Shocking

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.

Is it too late for Gregg Berhalter to rethink his USMNT roster? Mere minutes after the U.S. roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers was made public — a squad that didn’t include Josh Sargent — the Norwich City forward scored an absurd goal in the Premier League. The Josh Sargent goal vs Watford may just be a Puskás Award-worthy goal for the sheer audacity of it, not to mention the acrobatics and improvisation required to turn the ball into the back of the net.

DOUALA, Cameroon - Nicolas Pépé scored a superb solo goal as Ivory Coast thumped Algeria 3-1 to send the defending champions crashing out of the Africa Cup of Nations finals on Thursday following a disastrous Group E campaign.

Algeria's 35-game unbeaten run was ended by Equatorial Guinea in a stunning upset in their last match, and they were outplayed again by the impressive Ivorians, who might have had more goals with better finishing.

LIMBE, Cameroon - Sierra Leone’s veteran striker Kei Kamara missed a late penalty to scupper their chances of reaching the next round of the Africa Cup of Nations as they lost 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea on Thursday.

Pablo Ganet’s 38th-minute strike ensured Equatorial Guinea finished second in Group E and progressed, but Sierra Leone might have gone through as one of the best third-placed finishers if they had forced a draw.

They were awarded a last-minute penalty, but Kamara’s effort was saved by Equatorial Guinea’s 20-year-old goalkeeper Jesús Owono.

The English Football Association (FA) announced it’s looking into suspected abnormal betting patterns involving an Arsenal player during the 2021-22 Premier League season.

The FA is investigating a yellow card received by an Arsenal player in a Premier League fixture this season, amid concerns of suspicious betting patterns.

— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) January 19, 2022

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.