England

Everton's in-form striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted a brace and midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure scored his first goal for the club as they beat Fulham 3-2 to return to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday.

Brazilian forward Richarlison, returning from a three-match ban, picked up a loose ball and ran wide to cross for Calvert-Lewin who tapped in his ninth league goal of the campaign 42 seconds into the contest.

LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur moved top of the Premier League after a classic Jose Mourinho inspired performance delivered a 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on Saturday.

Goals in each half from Son Heung-min and substitute Giovani lo Celso, secured the three points and a fourth straight league win for Spurs, who are two points ahead of second-placed Chelsea.

LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho on Friday asked England manager Gareth Southgate to name the club managers who pressure players not to represent the national team and also explain why Raheem Sterling was withdrawn from the national squad this week.

Player fatigue has become a major issue due to the tight fixture schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Southgate had said some players were keen to play for their country but found themselves in a "difficult situation" with their clubs.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp refused to blame Mohamed Salah after the forward contracted COVID-19 having attended his brother's wedding in Egypt, although the German said he would personally avoid social engagements.

Videos emerged of Salah dancing during the ceremony without a face mask or socially distancing, with the 28-year-old later testing positive for the novel coronavirus ahead of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations clash against Togo last week.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he is unsure what the future holds for Lionel Messi but hopes as a Barcelona fan that the Argentine forward will remain at the LaLiga club until the end of his career.

Guardiola, who has guided City to two Premier League titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup following his arrival in 2016, signed a new two-year deal on Thursday that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season.

English soccer authorities (EFL) have shown a lack of leadership in failing to reach a deal to safeguard clubs facing financial problems amid the COVID-19 crisis, a cross-party British parliamentary committee said on Friday.

In a letter addressed to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and English Football League (EFL) chief Rick Parry, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee urged the two bodies "to stop squabbling and come to an agreement".

LONDON — Rebekah Vardy, the wife of an England soccer striker, won the first exchange in her libel case against the wife of his former international teammate Wayne Rooney over accusations she passed on stories to a newspaper about her former friend.

Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney at London's High Court for accusing her on Twitter and Instagram of leaking stories from her private life to the Sun tabloid. Vardy denies the leaks.

There was a perception of Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino that they lacked the self-belief to win silverware and there was plenty of evidence to support that view.

Two near misses in the Premier League title race, FA Cup semifinal losses and then, when glory beckoned, a rather timid Champions League final defeat by Liverpool.

It is fair to say that money controls the Premier League. Money is the reason Manchester City and Liverpool are title contenders, while Brighton and West Brom languish near the bottom of the table.

Soccernomics co-authors Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski calculated that 90 percent of variation in league position in the Premier League is determined by a club's wage bill.