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Van Persie fumes after opponents field 12 players
Heerenveen boss Robin van Persie was left exasperated after match officials mistakenly allowed Fortuna Sittard to field 12 players against his side on Saturday.
The incident took place in the 88th minute with Heerenveen 2-1 up, when Fortuna made a double-substitution that saw Ryan Fosso and Jasper Dahlhaus come off for Darijo Grujcic and Owen Johnson. However, Dahlhaus didn't step off the pitch and played for nearly a minute.
Van Persie noticed the man advantage to Fortuna and protested on the sidelines before Dahlhaus eventually came off. A minute later, Fortuna equalised through a corner to snatch three points away from Heerenveen.
"I find what preceded that goal very special," Van Persie said post-match. "Fortuna Sittard had 12 men on the field for a minute before that throw-in. Apparently that is allowed and possible. You can't imagine that? That it is simply allowed.
"Normally I never talk to referees and always let them do their job, but it can't be that they play with twelve men. That's unthinkable. So I asked the fourth official: 'Shouldn't you do something about that?'"
When asked what he'd like to see done, Van Persie said: "For example, reverse that goal. You can't play with twelve men against eleven. I really can't understand that. I think this is really scandalous."
The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward took over at Heerenveen in May last year. His side are 10th in the Eredivisie after 21 games.
Information from ESPN Netherlands contributed to this report.
Manchester United are attempting to bolster their attacking options by adding either Mathys Tel or Christopher Nkunku to Ruben Amorim's squad on deadline day, sources have told ESPN.
United are close to completing a deal with Aston Villa for Marcus Rashford to move to Villa Park on loan until the end of the season and the club have already offloaded winger Antony to Real Betis on a six-month loan deal.
With coach Amorim using defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo as a centre-forward in Sunday's 2-0 Premier League defeat against Crystal Palace ahead of recognised strikers Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee, sources have said that efforts are being made to add a forward before Monday's transfer deadline.
United are in talks with Bayern Munich over a loan deal for France under-21 forward Tel, who rejected a permanent transfer to Tottenham over the weekend.
"We are trying everything to improve the team without repeating the mistakes of the past," Amorim said after the defeat to Palace. "We are trying our best to improve, but this market is really tough. We want so bad to improve."
Arsenal are also in the hunt for the Tel, who has fallen out of favour under coach Vincent Kompany at the Allianz Arena, but United are prioritising a move for the 19-year-old ahead of Chelsea forward Nkunku.
However, if a deal for Tel cannot be struck, France international Nkunku will be United's back-up option and could be part of a deal that takes winger Alejandro Garnacho to Stamford Bridge.
Nkunku, 27, has struggled to make an impact at Chelsea since completing a 52 million ($65.8m) move from RB Leipzig in 2023 and is available for a loan or permanent transfer.
United, meanwhile, are also hoping to offload full-back Tyrell Malacia before the deadline, with Benfica interested in the Netherlands international.
Barcelona scrape by Alavés to close gap to Madrid
Robert Lewandowski's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win for Barcelona against Alavés on Sunday, as the third-placed hosts reduced their gap with LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to four points.
Barcelona's second league win in a row lifted them to 45 points after 22 matches, while Alavés remained 18th in the standings, two points below safety.
Barça started on a high note when Lamine Yamal snaked his way through a crowd of defenders to the edge of the box and found Raphinha on the left, but the Brazilian's shot was just wide of the far post.
The match was held up for several minutes when Gavi and Tomás Conechny clashed heads during an aerial challenge. Both players were substituted after on-field treatment.
Barcelona dominated possession with Alavés happy to sit back and defend. The hosts almost scored near the half-hour mark when Manu Sánchez's attempt to clear Raphinha's cross went to Lewandowski, but the Polish striker shot wide.
David Ramos/Getty Images
Lewandowski headed wide from Yamal's cross in the 57th minute, but the two combined again four minutes later to put the hosts ahead.
Pedri's lofted ball from the left reached Yamal whose cross took a deflection off Nahuel Tenaglia and found Lewandowski who volleyed home from close range.
Alavés keeper Jesús Owono stopped Yamal from doubling Barça's lead, tipping away his shot to keep the visitors in the game.
As Alavés pushed for an equaliser, Barcelona successfully slowed down the game and kept possession to frustrate the visitors.
Toni Martínez had a chance to level in the 87th minute, but his attempt from Santiago Mouriño's cross went wide and Alavés suffered their second league defeat since coach Eduardo Coudet took over in December.
Barcelona visit Sevilla next Sunday, the same day Alavés host Getafe.
Manchester United's woeful home form this season continued as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.
Despite United chasing a fourth successive win in all competitions, Palace were much the better side in the first half at Old Trafford, passing up several chances to capitalise on their superiority.
The visitors did make one count after 64 minutes, Jean-Philippe Mateta reacting first after the ball had come off the crossbar to give his side a deserved lead.
United upped the ante in search of an equaliser but lacked ideas, with Mateta condemning the hosts to a seventh home league loss and 11th in total this term with a late second, helping Palace climb above 13th-placed United into 12th in the standings.
"The result is really bad," United manager Ruben Amorim told Sky Sports. "The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace.
"It's normal for the fans to feel negative, it is a hard season for them but football can change in certain moments. I will prepare the next game and move forward. Better things will come."
United came into Sunday's encounter on the back of their best run under new manager Ruben Amorim, having secured a third successive win in all competitions at Steaua Bucharest on Thursday in the Europa League.
Carl Recine/Getty Images
Amorim has, however, yet to taste back-to-back league wins since he took charge in late November. No United manager since Tommy Docherty in 1972-73 has had to wait so long to achieve that.
After a pre-match tribute to those who died in the Munich air disaster 67 years ago, Kobbie Mainoo, playing in an unfamiliar central striker role, went close to giving United the perfect start, striking the post with a deflected shot.
Palace, in fine away form having won four of their previous five on the road, looked the more threatening early on, with defenders Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell going close to an opener.
The visitors continued to press, with Mateta denied by a brilliant save from André Onana as half-time approached.
Needing improvement after again failing to score in the first half of a league match -- now 18 goalless opening periods in 24 this season -- United pushed forward after the break.
Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was finally called into action, denying Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte with smart saves, but Mateta's close-range finish, after Maxence Lacroix's header had hit the crossbar, was what the visitors' endeavour merited.
For all their pressure, United openings failed to materialise, with Mateta finishing off a Palace counter in the 89th minute to send the away supporters into raptures.
United defender Lisandro Martínez was carried off on a stretcher in the second half with what looked like a serious knee injury.
India 247 for 9 (Abhishek 135, Carse 3-38) beat England 97 (Salt 55, Shami 3-25) by 150 runs
On his watch, India romped to a massive total of 247 for 9, which would prove to be overkill in a crushing 150-run victory, and with it a 4-1 series scoreline.
In response, Phil Salt reprised some of the form that had lit up last year's IPL, to crack his way to a 21-ball fifty, but his was a lone hand in an overwhelmed England reply, as they stumbled to 97 all out in 10.3 overs.
And then, after Jos Buttler, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone had each fallen in their quest to stay in touch with a rate of more than two a ball, Abhishek was tossed the ball for the ninth over, and duly bagged two more in five balls, as Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton each holed out.
Abhishek tears it up
All of that, however, was somewhat superfluous to the day's main action. The stats of Abhishek's innings were as breathless as his strokeplay. He creamed an India-record 13 sixes (equating to almost one in four of his balls faced), all of them in the arc from point to mid-on, with the crowd at extra cover living a particularly dangerous existence.
At times, it was like watching a full-fidelity game of Stick Cricket, with Abhishek's utter faith in the conditions, and in England's often guileless lengths, encouraging him to plant his front foot to pace and spin alike, and launch even 150kph deliveries with impunity through the line.
At the 10-over mark of the innings, the sky was the limit for India's ambitions. Abhishek had pumped his way to 99 from 36 balls, and with 143 for 2 on the board, the first Full Member 300 was very much on the cards.
India's onslaught could not be entirely contained, however. Abhishek reasserted himself as Carse's final over went for 17, and though a game of cat-and-mouse with Adil Rashid resulted in a miscued wrong'un to deep cover, that wasn't until Abhishek had connected with two more sixes back over the bowler's head.
There was no shortage of needle after the events at Pune, where Harshit Rana's controversial introduction as Shivam Dube's concussion substitute had left England feeling rather aggrieved. Buttler's description at the toss of England's four unselected players as "impact subs" was an amusing commitment to the rumpus.
The fact that Dube was back in action, just 48 hours after a heavy blow to the helmet from Overton, was further reason for England to look slightly askance at that call. But not only did Dube show no ill-effects, he underlined the fact that his own bowling - though noticeably less express than Harshit's - was every bit as capable of making an impression.
His first delivery, at the start of the eighth over, was the final death knell to England's innings. Salt had bludgeoned 17 runs from Shami's first over - the only moment at which England had been ahead of India's rate - but when he snicked Dube's 117kph sighter through to Dhruv Jurel, England were 82 for 5 and sinking fast. He then bowled Jacob Bethell with the first ball of his next over. Oh, and he also thumped 30 from 13 balls for good measure.
Carse keeps his cool
Carse has had an exceptional breakthrough winter for England across formats. His thirst for the hard overs means he has already inked himself in as their go-to third seamer in Test cricket, and many of those same big-hearted traits were on show in a gruesome match situation today.
Carse began his spell with India rattling along at more than 15 runs an over, having reached 127 for 1 after eight, but from the outset, his ability to hit hard lengths with canny changes of pace set him apart from the more one-dimensional block-knocking approach that his colleagues had settled for.
Mark Wood and Jofra Archer set the tone for England's approach with another deeply unsubtle powerplay display, albeit it was thrilling to behold. Archer's first-over duel with Sanju Samson featured two sixes, 16 runs and a nasty cut to the finger from a third-ball lifter into the gloves; Wood's follow-up barely dipped below 150kph, as Samson holed out to deep square leg - his fifth dismissal to the pull shot in as many innings this series.
Suryakumar Yadav had a similar experience - once again India's captain came a cropper to a leading edge as he finished his series with just 28 runs in five innings. But at the other end was Abhishek, and so it mattered little.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Sources: Bonner joins Fever on one-year deal
Six-time WNBA All-Star DeWanna Bonner is signing a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Bonner has spent the past five seasons with the Sun, helping Connecticut get to semifinal appearances each of those years and a WNBA Finals berth in 2022. She is seven points away from moving up to No. 3 on the league's all-time scoring list.
The 6-foot-4 Bonner averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 2024 and earned her third All-Star selection in four years.
A two-time all-WNBA selection and 15-year veteran, Bonner brings championship pedigree to Indiana from her first 10 seasons in the league with the Phoenix Mercury. She was part of Phoenix's 2009 and 2014 championship teams and was named Sixth Woman of the Year three times from 2009 to 2011.
The Fever, who went 20-20 in 2024 and were swept in the first round of the playoffs, have made notable moves this offseason to surround their young core of No. 1 picks Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston with veterans with postseason experience.
By re-signing star guard Kelsey Mitchell, trading for Sophie Cunningham and snagging free agents Natasha Howard and Bonner, the Fever have positioned themselves in the title contention conversation.
Their focus was the addition of veteran, championship experience this offseason after entering the 2024 playoffs with just 19 games of postseason experience across their roster, zero among starters. That youth showed at times when Bonner's Sun swept Indiana in the first round.
Bonner had familiarity with both Stephanie White, who was hired by the Fever in the offseason after coaching the Sun for two seasons, and newly appointed Fever GM Amber Cox, who was president of the Mercury during Bonner's time there and then helped recruit her to Connecticut.
After being one of the most consistently successful WNBA franchises in recent history, the Sun now face a complete rebuild after all five starters have either signed or been traded to new teams.
Alyssa Thomas -- Bonner's fiancée -- was cored and traded to the Mercury, Brionna Jones left for the Dream, and both DiJonai Carrington and Ty Harris were traded to the Wings.
Luka deal improves Lakers' title odds dramatically
The stunning trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks late Saturday night had swift, drastic implications on the sports betting markets.
Before news of the deal breaking, the Lakers were +4000 to win the 2025 NBA Finals and +2500 to win the Western Conference, according to ESPN BET odds. Immediately following the news, Los Angeles' odds shortened to +1800 to win the NBA title and sat at +1600 as of Sunday morning, the sixth-best odds in the league. The Lakers' conference title odds jumped to +900 before settling at +850.
ESPN BET reports that since midnight ET, the Lakers have received 46.6% of all bets and 65.2% of all handle to win this season's title. BetMGM places those numbers at 64% and 57%, respectively, and clarifies that there have been no "notable" big bets since the trade news broke. The book notes that Los Angeles is its largest liability for the Western Conference title.
The Lakers' season win total also bumped up from 45.5 to 48.5 at ESPN BET; they currently sit at fifth place in the Western Conference with 28 wins.
Jeff Sherman, a longtime NBA oddsmaker at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, said on X that the "Lakers must have seen their recent stretch without AD and said fine, we'll take Luka."
Meanwhile, the Mavericks saw their odds to win the NBA Finals lengthen from +2500 to +4000 immediately following the trade, though they came back to +3300 by Sunday morning at ESPN BET. Dallas' Western Conference odds stretched from +900 to +1500, then ultimately to +1600. The Mavs took 9.5% of all tickets and 11.1% of all money to win the championship since Sunday night at the sportsbook.
ESPN BET reports that, as of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, the book has already taken the second-highest number of total bets in the NBA Champion market for any single day since the season started.
The sportsbook also released odds for Feb. 25's showdown between the Mavs and Lakers in Los Angeles, with the home team opening as 5.5-point favorites before quickly coming down to -4.5.
ESPN's David Purdum contributed to this report.
Jones wasn't getting carried away. A hat-trick, sure, but Ireland are up next and if any team is capable of taking the smile off a Scottish player's face it's the Irish.
Ireland have won 10 in a row against Scotland.
Last year in Dublin, Gregor Townsend's side were defensively sound but it was still a two-score game before Jones scored late. The visitors never looked like winning.
In the three meetings before that, the contest was as good as over in minutes 40, 62 and 60.
"We've wanted this one for a long time and never quite get it," said Jones of the holy grail of a win over Ireland. "It's a huge challenge for us.
"It's the big match temperament, isn't it? That's what we need to find within this squad. We've sort of had it in games but never strung it together.
"I feel like I say the same thing every year."
Scotland competed well in Dublin last year, but the main feature of their day was dogged defence of their own line rather than anything they did in attack.
They also gifted Ireland seven points early from a botched lineout. Go back over the 10 losses and you'll find multiple examples of awful Scottish errors costing them.
"Last year was one of our best performances in Ireland and it was a close game," Jone added. "But, again, one of those we didn't quite take our chances.
"This is the one we want. They've had our number for years now.
"It's time to front up and have a really special performance. You don't want to say anything that is going to come back to bite you, but I think we have an inner belief.
"But we've said that before and not been on the right side of the results."
Familiar words that Jones says he's tired of uttering. Sunday is an opportunity to ensure that he never has to utter them again.
England high-energy gameplan leaves them vulnerable
Ireland accelerated away from England, scoring 22 unanswered points in as many minutes in the second half.
It isn't the first time England have faded in the second half. It was a feature of their autumn defeats by New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. I think there are two aspects to it.
Firstly, their gameplan is very demanding. Perhaps too demanding.
In defence, they come up with a lot of line speed, phase after phase. Then in attack, they are focusing on moving the ball, involving forwards and backs. It can feel frenetic and frantic, burning through energy. It is certainly hugely ambitious. Ultimately I think they pay for it in the back end of games.
There needs to be someone who calms down the team and, occasionally, takes pace out of the match. At the moment, they are wedded to this all-action plan A, which is effective but very hard to sustain over the course of 80 minutes without a bench who can replicate what the starting team have done.
There was a stoppage in the second half, when Ireland were ahead, but the game was still in the balance, during which England's players were standing around in ones and twos having conversations, rather than getting huddled up and working out where they can get back at Ireland.
Every team has to face those moments and it is up to the number eight and half-backs as much as the captain to bring everyone together to work out a strategy and get on the same page.
As I alluded to, the second part of England's tendency to peter out of games is what should be part of the solution - the replacements.
I thought Fin Smith added to England when he came on in the final 15 minutes. There is something about him. He is supremely composed and invariably picks good options to keep the team moving forward in attack.
Flores Banks 10 Grand For 10th Indoor Racing Series Score
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Ryan Flores etched his name into racing immortality Saturday night by capitalizing on an Andy Jankowiak flat tire in the late stages and holding off a charging Matt Swanson to win the 23rd Annual Gamblers Classic at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall as part of NAPA Auto Parts Atlantic City race weekend.
The victory was the 37-year-old Huntersville, N.C., natives 10th with the Indoor Auto Racing Series Championship, putting himself firmly atop the series all-time wins list.
As a result of the win, Flores took home $10,000 which includes bonus money from the AC Sports Commission, Visit Atlantic City, and the Ironton Auto Body challenge. He fell one spot short of the Ironton Auto Body-sponsored prize during the Indoor Auto Racing Series opener inside the PPL Center Jan. 3 and 4.
To get back on top with a second Gamblers Classic and to become the first TQ driver with double-digit victories indoors, it means the absolute world to me, Flores, who won the race in 2018, said. Especially since I got to do with the same car, the same guys and the same motor Ive had for 10 years.
Flores path to the victory was rather unorthodox as he fell back to seventh from his second-place starting spot during the opening 12 laps. However, Flores found a new gear and sliced his way back up the running order like a knife through butter, eventually finding himself right on Andy Jankowiaks rear bumper for second.
A yellow on lap 29 put the two Indoor heavyweights side-by-side for a restart. Jankowiak had the advantage going into turn one as Flores tucked in behind when the duo roared passed the start-finish line. But in the center of the turn, contact between the two caused Jankowiaks left rear tire to go flat, giving Flores the top spot.
From there, Flores had to deal with multiple restarts, including a green-white-checkered as the yellow flew right before he zipped by the start-finish line to get the white flag. Second-place runner Matt Swanson threw everything he had at Flores, including giving Flores No. 15 a couple of shots in the rear going into turn one.
But Flores held his nerve like a champion and rocketed away to the win. Swanson had to settle for second as Briggs Danner, Andy Jankowiak, whose comeback drive made him the 2025 Indoor Auto Racing Series champion and Joe Bailey completed the top five.
Jankowiak topped the Indoor Auto Racing Championship standings besting Flores by nine points.
Watch a replay of the Gamblers Class at DirtTrackDigest.tv.
The finish:
23rd Gamblers Classic (40 Laps) 1. Ryan Flores 2. Matt Swanson 3. Briggs Danner 4. Andy Jankowiak 5. Joey Bailey 6. Scott Kreutter 7. Matt Janisch 8. Tyler Catalano 9. Mike Christopher Jr 10. Tim Buckwalter 11. Shawn Nye 12. Billy Pauch Jr 13. Tyler Ferris 14. Nick Ladyga 15. Tommy Catalano 16. Anthony Payne 17. Kyle Lick 18. Trevor Catalano 19. Jeremy Haudricourt 20. Cory DiMatteo 21. Jonathan Reid 22. Tanner VanDoren 23. Steve Kemery 24. Tyler Wagner 25. Ryan Smith 26. Kyle Herve
Slingshots (25 Laps) 1. Paulie Hartwig 2. Tyler Ulsh 3. Scott Neary 4. AJ Gerhart 5. Mark Mohr 6. Cody Kline 7. Matthew Mertz 8. Chris Laureigh 9. Brett Putnam 10. Dylan Hoch 11. Alex Reinsmith 12. Michael Lapicki 13. Cody Bleau 14. Alex Lizotte 15. Cody Kohler 16. Josh Roth 17. Danny Spellmon 18. Jimmy Spellmon 19. Lucas Pittenger 20. Jared Silfee 21. Jon Laureigh 22. Louden Reimert 23. Dennis Garl Jr 24. Justin House
Champ Karts (25 Laps) 1. Mike Perry 2. Missy Bootes 3. TJ Reed 4. Steve Adams 5. Logan Crisufulli 6. Milton Decker 7. Brandon Tiezzi 8. Doug Stearly 9. Chase Williamson 10. Dustin Gagne 11. Preston DeMello 12. Ryan Borges 13. Bryson Murray 14. Chase Keister 15. Alyssa Vanderpool 16. Tanner Emmons 17. Spencer Smolders 18. Max Pfeifer 19. Ryan Kendall 20. Jonathon Keister 21. Joe Mingoia 22. Quentin Graham Jr 23. Todd Crenshaw 24. Alex Smolders
600 Micro Sprints (20 Laps) 1. Tom Fraschetta 2. Scott Kreutter 3. Kyle Lick 4. DJ Shuman 5. Dan Lane 6. Matt Chowns 7. Sean Case 8. Stephen Fleetwood 9. Gary Bozowski 10. Tim Buckwalter 11. Chris Malaterre 12. Connor Mirabelli 13. Louis Horvath
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