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TOTTENHAM CLASH WITH BRIGHTON POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Tottenham’s Premier League game at Brighton on Sunday has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak at the north London club.

Thirteen first-team players and staff have tested positive for the virus, leading to Thursday night’s Europa Conference League clash with Rennes being called off.

And now Sunday’s trip to the Amex Stadium will not go ahead after the club’s request for a postponement was accepted by the Premier League club.

A statement read: “We can confirm that our Premier League fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion, on Sunday 12 December at 2pm, has been postponed following a Premier League Board meeting this afternoon (Thursday).

“The Premier League Board took the decision to postpone the game following guidance from medical advisers, with the health of players and staff the priority. The fixture will be rescheduled in due course.

“The Club requested the match to be rearranged following a significant number of positive COVID-19 cases among players and relevant staff.

“As with our other affected fixture, against Stade Rennais in the Europa Conference League, we shall update supporters with more information as soon as it is available.

“We should like to apologise to everyone at Stade Rennais and Brighton & Hove Albion and to both their supporters and ours for any inconvenience caused.”

Next Thursday’s Premier League match at Leicester also appears to be in doubt not only because of Spurs’ situation, but because the Foxes are gripped by Covid-19 as well.

As of Wednesday lunchtime Spurs had not contained the outbreak as players who had tested negative the day before were then testing positive having mixed with the squad.

Boss Antonio Conte was visibly emotional in his press conference to preview the Rennes game on Wednesday, saying the situation was serious and that he was scared.

“The problem is that every day we are having people with Covid,” Conte said.

“People that yesterday weren’t positive, today were positive and we continue to have contact with people we think are negative but the day after become positive. I think this is a serious problem.

“The situation is serious and it is contagious and there is a big infection and now for sure we are a bit scared because tomorrow we don’t know what happens.”

The postponement of further games is going to cause significant scheduling problems for Tottenham, having already had a Premier League game with Burnley called off because of snow.

Discussions regarding the rescheduling of the game with Rennes are ongoing with UEFA, with rules stating there is a December 31 deadline for group games to be completed, but it is understood there could be some room for manoeuvre on that as Spurs have a packed domestic schedule before then, while Rennes go on a winter break on December 22.

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LEICESTER CRASH OUT OF EUROPA LEAGUE AFTER NAPOLI DEFEAT

Leicester are out of the Europa League after losing 3-2 at Napoli.

An end-to-end encounter saw four goals shared in the first half in Naples, where the hosts led 2-0 courtesy of strikes from Adam Ounas and Eljif Elmas.

However, the Foxes responded through Jonny Evans and academy graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s first goal for the club.

Elmas struck again early in the second half and, despite Brendan Rodgers’ side having chances to get themselves level once more, it proved decisive.

Leicester began the night top of Group C, but they ended it in third place and headed into the Europa Conference League after their defeat was compounded by Spartak Moscow’s 1-0 win at Legia Warsaw, with the Russian club topping the table.

Much of the pre-match talk was of Leicester having to leave behind seven players through illness. Rodgers confirmed some of the unnamed players had tested positive for coronavirus, while others had been left at home as a precaution.

But it was a strong Foxes team that took to the field, which included Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans returning from a five-match absence with a calf problem.

Napoli were also ravaged by injury, with boss Luciano Spalletti without star players Kalidou Koulibaly, Victor Osimhen, Lorenzo Insigne and Fabian Ruiz. Frank Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka were also absent.

Leicester made a bright start and should have taken an early lead. Dewsbury-Hall charged down the left flank all the way to the by-line and his far-post cross was met by Timothy Castagne inside the six-yard box, but goalkeeper Alex Meret somehow made a smothering save on his goal line.

Napoli went straight up the other end and scored. A mistake by Tielemans, although the midfielder was not helped by the pass from Caglar Soyuncu, resulted in Ounas finding the corner of the net with a low shot across Kasper Schmeichel after four minutes.

It saw the midfielder mark his first start for the club since April 2019 with a goal.

Elmas doubled Napoli’s lead 20 minutes later. Andrea Petagna strolled through the middle of the Leicester defence before unselfishly teeing up Elmas for a tap -in.

With Spartak Moscow also leading at Legia Warsaw, it looked like the Foxes were exiting the Europa League with a whimper.

However, Evans immediately pulled a goal back, smashing home the loose ball from eight yards out after James Maddison’s free-kick had struck a defender and landed in his path.

With 33 minutes on the clock, Leicester were level. Another free-kick was only half-cleared by the hosts and Dewsbury-Hall volleyed the ball into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Leicester’s hard work in getting back into the match was almost undone at the beginning of the second half, with only a fine save by Schmeichel by his near post preventing Ounas from getting his second goal of the night.

However, the Foxes did find themselves behind again after 53 minutes when Elmas grabbed his second goal of the night, controlling Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s low cross before giving Schmeichel no chance with his close-range finish.

Immediately at the other end, Di Lorenzo inexplicably passed the ball across his own penalty area where Maddison intercepted before, with the goal at his mercy, letting Napoli off the hook as his shot clipped the outside of a post and went wide.

The frenetic pace slowed a little after that, with Napoli becoming increasingly more comfortable to sit back and allow Leicester more possession. The Foxes were not creating chances with their previous frequency and it was not until the 75th minute that Jamie Vardy riffled a shot into the side-netting.

Five minutes later Dewsbury-Hall slipped at the vital moment as he attempted to round off a lovely Leicester attack.

The Foxes looked like they might be handed a dramatic reprieve in Warsaw when Legia were awarded a penalty deep into injury time. An equaliser would have see Leicester go through despite their defeat, but the spot-kick was saved.

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JUDE BELLINGHAM UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GERMAN FA FOR REFEREE COMMENTS

Jude Bellingham is under investigation by the German Football Association for his comments about the referee after Borussia Dortmund’s defeat to Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Referee Felix Zwayer turned down Dortmund’s appeals for a penalty and later awarded Bayern a spot-kick after Mats Hummels was deemed to have handled in the area.

Emotions ran high at the end of ‘Der Klassiker’, which Bayern won 3-2, and Dortmund midfielder Bellingham, 18, questioned the appointment of Zwayer, who was banned for six months in 2005 for his part in a match-fixing scandal.

A statement on the German FA’s official website said: “The control committee of the German Football Association (DFB) has initiated an investigation against Jude Bellingham.

“After the Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich on Saturday, the Borussia Dortmund player said in a TV interview about referee Felix Zwayer: ‘You are giving a referee who has already fixed matches before the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?’

“As a first step, Bellingham was written to by the DFB control committee and asked to comment on his statement as soon as possible.

“After the opinion has been submitted and evaluated, the control committee will decide on the further progress of the procedure.”

Bellingham’s comments are also reportedly being investigated by German police.

Robert Lewandowski converted Bayern’s 77th-minute penalty to clinch them a 3-2 win at Signal Iduna Park, which lifted them four points clear of Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table.

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FA CUP DRAW: GERRARD’S ASTONVILLA TO FACE MANCHESTER UNITED, HOLDERS LEICESTER HOST WATFORD

The FA Cup third-round draw was revealed on Monday, with Manchester United hosting Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa and title holders Leicester City welcoming former coach Claudio Ranieri and Watford among the more notable fixtures.

The matches to be played from Jan. 7-10, include teams from the Premier League and second-tier Championship. Replays will return to this season’s competition after being dropped for COVID-19 enforced reasons last term.

It will be Liverpool legend Gerrard’s first trip to Old Trafford since taking over as Villa manager.

Ranieri led Leicester to their improbable run to the Premier League title in 2015-16. Now manager at Watford, Raneiri and his side will visit the Foxes, who earned the Cup under Brendan Rodgers last May in a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Wembley.

West Ham United hosting Leeds United is the other tie featuring two Premier League teams.

Other notable matchups include Chelsea hosting non-league side Chesterfield, Shrewsbury Town visiting Anfield to take on Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur welcoming Morecambe, Arsenal traveling to Nottingham Forest, and Manchester City away to Swindon Town.

FA Cup third round draw in full:

Boreham Wood v AFC Wimbledon

Yeovil Town v Bournemouth

Stoke City v Leyton Orient

Swansea City v Southampton

Chelsea v Chesterfield Town

Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town

Cardiff City v Preston North End

Coventry City v Derby County

Burnley v Huddersfield Town

West Bromwich Albion v Brighton & Hove Albion

Kidderminster Harriers v Reading

Leicester City v Watford

Mansfield Town v Middlesbrough

Hartlepool United v Blackpool

Hull City v Everton

Bristol City v Fulham

Tottenham Hotspur v Morecambe

Millwall v Crystal Palace

Port Vale v Brentford

Swindon Town v Manchester City

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Luton Town v Harrogate Town

Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle

Manchester United v Aston Villa

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United

Newcastle United v Cambridge United

Barnsley v Ipswich Town or Barrow

Peterborough United v Bristol Rovers

West Ham United v Leeds United

Queens Park Rangers v Rotherham United

Charlton Athletic v Norwich City

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

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DEMARAI GRAY STOPPAGE TIME SCREAMER SEALS EVERTON WIN OVER ARSENAL

Everton’s winless run came to an end in dramatic fashion as Demarai Gray’s stoppage-time strike secured a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Arsenal at Goodison Park.

The visitors took the lead through Martin Odegaard’s volley at the end of the first half, moments after Richarlison had a goal disallowed for offside following a VAR check.

Richarlison had another goal ruled out by VAR just before the hour mark, before he drew the Toffees level with a 79th-minute header when Gray’s shot came back off the bar.

Gray then secured Everton’s first victory in nine Premier League outings by sending an effort in off the post in the second minute of additional time.

The game ended with the crowd in delirium, having earlier seen some Everton fans leaving their seats in a protest over the running of the club.

It came a day on from Marcel Brands leaving his role as Everton’s director of football, and the club saying boss Rafael Benitez would continue to receive owner Farhad Moshiri and the board’s “full support” in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s painful 4-1 derby loss to Liverpool.

While Everton – up from 16th to 12th in the table – savoured a much-needed return to winning ways, it was a second successive loss for Mikel Arteta’s seventh-placed Arsenal, after the 3-2 reverse at Manchester United.

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ARTHUR MASUAKU’S LATE STUNNER HELPS WESTHAM TOPPLE CHELSEA

Arthur Masuaku’s bizarre late strike sent Chelsea spinning to a 3-2 defeat at West Ham in a rip-roaring London derby.

Thomas Tuchel’s pace setters led twice through a Thiago Silva header and a sublime goal from Mason Mount, but they were pegged back both times by a penalty from Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen’s strike.

And with four minutes remaining substitute Masuaku, lurking out on the left wing, swung a speculative effort towards the Chelsea goal which Blues keeper Edouard Mendy pushed inside his own near post.

It was a second costly error by Mendy, who had also given away the penalty after he failed to deal with a backpass.

Not that West Ham were complaining, having got back to winning ways after three games without a victory to ensure they will stay in the top four this weekend.

There was little sign of the drama to come when Chelsea made the breakthrough in the 28th minute, with the type of goal West Ham have become synonymous with this season.

Mount swung over a corner and Silva’s thumping downward header beat Lukasz Fabianski, who got a hand to the ball but could only touch it onto the inside of his far post.

Moments later veteran centre-half Silva got back to his day job, instinctively being in the right place at the right time to block Vladimir Coufal’s shot on the line.

But West Ham were gifted a route into the match when Mendy made an almighty mess of collecting a weak Jorginho backpass and, having been challenged by Bowen, brought the Hammers forward down.

West Ham have had their issues from the penalty spot this season but David Moyes resisted sending on Mark Noble – who missed after climbing off the bench against Manchester United – for this one, and Lanzini confidently dispatched it into the top left corner, sending Mendy the wrong way.

However, a minute before the break Chelsea went back in front after West Ham gave the ball away cheaply in midfield.

Mount had acres of space to gather Hakim Ziyech’s cross-field pass, but still opted to hit it first time for a spectacular fifth goal of the season.

Left-back Ben Johnson seemed to be carrying an injury as he was unable to track Mount’s run, and he was immediately substituted for Masuaku.

Kai Havertz did not come out for the second half, having come off worse in a collision with ex-Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma, with Romelu Lukaku – who has nine career goals against the Hammers to his name – sent on.

But it was West Ham who struck next in the 55th minute with a fine finish from Bowen, across an unsighted Mendy and into the far corner to equalise again.

An injury to Zouma forced a reshuffle for Moyes, who had started with a back five to match up with Chelsea’s, only to run out of defenders.

They reverted to four at the back with midfielder Pablo Fornals joining the action, and Bowen was agonisingly close to putting West Ham ahead when he could not quite get enough on Michail Antonio’s ball across goal.

Instead it was the unlikely figure of Masuaku who collected Antonio’s header, floated it goalwards and duly inflicted Chelsea’s second defeat of the season.

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LUCAS MOURA SCORES A STUNNER AS SPURS THRASH NORWICH

A stunning goal from Lucas Moura helped Tottenham remain unbeaten in the Premier League under Antonio Conte as they beat Norwich 3-0.

Moura found the top corner from 25 yards after some impressive skill to open the scoring, with Davinson Sanchez and Son Heung-min adding further goals in the second half as Spurs made it four games without defeat in the league under the Italian.

That run has helped propel them back into the top-four race and they are now two points behind West Ham with a game in hand as the Conte effect begins to take hold in north London.

The obvious elephant in the room is Harry Kane’s lack of goals as the England captain has netted just once in 13 league games this season and he again missed chances he would have expected to score.

Norwich, who remain bottom after Newcastle’s win on Saturday, will be wondering how they lost the game so heavily as they missed big chances at key moments, but Dean Smith will take heart from their performance.

One of those fell to Teemu Pukki in only the third minute and things might have been different had he scored.

Adam Idah got in down the right and pulled it back perfectly for the Finland striker, but his shot was straight at Hugo Lloris and Spurs survived.

That proved important as the hosts got a foothold in the game and former Canary Oliver Skipp reminded Norwich fans why they loved him so much last season, with a driving run through the middle of the pitch but his shot was straight at Tim Krul.

Conte’s side found the breakthrough in the 10th minute with a goal of real quality.

After a nice piece of skill to round a Norwich defender, Moura then played a one-two with Son, turned his marker and thundered an unstoppable drive into the top corner from 20 yards.

That gave Spurs a solid base to build on but they could not find the quality to add to their scoreline.

Ben Davies might have converted at the far post after Son’s free-kick made it all the way through, while Kane inadvertently diverted Son’s shot wide.

Kane’s frustration in front of goal was growing as he missed another chance before the interval.

Moura’s ball set him free and he spotted Krul off his line, but his chip from 30 yards was wide of the target.

Norwich were very much in the game and should have equalised after a dominant start to the second half.

Brandon Williams got in down the left, pulled the ball back to Pukki, whose skewed shot fell straight to Idah, only for the Irishman to divert it wide from a golden position.

As is usual in the Premier League, the Canaries were made to pay as Tottenham doubled their lead in the 67th minute.

Kane’s quest to end his drought was thwarted again as Krul did brilliantly to claw away a low shot that looked destined for the bottom corner, but from the resulting corner, Sanchez smashed in a loose ball from close range.

It was 3-0 10 minutes later as Davies played a one-two with Skipp before teeing up Son, who fired into the bottom corner.

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RALF RANGNICK ERA STARTS WITH MAN UNITED VICTORY AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE

The Ralf Rangnick era got off to a winning start as Fred fired Manchester United to a hard-fought victory against Crystal Palace.

Having watched Thursday’s 3-2 triumph against Arsenal from the stands, the 63-year-old interim manager was on the Old Trafford touchline for the first time when Patrick Vieira’s men came to town.

Rangnick’s reign – and first match as a manager in 925 days – began in victorious fashion on Sunday, when Fred proved the unlikely match-winner with a superb curling late effort that saw off Palace 1-0.

United’s third Premier League win in 10 matches also brought with it a first home clean sheet of the campaign on an afternoon when a superb start petered out, providing the German with plenty of food for thought.

The hosts began with impressive intensity and energy under their new boss, with Cristiano Ronaldo having a host of chances before their performance began to drift against hard-working Palace.

Alex Telles saw a free-kick skim the bar and Jordan Ayew went agonisingly close at the other end as United began to slip into familiar ways, only for Fred to produce a moment of magic to seal three points.

Rangnick stood in the technical area for the majority of his first match in charge. The German kept with the side that beat Arsenal but favoured a 4-2-2-2 formation as players pressed with more regularity and effectiveness.

That tweak, and the chance to impress Rangnick, saw the hosts start strongly, with Telles flashing an early shot wide before a Ronaldo cross-shot just evaded Bruno Fernandes.

David De Gea held onto a Wilfried Zaha snapshot on a rare Palace voyage forwards, before Ronaldo fired a free-kick over and then saw Marc Guehi recover well to get in a block on him after being found by Fernandes.

The 36-year-old star powered over a header from just inside the box and stung Vicente Guaita’s palms as United continued on the front foot.

James Tomkins blocked a goalbound Fred drive as sustained pressure continued.

Guaita stretched to tip away a low Fernandes effort, before Palace survived some penalty box pinball and a deflected Jadon Sancho effort looped just over.

But a break in play for treatment after Nathaniel Clyne’s foul on Fred allowed Palace to gather their thoughts and gain more control.

Ayew’s hopeful curling effort skipped just wide as the Eagles frustrated a United side that had settled into old patterns towards the end of the first half.

However, they had a big change in stoppage time as dogged play and good link up with Scott McTominay ended with Diogo Dalot flashing just across the face of goal.

It was an encouraging first half followed by a more cumbersome second period by United.

Cheikhou Kouyate saw a header blocked from a threatening set-piece from Conor Gallagher, who helped close down Marcus Rashford as the forward shaped to shoot.

Mason Greenwood replaced Sancho in a bid to inject new life into a performance that had become flat and somewhat sloppy.

An audacious free-kick nearly provided a 68th-minute opener. Guehi was booked for bringing down Rashford and Telles clipped the top of the crossbar from the resulting set-piece, which he hit well from an acute angle.

Greenwood swiped wide and Rangnick turned to Anthony Elanga to aid a performance that was now a far cry from the start of proceedings, with Palace going agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 75th minute.

Tomkins headed a fine corner to the far post, where Ayew could only direct across the face of goal from an acute angle.

It was a let-off punished in style three minutes later as Greenwood laid back to Fred, who curled a superb 20-yard effort beyond Guaita in front of the Stretford End.

The goal was met with a mixture of relief and joy by the Old Trafford faithful, who soon sung former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name as well as that of ex-caretaker boss Michael Carrick.

Harry Maguire had to be bandaged up after a clash of heads and De Gea had to tip a threatening cross behind as Rangnick started his reign with victory.

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LEWIS HAMILTON SEALS AMAZING WIN IN SAUDI ARABIA TO GO LEVEL WITH MAX VERSTAPPEN

Formula One F1- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - December 5, 2021 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates with the trophy on the podium after winning the race alongside second placed Red Bull's Max Verstappen Pool via REUTERS/Andrej Isakovic

Lewis Hamilton took an incredible victory in an action-packed inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to draw level with Max Verstappen in the world championship standings heading into next weekend’s final race of the year.

The Mercedes man is aiming for a record eighth drivers’ title and headed to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit eight points adrift of leader Verstappen but with the momentum of winning the previous two races.

Having stormed to pole position on Saturday, Hamilton came out on top in a wild race which was twice halted by red flags and saw him tangle with the Red Bull of Verstappen – who he labelled “f crazy” – as the pair wrestled on the track and bickered over the radio.

The upshot of this win, as well as the fastest lap, means Hamilton and Verstappen are locked on 369.5 points.

The remarkable coming-together on lap 37 will now be investigated and could rumble on into the days leading into next weekend’s title decider in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen would come home in second place, claiming afterwards that: “This sport is more about penalties than racing.”

Unlike the earlier Formula Two race, the start here was surprisingly calm as Hamilton scampered away into the lead with Valtteri Bottas his rear-gunner after retaining second place.

The start of an enthralling race would begin as Mick Schumacher stuck his Haas into the barriers at turn 22.

A safety car was deployed as Hamilton and Bottas dived into the pits, the latter angering Verstappen as he slowed on track to avoid waiting behind his team-mate at the garage.

It would soon be Hamilton turning the airwaves blue as he fumed at the decision to red flag the race, essentially handing Verstappen a free pit stop.

“Have they said what the reason was? The tyre wall that looks fine…that was a huge gamble we took,” Hamilton said amid a flurry of beeps for foul language.

An 18-minute delay for the barrier to be fixed then led to a standing start with a second red flag thrown following a collision in the midfield.

There was still time for drama at the front of the field, Hamilton passing Verstappen who then cut turn one to keep the lead as Esteban Ocon also stormed past Hamilton to move into second.

During the break in racing as the latest accident was cleared away, the FIA and Red Bull were then left bartering over a penalty for Verstappen. It was agreed he would drop behind Hamilton for the second restart, with Ocon on pole for Alpine.

A fine dart down the inside at the second restart saw Verstappen take the lead but Hamilton soon made light work of Ocon and was on the tail of his title rival.

As Hamilton closed in a number of virtual safety cars for debris on the track halted his quest to take the lead.

But when the track was clear he was again squeezed out by Verstappen, who was told to give the place back by his Red Bull garage.

In doing so, Verstappen slowed down significantly and, as Hamilton turned to overtake, he ran into the back of the Red Bull: “This guy is f*g crazy, man,” came his radio call.

Despite wing damage, Hamilton would pass just as Verstappen was hit with a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage in their earlier spat.

There could be more bad news for Verstappen, with the incident that saw the two title protagonists collide to be investigated by the stewards after the race.

From then on, Hamilton powered to the chequered flag and took the victory with the fastest lap, ensuring the pair head to the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend with nothing to separate them.

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BERNARDO SILVA HITS BRACE AS MANCITY TAKE TOP SPOT WITH WATFORD WIN

Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League as Bernardo Silva scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road.

City made the most of Chelsea’s defeat at West Ham earlier in the day with a seventh straight win in all competitions.

Silva struck twice either side of half-time to put the game firmly beyond the Hornets and climb back above Liverpool, who had won 1-0 at Wolves.

The in-form Portugal star weaved past two defenders before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann to add to City’s advantage following Raheem Sterling’s opener.

The 27-year-old then followed up his first-half strike with a clever curled effort into the top corner for his side’s third.