LONDON: Chelsea came from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-3 on Sunday and go second in the Premier League thanks to two Cole Palmer penalties.
Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski gave under-fire Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou a dream start.
But his cavalier attacking approach will come under more scrutiny as Chelsea roared back to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games.
Jadon Sancho gave the visitors a foothold before they dominated the second half with Palmer twice cool from the spot, either side of Enzo Fernandez’s strike.
Chelsea close to within four points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after their visit to Everton on Saturday was postponed due to high winds.
Son Heung-min’s 96th-minute goal was little consolation for Spurs who have won just once in seven games and remain 11th in the table.
Postecoglou was involved in an angry confrontation with his own supporters after a dismal display in a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Thursday.
Spurs have often saved their best for the biggest games this season, beating Manchester City twice and cruising to a 3-0 win at Manchester United early in the campaign.
Postecoglou’s men flew out of the traps to leave an in-form Chelsea chasing shadows in the early stages.
Solanke stole in at the near post to turn in Brennan Johnson’s cross to open the scoring.
Kulusevski then meandered along the edge of the Blues’ box before firing low past Robert Sanchez to make it 2-0 inside 11 minutes.
Sancho scored his first Chelsea goal in a 5-1 romp at bottom-of-the-table Southampton in midweek to earn himself a start.
The Manchester United loanee quickly got the visitors back in the game with a brilliant long-range strike past Fraser Forster.
Somehow that was the end of the scoring in a frantic, fast-paced first 45 minutes that had chances aplenty at both ends.
Pape Sarr headed off the crossbar and Solanke should have converted Son’s cross to extend Tottenham’s lead.
At the other end, Forster stretched his long limbs to deny Palmer and Pedro Neto an equalizer.
Both sides were also fortunate to get to the break with 11 men still on the field.
Moises Caicedo’s studs-up challenge on Sarr was deemed not to have excessive force by the VAR official.
Likewise, Kulusevski escaped further punishment for a stray elbow on Romeo Lavia.
Led by Palmer, Chelsea took control after the break to rub more salt in Spurs wounds and leave Postecoglou’s future up for debate.
The former Australia boss bemoaned this week how his side often “shoot themselves in the foot” and so it proved for the vital fourth goal.
Yves Bissouma unnecessarily dived in on Caicedo to concede a penalty, which Palmer coolly dispatched to level.
Palmer had a major role in Chelsea’s third as well as his shot was blocked after a weaving run into the Spurs box, but the ball fell for Fernandez to blast home from the edge of the area.
To compound Tottenham’s woes, both their preferred center-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both had to be replaced after being rushed back from injury to start.
Another moment of madness secured the points when Sarr barged Palmer over inside the area.
The England international this time impudently dinked the spot-kick Panenka-style down the middle of Forster’s goal.
Son turned in James Maddison’s cross to set up a nervy finale.
But Enzo Maresca’s men held on to close in on Liverpool and further their case as unexpected contenders for the title.
Chelsea beat Spurs in seven-goal thriller to go second
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Chelsea beat Spurs in seven-goal thriller to go second
- Led by Palmer, Chelsea took control after the break to rub more salt in Spurs wounds and leave Postecoglou’s future up for debate
Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan face off in the Champions League final
- European club football’s biggest prize is at stake between two teams that have felt the pain of falling at the last hurdle in recent years
- Inter was a losing finalist against Manchester City in 2023 and PSG lost in its only final against Bayern Munich in 2020
European club football’s biggest prize is at stake between two teams that have felt the pain of falling at the last hurdle in recent years.
Inter was a losing finalist against Manchester City in 2023 and PSG lost in its only final against Bayern Munich in 2020.
After spending billions of dollars and signing some of the sport’s greatest players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, PSG is still waiting to win its first Champions League title. Those superstars have now departed, but coach Luis Enrique has assembled one of the most exciting squads in Europe, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia filling the void left by that trio.
Enrique is aiming to win the competition for the second time as a coach, having lifted it with Barcelona in 2015, and would become the seventh coach to win the trophy with different teams.
“The motivation for me is to win the Champions League title for the first time for PSG,” he said. “That is the gift I want to give the people, the club, the city.”
Inter was looking for a treble just over a month ago, but is now left with the Champions League as its only possible trophy. It lost the Italian title by a point and was knocked out of the Italian Cup in the semifinals.
“These players in these four years did a lot — won a lot and lost sometimes. It happens. But we all gave our all, everyone. We are proud to be Inter,” coach Simone Inzaghi said. “I dreamed of playing the Champions League final. I didn’t do it as a player, but thanks to this group of players I’ve been in two finals as a head coach.”
Inter has won the Champions League or European Cup on three occasions, most recently in 2010.
When does the Champions League final begin?
The match at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time.
Alcaraz fights into French Open last 16 as Swiatek, Sabalenka progress
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to book his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday, with defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also through to the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session to keep his title defense on course.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz arrived as the favorite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major.
But his fluctuating performances in the past two rounds have given his rivals reason to believe he is vulnerable.
“Today I honestly didn’t enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot,” said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to seal victory.
“That’s why doing a really good result in a Grand Slam is really difficult because you have to maintain a really high level for three to four hours.”
The 22-year-old next meets American 13th seed Ben Shelton who eased past Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track, coming through 6-2, 7-5 against Romania’s world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian in sweltering conditions.
Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points.
“She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match,” said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters.
Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. However she was relieved at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her.
A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference as to her last-16 opponent before asking: “Am I a good liar?“
“Let’s say it doesn’t matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn’t play poker,” joked the world number five who has not won a title since last year’s French Open.
Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic.
But the Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semifinal in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek.
“Let’s just leave it on Iga since she won it, what, three times in a row,” said Sabalenka.
The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova who ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 , 6-4 in their third-round tie.
Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4.
The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year.
Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next play Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3.
Italian fourth seed Paolini eased past Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1.
Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini next plays Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina who dug deep to see off American Bernarda Pera 7-6 , 7-6 .
Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone as he follows on from his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semifinal runs in Madrid and Rome.
But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone.
“I’ve grown up a lot. A match like this I don’t know if I would come back a few years ago,” said Musetti.
“The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match.”
Musetti next plays Rune who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying past France’s Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, got past Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 , 3-6, 6-3 and meets Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 , 7-6 .
Arthur Fils, the 14th seed, withdrew ahead of his third-round match on Saturday, extending the host nation’s wait for a first men’s champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983.
Benzema’s double strike gives Ittihad the double
- The Frenchman scored in each half to give the Tigers another trophy to celebrate
- There was an explosion of goalmouth action in the closing stages of the first half
JEDDAH: Karim Benzema scored twice as Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Qadsiah 3-1 on Friday to lift the King Cup and complete the double after winning the Saudi Pro League title earlier in May.
At a delighted King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, the Frenchman scored in each half to give the Tigers another trophy to celebrate with their fans. It marked a 10th King Cup triumph for the club to go along with its 10th league success.
There was an explosion of goalmouth action in the closing stages of the first half. Al-Ittihad had been on top for much of the game but both teams had come close. Fans to wait until the 34th minute however to break the deadlock.
First, Benzema, who scored 21 league goals, did what he does best. Moussa Diaby freed Steven Bergwijn down the right and his cross was chested home by Benzema.
Then, after 43 minutes, Diaby floated a ball over from the right to Benzema at the far post and while the Frenchman’s header was saved, there was Houssem Aouar to finish from close range.
Just when the Tigers were set to head back in at the break in a very good position, Al-Qadsiah were back in the game. Cameron Puertas was bundled over the box and up stepped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to send Predrag Rajkovic the wrong way.
After the restart, the next goal was always going to be crucial and though Al-Qadsiah pushed for an equaliser, it was Benzema who settled the tie and won the cup in added time after Qadsiah's Ezequiel Hernandez had been sent off for a second bookable offence.
Not for the first time in the game or the season, much of the good work was done by Diaby. The winger broke free on the left to put the ball across the goal for his fellow Frenchman to score from close range to seal the cup and the double with almost the last kick of a hugely successful –and long- season for Ittihad.
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed leads Saudi Sports for All delegation at London investment forum
- MESIF 2025 brought together investors, policymakers and sports leaders from across the MENA region to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing sports sector
LONDON: Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed led a high-level Saudi delegation at this week’s Middle East Sports Investment Forum 2025 in London, where he highlighted the Kingdom’s push to promote inclusive, community-based sports as part of its Vision 2030 reform agenda.
The Saudi Sports for All Federation, represented by Prince Khaled in his capacity as president and Managing Director Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini, joined more than 300 delegates at the event held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 27-28.
Organized with the backing of the Saudi Ministry of Investment and in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Sports, MESIF 2025 brought together investors, policymakers and sports leaders from across the MENA region to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing sports sector.
Prince Khaled praised the forum’s organizers and sponsors for convening a cross-regional dialogue, highlighting the value of engaging both core and adjacent sectors in driving the future of sport across the Gulf and beyond.
Speaking on a panel, Al-Husseini said the SFA remained committed to measuring its social impact using a data-led approach.
“Our metrics are aligned with the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan and are informed by national surveys, digital platforms and direct community feedback,” she said.
Al-Husseini added that Saudi Arabia had already seen tangible improvements in public participation and gender equity, and that the SFA’s long-term strategy centers on behavioral change, community ownership and evidence-based infrastructure development.
Discussions at MESIF 2025 covered a wide range of topics, including sports finance, innovation and technology, fan engagement, stadium infrastructure and the role of tourism in sports development.
Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for new governing body
Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for new governing body
- World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday
- The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy
DUBAI: Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport’s new governing body.
World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she will be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands.
“The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’ to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” World Boxing wrote in a statement. The fighters’ national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing.
Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test.
The IOC ran the past two Olympic boxing tournaments after the banishment of the IBA for decades of misdeeds and controversy, and it applied the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards.
Khelif intends to return to international competition next month in Eindhoven as part of her plan to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, but some boxers and their federations had already spoken out to protest her inclusion.
Chromosome testing was common in Olympic sports during the 20th century, but was largely abandoned in the 1990s because of numerous ambiguities that couldn’t be easily resolved by the tests, collectively known as differences in sex development (DSD). Many sports switched to hormone testing to determine sex eligibility, but those tests require governing bodies to make difficult decisions on the eligibility of women with naturally high testosterone levels.
Three months ago, World Athletics — the governing body for track and field — became the first Olympic sport to reintroduce chromosome testing, requiring athletes who compete in the women’s events to submit to the test once in their careers.
World Boxing has been provisionally approved to replace the IBA as the governing body at the Los Angeles Games, but it has faced significant pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards.
World Boxing announced that all athletes over 18 years old in its competitions must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex at birth. The PCR test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood.
If an athlete intending to compete in the women’s categories is determined to have male chromosomal material, “initial screenings will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists,” World Boxing wrote. The policy also includes an appeals process.
The boxing body’s decision is the latest development in a tumultuous period in Olympic sex eligibility policy. The issue of transgender participation in sports has become an international flashpoint, with President Donald Trump and other conservative world leaders repeatedly weighing in.
Earlier this year, World Athletics also proposed recommendations that would apply strict transgender rules to athletes who were born female but had what the organization describes as naturally occurring testosterone levels in the typical male range. In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said he felt confident that the body’s new rules would withstand legal challenges.
The 26-year-old Khelif had competed in women’s boxing events under the IBA’s auspices without controversy until the 2023 world championships. She had never won a major international competition before her dominant performance in the women’s welterweight division in Paris.
