Calum Preston Kelly

Sandy Baltimore scored the pick of the goals and grabbed a second from the penalty spot as Chelsea swept aside West Ham 5-0 on Sunday to keep up the pace on Manchester City at the top of the Women's Super League table. The Blues led after just 46 seconds at Kingsmeadow and did not look back as they launched wave after wave of attack on their visitors, with Lauren James and Alyssa Thompson also grabbing first-half goals in a rampant display.

Zinedine Zidane's son Luca was involved in a brawl at full-time after his Algeria side were defeated in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday. The 27-year-old Granada goalkeeper clashed with Nigeria ace Fisayo Dele-Bashiru following a 2-0 victory for the Super Eagles, who will meet hosts Morocco in the last four. But the incident after the full-time whistle saw a sour end to proceedings as Zidane's side were eliminated.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly rejected a loan bid from Roma for centre-back Radu Dragusin, who recently returned from nearly a year out with an ACL injury and had been targeted for a return to Serie A. The 23-year-old has been included in Thomas Frank's last six matchday squads despite coming off the bench just once, and the club may decide to keep him around this January after knocking back Roma's approach.

Ruben Amorim returned to his native Portugal on Saturday just five days after his sacking as Manchester United head coach, with the 40-year-old spotted grinning after touching down in his homeland. United parted ways with the former Sporting CP boss on Monday after 14 months in charge at Old Trafford, with Darren Fletcher taking over as interim head coach and Amorim's future path very much undecided.

Bruno Fernandes' Manchester United team-mates 'fear' the Portuguese has had enough of the turmoil going on at Old Trafford and will quit the Red Devils for pastures new after the World Cup this summer. The 31-year-old previously claimed he was "hurt" and "sad" that the club were willing to sell him last year and team-mates reportedly would not blame him if he were to move on at the end of the season.

Lamine Yamal has expressed his desire to build and follow his own unique path as his young career develops. Speaking after winning the Best Forward award at the Globe Soccer Awards, the 18-year-old played down comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo and stated that since the great Portuguese earnt his name in football by being unlike anyone else, he hopes to do the same thing as he comes ever closer to reaching the very top of the game.

An almost perfect 2025 for Ousmane Dembele was completed on Sunday, as the Paris Saint-Germain forward was crowned 'Best Male Player' at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. This was the latest in a series of personal accolades for the Ballon d'Or winner, who inspired PSG to winning the Champions League for the first time ever last season. Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal also picked up a pair of awards on the night.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has suggested that it is only the start for Florian Wirtz at Anfield, after the German scored his first Premier League goal against Wolves on Saturday. Wirtz has had a challenging adaptation period since his £116million ($156.5m) summer arrival and Van Dijk emphasised he is "very happy" for his team-mate, citing his hard work for the team and stating that there is hopefully much more to come from Wirtz in a Reds shirt.

Christian Pulisic has broken his silence on if there is any truth behind dating rumours linking the AC Milan and USMNT star with American actress Sydney Sweeney. News broke earlier this week that the former Chelsea winger and Sweeney had struck up a romantic relationship and had been dating for some time, with 27-year-old Pulisic coming forward to give his take on the rumours after helping fire Milan to the top of Serie A on Sunday.

Real Madrid have reportedly 'rejected' the signing of three big-name stars ahead of the January transfer window, as Los Blancos plan for their future amidst the intense recent pressure placed upon head coach Xabi Alonso. The three players in question all see their contracts expire on June 30, 2026, and so will be free to negotiate with foreign clubs from January 1. Real have often used this tactic to secure top signings, but have reportedly been offered and rejected the trio.

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has thanked Paris Saint-Germain and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi for their role in helping Achraf Hakimi return to fitness, as the Atlas Lions captain nears a return for his national side at AFCON after the best part of two months on the sidelines. Hakimi is expected to feature in hosts Morocco's final group game against Zambia on Monday, and Regragui praised 'gentleman' Al-Khelaifi for allowing Hakimi to join up with his national side early to aid his recovery.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has somewhat taken back his criticism of Casemiro following the Brazilian's renaissance under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. Carragher famously said of Casemiro that "the football has left him" in May 2024, but has now slightly gone away from those remarks and stated that the 33-year-old's ability at the highest level has not entirely diminished.

Harvey Elliott might have to settle for spending the remainder of the season at Aston Villa despite his disappointing loan spell thus far, as complications surrounding the terms of his season-long move from Liverpool have emerged ahead of the January transfer window. The 22-year-old completed a loan deal with a £35million ($47.2m) obligation to buy if he makes 10 appearances for the Villans, which appears unlikely to happen - but there are no guarantees he will return to Anfield soon.

Kieffer Moore was the match-winner for Wrexham as the striker scored twice to sink former club Sheffield United in a thrilling Boxing Day bonanza at the Racecourse. The Blades led 3-1 in the first half following a Moore error in his own box but a stunning comeback saw Phil Parkinson's side steal all three points in a 5-3 victory, which begun with an audacious Patrick Bamford backheel flick for the visitors and ended with Josh Windass powering home a penalty to complete the turnaround.

Ruben Amorim has revealed he still believes Kobbie Mainoo is the "future of Manchester United", despite the 20-year-old's continued struggles for game time under the Portuguese at Old Trafford. Academy graduate Mainoo has been heavily linked with a move away from his boyhood club but Amorim suggested that he intends to keep the midfielder and believes that he still can thrive with the Red Devils.

Pep Guardiola has admitted he would prefer Manchester City to be top of the Premier League rather than chasing down Christmas leaders Arsenal. The Cityzens have assumed the role of hunting down the early pace-setters, with a current two-point deficit which they will hope to overturn in the coming weeks. But Guardiola has revealed that he would find it easier if his side were "ten points clear of everyone".

Arne Slot has backed Hugo Ekitike to continue his electric run in front of goal, praising the Liverpool striker for his "hard work" off the pitch and determination to succeed in what is proving to be a fruitful first season in England. Ekitike looks set to have increasing pressure placed on his shoulders following a broken leg suffered by Alexander Isak, but Slot praised the Frenchman for his efforts to get "fitter and fitter".

Former Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has revealed the circumstances behind the "rift" which developed between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar during the latter stages of their time together at the Parisian giants. The pair, signed as the world's two most expensive players ever and amongst the biggest stars in the game at the time, shared a close friendship at first but saw issues between them grow over their period at the club.