Fights

LIVERPOOL — Everton's first match of the post-Rafa Benitez era began with a 1-0 Premier League defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday amid a tense and feisty atmosphere at Goodison Park where the visiting team were hit by missiles thrown from the crowd.

A lively first half ended with Emiliano Buendia scoring with a flicked header that arced over Jordan Pickford in goal and the provocative celebrations led to a bottle being launched from the stands and hitting the Villa players.

Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembélé must leave the club before the January transfer window closes for both his sake as well as the Catalan club to ensure they get a fee as his contract ends in June, club director Mateu Alemany has said.

Dembélé, who joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, has failed to deliver on his potential that made the Spanish club pay $119.11 million for his services, scoring only 31 goals in 129 appearances.

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.

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.

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo is hopeful he can recover from a minor muscle injury in time to feature in Saturday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

The Portugal international missed United's 1-0 FA Cup third round win over Villa on Monday but is keeping his "fingers crossed" that he can return to action at the weekend.

LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur's record signing Tanguy Ndombele was booed off the pitch by his own fans after being substituted in his team's unconvincing 3-1 FA Cup third round win against League One strugglers Morecambe on Sunday.

The midfielder, who has struggled to live up to his $73 million fee after signing from Lyon in 2019, was one of three Tottenham players to be hauled off by manager Antonio Conte in the 69th minute.

LIMBE, Cameroon - Droves of armored vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon's conflict-torn South West Region ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer finals starting on Jan. 9 that separatist militants have vowed to disrupt.

Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six cities, but security is potentially most at threat in Limbe, a city on the tropical Atlantic coast whose surrounding region has been rocked by armed attacks since war broke out in 2017.