I …

Steven Gerrard feels Liverpool s unexpected title challenge has been built on the foundations of a strong finish to last season.

Brendan Rodgers side sit top of the Premier League going into the last six games of the campaign, and know that a haul of 18 points from their final run of fixtures would give them a first top-flight crown since 1990.

Liverpool are on course to break the all-time Premier League record for goals in a season set by Chelsea, with 103, in 2009-10 having netted a remarkable 88 times in their 32 matches so far.

The Merseyside club have surged to the top of the table on the back of a run of eight straight league victories, and they have not lost since their 2-1 reverse at Chelsea on December 29.

Such form is in stark contrast to recent season…

Pep Guardiola is a man with weak self-confidence according to Bayern Munich doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, who has lambasted the Manchester City manager in his new autobiography.

Muller-Wohlfahrt was established as the orthopaedic surgeon of choice for a number of leading sporting stars, including sprinting great Usain Bolt, and had worked at Bayern for more than 35 years by the time Guardiola was appointed as head coach in 2013.

The pair clashed frequently during Guardiola s tenure, with the former Barcelona boss irritated by Muller-Wohlfahrt s refusal to attend training sessions and reportedly clashing with the veteran physician over a number of issues, including treatment for the injury-plagued Thiago Alcantara.

Matters came to a head after Bayern s 3-1…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola concedes he failed to get the best out of Alexis Sanchez during the pair s solitary season together at Barcelona.

Guardiola s City host Sanchez s Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday in a clash which could have significant ramifications in the title race.

The duo will be reunited after working together at Camp Nou in 2011-12, a campaign which saw Barca lift the UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana, Club World Cup and the Copa del Rey.

Despite that success, Guardiola admits his tactics did not necessarily suit Sanchez, whom he believes is benefiting from being selected as the central striker under Arsene Wenger.

Alexis has played in Chile and in Italy with Udinese and played really well in Barcelona, Guardiola sai…

Rafael Marquez is relishing a reunion with former Barcelona team-mate Samuel Eto o at the FIFA World Cup on Friday.

Mexico take on Cameroon in Group A s second fixture, after hosts Brazil kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 win over Croatia on Thursday.

And defender Marquez is relishing the opportunity to face off against former club-mate Eto o, alongside whom he played from 2004 to 2009.

It s going to be something special, as he is a good friend of mine, and we spent a good time being team-mates in Barcelona, he said. But now he is my opponent and I ll have to do my job and particularly it will be almost always on him.

So I ll try my best, knowing that he is an important player for Cameroon and he is one of the pillars of this team, so I´ll try to do my best. …

Sevilla defender Simon Kjaer has joined Milan on loan with a view to a permanent move after cutting short his spell with Atalanta.

The Denmark international made five Serie A appearances and enjoyed one Champions League outing with Atalanta, but has now joined their Italian rivals.

Sevilla, the club Kjaer moved to from Fenerbahce in 2017, confirmed the switch in a brief statement on Monday, revealing a purchase option that will come into force at the end of the season.

Milan boss Stefano Pioli will hope Kjaer can provide a boost to his flagging side, who sit 10th in the table.

The San Siro club have been buoyed by the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored in Saturday s 2-0 victory over Cagliari to snap a three-game winless streak.

, cedido al …

Ilkay Gundogan was integral once more as Manchester City emphatically beat Tottenham 3-0 to seal an 11th straight Premier League victory and move seven points clear at the top.

Pep Guardiola s team have not lost in any competition since a 2-0 defeat in the reverse meeting with Spurs in November, and the juggernaut never looked likely to stop on Saturday.

City scored with their first three attempts on target – Rodri converting a penalty that Gundogan won before the former Borussia Dortmund man stabbed in his 12th goal of 2020-21.

And three days on from their remarkable 5-4 FA Cup defeat to Everton, any lingering comeback hopes Spurs harboured were dashed when Gundogan fooled Davinson Sanchez to slot in his second, though a groin injury for City s talisman di…

According to Sky Sports, are keen on signing Chelsea s Willian. They claim the Brazilian is unhappy with manager Antonio Conte and will want to leave the club should the Italian continue in his role.

won the FA Cup by beating Manchester United in the final on Saturday. Willian posted the team photo with the trophy on his Instagram account, but he had put images of trophies across the face and form of the manager, hiding him completely. This, naturally, sparked rumours of a rift between them immediately.

And now Sky Sports believe Jose Mourinho is keen on reuniting with the player he himself had brought to Chelsea in 2013. In their second season at Stamford Bridge together, Mourinho and Willian won the Premier League and the League Cup.

Willian has played for C…

Jurgen Klopp confirmed Harvey Elliott suffered a horrific ankle injury in Liverpool s win over Leeds United, as Virgil van Dijk promised the youngster all of the club s support.

Elliott, who has made a bright start to the season for the Reds, suffered the injury in a challenge with Leeds defender Pascal Struijk midway through the second half at Elland Road on Sunday.

Liverpool were leading 2-0 at the time thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabinho, with Elliott receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch before being transferred to hospital.

Struijk, who got the ball with his sliding challenge, was given a straight red card by referee Craig Pawson, with Liverpool going on to cap off a fine performance with Sadio Mane adding a third late on.

Speaking to …