Arsenal, who fired Unai Emery as manager last week and appointed former player Freddie Ljungberg as caretaker boss, now sit 10th in the table on 19 points, with Brighton a single point behind and three places below them.
* Saudi Arabia will meet Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf Cup final after Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored a first-half goal as they beat hosts Qatar 1-0 in the semi-finals on Thursday. Bahrain beat Iraq 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the other semi.
* Marco Silva became the latest managerial departure at Everton when he was sacked on Thursday having failed to get anywhere near their lofty ambition of joining the Premier League elite. Silva, who arrived at Goodison Park in May 2018, has left the club after Everton's crushing 5-2 defeat by local rivals Liverpool on Wednesday left them 18th in the table with 14 points.
* Spain will play Germany in an international friendly on March 26 at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium, the Spanish soccer federation announced on Thursday. Both sides qualified comfortably for Euro 2020 and the match offers them the chance to test themselves against a top opponent less than three months out from the tournament.
* Spanish broadcaster Movistar has purchased rights to show next month's Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, the national soccer federation said on Thursday.
* Real Madrid's 100-million-euro forward Eden Hazard is set to miss his side's crunch match with La Liga leaders Barcelona later this month after being diagnosed with a fractured ankle. The Belgium forward injured his right ankle in last week's 2-2 draw at home to Paris St Germain following a clash with international team mate Thomas Meunier, although the club initially said he had suffered bruising.
* Newcastle United's Allan Saint-Maximin netted an early header before a controversial Jonjoy Shelvey goal secured a 2-0 win at Sheffield United in the Premier League on Thursday.
* Tokyo 2020 organisers said on Thursday two more Olympic events, the triathlon and equestrian cross-country, have been rescheduled to earlier start times to combat the expected sweltering summer heat.
* Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira will be out of action for three months after undergoing surgery on his left knee, the Serie A champions said. The 32-year-old, capped 77 times by Germany, underwent a similar procedure on his right knee in April and the latest operation had been a success.
* Marc Wilmots has left his role as coach of the Iran national team, just seven months after replacing Carlos Queiroz at the helm of the three-time Asian champions. The former Belgium and Ivory Coast coach was appointed in May to lead Iran in their quest for a sixth World Cup appearance after Queiroz had secured back-to-back qualifications for the first time in the country’s history.
