Howe Hails Newcastle’s ‘Ruthless’ Isak After VAR Drama

Eddie Howe praised Alexander Isak “ruthless mentality” after the striker earned Newcastle United a dramatic 1-1 draw at Brighton on Sunday. It has kept their Champions League hopes alive amid a match dominated by VAR interventions. Isak netted from the spot in the 88th minute on the south coast. It registered his 23rd Premier League goal of the season and rescuing a crucial point for the visitors. The Magpies had trailed since the first half, when Yankuba Minteh fired Brighton ahead. Before Isak’s equaliser, Newcastle were twice awarded penalties, only for VAR to overturn both decisions. The first was rescinded when replays showed Anthony Gordon was fouled just outside the area by Tariq Lamptey. The second came after Joe Willock was judged to have dived. On both occasions, Isak had been ready to take the kick. “I’ve not been there myself, so I can’t put myself in his shoes,” said Howe.“But I can only imagine the process he is going through and then he has to stop, and that’s why he did very well because it would be very, very easy to miss that moment. But he didn’t.” The Swedish forward finally got his chance after Brighton substitute Yasin Ayari was penalised for a handball during Fabian Schär’s free-kick, leading to a third and final spot-kick. “He’s got that ruthless mentality to scoring goals. And that’s where you really lean on those type of players. To have the coolness of mind to just take a step back and go, ‘right, this is what I need to do’ and deliver it for the team. It was a brilliant penalty in a big moment because we needed something from the game. Losing the game would have dented us.” The result left Newcastle in fourth place, three points ahead of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest. But with three games remaining and the top five Premier League teams set to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, the race remains tight. Forest can draw level on points with both Newcastle and Chelsea if they win away at Crystal Palace on Monday.

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Juventus Share the Spoils with Bologna as Top-Four Race Tightens

Juventus and Bologna played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday evening. They earned their fifth straight head-to-head stalemate as both sides remained locked in a tense battle for Champions League qualification. The result also extended Juve’s remarkable unbeaten run in this fixture to 28 matches. Despite the turbulent season that saw manager Thiago Motta dismissed in March, Juventus are still very much in the hunt for a top-four finish. Andrea Cambiaso broke down the flank before squaring to Khéphren Thuram, before fired a low shot from distance that beat Łukasz Skorupski. Bologna looked to respond quickly, showing intent but struggling to truly test Juve keeper Michele Di Gregorio. Their best chance of the first half came when Riccardo Orsolini’s curling corner forced a smart save, and Sam Beukema later headed over from a set-piece. Juventus thought they had a second before the break when Nicolás González slotted home after breaking through on goal.Cambiaso also found the net early in the second half but again VAR intervened to rule it out for offside. Bologna made their moment count in the 54th minute. A cross to the back post from Nicolò Cambiaghi found Thijs Dallinga, who directed it to Remo Freuler. The midfielder fired home with the help of a deflection to draw the hosts level. González came close to restoring Juve’s lead shortly after, but Skorupski smothered his effort. The visitors continued to push late on, including a frantic scramble in the box where Alberto Costa saw his shot cleared off the line, but they couldn’t find a winner. The point sees Juventus climb back into the top four, nudging past Roma, while Bologna stay just one point behind. The result also preserves Bologna’s unbeaten home run which now stands at 10 league games.

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Brentford Come from Behind to Edge Man Utd in Seven-Goal Thriller

Manchester United’s dismal Premier League form continued as they fell to a chaotic defeat to Brentford. The loss extended their winless streak to six matches. For the hosts, the dramatic win propelled them into the top half of the table. It also stretched their unbeaten run to five league games. Kevin Schade could have scored twice for Brentford in the opening few minutes. irst narrowly missing with Altay Bayındır  out of position, then sliding in at the back post only to see his effort drift just wide. Despite Brentford’s early dominance, it was United who struck first. The visitors then took the lead with what was their only shot of the first half. That lead didn’t last, however. Brentford’s growing pressure yielded results before half-time when Mikkel Damsgaard’s strike deflected in off the unfortunate Luke Shaw after Michael Kayode’s long throw caused chaos. The Bees’ momentum carried over into the second half. Brentford’s mounting pressure told when Schade headed in his second of the match. Manchester United attempted a late comeback in the closing stages. United managed to make things nervy late on as Garnacho brilliantly curled into the top corner from outside the box. before substitute Amad Diallo’s shot went through Mark Flekken’s legs. But it proved too little, too late as Brentford held firm to record only their second victory in 13 head-to-head meetings with United. The Red Devils, meanwhile, have now won just three of their last 22 trips to London.

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Chelsea Take Down Liverpool to Continue Champions League Chase

Chelsea strengthened their push for a Premier League top five finish with victory Liverpool. The win sees the Blues extend their strong run of just one defeat in their last nine league outings. Liverpool, had little more than pride at stake in west London. Manager Arne Slot rotated heavily making six changes to the side that beat Spurs. Chelsea came into the match fully focused on Champions League qualification and their urgency was evident from the start. Just three minutes in, the hosts broke the deadlock with a goal. The victory moves Chelsea three points ahead of Nottingham Forest. It also sets up a pivotal clash with top-four contenders Newcastle United. For Liverpool, the result had no bearing on their title-winning season, but the defeat will still sting. They now turn their attention to the final two games before a well earned championship parade.

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Yankees Designate Carlos Carrasco for Assignment, Recall Yerry De los Santos

The New York Yankees made a pitching move on Tuesday. They are designating veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment and recalling reliever Yerry De los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Carrasco, 38, made the team out of Spring Training as a non-roster invitee and served as rotation depth amid injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. In eight appearances (six starts), he posted a 5.91 ERA across 32 innings. His most recent outing came in Sunday’s loss to the Rays, where he pitched three innings in relief and gave up two earned runs. Now in his 16th MLB season, Carlos Carrasco spent the bulk of his career with the Cleveland Guardians. He later spent three seasons with the Mets and returned briefly to Cleveland before joining New York. In his place, the Yankees recalled 27-year-old right-hander Yerry De los Santos. De los Santos has made one appearance for the Yankees this season, tossing two scoreless innings in an April 27 win over the Blue Jays. At Triple-A, he’s logged 10 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts and a 1.74 WHIP, allowing three runs (two earned) on a pair of homers.

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Rams’ Sean McVay on Potential Jalen Ramsey Trade

As the 2025 NFL Draft has passed, Jalen Ramsey remains a member of the Miami Dolphins. However, the possibility of him returning to the Los Angeles Rams has not been ruled out. Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed the situation during a recent interview with SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio. While McVay didn’t provide any new updates, he emphasized the complexity of such a move. “There are a lot of layers when you’re talking about a player of his caliber,” McVay explained. “Those conversations are ongoing, as I’m sure they are with multiple teams.” The Rams are not in immediate need of a cornerback, but McVay and general manager Les Snead have not ruled out the idea of drafting Ramsey. With a veteran cornerback group already in place, including Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon, adding Ramsey could provide valuable championship experience. However, there is no rush to complete a deal, as waiting until after June 1 could provide the Dolphins with more flexibility in terms of cap space.

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Betts Still Out as Mystery Illness Lingers

After missing the Dodgers’ season-opening games in Tokyo, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were originally set to play in Sunday’s Freeway Series exhibition, a 7-1 win  over the Angels at Dodger Stadium.   However, Betts was scratched from the lineup about 90 minutes before the game after vomiting. He has been battling an illness that caused him to lose about 15 pounds and forced the Dodgers to send him home early from Tokyo. Miguel Rojas replaced him at shortstop.   Betts said he has been unable to keep down solid food for nearly two weeks, first noticing symptoms before the Dodgers’ Cactus League finale on March 11. While he can tolerate liquids like smoothies and received an IV in Tokyo, a specific diagnosis has yet to be determined.

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LeBron Returns, but Bulls Dominate Lakers

LeBron James returned Saturday after a two-week absence, looking ready to lead the Lakers’ playoff push. But almost nothing else went right in a 146-115 blowout loss to the Bulls. “We’ve got to play better basketball than we did tonight,” James said before the Lakers’ four-game road trip starts Monday in Orlando. James had 17 points after missing seven games with a strained groin but showed some rust. His return was overshadowed by a sloppy Lakers performance, marking another low in their up-and-down season since acquiring Luka Doncic.

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Angels Trade for Anderson, Sends Suarez to Braves

The Braves traded right-hander Ian Anderson  to the Angels on Sunday in exchange for left-hander José Suarez. Anderson, who had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022, was in the mix for a rotation spot with Atlanta this spring. Instead, he’ll move to the Angels’ bullpen, manager Ron Washington confirmed after the trade was finalized.   The 26-year-old made 15 starts in the minors last season while working his way back from injury. From 2020-22, he started 52 games for the Braves, posting a 3.97 ERA. Atlanta’s third overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Anderson threw three scoreless innings Sunday before being traded. He has a 2.25 ERA in six spring outings but has struggled with command, issuing 20 walks in 20 innings while striking out 10.

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Samsonov makes 35 saves for Golden Knights

 Ilya Samsonov saved 35 shots in the Golden Knights’ 4-2 win over the Lightning on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. “’Sammy’ has been really good for us,” Vegas forward Nicolas Roy said. “Player of the game for sure today. … He’s been confident lately and it’s good to see. Really good game from him.” Roy, Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel and Nicolas Hague scored for the Golden Knights (42-20-8), who have won three in a row and are in first in the Pacific Division, five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. Alex Pietrangelo had two assists. “We defended pretty well,” Pietrangelo said. “A lot of our offense comes from when we take care of our end. I know we gave up [37] shots, but I thought we did a really good job around our net. We’re defending well, especially on the rush, and it seems like tonight they’re really good on the rush. I just feel like three different teams. Three different [standing] positions, but we can play any style, right? We can adjust to who we’re playing against.”

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