• Defender’s current contract expires at end of the season

• ‘We wouldn’t be in talks if we didn’t want him to stay’

Arne Slot has described Ibrahima Konaté as “vital” to Liverpool and the club have not given up hope of convincing the defender to sign a new contract.

Konaté has endured a tough time on and off the pitch this season but has impressed since returning from compassionate leave against Newcastle following the death of his father. Liverpool’s central-defensive rebuild is under way with the signings of Giovanni Leoni and Jérémy Jacquet, for an initial £26m and £55m respectively, but Slot insists Konaté remains an essential part of his plans.

• Heavy US favorite falls twice in the free skate

• Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov claims shock title

For nearly two years, Ilia Malinin has made men’s figure skating feel predictable in the most spectacular of ways. On Friday night on the southern outskirts of Milan, the Olympic Games reminded the sport, and perhaps Malinin himself, that predictability is never guaranteed on its biggest stage.

The overwhelming favorite entering the free skate, the 21-year-old American instead saw the Olympic title slip away to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov after an error-strewn performance that will go down among the biggest shocks in figure skating history.

With sleet, snow, swirling wind from the banks of the Humber and most importantly, a Hull City side pushing hard for promotion to the Premier League this season, it was hard not to believe pre-match that this had all the makings of a difficult evening’s work for Chelsea.

Liam Rosenior holds this city close to his heart, given how some of his family hail from Hull and he had an enjoyable spell in charge of the Tigers: well, until he was unceremoniously sacked nearly two years ago, that is. But his happy association with Hull continued with a magnificent display from his Chelsea side, who ultimately sauntered into the next round of the FA Cup.

• Briton triumphs by nearly a second in Milano Cortina

• First British man to win individual winter gold since 1980

And on the seventh day, Great Britain finally won their first medal of these Olympics. At nine o’clock on Friday night Matt Weston, the man his teammates call “Captain 110%”, became the first British man ever to win the gold in the men’s skeleton, after four faultless races across the two days of competition.

The 28-year-old broke the track record at the Cortina Sliding Centre four times in succession, and won in a combined time of 3min 43.33sec, which was almost a full second ahead of the runner-up, Germany’s Axel Jungk. “I’ve been fortunate enough to win world championships, and European championships and other things, and this blows them all out the water,” Weston said. “I almost feel numb. I keep touching this medal to make sure it is real.”

Scotland have lost only two of the last eight clashes with England but Borthwick’s squad are unscarred by failure

In one of sport’s weirder coincidences, England are about to play must-win games against Scotland in both rugby and cricket on the same day. The forecast 3C temperatures for the Calcutta Cup encounter may be cooler than in Kolkata – appropriately the venue for the T20 World Cup group fixture – but a white-hot contest inside a chilly Murrayfield can be absolutely guaranteed.

Because this particular collision, the 144th since the sides first met at Raeburn Place in 1871, looks set to shape the Six Nations prospects of all involved. To say Scotland are under additional pressure following their defeat by Italy in round one is to state the obvious. And England, too, will take the field knowing the time has come to demonstrate whether or not they are the real deal.

• Olly Cracknell one of four changes in the Welsh team

• Doris urges Ireland team to take greater responsibility

The Wales coach, Steve Tandy, has made four changes to his starting XV for the daunting visit of France to the Principality Stadium on Sunday, including Olly Cracknell at No 8 as they seek to arrest a 12-game losing streak in the Six Nations.

Following last weekend’s 48-7 defeat to England, beleaguered Wales have beefed up their pack with the inclusion of Cracknell for a first Six Nations start, and two changes in the front row as the props Rhys Carré and Tomas Francis replace Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin.

• New 11-year deal agreed through to 2037

• Relationship has attracted heavy criticism

Canada Soccer has extended its controversial sponsorship and broadcast deal with its privately owned commercial partner, Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), on improved terms for the governing body ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

A new 11-year contract has been agreed through to 2037, with both parties having an option to extend by a further five years, despite the in-fighting that marred the original 10-year deal. It culminated in player strikes and the Canadian Soccer Players Association filing a $40m lawsuit against Canada Soccer board members two years ago.

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First thing to say is that Hadziahmetovic will be tonight’s copy and paste player.

Hull: Phillips, Coyle, Egan, McNair, McCarthy, Giles, Hadziahmetovic, Slater, Hirakawa, Koumas, Millar. Subs: Pandur, Lunstram, Jacob, Drameh, Gerhardt, Joseph, Famewo, Dowell, Tinsdale

• ‘Quad God’ leads contenders in men’s free skate

• Email Beau or get in touch on Bluesky

• Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing

Slovakia’s Adam Hagara attempts a quad toeloop, but it’s obvious as he takes off that he won’t be able to land it. He rebounds with a triple axel-double toeloop, but he falls on a triple axel.

Can he land a planned triple-double axel-double axel? Indeed he can. It doesn’t seem too fluid but gets a positive grade of execution, as does a triple flip. But he drops a triple loop to a double loop.

Benoît Richaud is working on the ice with 13 countries, with uniform changes to match, and Korean skiers are having nightmares on wax

Domen Prevc set a men’s ski jump world record of 254.5m on the Planica flying hill in Slovenia last March, known for its steepness and long jumps. Germany’s Philipp Raimund sat it out – he suffers from vertigo. “From time to time, I have the issue that my body is reacting without me controlling it,” he said. “It’s like I am just observing myself while something has a tight grip on me.”

Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reports

• French judge marked French duo higher than US pair

• Petition calling for probe approaches 15,000 signatures

• ISU says it has ‘full confidence’ in scoring system

The International Skating Union (ISU) has defended the integrity of Olympic ice dance judging after a single judge’s scoring gap became central to the outcome of the gold medal contest, insisting variations across panels are expected and that safeguards exist to prevent bias from determining results.

In a statement released on Friday, the governing body rejected suggestions that the judging system failed during the competition, in which France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron narrowly defeated Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in one of the closest and most disputed finishes of the Milano Cortina Games.

• Ascot only UK jump card which does not face inspection

• Below-freezing forecasts for Wincanton and Haydock

The valuable card at Ascot which features the Grade One Ascot Chase is the only jumps meeting in Britain on Saturday which does not face a morning inspection as an “arctic blast” expected to last until early next week causes disruption to the racing programme, less than a month before the festival meeting at Cheltenham.

Wincanton, where Alexei, an improving 25-1 shot for the Champion Hurdle on 10 March, is due to go on trial in the Kingwell Hurdle, will hold a precautionary inspection at 8am GMT with temperatures forecast to drop below freezing overnight.

• Scotland boast strong recent Calcutta Cup record

• England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020

Maro Itoje has called on England to be “bulletproof” as they seek to clinch a first win at Murrayfield in six years on Saturday. England can keep their grand slam pursuit alive by successfully defending the Calcutta Cup and Itoje has urged his side to create their own history despite their recent wretched form in Edinburgh.

With England on a 12-match winning streak and Scotland suffering a shock defeat by Italy last week, Steve Borthwick’s side are clear favourites. Their only victory at Murrayfield since Eddie Jones’s first game in charge in 2016 came in miserable weather in 2020, however, with Scotland securing victories in 2022 and last time out in 2024.

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Leicester City have a proud tradition of beating the odds. At the start of the 2015-16 Premier League season, the bookies rated them as no better than 5,000-1 long shots to win the title, only for the Foxes to send shockwaves around the world by doing exactly that in what is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in the history of sport. Five years later, they lifted the FA Cup despite having been priced up at the comparatively miserly – but still hefty – odds of 16-1. Earlier this week they were at it again, somehow contriving to defy the laws of probability by surrendering a three-goal half-time lead at home against Southampton and snatching the most unlikely of defeats from jaws of victory that weren’t so much gaping as unhinged like that of a snake. A capitulation that came just four days after they had been docked six points for financial shenanigans, it left them just one place above the drop zone and staring down the barrel of back-to-back relegations to League One.

Re: your coverage of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s latest comments (yesterday’s Football Daily). Alongside this billionaire’s first move at Old Trafford to cut the tea lady and the lunches, surely ‘Small Sir Jim’ would be a more accurate moniker?” – Nick Phelps.

Congratulations to Big Sir Jim for becoming the first person to put their hat in the ring for the second annual Fifa Peace Prize. A reminder that this worthless piece of junk is awarded annually ‘to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world’. Sounds like a shoo-in to me” – John Collins.

• Defeat by West Indies leaves England needing a win

• ‘It’s about playing with personality,’ says opening batter

It turns out England’s self-confidence might be a bit more resolute than their batting. It will take more than a couple of teetering performances to set this team’s morale atremble. So despite being nervy against Nepal and wobbly against West Indies, England could hardly have been more cocksure on the eve of a crucial T20 World Cup group fixture against Scotland. As Phil Salt put it: “When we’re at our best nobody can live with us.”

England arrived in India having lost once in 11 Twenty20 games over the previous 12 months, and that run continues to be a source of belief. “It’s just about getting to that space more often than we have in the last two games,” Salt said. “We’re not talking about 10 [bad] games or 12 games, we’re talking about two games where it’s fair to say we haven’t been at our best. But the good news is the competition is in front of us and we’ve got these opportunities to come. And if we can be that authentic side of ourselves – chests out, taking the game on and being smart – there’s nothing to stop us.

• ‘Society is better when we embrace other cultures’

• Haaland doubt for FA Cup tie, Rodri charged by FA

Pep Guardiola has said that blaming people from overseas for a country’s problems is wrong, the Manchester City manager’s comments coming amid the fallout of Sir Jim Ratcliffe claiming the UK is being “colonised by immigrants”.

Ratcliffe’s comment, made in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday, has led to widespread condemnation, including from within football, leading to Manchester United’s single largest minority owner saying he was sorry that his “choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe”.

• Briton finishes ninth after quarter-final defeat

• ‘Sorry, I was hoping to put on a better show’

Few sports at the Winter Olympics are more thrilling or turbulent than snowboard cross. The idea is simple. Four competitors, a steep mountain, ramps, and whoever gets down quickest to the bottom wins. But jeopardy lurks on every sharp turn and steep bank. And calamities are an unfortunate fact of life.

Team GB’s Charlotte Bankes knows this better than anyone. Four years ago in Beijing she arrived as a gold medal favourite only to leave in tears after finishing ninth. On the brightest of sunny days history repeated itself. Hopes. Dreams. Expectations. Another ninth-place finish. And more tears.

Extending his England men’s team contract until 2028 means increased stability and a less relentless form of pressure

Thomas Tuchel was supposed to be here for a good time, not a long time. It was win or bust when he signed up to become England’s head coach in October 2024. The target was clear – lead the side to glory at the 2026 World Cup – and it came with an acceptance that the German was nothing more than a very expensive gun for hire.

An 18-month deal, which began on 1 January 2025, saw to that. Tuchel talked about it giving him focus. He said it streamlined the role. “It’s a little bit of a step into the unknown for me,” he said. Tuchel would have to adapt. He loves being out on the training pitch, working with his players, honing their understanding of his tactics. Wouldn’t he get bored during the long months without a game? Wouldn’t he get itchy feet as soon as he saw a job open up at a big club?

• Tudor’s former clubs include Juventus and Marseille

• Door remains open for summer Pochettino return

Tottenham have reached an agreement for Igor Tudor to become their interim manager until the end of the season, leaving the door open for Mauricio Pochettino to return this summer.

The club turned to Tudor after making checks on the former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and the former RB Leizpig manager Marco Rose. The former Croatia international has been out of work since he left Juventus in October after the Serie A club went eight games without a win.

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Brentford striker Igor Thiago has signed a new contract, extending his deal until 2031, with the option for an additional 12 months. The Brazilian was signed from Club Brugge in February 2024, but had to overcome a knee injury last season before hitting form this term, scoring 17 Premier League goals so far.

“I love the club and the people in the club,” said Thiago. “It’s a true love, a real love. When the fans support me, and I see them singing my name and singing my song, it gives me more power. It’s been a great season for us. Everybody has been on the same page. I hope we can get something special from it.”

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Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler will be able to participate in the Winter Olympics despite failing a doping test, the Italian skiing federation (Fisi) said on Friday. Italy’s anti-doping body (Nado) upheld her appeal against a provisional suspension that followed a positive test for the banned substance Letrozole on 26 January.

Nado’s Court of Appeal acknowledged the possibility of unintentional ingestion or unknowing contamination of the substance. “Passler will rejoin her teammates starting Monday, February 16, when she will be available to the coaching staff for the subsequent competitions on the Olympic programme,” Fisi said in a statement.

Covering the first week of events at Milano Cortina 2026 has been enlightening but not straightforward

It’s a seven-hour trip from one end of the opening ceremony to the other. I leave Milan at midday and arrive in Cortina just as the athletes are making their parade around the town square. Cortina’s a one-street town, and it’s been closed down, but everyone’s hanging off the balconies. I see three men in lederhosen, five in identical Wayne Gretzky jerseys, and more people than I can count in luxurious furs. The first person I talk to is a member of the Qatari police force, who is working here as part of a security agreement between the two countries. This is the sixth Olympics I’ve worked on, but the others all took place in summer. I’m pleased to see he looks even more out of place than me.

• Athletes in Italy have been ‘promised more will arrive’

• Free condoms have been provided since 1988 Olympics

Free condoms for competitors at the Winter Olympics have run out within a record-breaking three days, according to La Stampa.

“The supplies ran out in just three days,” an anonymous athlete told the Italian newspaper. “They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when.”

Met Office issues new weather warning for potential travel disruption until Sunday morning

An Arctic blast of very cold air will this weekend bring snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain and icy conditions across most of the UK, forecasters have said.

The Met Office issued new yellow warnings for wintry conditions and potential travel disruption lasting until Sunday morning. Previous snow and ice warnings for Scotland and northern England expired at noon on Friday. Freezing temperatures have also led to a four-day health alert for cold weather.

Thomas Woldbye says part of airport’s problem is UK passengers walk on the left while others walk on the right

Heathrow airport has revealed a crowding problem that a third runway cannot solve: British and foreign travellers walk on different sides, and keep colliding, according to its chief executive.

Thomas Woldbye said that while Heathrow serviced more passengers in a smaller overall area than comparable European hubs, part of the London airport’s trouble was the differing continental sense of direction.

The Colombian icon joined the MLS side in a short-term deal with an eye toward fitness for the 2026 World Cup

Two weeks ago, few could’ve expected that the most notable international acquisition of the MLS offseason would be made by Minnesota United.

The team’s marquee import until last week was Finland striker Teemu Pukki, with honorable mentions for Colombian playmaker Darwin Quintero and ex-Porto midfielder Ibson. The Loons aren’t known for paying sizable transfer fees, and their wage bill last year was the league’s fifth-smallest.

Scotland will throw everything at the visitors but I love Steve Borthwick’s decision to start Luke Cowan-Dickie in the Six Nations at Murrayfield

The Six Nations is a cruel mistress. Two days before the tournament started for Scotland, Gregor Townsend said this was the strongest playing group of his tenure. Two days later, one bad half of rugby, some abysmal weather and he is facing calls for his head. If you take your eye off the ball in this competition for half an hour on the field your campaign can be over for another 12 months.

England will know that heading to Murrayfield. They only need to reflect on their last visit to Edinburgh. They began with a bang but Scotland seized momentum and England just couldn’t get it back, whatever they tried. Make no mistake, however, Steve Borthwick’s side know what is at stake on Saturday. Pull off a first victory in Edinburgh for six years and there will be conversations about going all the way. They will not be public conversations, but I’ve been in squads and camps before and when the opportunity for silverware is genuine, you cannot help but discuss it.

State broadcaster accused of censorship over opening titles that use altered version of Vitruvian Man, with organs removed

Italy’s state broadcaster, Rai, has been accused of censorship after using an image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man with the genitals missing in the opening credits for its Winter Olympics coverage.

The image of the 500-year-old drawing appears at the start of the clip before transforming into the bodies of ice skaters, skiers and other winter sports athletes.

Manager’s unconventional techniques are designed to bring fun as well as results and he has West Ham in his sights

“At times the players must think I’m bonkers,” says Gary Bowyer, the Burton Albion manager, volunteering the time he walked into the dressing room with a tennis racket and ball. It is one of the unconventional techniques he has used to convey his message and tap into their psyche. Every week he explores different themes and stories with his squad – be it bullfighting or UFC – and brings them to life through imagery and props, everything from dragons to toy tigers.

He has leaned into boxing and particularly Mike Tyson during an FA Cup run that has led them to a fourth-round tie at home to West Ham on Saturday. “The theme for this week is The Ultimate,” he says, referencing Tyson’s 1987 bout with Tony Tucker to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. “We’ve created this idea of climbing into the ring, the pitch, and away you go. We’re fighting West Ham and we’re going to have to take some blows. What do you do if you get knocked on to the canvas? Get back up or lay there and take it?”

• Roberto Rosetti singles out slow-motion replays

• ‘We need to speak about this at the end of the season’

Roberto Rosetti, Uefa’s managing director for refereeing, has warned video assistant refereeing is becoming too “microscopic” and fears use of the technology has strayed from its intended purpose.

VAR is rarely far from the headlines and has been the subject of further controversy in recent weeks after a series of high-profile incidents in the Premier League. Rosetti made clear that he was not commenting specifically on VAR’s deployment in England but suggested that, across the board, it is guilty of overreach. “We forgot a little bit, everywhere,” he said. “Eight years ago, I came to London and we discussed what VAR stands for. We spoke about clear mistakes, because technology works so well in factual decisions. In objective decisions, it is fantastic.

As athletes we try to focus on our event and the task at hand, but our lives do not take place in a vacuum

I’m deeply saddened by the IOC banning the skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Olympics. His helmet depicting images of athletes and children who died in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some who he knew personally, was a human display of remembrance. The IOC’s response was not an appropriate one.

One only needed to look at the image of Heraskevych’s father when he was told the news of his son’s disqualification – doubled over with his head in his hands – to know the emotional toll. I cannot imagine what they are experiencing but, as both a former athlete and just a fan watching on, I also feel emotional about it and cried when Vlad and his dad messaged me on social media to say thank you for my messages of support.

• Group B: Zimbabwe 169-2 bt Australia 146 by 23 runs

• Renshaw half-century in vain as Muzarabani shines

Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign is threatening to implode after suffering a shock 23-run loss to Zimbabwe in Colombo. Set 170 runs for victory after winning the toss, Australia slumped to a dismal 29 for 4 inside the powerplay and gave Zimbabwe, 11th on the ICC rankings, reason to dream.

Glenn Maxwell (31 off 32 balls) and top-scorer Matthew Renshaw (65 off 44 balls) spearheaded the rescue mission with a 77-run stand for the fifth wicket in pursuit of Zimbabwe’s 169-2. But when Maxwell chopped on and last recognised batter Marcus Stoinis (6) holed out, Zimbabwe were on their way to dismissing Australia for 146 with three balls left on Friday.

All stones in Cortina are made from granite found on tiny island in Firth of Clyde and crafted in East Ayrshire

“It takes 60m years and about six hours to make a curling stone,” shouts Ricky English above the whine of the lathes. The operations manager at Kays Scotland is surrounded by wheels of ancient granite in varying states of refinement.

It is a small business with a big responsibility: the only factory in the world to supply the Winter Olympics with curling stones. Competitors don’t travel with their own stones, which weigh about 18kg each, and with 16 required for a game. Instead, this year, 132 stones were crafted in the East Ayrshire town of Mauchline and shipped to northern Italy.

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The Norwegian showcased his skills in the chess.com speed championship, but the US star and streamer was twice beaten

Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, visited central London last weekend and won the chess.com speed championship for the fourth time in a row. The Norwegian, 35, defeated France’s Alireza Firouzja, 22, by 15-12 after a three-hour struggle. Last year in Paris the same two players met, but Carlsen’s winning margin was a much wider 23.5-7.5.

The format for speed chess is 90 minutes of five-minutes blitz, 60 minutes of three-minutes blitz, and 30 minutes of one minute bullet. All the segments had additional increments of one second per move.

Chelsea manager, back at Hull in the Cup on Friday, made a strong impression on Humberside, as ex-colleagues explain

“That’s the best message I’ve received,” Liam Rosenior wrote, accompanied by laughing emojis, in response to one of the many congratulation posts sent after his surprise appointment as the Chelsea head coach. His former Hull teammate James Chester had wickedly told him: “After my time with you at Derby I never thought you’d have been Chelsea manager,” alongside a photograph of Chester in the pub with his fellow former Tigers Robbie Brady and Paul McShane, raising a glass to Rosenior.

It was a sign of the close bonds Rosenior built at Hull as a player and head coach. He returns as a Champions League head coach on Friday in the FA Cup, looking to avoid an upset against a team aiming to make it a more regular rivalry. Rosenior spent seven seasons on Humberside, five as a player and two in the dugout, which were crucial for his development.

• Updates from the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo

• Any thoughts? Email Martin

1st over: Zimbabwe 4-0 (Bennett 4, Marumani 0) Ben Dwarshuis makes a fine start on his return to the XI as he has the ball moving off the deck and he carves through Brian Bennett several times. Australia are excited by a noise after a delivery that jags off the seam and send a review upstairs. That is quickly declined and Bennett responds with two runs through point.

Zimbabwe openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani are on their way out to the middle and hoping to set the tone for the underdogs who are facing their own injury concerns. Ben Dwarshuis is back in the XI and has the white ball in hand as we’re about to get under way in Colombo …

The controversy over the IOC’s decision to bar the Ukrainian from competing has cast a long shadow over the Games

The Winter Olympics have been presented as a stage for unity – a place where nations set aside conflict, athletes chase excellence, and the world gathers in a shared celebration of human potential. Yet Thursday was shadowed by controversy for the International Olympic Committee that raise difficult questions about neutrality and the limits of political expression in sport.

The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from competing after he insisted on wearing what he called a “helmet of memory”, created to honour Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia’s war against his country. He was informed only 21 minutes before racing by the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, who spoke to the media in tears after she could not persuade him to change his mind.

On game day, where fashion has become a huge part of athlete identity, professionals are reaching for codified displays of their wealth

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On Sunday night the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, Bad Bunny put on a spectacular half-time show, and multiple players all walked down the tunnel from the car park to the dressing rooms carrying the same logo’d bag. The bag in question, by luxury French brand Goyard, isn’t part of any official uniform – and isn’t really known outside of its 0.1% customer base. But it has become as ubiquitous a status symbol among American football players as their AirPods Max headphones and Richard Mille watches – and is part of a brave new world of tunnel fits.

Most primetime NFL games’ coverage start hours before kick-off, as photographers, fans and pundits alike pore over players’ sartorial choices just as they would their missed tackles and spectacular catches.

The Games could have showcased Milan’s abundant culture and architecture. Instead it has filled the city with gaudy pavilions and gentrification

On a bad day, Milan can feel less like a city than an open-air shopping mall. Since winning the bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2019, the urban landscape has been flattened into construction dust and swamped in corporate messaging. What started as a logo on a tram has gradually evolved into a feverish, full-scale takeover of the public realm. From Piazza del Duomo to the Sforzesco Castle, the city’s most popular spaces have been appropriated by gaudy pavilions, turning Milan into a bizarre spectacle staffed by dancing mascots.

Last Friday, I sat down with friends to watch the opening ceremony, broadcast live from the San Siro, the much-loved brutalist football stadium that has been slated for demolition The reaction in the room was telling. On the one hand, after so much buildup, most people were excited the big moment had finally arrived. But as the proceedings went on and the parade of familiar faces gave way to the peculiar sight of bobble-headed puppets of Rossini, Puccini and Verdi dancing to Italo disco hit Vamos a la playa, the melancholy kicked in. Was this really what these years of disruption had been for? Was this strange, kitsch pop concert worth all the political repression, the public inconvenience, the relentless marketing, the unspecified millions of euros in cost?

Jamie Mackay is a writer and translator based in Florence

• Lewis-Potter equalises from long throw by Kayode

• Arsenal miss chance to restore six-point lead at top

Mikel Arteta admitted that Arsenal weren’t ruthless enough to beat a physical Brentford team as they missed the chance to restore their six-point lead over Manchester City.

Noni Madueke’s header broke the deadlock in west London in the second half but Keane Lewis-Potter equalised 10 minutes later from a long throw by Michael Kayode to set up a grandstand finale that saw both sides spurn chances to win it.

Burnley have the chance of a Cup run, Leicester fear an unwelcome repeat and Brighton fans get a raw deal

Chelsea have kept two clean sheets in 10 games since appointing Liam Rosenior as head coach last month. Repeated doziness at the back has cost them. They have held commanding advantages against Charlton, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leeds, only to give away silly goals. It is a bad habit and proved costly when a 2-0 lead was squandered during Tuesday’s draw with Leeds. Rosenior was livid afterwards, and is waiting for a consistent performance. Chelsea travel to Hull , Rosenior’s former club, on Friday night. They will surely advance against Championship opponents, but how they do it will matter. It is time for them to get serious. Jacob Steinberg

Hull City v Chelsea, Friday 7.45pm (all times GMT)

Burton Albion v West Ham, Saturday 12.15pm

Burnley v Mansfield, Saturday 3pm

Southampton v Leicester, Saturday 3pm

• Semi-final first leg: Atlético Madrid 4-0 Barcelona

• E García 6og, Griezmann 14, Lookman 33, Alvarez 45+2

You must always have faith, Diego Simeone had insisted and so it was. A biblical storm blew through the Metropolitano, leaving Barcelona in pieces and Atlético Madrid closer to a first Copa del Rey final in 13 years. “I’m not a wizard but I did believe that the team could play like this,” Simeone said at the end of a wild night, yet even he could not have imagined anything quite like this, 45 extraordinary minutes giving his team a 4-0 lead to take to the Camp Nou in three weeks’ time.

“This will remain in the memory however the tie ends,” Simeone said, careful to note that this is not over yet. Hansi Flick, meanwhile, vowed that his Barcelona team will fight, claimed they had been handed a “great lesson” that might yet be helpful, and outlined a plan for the second leg: 2-0 in each half. But an an own goal from Eric García and three more before half-time here from Ademola Lookman, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez, did the kind of damage that will be mightily difficult to fix. Barcelona could not begin that task here, a Pau Cubarsí effort ruled out after a seven-minute VAR check the only “goal” of the second half. Indeed, another VAR check made their second leg task even harder when Eric García was sent off in the final minutes.

• York Knights 19-18 Hull KR

• Hingano drop goal earns debutants comeback victory

The most incredible result in Super League’s 30-year history? There are certainly plenty of contenders but as North Yorkshire erupted in joy on the night rugby league’s big show rolled into town for the first time, it was hard to think of anything that measured up to this.

Super League’s decision to expand to 14 teams over the winter has drawn criticism, not least over concerns that the two extra sides may not have brought the sufficient quality to compete at the highest level. Yet York managed not only to get off the mark but to stun the defending, all-conquering treble winners of 2025.

This was billed as a test of Arsenal’s mettle after Manchester City had picked themselves off the canvas against Liverpool at Anfield to reignite the title race. But having seen their lead at the top whittled down to three points since the weekend, Mikel Arteta’s side showed their fallibility as they were held by a dogged Brentford side who felt that they should have even claimed victory.

Just when they needed to put in a statement performance, Arsenal were edgy throughout and struggled to create anything of note until Noni Madueke opened the scoring. Keane Lewis-Potter’s equaliser that came from a Michael Kayode long throw was fully deserved as Keith Andrews’ side showed exactly why they are enjoying such a successful season since he stepped up to replace Thomas Frank last summer.

Manchester United took a big step towards the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League by sealing a comfortable lead in the first leg of their playoff against Atlético Madrid after goals from Elisabeth Terland, Melvine Malard and Julia Zigiotti Olme.

“I think it was [a professional win],” a delighted Marc Skinner, the United manager, said. “It was ­difficult for both teams on the pitch. I can understand it with the number of storms they had ... but I did think it affected the football. I thought we were ruthless. The three goals were fantastic. I felt like our defending as a whole team was excellent.”

• Wigglesworth worked with Russell on the Lions’ tour

• ‘He’s one of those guys whose talent speaks for itself’

The England defence coach, Richard Wigglesworth, has admitted it is pointless trying to come up with a plan to stop Finn Russell after getting a closeup view of Scotland’s star fly-half during last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.

England head to Murrayfield on Saturday favourites to defend the Calcutta Cup on the back of 12 straight victories while Scotland are reeling after last Saturday’s shock defeat by Italy. England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020, however, and only once since 2016 with Russell proving their nemesis on several occasions.

Tax exile has already proven himself a terrible club owner; now his ill-informed diatribe about immigration has poured fuel on wider flames

Well I, for one, am shocked. Shocked to learn that a tax-exiled English expat who made his billions squeezing chemical plants doesn’t have liberal, let alone accurate, views on immigration. Or at least, in public anyway.

It seems highly likely Sir Jim Ratcliffe knew what he was doing in the course of his now semi-recanted Sky News interview. And it is above all vital that at least one part of his empire of influence – football, sport, Manchester United – rejects it, as the club have done to some extent in their statement.

• Choi wins snowboard halfpipe title with third run

• American star takes silver behind strong first round

The snowfall coming down on Livigno Snow Park on Thursday night helped produce one of the bigger Olympic upsets in snowboard history, as Chloe Kim’s bid to become the first rider to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medals fell just short.

Kim finished with a best score of 88.00 from her opening run, settling for silver behind surprise winner Choi Gaon of South Korea, whose heroic third run after an early fall earned 90.25 and rewrote the Olympic record books. Japan’s Mitsuki Ono took bronze with 85.00.