Arsenal v Chelsea: Premier League – live!

Bryony Frost pulls off shock all-the-way King George VI Chase win on Frodon

• Frost leads throughout the big race on 20-1 winner
• Favourite Clan Des Obeaux finishes well-beaten third

Frodon and Bryony Frost sprang a 20-1 shock to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

Frodon, previously successful under Frost at this Grade One level when they won the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last year, was delivering a 12th success in the Boxing Day showpiece for trainer Paul Nicholls.

Aston Villa 3-0 Crystal Palace, Fulham 0-0 Southampton, EFL and more – live!

Ten-man Villa thumped Crystal Palace to move up to sixth, while Southampton had two goals disallowed in their draw at Fulham

5.05pm GMT

That’s it for today’s blog, but the Premier League football continues. Next up, Arsenal v Chelsea. Bye!

Bristol Bears shake off sore heads to deepen home gloom for Harlequins

• Harlequins 19-27 Bristol
• Bristol blow Quins away in the second half to go second

Bristol climbed to second in the table after recovering from a first-half Christmas hangover to condemn Harlequins to a fifth straight home defeat.

Quins led 9-0 with less than a minute of the first-half remaining having largely traded on Bristol’s willingness to run from their own half despite players operating on different wavelengths. Two of Marcus Smith’s three penalties followed Bristol players being caught in possession within the outside-half’s range and the home side were unfortunate the prop Wilco Louw was denied a try despite claiming to have grounded the ball.

Axel Tuanzebe own goal earns Leicester draw with Manchester United

Manchester United led twice but ultimately failed to win an away league match for the first time this season, as the unfortunate Axel Tuanzebe deflected a shot by Jamie Vardy into his own goal five minutes from time.

Leicester deserved that bit of luck and a point from an entertaining game in which both sides demonstrated the qualities, and shortcomings, that account for their positions. The teams who began the day in second and third place in the Premier League produced a result and performances to satisfy the leaders, Liverpool.

Mahomes magic to the Bills' rise: five gifts the NFL gave us in 2020

With the festive season upon us, we reflect on reasons for football fans to be thankful as the year draws to an end

Alex Smith was the deserved comeback player of the year before the season even began. His indescribable resolve pulled him through the spiral and compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula in 2018 that led to 17 surgeries after developing necrotizing fasciitis and onto Washington’s roster as their third-string quarterback for 2020. The 36-year-old came within 24 hours of losing his leg after his injury but was determined to eventually take a snap at FedExField. But would we see Smith as he sat behind Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen? Absolutely. Haskins’s underwhelming play meant he was scratched as the starter against the LA Rams and Allen stepped up. But injury struck and Smith was finally back, a mere 693 days since his last appearance under center. The veteran naturally completed his first pass with a quick strike to JD McKissick for six yards. As starter Smith delivered his first victory in 742 days for Washington against Cincinnati. “Just another thing I never thought I’d be doing,” said Smith. So far, so incredible. But the best was yet to come. A short trip to Pittsburgh to face the all-conquering, undefeated Steelers at 11-0 with his own team struggling at 4-7. So much for that. Smith erased Pittsburgh throwing for 296 yards and a crucial touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter that Dustin Hopkins converted to a stunning 23-17 win with two late field goals. NFL lore meet Alex Smith.

Australia's Mitchell Starc lands late blow but India on top in Boxing Day Test

Greg Norman in hospital with 'mild symptoms' after positive Covid-19 test

• Australian golfing great being treated in hospital in the US
• Norman tested positive after suffering flu-like symptoms

Ex-England cricketer and commentator Robin Jackman dies aged 75

Kamara ties NFL record with six TDs as Saints beat Vikings to clinch NFC South

• New Orleans running back rushes for six touchdowns in rout
• Minnesota Vikings 33-52 New Orleans Saints

Alvin Kamara tied an NFL record by running for six touchdowns in a game and finished with a career-high 155 yards rushing to help New Orleans beat the Minnesota Vikings 52-33 and clinch a fourth straight NFC South title.

Wearing different colored shoes – one red and one green – for Christmas Day, Kamara sprinted for a 40-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive. He added five more scoring runs, all on rushes of below 10 yards, against a Minnesota defensive front hit hard by injuries. Kamara equaled a record set by Hall of Fame fullback Ernie Nevers in 1929 for the Chicago Cardinals.

From Touré to Haaland: how our top 100 male footballers list has evolved

Since the first Guardian top 100 in 2012, 39 different players have made the top 10. Here is how the list has changed

Nine years ago, when we did our first 100 best male footballers in the world list, we had 11 judges on the panel. In 2020 we had 241, including Cesc Fàbregas and Juan Pablo Ángel.

But it is not only the number of judges that has changed, the whole footballing landscape has evolved. In 2012 Chelsea won the Champions League final against Bayern Munich but Barcelona were still considered the best team in the world. That was reflected in our top 10 with Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta all included.

Reliance on Bruno Fernandes causes problems for Manchester United | Jonathan Wilson

When Leicester cut down on his freedom it was clear once more that United rely on two or three key players

At some level, this game happened. In a sense it was perfect fare for a bleary Boxing Day lunchtime. It was engaging enough without ever being especially demanding, and if you did happen to doze off for quarter of an hour or so you wouldn’t have missed anything overly consequential. It certainly didn’t answer any questions. We still don’t know how good Leicester or Manchester United are or whether either is remotely capable of sustaining a title challenge.

Both sides have had good patches this season, but neither has entirely convinced, a pattern this game distilled perfectly. No sooner had one narrative begun to take control than another rose up to deflect it off course. Both sides have been inconsistent. Both have been better away from home. Both like to play on the break. United had gone behind in all six previous Premier League away games this season but won them all; here they took the lead twice and ended up drawing.

Drumchapel United: helping Glasgow children cope with Covid life

In another of our stories about the pandemic and sport, Scott Bland explains its impact on his club: ‘We have kids with anxiety, depression – so we had to be there for them’

Drumchapel did not need a pandemic to accentuate their commitment to a greater good. Slowly but surely this club in one of Glasgow’s most deprived areas had been emphasising that the idea of football being intrinsic to a community need not be antiquated.

Drumchapel has needed a positive reference point. Deprivation and life expectancy rates are among the worst in Scotland. The situation looks even more acute when compared with nearby Bearsden and Milngavie, both highly affluent areas.

Lewis Hamilton says racism fight was 'extra drive' fuelling F1 success

• Hamilton guest edits BBC’s Today programme on Boxing Day
• ‘There is no way that I could stay silent,’ he says

Lewis Hamilton has brought his hugely successful year to a close by reflecting on the emotions that drove him to take such a committed stand against racism. Hamilton is the guest editor on Boxing Day’s Today programme on Radio 4, which will include the world champion sharing his thoughts on Black Lives Matter and diversity with the historian David Olusoga.

Exeter were 'overlooked' at BBC Sports Personality of the Year, says Woodburn

• ‘I think we were deserving of some mention,’ says wing
• Chiefs make three changes for Boxing Day visit of Gloucester

The Exeter wing Olly Woodburn has said the Chiefs have become used to being overlooked after they ended up empty-handed at last Sunday’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards despite their domestic and European double.

John Edrich obituary

One of the great English batsmen and captain of Surrey hailed for his gritty concentration

The cricketer John Edrich, who has died aged 83 after suffering from leukaemia, was one of the best English top order batsmen of the 20th century. Short, stocky, bushy-eyebrowed and brave, he played 77 times for his country between 1963 and 1976, and had an especially good record against the two best sides of his era – Australia and West Indies. In 1970-71, his superb batting performances were one of the key reasons that England managed to win the Ashes in Australia for the first time since 1956, and with Geoffrey Boycott in the late 1960s and early 70s he created a formidable opening partnership that provided many good platforms in Test matches. His best score, 310 not out against New Zealand, is the fifth highest for England in Tests.

In county cricket, Edrich was a leading figure for Surrey, whom he captained in his later days and with whom, from 1958 to 1978, he accumulated most of his 39,790 career runs, one of the highest tallies in history and at an impressive average of 45.47. By the end of his career, he had also become one of the rare breed of cricketers to have scored 100 hundreds (103 in all), putting him in the company of greats such as WG Grace, Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond.

Chess: England No 4 Gawain Jones wins online European Blitz Championship

The 33-year-old thought he had ‘blown it’ but beat Alexei Shirov in the final to finish top of field of 353 competitors

Gawain Jones, the 33-year-old England No 4, scored a career-best success when the Yorkshireman won the online European blitz championship. The €12,000 tournament, organised from Katowice in Poland, had 353 entrants from 40 countries, among them 134 grandmasters.

The time limit was fast for blitz, three minutes per player per game with a two seconds per move increment. An 11-round qualification stage reduced the field to 16, who played a knockout with best of four- game matches followed by an Armageddon where White had five minutes and Black four, with no increment and draw odds for Black.

NBA cancels Houston Rockets opener as Harden fined $50k for Covid violation

• Rockets star fined $50k over Covid protocol violation
• Houston left without NBA-minimum eight players

The James Harden soap opera in Houston now comes with a canceled season opener – and a $50,000 fine for the league’s leading scorer.

Houston’s opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night was scrapped after coronavirus cases and Harden’s violation of the NBA’s Covid-19 protocols left the Rockets without the league-mandated eight players available to start a game.

The 100 best male footballers in the world 2020

Robert Lewandowski is our new No 1 while Erling Braut Haaland gatecrashes the top 10 at No 6

Concussion risks in rugby may be even greater for women than for men | India Gilmore

Experts are warning that female athletes could be more likely than men to develop sports-related dementia

When Hannah al-Khaldi experienced a knock to the head in the final seconds of an Allianz Premier 15s game last season, there were no immediate signs of head injury or concussion. Days later, terrifying stroke-like symptoms began to appear.

“The right side of my face and body went numb, I lost the ability to use my right arm, I couldn’t speak,” the 34-year-old prop recalls. And yet she says that she struggled to get an accurate diagnosis. Khaldi spent two weeks in and out of hospital, being told she was suffering from tension headaches and migraines: “The pain was blinding, I couldn’t function.”

Laurie Hernandez: 'Gymnastics felt like home, but coming back was unsettling'

The Olympic gold medallist is rediscovering her love for the sport after verbal abuse from her former coach led to her stepping away

When times have been hard and Laurie Hernandez found herself questioning why she decided to return to the pounding and perfectionism of elite gymnastics, one of the memories that has kept her moving forward was the time she wanted to let it go.

It was at the beginning of 2016 as the Olympics rounded into view that her frustration with injuries led her to consider stopping. She stepped away for around three days. As she began training for her comeback two years ago, it became a constant point of reference during her older brother’s motivational speeches: “He was like: ‘You’re two years out! It’s gonna make sense that you want to quit now when at Olympic level you wanted to stop. You’ve just gotta hang in there.’”

Maradonaland: Naples plans statues and museum to honour 'Saint Diego'

City’s murals of Maradona have become pilgrimage sites since footballer’s death in November

A month since the death of Diego Armando Maradona and the southern Italian city of Naples is looking more like a Maradonaland each day.

After renaming Napoli football club’s San Paolo Stadium and a train station in his honour this month, local authorities are planning a large museum, commissioning statues and dedicating an entire square to the Argentinian who took the city’s football team to glory and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

From 'cold champion' to world's best: Robert Lewandowski's journey to No 1

The prolific Pole has simply never stopped scoring whether for Dortmund or Bayern, and now he is finally getting the recognition his career deserves

The 100 best male footballers 2020: see how every judge voted

The positions of some players on our list have been debated. Here is your chance to see how all 9,640 votes were cast

Scottish Premiership: Rangers edge to nervy win as Celtic turn on the style

Rangers survived another tough test of their title credentials as Ianis Hagi’s strike earned the Scottish Premiership leaders a 1-0 victory over Hibernian at Ibrox.

Steven Gerrard’s team had not dropped points since they last faced Hibs at Easter Road in September but they were made to fight to the end to claim their 12th straight win against determined visitors.

Liverpool would not force Mohamed Salah to stay against his will, says Klopp

• Forward did not rule out future move to Spain in interview
• Liverpool manager says ‘only reason to leave is the weather’

Jürgen Klopp has told Mohamed Salah the only reason to leave Liverpool is the weather but conceded the club cannot force a player to stay against his will.

Mikel Arteta says relegation fight looms if Arsenal fail in next three matches

• Run of Chelsea, West Brom and Brighton ‘crucial’ for season
• Manager says lack of team-bonding sessions harming morale

Mikel Arteta has admitted to feeling the psychological strain of Arsenal’s dire predicament and accepts the next three matches will determine whether the club are dragged into a relegation battle.

Arsenal are 15th in the Premier League, after taking five points from their past 10 games and, following the Boxing Day visit of Chelsea, they go to Brighton on Tuesday and West Brom next Saturday – teams currently two and seven points below them.

Wonderful yet wasteful: Chelsea must unlock the best of Timo Werner | Jonathan Liew

The German arrived with a big reputation but his style is complex and Frank Lampard is still trying to work it out

Naturally the Germans have a word for it. They call it chancentod: literally, “chance death”. Being described as a chancentod doesn’t necessarily make you a bad player. It’s not a tag you’re stuck with for life. All it means is that at the moment, you possess an unerring and uncanny ability to squander whatever goalscoring opportunity is presented to you. Which, for all his manifold qualities, feels like a pretty good way of describing Timo Werner at Chelsea right now.

To watch Werner of late is to be torn between pity and disbelief. The £52m summer signing has now gone nine club games without a goal in all competitions. But this isn’t your regular dry patch. Werner isn’t just not scoring. He’s dramatically, spectacularly not scoring.

'He has to slow down': Pep Guardiola calls for composure from Phil Foden

Concussion rules may see Richarlison miss Everton's Sheffield United trip

• Brazilian taken off on doctor’s orders in Carabao Cup
• Carlo Ancelotti to rotate for Monday’s game with Man City

Carlo Ancelotti has said Everton will continue to observe concussion guidelines with Richarlison and must prove they can finally win a Premier League game without the Brazil forward should he be ruled out against Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

Premier League managers who were barely there – football quiz

Can you name these men who came and went in the English top flight with barely a trace?

Who's this?

Steve Kean

Pepe Mel

René Meulensteen

Frank Barlow

Who's this?

Steve Kean

Ricky Sbragia

Bob Bradley

Francesco Guidolin

Who's this?

Steve Wigley

Dave Merrington

Stuart Gray

Colin Todd

Who's this?

Brian Laws

Mike Phelan

Roy McFarland

Les Reed

Who's this?

Neil Adams

John Deehan

Mark McGhee

René Meulensteen

Who's this?

Billy Bonds

Egil Olsen

Glenn Roeder

Alan Irvine

Who's this?

Billy Davies

Colin Todd

Bruce Rioch

Paul Jewell

Who's this?

Michael Appleton

Hayden Mullins

Brian Kidd

David Unsworth

Who's this?

Jacques Santini

Walter Mazzarri

Mauricio Pellegrino

Quique Sánchez Flores

Who's this?

Mauricio Pellegrino

Alain Perrin

Alan Irvine

Walter Mazzarri

Who's this?

Jean Tigana

Terry Connor

Chris Ramsey

Keith Millen

Who's this?

Mauricio Pellegrino

Javi Gracia

Velimir Zajec

Danny Wilson

12 and above.

You're a managerial genius!

9 and above.

Well done! You might get a pay rise at this rate.

6 and above.

The board are happy with a mid-table finish this time round but expect improvement next term.

3 and above.

We're not saying you're sacked but if your car parking space is taken tomorrow you might want to consider other career options.

0 and above.

You're sacked!

'You cannot force people to stay': Jürgen Klopp on Mohamed Salah's Liverpool future – video

'His mum and dad must be proud': Guardiola praises Stones after City's win over Southampton – video

'They all wore their finishing boots': Klopp satisfied by Liverpool's rout of Palace – video

After Liverpool demolished Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Jürgen Klopp praised his players' finishing ability, while Roy Hodgson said Crystal Palace were "humiliated" by the result and added: "There is nothing positive I can say."

Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both scored twice as Liverpool moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

'It was necessary': Marcus Rashford reflects on free school meals plea to Boris Johnson – video

'The best team lost,' says Mourinho as Liverpool snatch top spot from Spurs – video

Are computers killing the mystery of chess? – video

Chess is enjoying something of a renaissance, thanks to the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit – along with it being a game well-suited to Covid lockdowns.

Yet many chess-lovers contend its lure is simultaneously being killed off by computers, which take the romance and mystery from the game in ever more accurate analysis. But this is an adaptable game of paradoxes, and technology has proven to both give and take. Will chess ever be 'solved'? And could it survive if it was?

Rooftop rallies, frisbee golf and alpacas: alternative clips of the year

Our review of the year also features skateboarding prodigies, headwind cycling and footballers in lockdown

Tackling your questions in a Christmas special – Football Weekly Extra

David Squires on … Santa Fans TV, Christmas films and virulent kickabouts

Our cartoonist offers some seasonal cheer with a look at Arsenal stats, Sam Allardyce’s return and Covid-19 of course

The most eventful football matches ever played on Christmas Day | The Knowledge

Plus: the coldest football match and kings of Christmas. The Knowledge is having a festive break but returns on 6 January

The Spin | End-of-year cricket awards for a shambolic 2020

From the superb Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar to the less celebrated Boris Johnson and Cricket South Africa

Spending a fortnight locked in a quarantine hotel with a 10-month-old, as I learned in Perth this month, can inspire any number of strange decisions. For me, this included going back to read the earliest editions of this column. And before going any further, yes, I’m well aware it was this type of behaviour that made me so popular in high school. But it was all with a purpose in mind: to pen this end-of-year reflection, aiming to work out the origin of The Spin annual awards – inventively titled … The Spins.

The Fiver Christmas Awards 2020

The Breakdown | Rugby union needs to be about spontaneity again and not obedience

One way or another, rugby is breeding players who expect to be told what to do rather than express themselves

Do they believe it? The coaches who say, in response to complaints on social and mainstream media, that spectators have never had it so good? Like those who believe that a no-deal Brexit will be the best thing for the country since the Glorious Revolution of 1688, they want to believe it.

They have to believe it because they are part of it. “Used to love it, now boring, boring down,” is the start of a poem by Guardian reader Mark Lewis called Rugby Union. “Bang it up the middle,” it continues. “Bang it up the middle. Fall down. Ruck. Scrum-half forms a committee … Box kick. Ruck. Crunch it up the middle … Fall over. Ruck.”

Gérard Houllier memories, the Tour de Trump and college football bedlam | Classic YouTube

This week’s roundup also features obstacles on the skeleton course and the delicate skills of Zinedine Zidane

Last post: dry eyes and an empty page, but after 31 years it is a fond farewell | Vic Marks

From a Jamaican debut to an empty Lord’s in 2020 the job has changed so much but I always did struggle for an intro

Just one more intro, that’s all that’s needed … “It was 31 years ago that I joined the Observer …” No, no, that’s not so snappy; it’s ancient history and on a par with one I sent off early in my time as its cricket correspondent which began with two riveting words: “Last Wednesday” (thankfully there was an intervention by the desk).

How about: “It’s hard to write with tears in your eyes”? Just a couple of drawbacks here. It’s a tad over the top – this is for sport for heaven’s sake, not the review section – and it’s not true either. I’ve never really believed Don Bradman had tears in his eyes when he was bowled by Eric Hollies at the Oval in his last Test innings in 1948 and as I stare at a disappointingly empty screen here my eyes remain stubbornly dry. (How can I be so presumptuous to summon up a parallel with the last days of the Don? It must be time to move on.)

From 'Roll Tide' to 'Gator Bait', college football reckons with its problematic traditions

Some of college football’s most storied programs have discovered that even seemingly innocuous fight songs and fan-friendly chants aren’t safe from their problematic histories

In Alabama, “Roll Tide!” is a phrase for all seasons.

Love for the University of Alabama’s football powerhouse runs so deep in the southeastern state that the iconic college chant routinely doubles as shorthand for “hello”, “goodbye” and everything in between.

Julia Görges: ‘Lockdown showed me life can be nice away from tennis, too’

The pandemic forced the 33-year-old German to step away from the treadmill of being a top-20 player and announce an unexpected retirement

“I can feel it now on my body,” says Julia Görges. “It’s less tension, less pain because the mental stress which affects your body and affects your mind a lot, this has gone away.”

Görges, who has been a constant presence on the tour for the past decade, was describing the perpetual tensity that has accompanied her career. Now, finally, it is all gone. In October, the 32-year-old German unexpectedly retired.

Premier League: 10 good and bad surprises of the season so far

Grealish, Fabinho, Calvert-Lewin and Bamford are exceeding expectations. Aubameyang, Havertz, Martial and Traoré are not