Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...
I Dig Sports

I Dig Sports

'Underdone' Ireland not good enough - Schmidt

Published in Rugby
Saturday, 24 August 2019 10:33

Ireland were "underdone and heavy-legged" in their humbling 57-15 defeat by England says head coach Joe Schmidt.

The eight-try loss comes less than a month before Ireland begin their World Cup campaign against Scotland in Yokohama.

"What really matters is in four weeks time," said Schmidt.

"You do get some disproportionate scores (in warm-ups), but we weren't good enough today."

Only New Zealand have inflicted a heavier defeat on Ireland, who are seeking to bring some momentum into their World Cup campaign following a lacklustre Six Nations.

At Twickenham, Ireland took the lead through a Jordan Larmour try but were outplayed in every facet of play from the moment Joe Cokanasiga crossed for England.

"There's a litany of things that were most disappointing," said Schmidt.

"We fell off 34 tackles.

"There was a little bit of positive (in the first quarter), but that score before half-time was key."

Healy ankle sprained but not broken

Ireland's misery was compounded by an ankle injury which forced loose-head prop Cian Healy from the field shortly before half-time.

After the game Schmidt confirmed that Healy ankle was sprained but not broken.

There was also concern for Conor Murray who required a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) following a collision with England wing Jonny May.

Having passed the HIA the Munster scrum-half returned to the fray but was replaced by Luke McGrath at half-time.

Ireland are still hopeful that Joey Carbery, who suffered an ankle injury in their opening warm-up game against Italy, will be fully fit for their Pool A opener on 22 September.

Watch highlights as England produce a dominant performance and run in eight tries as they hammer Ireland 57-15 in the World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham.

MATCH REPORT: England thrash Ireland by record margin

Watch extended highlights on iPlayer here

Root Ascends To Top Step Of Porsche GT3 Podium

Published in Racing
Saturday, 24 August 2019 12:16

ALTON, Va. – Max Root is no stranger to the front of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama field at Virginia Int’l Raceway, as he led the race here last year in the No. 7 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machine.

But Root paid his first visit to the top step of the podium Saturday in challenging conditions during the first race of the weekend at the 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit. As the race was declared wet by IMSA officials, every car in the field was running on Yokohama rain tires, but portions of the track dried throughout the 45-minute race.

Root managed to chase down points leader Roman De Angelis in the No. 79 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche – who started the race from the pole position and held the lead from the drop of the green flag – with just over three minutes remaining. Once the 20-year-old Californian got the lead, he quickly checked out, taking the checkered flag 35.889 seconds ahead of De Angelis to get his first win.

“It was an amazing race,” Root said. “Those were interesting conditions, something we could have never predicted, but we made those Yokohamas go as far as they could. Driving on a dry/wet track with wet tires was interesting. I couldn’t have done it without the Wright Motorsports guys and all my sponsors.”

With the runner-up result, De Angelis still holds a comfortable 65-point lead, 379-314, over Root in the season championship standings in the Platinum Cup class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars built between 2017 and 2019. De Angelis now has finished either first or second in all 11 races to date this year.

Fred Poordad made it two Wright Motorsports entries on the overall podium in the No. 20 Porsche and took the class victory in the Platinum Masters class for drivers 45 years of age or over. Poordad – who also won a race here at VIR last year – also earned the race’s Yokohama Hard Charger Award as the Platinum Cup driver who improved the most positions from start to finish. He started 15th on the overall grid.

“We had a disappointing qualifying, at least I did,” Poordad said. “I thought, ‘Wow, from where we’re starting there’s not a lot I can do but keep it clean.’ But we plugged away one car at a time. Wright Motorsports gave me an incredible car today. It felt very planted. It didn’t even feel like it was wet out there. Hats off to Yokohama Tires as well, because those tires lasted me the entire race. I felt like I could have gone another 20 minutes on them.

“I’m happy today. Happy for Wright Motorsports with a couple of podiums and happy for my teammates as well.”

Jeff Mosing finished second in Platinum Masters and fourth overall in the No. 68 Topp Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machine. Alan Metni finished third in the Platinum Masters class in the No. 99 AM Motorsports/Kelly-Moss Porsche and now leads the class point standings by 21 points, 348-327, over Poordad.

Rob Ferriol drove the No. 5 Moorespeed entry to his second career victory in the Gold Cup class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machines built between 2014 and 2016. Ferriol took the lead when class points leader Sebastian Carazo spun in the Oak Tree Turn with less than 17 minutes remaining in the race.

Ferriol then held off Carazo – especially through an intense final lap – to win by 0.365 seconds.

“My plan for the day was conservative,” Ferriol said. “Bring the car home. Make it to the checkered. These rain races, things happen. So, I figured I’d keep it close to the front and stay consistent and smart, and maybe the race would come to me. And it did.”

Carazo ended up second and continues to lead the Gold Cup standings by 38 points, 371-333, over Ferriol. Efrin Castro finished third in Gold Cup aboard the No. 65 ACI Motorsports Porsche.

CARS Tour Sets Tentative 2020 Dates

Published in Racing
Saturday, 24 August 2019 12:26

ROUGEMONT, N.C. – The CARS Tour has released tentative 2020 schedules for its late model stock and super late model divisions.

Both divisions will open the season at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C., with $10,000-to-win features for both classes on March 7.

Hickory Motor Speedway will host the CARS Tour twice, with both divisions visiting the historic North Carolina venue on March 21 and again on Aug. 1 for the fourth edition of the Throwback 276.

Orange County Speedway is back on the CARS Tour schedule with two events. The first will take place April 4-5 and feature the late model stock division battling for a $30,000 payday during the Old North State Nationals. Both division will head back to Orange County on Aug. 22 for a pair of $10,000-to-win features.

The late model stock division will have three standalone events in the months of May and June, with Ace Speedway (May 1), Langley Speedway (June 6) and Dominion Raceway (June 20) hosting the tour.

The super late model division will tentatively take the months of May and June off before returning for the tours inaugural trip to Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway for a $20,000-to-win show on July 4.

Another standalone event for the late model stock tour is scheduled for July 11 at Carteret County Speedway before the previously mentioned events at Hickory on Aug. 1 and Orange County on Aug. 22.

The season will conclude for both divisions on Sept. 12 at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway.

The only track that appeared on the schedule this season that is absent from the 2020 schedule is Virginia’s Motor Mile Speedway.

CARS Tour officials indicated that additional events for both classes could be added at a later date.

Vanthoor Claims Michelin GT Challenge Pole

Published in Racing
Saturday, 24 August 2019 13:00

ALTON, Va. – How close was the 15-minute qualifying session for Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia Int’l Raceway?

Try 0.078 seconds between first and second and 0.156 seconds between first and third.

WeatherTech Championship GT Le Mans points leader Laurens Vanthoor picked up his second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole, driving the No. 912 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR to the best lap of one minute, 40.630 seconds (116.982 mph). Vanthoor did that lap with just over two minutes remaining in the session and brought the car into the pits instead of taking the checkered flag on the racetrack.

That’s when Jan Magnussen sped by in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with a lap of 1:40.708 (116.892 mph), just barely missing Vanthoor’s pole time. A few seconds later, here came Ryan Briscoe in the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT with a lap of 1:40.786 (116.801 mph) also just missing the pole.

Was Vanthoor concerned that he pitted early?

“I was, but my engineer wasn’t,” Vanthoor laughed. “I made a mistake in Corner 1, and he directly saw I was down, but I made it up a little bit afterward. The time was going to be close to where I was and I knew I could maybe improve, but he was confident that I should box. We’re starting on these tires tomorrow and it’s going to be a long race and a long first stint, probably, so he opted that it was enough and wanted to save the tires. So, I trusted him and luckily he was right.”

Vanthoor’s previous pole also came in a GT-only WeatherTech Championship race, at Lime Rock Park earlier this year for the Northeast Grand Prix. He and co-driver Earl Bamber go into Sunday’s race leading the GTLM championship standings by 14 points, 248-234, over their teammates, Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet in the No. 911 Porsche.

“It’s our second pole and we’re leading the championship with three races to go,” Vanthoor said. “We have a bit of a points lead, but that can go away quickly. We need to maximize every weekend and be safe and get on the podium. Starting from the pole is the best way to defend.”

Magnussen and his No. 3 co-driver, Antonio Garcia, who won back-to-back races here at VIR in 2016 and 2017, are looking for their first WeatherTech Championship GTLM win since then. Briscoe and his No. 67 co-driver, Richard Westbrook, have won the last two GTLM races – at Lime Rock and Road America – and look for their third straight on Sunday.

Joey Hand qualified fourth in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT at 1:40.956 (116.604 mph) and Oliver Gavin completed the top five with a lap of 1:41.578 (115.890 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette Racing C7.R.

Zacharie Robichon won the GT Daytona class pole at Virginia Int’l Raceway. (Sarah Weeks Photo)

Zacharie Robichon proved that every lap counts during his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying performance in the GT Daytona division.

Driving the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, Robichon earned the GT Daytona class Motul Pole Award on the final lap of the 15-minute session. His time of one minute, 45.826 seconds (111.238 mph) bumped Frankie Montecalvo from the top spot by just .324 seconds, which Montecalvo posted only one lap prior.

Tomorrow will be the second time Robichon leads the WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona class to green this season. He was awarded the top spot at the Detroit Grand Prix in June following a disqualification of the initial pole winner.

“I mean credit goes out to the team on this one,” said Robichon, who will be co-driving with Scott Hargrove in Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge. “They made the right call. They got the timing right. I think we got the extra lap on everybody else. I was just a tenth behind before that, but I think because of that last lap we were able to put it in. It was a little bit exciting.”

Robichon and the Pfaff Motorsports team are currently riding a winning streak. They scored back-to-back victories at Lime Rock Park last month and Road America three weeks ago. Robichon and Hargrove will be seeking their first victory as co-drivers, with Robichon winning alongside Dennis Olsen at Lime Rock and with Matt Campbell at Road America.

“It was a new team at the beginning of the year, and we’ve been able to come together as a team,” said Robichon. “We’ve been working together now as a crew at this level, and everybody knows their task, everybody is executing perfectly. The potential has been there all along, but we’ve finally been able to start hitting our stride.”

Montecalvo’s time in the No. 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, ultimately held on for the outside front row starting spot. His teammate Richard Heistand in the No. 14 Lexus will start third.

A pair of Acura NSX GT3s swept the fourth and fifth positions, with Trent Hindman in the No. 86 Acura for Meyer Shank Racing posting the fourth quick time and Alice Powell, in her IMSA debut, earning the fifth spot in the No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing Acura.

Francis Wins To Take Trans-Am Point Lead

Published in Racing
Saturday, 24 August 2019 13:19

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli championship took a dramatic turn in the series’ 47th visit to Road America in Saturday’s Ryan Companies 100.

Ernie Francis Jr. scored his third victory of the season and took the TA class championship lead in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Frameless Shower Doors Ford Mustang. Boris Said came home second, while Cliff Ebben completed the podium, with the Wisconsin driver of the No. 36 Stumpf Ford/Machavern Group/Lamers Racing Ford Mustang prevailing in a spirited late-race battle with Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette.

Francis run to victory followed a torrid early battle with pole sitter Chris Dyson in the No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang.

The two cars were running within a half-second of each other before Dyson spun in his race-leading Mustang on the 10th lap in turn five of the 4-mile circuit. The spin gave the lead to Francis, who was closely followed by popular veteran Boris Said in the No. 3 Elavon/Burtin Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Francis gradually built his advantage, winning over Said by 35.842 seconds.

“It was a real good race between Chris and I,” said Francis, who made it two-in-a-row after winning at Mid-Ohio. “We were going back and forth with the fastest lap. Then lapped traffic began to play a factor, and I was able to close in a little bit and put on the pressure. Then, coming into the brake zone for Turn 5, he got a little too much wheel hop into it, and I was able to go around.

“After that, I was able to pull out a gap and maintain a decent pace to take it home for the finish,” continued Francis. “I was keeping an eye on Boris. It was really great for points this weekend, and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys at Breathless Racing preparing the Frameless Shower Doors Mustang. The car was awesome all weekend. These are the kind of results we need at the end of the season, trying to pull out a championship.”

Dyson entered Saturday with a five-point lead over Francis in the standings. However, the New Yorker began experiencing problems early in the race.

“Unfortunately, we had a brake problem that was developing early on,” Dyson explained. “It’s a shame, but around this place you’ve got to have your brakes working right. We had speed today. We were quick, even with the brakes not quite right. I’m frustrated with myself, and I’m frustrated for the team, but you can’t drive this place if the car’s not stopping right.”

Dyson picked up a puncture on the early 10 spin and pitted. He worked his way back to eighth but spun again in Turn 5 on Lap 18, sustaining terminal right-front damage.

“We put a new left-rear on and went back out,” Dyson said. “The brakes seemed to have come back, but then they rapidly, rapidly faded, and I was braking earlier and earlier. Then I got down to Turn 5, hit the brakes, and I had nothing. Rather than take out Cindi Lux in the car in front of us, I just ditched and grazed the wall, trying to minimize the damage.”

Said was only three seconds behind the leaders when Dyson had his initial spin, but he also had mechanical problems down the stretch.

“I thought I had something for Ernie, but then we had a gearbox issue,” Said explained. “In the end, I only had fifth gear and was nursing it to the finish.”

Denny Lamers was the TA Masters winner, finishing eighth in the No. 66 Stumpf Ford/Machavern Group/Lamers Racing Ford Mustang.

Tim Kezman made a winning SGT debut in the No. 64 Fall-Line Motorsports Lemons of Love Audi R8 LMS.

“We jumped out front and had a pretty good run,” Kezman said. “I had some pressure early on, but I stayed the course. The car was great. My first time in this car was in practice on Friday, and the Audi is a fun car to drive. Fall-Line does an amazing job preparing the car. We had some issues with traffic, but we managed to keep it clean and bring it home in one piece.”

Kezeman won at Indianapolis in a Fall-Line Porsche, and finished third in that car at Mid-Ohio.

“I’ll be at the next race at Watkins Glen,” Kezman said. “I’ll probably be back in the Audi, because I think it will be a great car for The Glen.”

Ken Twaits finished second in the No. 5 Wilwood Brakes/Franklin Road Apparel Audi R8 LMS. Jason Daskalos completed the podium in the No. 27 Vintage 423 Dodge Viper, followed by SGT points leader Mark Boden in the No. 46 Fall-Line Racing Beverage Flavors International Porsche 991 GT3.

Jeff Courtney, the lone entrant in the GT class, finished 22nd overall to score his second victory of the season in the 99 Matrix/RecStuff.com/Kendra Maserati GT4.

Third-round play at East Lake halted for weather

Published in Golf
Saturday, 24 August 2019 09:29

ATLANTA – Weather has halted play for the second consecutive day at the Tour Championship.

The horn blew at 4:17 p.m. ET with the last group, which included leader Justin Thomas, on the sixth hole and just four third rounds completed at East Lake.

Although players sought shelter in the clubhouse, they were told by officials that the storm should move through the area quickly.

Solskjaer demands end to online racist abuse

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 24 August 2019 11:57

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he is "lost for words" after a second Manchester United player was racially abused on social media.

Marcus Rashford was sent a series of racist tweets after missing a penalty during the team's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday, just five days after similar incidents involving Paul Pogba.

- ESPN fantasy: Sign up now!
- Man United condemn racist abuse aimed at Pogba

"It's the same as we spoke about before the weekend; it needs to stop," Solskjaer said at a news conference. "I'm just lost for words. They keep hiding behind fake IDs and it's crazy we talk about this in 2019."

Rashford missed from the spot in the second half after Jordan Ayew had scored after 32 minutes, marking Palace's first league goal at Old Trafford in 15 years.

Daniel James eventually equalised two minutes from time, only for Patrick van Aanholt to score the winner in the third minute of injury time after beating David De Gea at his near post.

"I think we didn't have enough urgency and penetration," said Solskjaer. "[The first goal] was one long kick, such an easy goal, and the last goal, David has not touched the ball [all game] and they score again. Sometimes that'll be the case -- teams will come here and defend against us."

Solskjaer said he was also frustrated by referee Paul Tierney's decision to punish Gary Cahill with just a yellow card in the first half after he pulled back Anthony Martial when the Frenchman looked to be through on goal.

The Norwegian also felt his team should have been awarded a penalty when Martial appeared to be fouled by Martin Kelly in the area -- a decision that was not overturned by the VAR.

"I think we were unlucky with Martial's clear and obvious penalty," said Solskjaer. "It's a nailed on one and when the ref sees the game he'll know he's not had his best. It's a nailed on penalty, he won't slip if he doesn't have a centre back on his shoulders."

United lost Luke Shaw to an injury in the first half, but Solskjaer hopes it is not serious ahead of next Saturday's trip to Southampton, Shaw's former club.

"We'll do the scans tomorrow, but he felt something in his hamstring," Solskjaer said. "Hopefully, it won't be too bad and I hope he is going to be back for Southampton."

Man United show familiar failings in loss to Crystal Palace

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 24 August 2019 14:04

MANCHESTER, England -- Soft goals conceded, David De Gea mistakes and losing games they should not; for Manchester United, Saturday's defeat to Crystal Palace had a feeling of last season about it, rather than pertaining to a new era under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

There was enough in the first two games of the season, which brought victory against Chelsea and a draw at Wolves, to suggest things were moving in the right direction. However, this 2-1 reverse -- Palace's first win at Old Trafford since 1989 -- was a reality check for home fans.

Many streamed out after Patrick van Aanholt's stoppage-time winner, no doubt feeling they had seen it all before; United conceded two poor goals, and at the other end, a lack of creativity restricted the hosts to just three shots on target.

These were the same problems that contributed to a run of eight defeats from 12 games at the end of last season, which followed wins in 14 of Solskjaer's first 17 games in charge. There remains a sense that fans are waiting to find out which version of is the truth: Will the real Manchester United please stand up?

Solskjaer was quick to say after this latest setback that his team are two converted penalties away from sitting at the top of the Premier League table with nine points from nine, but that ignores obvious problems.

United are short of creative options in midfield and prolific scorers up front and this is unlikely to be the last time this season a team visits Old Trafford to defend deep and attack on the break. Neil Warnock pulled it off with relegated Cardiff on the final day of last season and his fellow septuagenarian Roy Hodgson oversaw a similar display as previously winless Palace played things perfectly.

Not that they were without help, for United seemed determined to shoot themselves in the foot. The first goal came from a simple punt up field: Jeffrey Schlupp flicked on after outjumping Victor Lindelof and Jordan Ayew took advantage of Harry Maguire's poor positioning to roll his finish past De Gea.

If that was bad, Palace's winner was even worse. After United finally found an equaliser in the 89th minute through Daniel James' excellent curling finish, Paul Pogba gave the ball away in midfield and the subsequent breakaway led to Van Aanholt rifling a shot that should have been saved at his near post by De Gea, but instead squirmed into the net.

The goalkeeper's form became a problem during that dire run at the end of last season and Solskjaer will hope De Gea's latest gaffe is a one-off, rather than a sign of things to come. After all, the manager has enough on his plate without having to worry about changing his goalkeeper, specifically what is happening at the other end of the pitch.

- Ratings: De Gea error condemns Man United vs. Palace
- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now!

United had 77% possession on a warm, sunny day, but could only muster three shots on target and this was not a defeat that was down to heroics from the visiting goalkeeper because Vicente Guaita barely had a save to make. Indeed, he was not even stretched by United's latest penalty fiasco; Marcus Rashford stepped up ahead of Pogba, only to see his spot kick hit the post.

Luck, so often with United last season, deserted them again, but Solskjaer's men also ran out of ideas, having realised it was not possible to counter attack against a team defending so deep. It was entirely predictable, some might argue, and highlighted yet again that, while Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka solidify the defence, there is a lack of invention further forward and the attacking options are weaker after the departure of Romelu Lukaku.

The now-Inter striker split opinion among United supporters, but he averaged a goal every two games and no other player boasts a similar ratio. When Solskjaer turned to his bench in the second half on Saturday, he could only throw on 17-year-old Mason Greenwood.

It is positive that the club has so much faith in such a young player and Greenwood does have enormous potential, but it is a lot to expect a teenager without a competitive senior goal to change a game. He will eventually, but not yet.

Defeat to Crystal Palace is not a disaster -- it is only the third week of the season, after all -- but it did show the problems that remain. One former United player was heard telling a group of fans "we are c--p" as he left the stadium on Saturday evening. While the situation is not quite that bad, the hangover of last season is still causing Solskjaer a headache.

Pepe shows promise but 3/10 Luiz struggles

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 24 August 2019 13:30

Arsenal's winless run against Liverpool extended to 10 games as the visitors were comfortably beaten 3-1 at Anfield. The Gunners were blown away by Joel Matip's header and a Mohamed Salah brace, before Lucas Torreira netted a late consolation.

Positives

Despite ultimately being on the wrong end of the scoreline, Arsenal's game plan worked for most of the first half. Their defensive capabilities have come into question all too often, but there was willingness to play out from the back against Liverpool's energy. Nicolas Pepe also showed promise; on another day his curling effort could have opened the scoring.

- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now!
- All Premier League summer transfers

Negatives

Arsenal struggled to cope with Liverpool's high press and found their penalty area bombarded during the early stages, while a diamond formation in midfield led to further exposure in wide areas against full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. At 1-0 down there was still hope, but a calamitous 10 minutes from David Luiz then gifted Liverpool two second-half goals.

Manager rating out of 10

4 -- Emery gave Pepe his first start in place of Alexandre Lacazette, while Granit Xhaka returned to the starting 11 at the expense of Reiss Nelson. A defensive approach was probably the right idea against a lethal front three, but despite a strong final 10 minutes, his side never really managed to get a foothold in the game after the break.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Bernd Leno, 5 -- Could not do much about any of the Liverpool goals. Leno produced some good routine stops, but was ultimately exposed by a poor defensive display against ruthless opposition.

DF Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 4 -- Given a torrid time by Robertson and Roberto Firminho, he never looked comfortable.

DF David Luiz, 3 -- His 250th Premier League appearance will not live long in the memory after he gave away a penalty with a naive shirt pull on Salah and was left eating dust by the same player for Liverpool's third.

DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 5 -- Thwarted a dangerous Salah run with a strong, perfectly-timed challenge in the first half and generally demonstrated willingness to put his body on the line, but those efforts were ultimately in vain.

DF Nacho Monreal, 4 -- Made a couple of important interceptions, but this was far from his best display.

MF Matteo Guendouzi, 5 -- Crucial in helping Arsenal get a foothold in a high-tempo first half, but was too focused on Virgil Van Dijk as Matip headed in the game's opening goal.

MF Granit Xhaka, 4 -- Made the lineup after passing a late fitness test, but struggled to cope with high tempo. He did, at least, manage to play the full 90 minutes.

MF Joe Willock, 5 -- Beat Alexander-Arnold with lovely trickery, but that was his only contribution of note. Willock's passing was sloppy and he was shrugged off the ball too easily by Sadio Mane as Liverpool nearly doubled their lead just before half-time.

MF Dani Ceballos, 4 -- Failing to build on a dazzling performance against Burnley, he made little impact and was replaced by Lucas Torreira on the hour.

FW Nicolas Pepe, 7 -- Arsenal's standout performer, Pepe showed pace and promise in his first start for the club. He was unfortunate not to open the scoring with a curling effort and looked dangerous on the counter.

FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 6 -- Unlucky to see a 20-yard lob drop inches wide when the game was goalless, but Aubameyang generally lacked his usual cutting edge and looked unusually hesitant when he found himself clean through later. He did set up Torreira's consolation strike.

Substitutes

MF Lucas Torreira, 6 -- Showed great composure to score in front of The Kop, but did little to change the course of a game that was already over by the time he was introduced.

FW Alexandre Lacazette, NR - Replaced Willock in the 80th minute and showed some attacking intent and signs of positive link-up play.

MF Henrikh Mkhitaryan, NR -- Introduced in place of Guendouzi in the 86th minute, he had no time to make an impact.

Soccer

USWNT thrilled to welcome back 'unique' Rodman

USWNT thrilled to welcome back 'unique' Rodman

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsU.S. women's national team captain Lindsey Heaps hailed teammate Tr...

Liverpool show grit in Merseyside derby win, but is Van Dijk in decline?

Liverpool show grit in Merseyside derby win, but is Van Dijk in decline?

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLIVERPOOL, England -- Liverpool restored their 12-point advantage a...

Simeone defends Atlético's season after Copa exit

Simeone defends Atlético's season after Copa exit

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDiego Simeone insisted that Atlético Madrid had "competed well" thi...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Rockets' Brooks faces 1-game ban after 16th tech

Rockets' Brooks faces 1-game ban after 16th tech

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHOUSTON -- Rockets forward Dillon Brooks faces an automatic one-gam...

76ers' Embiid set for arthroscopic knee surgery

76ers' Embiid set for arthroscopic knee surgery

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Philadelphia 76ers announced that star center Joel Embiid is se...

Baseball

'Reason he's here': Crochet delivers for Red Sox

'Reason he's here': Crochet delivers for Red Sox

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBALTIMORE -- Garrett Crochet gave the Boston Red Sox an immediate r...

Herrera hammers 3 HRs in first for Cards catcher

Herrera hammers 3 HRs in first for Cards catcher

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsST. LOUIS -- When Ivan Herrera was signed by the St. Louis Cardinal...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated