Everton sacked manager Rafa Benítez on Sunday following a 2-1 defeat at Norwich City which left the Merseyside club six points above the Premier League relegation zone in 16th place, after 19 matches.
Appointed six months ago, the former Liverpool manager was a controversial choice for Everton supporters and after a promising start to the season his side slid down the table.
Watching Ricardo Pepi make his first Augsburg start on Sunday against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, I realized that either Pepi's performance was exactly the same as the debuts of Clint Dempsey with Fulham, Christian Pulisic with Borussia Dortmund and Tyler Adams with Leipzig or that I have a tendency to see exactly what I want to see when hugely talented Americans finally grace the field in Europe.
Anthony Martial has denied refusing to be in Manchester United's squad for Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa after interim manager Ralf Rangnick said the Frenchman did not want to be involved.
The 26-year-old forward has started only two league games this season and has not featured since a 3-2 win over Arsenal on Dec. 2. Martial's representative has said he wants to secure a move in January to get more game time.
United are struggling for players due to injuries, COVID-19 and the Africa Cup of Nations but Martial played no part in the 2-2 draw with Villa.
A Spanish Cup clash between rivals Sevilla and Real Betis was abandoned on Saturday after Sevilla player Joan Jordan was struck in the head by an object thrown from the stands.
Video replays showed a pole-shaped object hitting Jordan on the head moments after Nabil Fekir had equalized for hosts Betis to draw the last 16 tie level at 1-1 at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Weston McKennie has now scored two headed goals in the span of three days for Juventus. The American netted a goal in the Supercoppa Italiana on Wednesday and was once again a menace in the air on Saturday against Udinese. The McKennie goal vs Udinese provided Juventus with some breathing space as the Italian giants won 2-0.
BIRMINGHAM — Aston Villa debutant Philippe Coutinho came off the bench to inspire a thrilling comeback in a gripping 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.
United appeared to be on course for a second win of the week against Steven Gerrard's side as Bruno Fernandes struck in each half - the first goal courtesy of a dreadful error by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Here's the goal that gave Manchester United their 1-0 lead over Aston Villa.
Si tienes un penal a favor en la vida, siempre es bueno tener a mano el número de Raúl Jiménez para que vaya a cobrarlo.
El mexicano es un experto desde los doce pasos y hoy volvió a demostrarlo en la victoria por 3-1 del Wolverhampton sobre el Southampton. La conquista además le sirvió al Lobo para acabar con una sequía de 55 días sin goles.
El reencuentro de Jiménez con las redes ocurrió en el minuto 37 del primer tiempo, luego de que el VAR determinará un foul dentro del área sobre el francés Rayan Aït-Nouri.
COLOGNE — Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski got a hat trick to make it 300 Bundesliga career goals as he steered them to a 4-0 win at Cologne on Saturday that restored a six-point lead at the top.
The Bavarians, chasing a record-extending 10th consecutive league title, bounced back from last week's loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach and have 46 points from 19 games with Dortmund in second place on 40.
Arsenal's north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday has been postponed because their squad has been depleted by COVID-19 infections, injuries and players away at the Africa Cup of Nations, the Premier League said on Saturday.
Arsenal had asked the league on Friday to delay the derby - the 21st match to be called off this season.
Our match against Tottenham on Sunday, January 16 has been postponed. #TOTARS
Barring a Manchester City disaster, the 2021-22 Premier League title race appears all but sorted as City defeated second-place Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday. The victory was City’s 12th straight in the league as the defending champions look set to win a fourth Premier League title in the last five seasons.
Despite the close score Manchester City looked the clear favorite throughout the 90 minutes. I apologize to my fellow Americans, but the attack force of Christian Pulisic, Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech was as dangerous as a dandelion.