Big News of the Weekend

Arsenal slip up at Anfield while punches were thrown in the UFC and, surprisingly, in the NBA as the Regular Season got concluded. Also, Lionel Messi was once again in the news while Odell Beckham Jr. found a new home. We discuss these and more but before that, you can head to our Cross Sport Specials page to check out some of the special offers we have.

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 Liverpool Hold Arsenal To Draw At Anfield

In one of the most entertaining games of the season, Liverpool and Arsenal shared the points at Anfield as the Gunners’ lead over Man City was cut from 8 points to 6, with Pep Guardiola’s men having played a game less. Gabriel Martinelli was the standout player for Arsenal in the first half, scoring the opening goal in the 8th minute and assisting Gabriel Jesus in the 28th minute to give Arsenal a 2-goal lead. However, Liverpool scored a goal just before half-time through Mo Salah, which set up an interesting second half. Liverpool dominated the game in the second half and were awarded a penalty, which Mo Salah missed. They continued to press on and eventually scored an equalizer in the 87th minute through substitute Bobby Firmino, assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both teams had chances to win in stoppage time, with Aaron Ramsdale making a superb save and Martinelli and Saka failing to capitalize on a counter-attack just moments later.

The game also had one of the most bizarre incidents we’ve seen in a while. Liverpool left-back, Andy Robertson appeared to be elbowed in the chin by assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis at the end of the first half and refereeing body, PGMOL says it will now investigate the incident.

Samuel Chukueze Stuns Santiago Bernabéu Crowd

Having beaten Real Madrid earlier in the season, Villarreal’s stunning 3-2 comeback win at Santiago Bernabéu saw them complete their first ever La Liga double over the reigning European & World Champions. Twice Los Blancos went in front and twice, they ceded the lead, thanks to Samuel Chukwueze’s stunning display. Chukwueze scored the first goal just before halftime, after spinning Nacho around and calmly slotting the ball past Thibaut Courtois. In the second half, after Vini Jr. had restored Real Madrid’s lead, Chukwueze once again tore into the Madrid defense, setting up Jose Luis Morales’ equalizer before scoring the winning goal with a spectacular left-footed curler from outside the box, ten minutes before the end of the match. Chukwueze now has 5 goals and 4 assists in just 9 games in 2023 – the best spell of his young career – and the result leaves Los Blancos 12 points behind Barcelona who are in action on Monday night.

Israel Adesanya Recaptures Middleweight Championship

Israel Adesanya expressed his joy and satisfaction after winning back his Middleweight title with a victory over Alex Pereira, saying, “This is a sweet, sweet victory, and you know I have a sweet tooth. The hunter is now the hunted.” Adesanya had previously lost to Pereira in three meetings, including the fight that led to him losing his title to the Brazilian and, he knew that this was his last opportunity to reclaim his title and defeat his arch-rival. In the closing stages of the Second Round, Adesanya lured Pereira to the edge of the Octagon and absorbed several head and body shots before countering with two decisive blows that knocked the champion down – a game plan similar to his last fight where he seemed to have Pereira beat before the Brazilian was saved by the bell.

Erling Haaland Hits 30th League Goal

Man City extended their impressive winning streak by securing their 8th consecutive victory (31-3 aggregate scoreline), earning all 3-points at St. Mary’s Stadium. Jack Grealish maintained his excellent form by scoring a goal, bringing his total to 5 goal contributions (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last 4 games while, substitute, Julian Alvarez found the back of the net for the Cityzens. However, it was Erling Haaland who once again garnered attention, as the Norwegian striker scored a brilliant brace, including a spectacular scissor-kick goal. Haaland’s two goals put him at 30 Premier League goals for the season and 44 in all competitions, which equals the record shared by Ruud van Nistelrooy (2002/03) and Mo Salah (2017/18). With at least 12 games left to play, it’s all but certain that the Man City forward will set a new record.

Dallas Mavericks Fail To Make Playoffs Following Controversial Losses

The NBA is investigating the Dallas Mavericks after accusations that they intentionally tried to lose games and miss the play-in tournament. The Mavericks rested their key players in their last two games against the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, both of which they lost. Kyrie Irving was among those omitted in the loss to the Bulls, while Luka Dončić only played 12 minutes of Friday’s 115-112 defeat. NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said on Saturday “The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivation behind those actions.” The loss increased the Mavs’ chance of getting a Top 10 pick in the draft which, otherwise, would go to the New York Knicks as part of the deal for Kristaps Porzingis’ 2019 trade.

Not a first time offender, Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban was famously fined $600,000 in 2018 for his public comments on tanking after he said: “I’m probably not supposed to say this, but I just had dinner with a bunch of our guys the other night, and here we are. We weren’t competing for the playoffs. I was like, ‘Look, losing is our best option.’

Burnley Promoted To The Premier League

Vincent Kompany has successfully led Burnley to promotion back to the Premier League after a 2-1 win against Michael Carrick’s. Middlesbrough Despite being in charge for just one season, Kompany’s team has emerged as the most dominant side in the second tier, leading in goals (76) and wins (25) while maintaining the best defense (30 conceded). This is a remarkable achievement considering the club’s financial struggles and lack of confidence after being relegated from the Premier League. Burnley will now aim to replicate Newcastle United’s 2009/10’s achievement by remaining unbeaten at home throughout the campaign.

NBA Post-Season All Set

The 2022/23 NBA season rounded up on Sunday with no upsets on the day. We did have another type of upset, though, as multiple players around the league crumbled under pressure and lost their tempers with teammates. Timberwolves teammates, Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson had to be separated after the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year threw a punch at Anderson while Clippers teammates, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee got into a shoving contest that thankfully didn’t escalate. Besides that, it was business as usual around the league as we finally got some mouth-watering play-in and play-off match ups. In the East, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks will battle for a chance to face the Boston Celtics while in the West, the Timberwolves will have to put their issues to the side when they travel to LA to face the Lakers for an opportunity to play the Grizzlies in the first round. The West will feature two thrilling first-round matchups, where the Suns with 2-time Champion Kevin Durant will face the Clippers with another 2-time Champion, Kawhi Leonard, and the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions, will play against the Sacramento Kings, who had the highest Offensive Rating of all time (118.6), surpassing the record set by the Nets (118.5) in the 2020/21 season. The complete bracket is displayed below:

Lionel Messi Sets Another Club Record

Lionel Messi’s goal in PSG’s 2-0 win over Nice saw him pass Cristiano Ronaldo (701) for most club goals in Europe (702). The Argentine icon had endured a tough couple of weeks at PSG where he was subjected to boos from the club fans, but he put on a Man of the Match display to take his tally for the season to 14 goals and 14 assists in 25 Ligue 1 games. Messi, who set up Sergio Ramos’ 76th minute goal, also reached 1,000 club goal contributions. The win saw PSG maintain their 6-point over 2nd place Lens who recorded a 2-1 win over Strasbourg on Friday.

Ollie Watkins On Target For Aston Villa Again

In recent weeks, the Aston Villa man has been the hottest striker in England not named Erling Haaland, and he once again put on a solid performance for the Villans as his goal took him to 9 goals and 2 assists in 11 games. The 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest saw Villa keep their 5th clean sheet in 7 games as they continued their transformation under Unai Emery. Since taking charge of Aston Villa, only Arsenal (42) have accrued more points than Aston Villa (35) and they’ve risen from 16th to 6th. Unai Emery’s side has scored in all 17 of their Premier League games under his care – the longest such run by any team in the league this season and the longest run by the club since 2009.

Odell Beckham Jr Joins Baltimore Ravens on One Year Deal

WR Odell Beckham agreed to a one-year contract with the Ravens worth up to $18 million on Sunday. The former Rams star receiver had to sit out the 2022/23 season because of a ruptured ACL he sustained during the Super Bowl victory over the Bengals in February 2022. During this off season, many teams had expressed interest in signing him, adding to the speculation surrounding his future, but he opted for the 2-time champions. This new development could potentially motivate wantaway Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had requested a trade 2 months ago after a contract negotiation breakdown, to reconsider staying with the team.

Jon Rahm Dominates To Win The Masters

Spain’s Jon Rahm has won the 2023 Masters Championship and has taken home the largest prize in the tournament’s history, $3.24 million. The 28-year-old shot three-under 69 to finish at 12 under, securing a four-shot victory. Brooks Koepka, the American who led by two going into the final round, signed for a 75 and ended up in joint second place with veteran Phil Mickelson, who finished eight under after a stunning seven-under 65. With this win, Rahm’s earnings for the season have exceeded $13 million, which is a remarkable achievement considering we’re just 99 days into 2023.