Cagliari were relegated from Serie A after only managing a draw against Venezia as Salernitana retained their top-flight status despite being thrashed by Udinese.

Salernitana looked in serious danger of going down when Davide Nicola took charge in February, sitting bottom of the table with three wins from 23 games.

Nicola inspired a resurgence, though, with his side picking up 15 points in a run of seven league games to head into the final matchday two points clear of Cagliari.

However, Udinese were rampant as Gerard Deulofeu, Ilija Nestorovski and Iyenoma Destiny Udogie put Nicola s side 3-0 down before half-time on Sunday.

Udinese captain Roberto Pereyra added a fourth after the interval as the Friulians achieved their best Serie A points haul (47…

With the Premier League back following the international break, in many ways it was essentially business as usual.

Manchester United were underwhelming but came from behind yet again, while Harry Kane provided his customary reminder that he s probably a bit too good for Tottenham – or this Tottenham, at the very least.

Liverpool showed signs of having their mojo back in a 3-0 win at Arsenal that was inspired by Diogo Jota, though Manchester City moved another step closer to taking the Reds crown.

At the other end of the table, Sheffield United – who have long looked doomed – are closing in on a Premier League record… Not that it s one they ll want to brag about.

Using Opta data, we look at some of the more quirky facts from the weekend s top-flig…

Iconic former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson put aside any anti-Liverpool agenda as he saluted the impacted Steven Gerrard has had on another of his old clubs, Rangers.

Gerrard played for United s bitter rivals Liverpool from 1998 to 2015, a period that coincided with Ferguson s glory years at Old Trafford, and was Reds captain for much of that time.

But despite their respective roles in one of English football s fiercest rivalries, Ferguson can appreciate the job Gerrard has done since trying his hand in management.

Gerrard took over at Rangers – with whom Ferguson spent two years as a player in the 1960s – in 2018, the club having been without a top-flight title since 2010-11. They had to start all over again in the third tier in 2012 after insolve…

Trey Lance’s first season as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback is over after only two games after the 2021 No. 3 overall pick fractured his right ankle in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Lance’s right leg bent awkwardly when tackled by two Seattle defenders on a designed run on the 49ers’ second drive of the game. He was carted off after having his leg placed in an air cast and quickly ruled out of the contest.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the fracture following his team’s 27-7 victory and announced Lance is set to undergo surgery Monday.

“It’s always tough, especially when it’s a big one like that,” Shanahan said. “It’s a very sad moment, but you don’t have time to sit there and think about it.

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Old rivals Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho will come face-to-face once more next season.

Mourinho did not stay out of the spotlight for long after his sacking by Tottenham and has been confirmed as the new Roma head coach.

He will join the club ahead of the 2021-22 season on a three-year deal to compete in a league where Conte and his former club Inter have just ended a historic run of Juventus domestic dominance.

A bitter war of words erupted between the high-profile bosses when they were at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively in the Premier League.

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN)

Tensions had simmered between the pair since Conte s appointment as Mourinho s long-term successor at Stamford Bridge in 2016.

The Portuguese s proxi…

Jack Grealish has revealed he struggled away from the pitch this season, thanking Pep Guardiola for his support after Manchester City retained their Premier League title.

City clinched an unprecedented fourth straight title on Sunday, finishing two points clear of Arsenal at the summit as Phil Foden scored twice in a 3-1 win over West Ham.

Guardiola has now joined Alex Ferguson (13), George Ramsay and Bob Paisley (six each) as one of four managers with at least six English top-flight titles.

Grealish has been present for the last three of those triumphs, though his form in 2023-24 was down on a bright 2022-23 campaign, when he scored five goals and added seven assists in 28 league matches.

The England international only registered four Premier League goal…

Bayern Munich got the defence of their UEFA Champions League crown off to best start with a 4-0 thumping of Atletico Madrid at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening.

Kingsley Coman opened the scoring as he cushioned Joshua Kimmich s wonderful pass and finished coolly underneath Jan Oblak. The Frenchman then went from scorer to provider by teeing up Leon Goretzka for a smashing finish before half-time.

The visitors thought they had pulled one back through Joao Felix moments after the break but the Portuguese s strike was ruled out by an offside flag. Tolisso all-but polished proceedings off once and for all with an absolutely stunning drive into the top corner before Coman got another with over a quarter of an hour remaining.

Here are three things we learned fro…

Pep Guardiola is pretty sure Jack Grealish will return to his form of old in a Manchester City shirt after an underwhelming 2023-24 campaign.

Grealish was one of the poster boys of City s remarkable treble-winning campaign last year, but he struggled for starts this time around.

The 28-year-old was an unused substitute in the FA Cup final loss to Manchester United and did not feature at all in City s final four games.

Jeremy Doku, who joined last August, was instead preferred from the bench at Wembley and scored for City in their 2-1 defeat.

However, Guardiola believes City s club-record signing will return to his best next season.

He will be back, Guardiola said. He’s struggled this season and Jeremy has made an incredible step forward as ever…

With another stacked schedule from across Europe this weekend, Saturday promises to be another action-packed day of fixtures. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of intriguing tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday, September 30th
BST 12:30 Southampton vs Leeds

While Leeds might have marked their Championship return in the midst of a struggle, Saturday’s guests have come roaring back on either side of September’s international break. Last seen putting in a thumping display at Elland Road as they breezed their way to a 3-0 romp against Watford, Daniel Farke’s side find themselves tipped as a leading contender to make an immediate Premier League return. Really appearing to find their feet under the forme…

Romelu Lukaku would prove to be a gigantic signing for Manchester City, according to former Citizens star Elano.

Sergio Aguero has been a fringe player for City this season, with the 32-year-old struggling with multiple injury issues as well as coronavirus-enforced lay-offs.

Aguero is out of contract at the end of 2020-21 and talks are yet to begin over a new deal, while Gabriel Jesus has also struggled to solidify his place in Pep Guardiola s team in the Argentine striker s absence.

With Aguero making just five league appearances – only two of them starts – and failing to score or assist, Jesus has netted four times and teed up two more goals from 14 games, 10 of them starts.

Phil Foden, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, who is cur…