Sports

West Brom head coach Alan Pardew will seek clarification over his future after a sapping 4-1 loss at home to Leicester City pushed his seemingly doomed side closer to relegation.

Albion drew first blood at The Hawthorns, but Jamie Vardy volleyed a superb equaliser to level matters midway though the first half.

Leicester ran amok afterwards, with Riyad Mahrez, substitute Kelechi Iheanacho and Vicente Iborra on target as the Premier League s bottom club meekly subsided during the final half hour.

Before you even ask me the question, will I speak to those upstairs? Yes I will. Of course I will because it s getting difficult, Pardew told reporters, with his team eight points from safety with eight games left.

My pride on the sidelines is such that I don t …

Luis Suarez added to the growing doubts over Antoine Griezmann s prospective move to Barcelona by declining to comment on the transfer reports, despite indicating he would back a swoop for Neymar.

Griezmann was thought to be bound for Camp Nou after announcing his decision to leave Atletico Madrid, but Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu claimed the Blaugrana have not spoken to the 28-year-old.

When asked about the prospect of lining up alongside Griezmann in 2019-20, Suarez referred back to comments he made in December 2017 when he described the World Cup-winning forward as an elite player , but stopped short of reiterating his support for a move.

Suarez told RAC1: What I have to say, as I said last year, is that he is a quality player.

But he …

Patrick Cutrone should leave AC Milan in order to improve himself as a player, according to former San Siro striker Alberto Gilardino.

Italy Under-21s forward Cutrone, thought to be valued at €25million by Milan, scored for his country at the U21 European Championship against Belgium on Saturday, rekindling speculation about his future at club level.

The 21-year-old was the subject of interest from LaLiga and the Bundesliga in January, according to his agent, and Gilardino told Gazzetta dello Sport that he should seek more regular first-team opportunities elsewhere after making just 12 starts for Milan in 2018-19.

Asked whether he would advise Cutrone to leave, former Italy international Gilardino replied: Yes, because he would have more chances to play conti…

Marcus Rashford has massive ambitions with England after his double downed Wales and sent the Three Lions into the World Cup s knockout stage as Group B winners.

Rashford took his goal tally in Qatar to three after a wonderful free-kick and brilliant individual effort helped Gareth Southgate s side book a last-16 date against Senegal with a 3-0 victory at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

The forward, who became the first United player to score three times for the Three Lions at a World Cup since Bobby Charlton in 1966, hopes his team-mates can carry their momentum into that clash on Sunday.

It s obviously a great feeling [to score two goals], he told BBC Sport. To be honest, we were a little bit disappointed as a team after the last game against the USA. I thought we …

Jurgen Klopp s assistant Pep Lijnders believes it is absurd to force Premier League teams to play two games in the space of 48 hours amid rising coronavirus cases.

The Premier League clubs convened on Monday to determine whether fixtures on December 28, 29 and 30 should be pushed back.

Their meeting followed a raft of postponements across recent matchdays, with Liverpool s enthralling 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday one of only four top-flight matches to go ahead last weekend as clubs were hit by coronavirus cases within their squads.

However, a decision was reached to play the games over the busy festive period, despite concerns from a number of clubs, including Liverpool.

The Reds face Leicester City – who have had their past two league matches post…

Paul Pogba s agent Mino Raiola says his client could still join Barcelona, despite Joan Laporta losing out in the club s latest presidential election.

Laporta, who served as president of the Catalan giants from 2003 to 2010, had sought to return to the post, claiming he would be able to lure the France international star from Juventus to Camp Nou.

Incumbent Josep Maria Bartomeu defeated Laporta in the July elections, while former Manchester United midfielder Pogba has remained in Turin, despite reported interest from elsewhere in Europe during the off-season transfer window.

Speaking to RMC, Raiola did not dismiss the prospect of his 22-year-old client one day making the move to La Liga.

Pogba at Barca, it s still possible, he said.

It is not [d…

Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has praised coach Carlo Ancelotti and has hailed the Italian s role in his career.

The Brazilian defender worked with Ancelotti at AC Milan in the first six months of 2009 before the duo were reunited at PSG this off-season.

I ve worked with a lot of coaches in my career, but one man stands out, and that s Mr Ancelotti, Silva told beIN Sport.

It wasn t easy for me to find my feet when I first arrived in Europe. When I joined AC Milan I didn t play for six months, but I was training under a great coach in Carlo Ancelotti.

I can t stress how important those six months were – they changed my life.

Silva has made 16 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG so far this season.

…

West Brom remarkably kept their slim Premier League survival hopes alive as Jake Livermore smuggled a stoppage-time winner to sink former club Tottenham 1-0 at the Hawthorns.

Albion were unbeaten in four games under interim boss Darren Moore heading into the match but still widely expected to join Stoke City in the Championship – Paul Lambert s side having suffered a relegation-sealing 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace.

But the hosts dug in for long periods against Spurs and their persistent set-piece threat brought reward in the 92nd minute when England midfielder Livermore scrambled home from virtually on the goal line.

Moore s men could still be down before they kick a ball on the final day in the event of a Southampton win at Everton later on Saturday or i…

No two finalists have ever met with more European Cup or Champions League titles between them.

The collective weight of history will tip the scales at 17 on Saturday in Kiev. Real Madrid with 12, Liverpool with five.

But deeds past rarely seem to rest heavily on shoulders decked out in famous white or red; they simply propel the current incumbents forward towards glory.

Sometimes all it needs is a mention of a place or a name for fans of all generations to swap fervent stories of nights experienced on location or from afar, read about in books or watched on YouTube. Alan Kennedy, Bruce Grobbelaar or Istanbul; Alfredo Di Stefano, Predrag Mijatovic or Hampden Park.

This weekend, there is not only a trophy to be won. There is a legend to embellish.