Willie Mullins causes ‘huge’ King George shake-up after withdrawing horses​

David Raya has warned his Arsenal teammates that Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyökeres is a “top player in form” as Mikel Arteta urged his strikers to find their ruthless streak to keep their Champions League hopes on track.

Gyökeres has become one of Europe’s most prolific forwards after netting 24 goals in 17 games this season, attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and the Gunners.

Sporting host Arsenal at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday and Arsenal goalkeeper Raya said of Gyökeres: “We know his strengths, how he runs a lot in behind and scores a lot in one v. one and he is a top player in form.

“We are going to try and keep him very, very quiet. Don’t give him any chances. We have to step up defensively. Hopefully we can do a great job and keep a clean sheet.”

Arteta refused to be drawn on Gyökeres specifically, choosing instead to focus on Sporting’s collective threat, having beaten Manchester City 4-1 in Ruben Amorim’s final Champions League match before becoming United boss.

Gyökeres scored a hat trick that night and since joining Sporting from Coventry in 2022, he has scored 69 goals in 67 games across all competitions.

Asked how good the Sweden international is and how Arsenal can stop him, Arteta chose to focus on Sporting’s remarkable unbeaten 19-game run this season, including 17 victories.

“I would like to talk about the team, about the coaches and how phenomenal they have been,” said Arteta. “The run they are in is incredible. That tells you that it is not only the quality, the setup, the ambition, it is something about the team energy that they have. That is a great challenge that we have tomorrow, to come here and make a statement and show we are capable against this kind of opponent. Be ourselves and win the game.”

Pushed further on Gyökeres, Arteta replied: “I understand the question, but they have a lot of individual qualities. That’s why they can win games in various ways. And yes, in the specific position they have great players.”

Arsenal have won just one of their last eight away games in Europe and have not scored in their last four, a run dating back to last December’s 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven when the Gunners had already booked their spot in the knockout rounds.

“Not all the games have been the same. It’s true that within those games there were games that were when we had already qualified,” Arteta said. “Something that is very true is that we have to improve those results and we have to find ways to understand what has been missing. Sometimes it’s been performance, sometimes it’s been other aspects. That’s the next step we have to make as a team.

“I wouldn’t say that this is the most important thing but the efficiency that we have shown inside the box at this level with the chances that we are normally able to generate in the Champions League level, is not at the level required to win consistently.

“I always say the Champions League is about boxes, small margins and details. You have to get all of those right to win, especially away from home.”

Sporting are second in the Champions League table, two points behind first-place Liverpool, while Arsenal sit in 12th on seven points after four matches.

Manchester United are aiming to get back “to the top of domestic and European football” after appointing Ruben Amorim as head coach, the club’s CEO Omar Berrada ha said.

Amorim has overseen a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town and will take charge of his first game at Old Trafford against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday following his arrival as successor to former boss Erik ten Hag.

The 39-year-old former Sporting CP coach has inherited a team languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table following a disappointing start to the season. Berrada insists the aim of the appointment is to get the club back competing for the biggest trophies.

“The season is now well underway for both our men’s and women’s team, and we are keen to ensure both are as competitive as possible,” Berrada said as United released their latest financial results on Tuesday.

“We are delighted to have appointed Ruben Amorim as head coach of our men’s team and remain committed to returning Manchester United to the top of domestic and European football.”

Sources have told ESPN that Amorim will be working with a reduced transfer budget for the foreseeable future as the club continue to ensure they are compliant with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

United have made a series of redundancies since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival as a minority shareholder in February in a bid to cut spending.

The cost of sacking Ten Hag and his staff and hiring Amorim is set to be revealed in United’s next financial results.

“Our cost and headcount reductions remain on track, and we are pleased to have seen further commercial traction,” Berrada said.

“Our renovation of the Carrington Training Centre is progressing well, while the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force continues its work.

“Once it has delivered its recommendations, we will then take some time to digest them and evaluate all our options in the upcoming year.”

United reported a smaller adjusted net loss for the first quarter of fiscal 2025, helped by cost cuts and favourable exchange rates, and maintained their fiscal 2025 core profit and revenue forecasts.

Adjusted net loss was £349,000 ($439,007) for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with a loss of £8.6 million a year earlier. Revenue for the three months fell 9% to £143.1 million.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report

United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her international retirement on Monday, calling the past 15 years “the greatest honor.”

Naeher, 36, will take part in a pair of upcoming friendlies against England on Nov. 30, followed by a match against the Netherlands three days later, at which point she will end her 11-year career with the USWNT.

Naeher will continue to play at club level for the Chicago Red Stars, for whom she has played since 2016.

“Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honor,” said Naeher, referring to a spell that included playing for U.S. youth national teams. “When I began this journey, I never could have imagined where it would take me, and now I find myself so grateful for all the incredible teammates that I have shared the field with; teammates that have turned into lifelong friends.

“To all my teammates, coaches and staff, thank you all for pushing me, supporting me, and making me a better person/player every single day. A special thanks goes to my family. You have traveled all over the world and were in my corner every step of the way and I love you all.”

Naeher had an immensely difficult act to follow when she took over the starting spot in goal for the USWNT, replacing legendary American keeper Hope Solo. Yet the Bridgeport, Connecticut native went on to write her own chapter in USWNT lore. She was part of two World Cup-winning squads in 2015 and 2019, and also earned a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Her penalty save from Steph Houghton in the 2019 World Cup semifinal against England helped cement a 2-1 victory and was a pivotal moment on the road to the United States claiming a fourth World Cup title. She is the only goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to earn a shutout in a World Cup final and an Olympic gold medal game.

Naeher added: “This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime. I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish.”

Earlier this year, she had one of her strongest performances in the semifinals of the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup. Not only did she make three saves during a penalty shootout with Canada, she converted a penalty kick herself — tucking the ball neatly into the corner of the net.

Afterward she said: “Winning is the best feeling.”

Naeher made her senior international debut on Dec. 18, 2014, in a 7-0 win over Argentina in Brazil, and she heads into the two matches in Europe with an all-time record of 88W-6L-14D and a goals-against average of 0.50 for her career.

Her totals in goalkeeper caps (113), starts (110), wins (88) and shutouts (68) are behind only Solo and Briana Scurry. At club level, in addition to her time with the Red Stars, she had two stints with the Boston Breakers — the first in the now-defunct WPS — as well as with German side Turbine Potsdam.

Neaher’s second spell with the Breakers saw her named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014. Collegiately, Naeher played for Penn State University, where she was a two-time All-American.

Casey Murphy and Jane Campbell are the presumptive choices to step in as the new No. 1 for Emma Hayes and the U.S., but neither is included in the squad for the upcoming friendlies, with Utah Royals keeper Mandy Haught and the uncapped Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United selected.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

Barcelona will close a section behind the goal at the Olympic Stadium “indefinitely,” starting against Brest on Tuesday, due to a dispute with supporters’ groups over unpaid fines, the club have announced.

Barça say an agreement with the groups that make up the Espai d’Animació (EDA) — the singing section in the North Goal stand — to pay any fines resulting from their behaviour has not been fulfilled.

Sources told ESPN the total amount outstanding is around €21,000 ($22,092).

“Given the agreements signed between the club and the supporters’ groups, the club, after repeated warnings, initiated the process to recover the money owed for sanctions imposed for [the fans’] behaviour last season,” Barça said in a statement.

“This behaviour resulted in 14 disciplinary proceedings for violations of the current regulations in this section of the stadium. During this process, the supporters’ groups have been granted three separate deadlines to fulfil their obligations. The last one expired on Monday at midnight.

“As the different groups have now been informed, having failed to comply with their obligations, the club will close the EDA indefinitely. The club reiterates its willingness to engage with the groups in question to discuss the EDA’s situation once they have met their obligations.”

The ban will begin on Tuesday, when Barça host Brest in the Champions League at the Olympic Stadium. The Catalan side are at home again on Saturday when they play Las Palmas in LaLiga.

“We wanted to meet with the club to discuss the situation and the club was willing to, but only if we paid the €21,000 they are demanding, something we could not do because it would mean assuming responsibility as a group,” Albert Yarza, president of the Penya Almogàvers, told reporters — the Penya Almogàvers are one of the groups that make up the EDA.

“The club today told us that we cannot go to the stadium and we have asked for a meeting to resolve the issue, but without the conditional payment of that money.

“We will collaborate. The members of the EDA pass three filters: Ours, the club’s and the [police’s]. We ask our members not to follow any chants that may come from outside [of the EDA]. We don’t have to be the police on this issue, the club has the tools to locate and sanction people who behave in a reprehensible and punishable way.

“You cannot criminalise an entire collective for individual actions. There are 572 of us in the EDA and there are 14 fines.”

The EDA occupy a section behind one of the goals at the stadium — where Barça are playing temporarily while Camp Nou is regenerated — which is made up of around 600 seats.

Barça say the EDA’s “mission is to create an atmosphere of support for the team that encourages the rest of the public to join in from the first minute of every game.”