Theo Walcott scored against his old club for Southampton who moved into third spot with a 1-1 draw at struggling Arsenal who, for the second match running, ended a game with 10 men.
* Everton backed-up their weekend win over Chelsea to beat fourth-placed Leicester City 2-0 away and move into fifth spot. Sebastien Haller’s stunning bicycle kick secured a 1-1 draw for West ham United at home to Crystal Palace for whom Christian Benteke scored and was later shown a red card.
* Leeds United struck three times in the last 11 minutes to sink Newcastle United 5-2 at Elland Road. Fulham edged out of the bottom three with a 0-0 draw at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
* Brazil’s Interlagos circuit will stay on the Formula One calendar until 2025 with the race officially renamed the Grand Prix of Sao Paulo, the sport announced on Wednesday. Next year’s race in Sao Paulo is scheduled for Nov. 14.
* Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman praised his side's relentless pressing after their 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday, when the Catalans finally came alive after an awful start to the season.
* The Australian Open will start on Feb. 8, three weeks later than scheduled, the ATP Tour said in releasing an update of its calendar for 2021 revising the first seven weeks of the season. The start date of the main draw of the year’s first Grand Slam was originally slated for Jan. 18 and organisers Tennis Australia have been in drawn-out negotiations with local government over COVID-19 health measures.
* Champions Paris St Germain stayed hot on the heels of Ligue 1 leaders Lille as goals by Kylian Mbappe and Moise Kean earned them a 2-0 home win against 10-man Lorient on Wednesday. Mbappe, with a penalty, and Kean found the net in the second half after the visitors had Andreaw Gravillon sent off to move up to second on 31 points from 15 games.
* AC Milan twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at relegation-battling Genoa on Wednesday and cling on to top spot in Serie A.
* Yussuf Poulsen scored a second-half goal as RB Leipzig beat Hoffenheim 1-0 away in the Bundesliga on Wednesday to stay a point behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Champions League side Leipzig, who have the best defence in the Bundesliga, are in third place, level on 27 points with second-placed Bayern Munich.
* Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski scored twice to steer the champions to a 2-1 comeback win over VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday, keeping them a point behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen who crushed Cologne 4-0.
* Relegation-threatened Schalke 04 slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by Freiburg on Wednesday, with both goals from Roland Sallai, to extend their winless run to 28 consecutive games and edging closer to the all-time league record.
* Sunderland's next three League One (third-tier) games have been postponed following an outbreak of COVID-19 at the club, the English Football League said on Wednesday.
* Doha beat Riyadh to clinch the hosting rights for the 2030 Asian Games at the general assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia on Wednesday, the regional governing body announced. OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah announced the winner after the meeting, which was live streamed, adding that Riyadh would host the 2034 edition of the Games.
* Andres Iniesta faces four months out of action after undergoing an operation to treat a ruptured hamstring, the Vissel Kobe midfielder's representatives said in a statement on Wednesday.
* Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min wants to end his career at the Premier League club but talks over a contract extension have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, manager Jose Mourinho said. Son has been in top form this season, scoring 13 goals in 21 matches in all competitions, and his current deal at Spurs expires in June 2023.
