Leicester squandered their chance to join league leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on 21 points in a disappointing display, while Fulham rode their luck in stoppage time as they held out for their second win of the season to climb to 17th place with seven points from 10 matches.
* West Ham United climbed to fifth in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Monday as for the second successive home game they benefited from a missed penalty. West Ham’s third successive victory leaves them on 17 points from 10 games, four points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur. Villa have slipped to 10th with 15 points, having played a game less.
* Audi will withdraw from the all-electric Formula E series as a works team at the end of next year to focus on the Dakar Rally and endurance racing, including an eventual return to Le Mans, the carmaker said on Monday.
* Two goals from veteran Ivorian forward Gervinho gave Parma a 2-1 win at Genoa in a match between two of Serie A's strugglers on Monday. Earlier, Torino were involved in yet another see-saw match as they drew 2-2 at home to Sampdoria.
* Mexican Sergio Perez said on Monday that he has options for a Formula One comeback in 2022 if he has to sit out next season, with the possibility also of carrying out a reserve role at a top team for 2021. Perez is being replaced at Canadian-owned Racing Point, who will race as the Aston Martin team next season, by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel whose Ferrari contract ends this year.
* Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag insisted on Monday his side were much better than the team that lost to Liverpool in the Champions League in October and would prove more competitive when they meet again at Anfield on Tuesday. A draw would be enough for Liverpool to advance to the next phase of the Champions League while Ajax are still in contention for a top two place in Group D, sitting two points behind their hosts in the standings and level with Atalanta.
* Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone confirmed that forward Luis Suarez is close to a return to action following his positive COVID-19 test. The Uruguayan tested positive while on international duty earlier this month and has yet to resume training with Atleti. However, Simeone believes a return to action is imminent ahead of Tuesday's crunch Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
* Defending champions Arsenal welcome Newcastle United in the FA Cup third round, while eighth-tier Marine, the joint lowest-ranked team in the competition, landed a lucrative encounter with Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur in Monday's draw. Twelve-times winners Manchester United play host to second-tier Watford, while Premier League champions Liverpool face a tricky trip to Aston Villa as they look to avenge last month's 7-2 league defeat.
* France's Stephanie Frappart will become the first female official to take charge of a men's Champions League game when Juventus host Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday. Frappart, who turns 37 next month, was the first female referee to officiate in a major UEFA competition match when Liverpool played Chelsea in the Super Cup in Istanbul last year.
* Real Madrid have confirmed that their Belgium forward Eden Hazard has suffered a thigh injury, with local media reporting that the problem will keep him out for at least three weeks. Hazard had to be replaced in the 28th minute of Saturday's shock home defeat by Alaves and has endured a torrid time with injuries since joining the club in 2019.
* Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced his candidacy for the vacant post on Monday, vowing to return the club to its former glories and unite the disgruntled fanbase. Laporta, who held the role between 2003 and 2010, saw the club win numerous trophies under his stewardship and it was the 58-year-old who first appointed Pep Guardiola as coach in 2008.
* Bayern Munich defender Javi Martinez is likely to leave the German champions at the end of the season when his contract runs out, he said on Monday. The 32-year-old former Spain international has been at Bayern since 2012 but was set to leave before the season after losing his starting spot during their five-title run in 2020.
* Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer plus top scorer Robert Lewandowski and midfielder Leon Goretzka will not travel with the already-qualified team for the Champions League group game at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Bayern coach Hansi Flick said on Monday that the trio were not at 100% and would be rested with the European champions having secured a place in the knockout stage last week with a 3-1 home win over RB Salzburg.
* The number of teams participating in the women's Rugby World Cup will be increased from 12 to 16 from the 2025 edition, the sport's governing body announced on Monday.
* Brazilian reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi will make his Formula One race debut with the Haas team at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain next weekend as replacement for Romain Grosjean, the team said on Monday. Frenchman Grosjean suffered burns to the back of his hands in a fiery crash during Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix and is expected to remain in hospital until Tuesday. The team said he was unable to compete.
* Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unsure whether David de Gea will recover in time for Wednesday’s Champions League game against Paris St Germain after the Spanish goalkeeper suffered a knee injury. De Gea banged his knee on the goalpost in his failed attempt to keep out Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse’s free kick and was withdrawn at halftime in Sunday’s 3-2 win at St Mary’s.
