Steven Naismith was delighted to see Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon come through his first competitive outing in 13 months as Hearts scrambled past cinch League Two side Spartans to reach the fifth round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup.The 41-year-old’s career looked in jeopardy when he suffered a double leg-break away to Dundee United on Christmas Eve of 2022, but after a stirring recove

Substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored a late double to consign Crystal Palace to a crushing 5-0 defeat at Arsenal which increases the pressure on Roy Hodgson.Gabriel nodded in the opener for the Gunners, while Eagles keeper Dean Henderson was credited with an own goal and Leandro Trossard grabbed the third on an afternoon that rarely saw Hodgson’s side pose a threat.Eberechi Eze marked a cent

Southampton broke a 103-year-old club record by going 21 games unbeaten as Russell Martin celebrated his return to Swansea with a 3-1 success.Che Adams, Will Smallbone and birthday boy Flynn Downes scored first-half goals as the Saints secured a Sky Bet Championship victory that should have been by a far greater margin.Jamie Paterson gave Swansea brief hope in cutting the deficit to 2-1, but this

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon made his first appearance in 13 months as Hearts scrambled into the fifth round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup following a stoppage-time Frankie Kent winner away to cinch League Two side Spartans.The Jambos looked set for a smooth afternoon against their Edinburgh counterparts when Kenneth Vargas opened the scoring in the 13th minute but a stunning equaliser from

Liam Rosenior felt his injury-hit Hull side produced their “most important performance of the season” as they claimed a 1-0 Sky Bet Championship win over Sunderland.Hull were without nine senior players as they travelled to Wearside, but Fabio Carvalho’s second-half strike proved sufficient to secure them a hard-fought success at the Stadium of Light.The victory lifted the Tigers

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson cautioned Bojan Miovski against moving on too soon after the North Macedonia striker’s classy finish sent the Dons on their way to a 2-0 Scottish Gas Scottish Cup win over Clyde.Goals in each half from Miovski and Nicky Devlin eased Aberdeen into the fifth round after Connor Young had hit the post for Clyde.Miovski opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with an i

Aguibou Camara’s second-half goal fired Guinea to a precious 1-0 victory over Gambia in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations.Both nations had failed to claim all three points in their tournament openers and were aware of the significance on this fixture towards their knockout stage hopes.After a goalless first half in Yamoussoukro, Camera made the breakthrough with 21 minutes left when he sl

Hull climbed into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places as Fabio Carvalho’s second-half strike secured a 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light to earn their first victory this year.Carvalho struck with 19 minutes remaining to settle a dour game on Wearside, volleying the ball home from the edge of the area via a deflection off Trai Hume.Sunderland’s supporters jeered their

Aberdeen survived an early scare before avoiding another Scottish Gas Scottish Cup shock as they won 2-0 at Clyde.The cinch League 2 bottom side hit the post before goals in each half from Bojan Miovski and Nicky Devlin saw Barry Robson’s side put their name in the hat for Sunday night’s fifth-round draw.The Dons suffered the worst defeat in their history at this stage of last season&r

Marseille striker Ismaila Sarr starred as defending Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal eased their way into the last 16 with a 3-1 win over Cameroon.Sarr’s deflected strike gave his side a 16th-minute lead and it was he who set up fellow frontman Habib Diallo after the break before Sadio Mane cemented victory at Stade Charles Konan Banny in stoppage time to guarantee his side’s pr