Author: David Great

Liverpool have agreed to sign Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, say a statement on the Dutch club’s website. Gakpo, 23, had an impressive World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals as he helped the Netherlands reach the quarter-finals. The fee for the winger is expected to be between 40m-50m euros (£35.4m-£44.3m). PSV say Gakpo will travel to England to complete the deal, adding that it would be a record transfer for them. Liverpool have made a move with forwards Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota facing lengthy spells on the sidelines. Manchester United, Leeds and Southampton were linked with…

Arsenal underlined their title credentials by producing a second-half fightback to beat West Ham 3-1 and move seven points clear at the top as the Premier League returned after the World Cup. West Ham took the lead against the run of play when Jarrod Bowen was judged to have been clipped in the box by William Saliba, allowing Said Benrahma to smash a confident penalty down the middle. There was a mood of frustration among the home fans until Bukayo Saka converted from close range after collecting Martin Odegaard’s mis-hit shot. The equaliser gave increased impetus to the Gunners and…

Liverpool made a winning return to Premier League action as they restarted their bid to force their way into the top four with an entertaining 3-1 victory over Aston Villa. Goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic ensured the Reds recorded a third successive league win for the first time this season and reduced the gap to the Champions League places to five points. While Liverpool’s first fixture after the World Cup break resulted in a Carabao Cup fourth round defeat by Manchester City on Thursday, Salah’s fifth-minute opener – created by a couple of sublime passes…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has named one ASP Drambi Vandi as the policeman who shot and killed one Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, describing the act as a “cold-blooded murder of our member”. Vandi, an officer of the Nigerian Police Force attached to Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah, Lagos state shot Mrs. Raheem on Christmas Day when she was returning from a Christmas church service with her husband and other family members. “The NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau upon receiving the sad news made efforts to get across to the husband of our deceased member who understandably has been unavailable to…

Newcastle United cruised past Leicester City to claim a sixth consecutive Premier League win and move up to second in the table with a 3-0 win. Chris Wood kickstarted a dominant performance by smashing the opener from the penalty spot before Miguel Almiron glided past the Leicester defence to tuck away the second. Newcastle’s Joelinton headed the third from a Kieran Trippier corner for his second goal of the season as the Magpies demonstrated the clinical edge that the hosts were missing. With England midfielder James Maddison out of the Leicester squad, as he continues to recover from a knee…

Harry Kane scored in the first Premier League match since the World Cup as Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down to draw with Brentford. The Bees were on course for their first win over Spurs since 1948 after goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney, before Spurs netted twice within six minutes. Kane, who scored one penalty and missed another in England’s 2-1 quarter-final loss to France, pulled one back in the 65th minute with an excellent header from Clement Lenglet’s cross. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made it 2-2 with a curling finish – and neither side was able to find a…

Police boss assures of justice, people-oriented police The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba has condemned the shooting and killing of Mrs Omobolanle Raheem, a lawyer who was shot and killed by a policeman attached to Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, Lagos State. The IGP, who described the incident as unfortunate and sad, has ordered speedy investigation and prosecution of the officers responsible for the ugly and unprofessional act, a statement by police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Monday said. The police boss said that the action of the policemen involved does not portray the Nigeria Police Standard Operating Procedure and…

Road and utility crews faced the task on Monday of digging out and restoring some normalcy around Buffalo, New York, where a blizzard considered the area’s worst in 45 years buried snow plows, stranded motorists in cars and killed at least 13 people. The lethal blizzard took form late on Friday and pummeled western New York through the Christmas holiday weekend, capping an Arctic freeze and winter storm front that had extended over most of the United States for days, as far south as the Mexican border. At least 30 people have died in US weather-related incidents since late last…

The Court of Appeal, Abuja has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by the sacked Akwa Ibom governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akanimo Udofia, against the judgement of a lower court. The three-member panel headed by Justice Elfreda Williams-Dawodu made this known after counsel to the appellant, Damian Dodo, SAN, and Sen. Ita Enang’s lawyer, Mba Ukweni, SAN, adopted their briefs and presented their arguments for and against the appeal. A Federal High Court (FHC) sitting in Uyo had, on Nov. 14, nullified the nomination of Mr Udofia as the governorship candidate of the APC in Akwa…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) has neutralised over 100 terrorists including some of their leaders in an airstrike on Dec. 20, in Borno. In a statement issued on Christmas Day by the director, public relations and information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, he said NAF uncovered plans by terrorists to attack. He said that the interdiction mission was conducted by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) at Mantari village in Gezuwa general area, Bama Local Government Area of Borno. The director said that among those neutralised were terrorist kingpins Khalid Tukur, Maimusari, and Bakura…