Set-piece goals fire West Ham to 2-1 comeback win over Leeds

* Valtteri Bottas was fastest on the opening day of Formula One practice for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton who completed a one-two for Mercedes on his return. The Finn, second in the first of Friday’s two sessions, lapped the Yas Marina track in one minute 36.276 seconds in the evening under the floodlights to go 0.203 seconds quicker than Hamilton.

* Welsh rugby union referee Nigel Owens, the most-capped referee in world rugby, announced on Friday (Dec 11) that he had ended his 17-year international career. Owens became the first referee to officiate in a century of tests when he took charge of an Autumn Nations Cup clash between France and Italy last month.

* Everton midfielder James Rodriguez will miss Saturday's (Dec 12) Premier League match against Chelsea with a calf problem he picked up at Burnley last weekend, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday.

* The 16th edition of the biennial Presidents Cup will be played at the Medinah Country Club, outside of Chicago, in 2026, the PGA Tour said on Friday. The Course #3 at the club famously hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup, where Europe pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat the US, and has also been the venue for two PGA Championships and three US Opens.

* France's football league is terminating its deal with troubled TV partner Mediapro after a bitter two-month standoff over the rights for Ligue 1, it was revealed on Friday (Dec 11). The decision is likely to send financial shockwaves through France's top-flight league.

* Everton majority owner Farhad Moshiri is set to invest up to 250 million pounds (US$330.45 million) to help the club deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic as the Premier League side announced losses of almost 140 million pounds on Friday.

* Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker will resume training after shaking off a hamstring injury and could return for Sunday's Premier League clash at Fulham, manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday. Alisson has not played since Liverpool's 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last month and Klopp said the Brazilian was close to full fitness along with midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has not featured this season due to a knee issue.