LONDON - Steven Gerrard withstood a period of intense pressure to turn fallen giants Rangers into Scottish champions again and now Aston Villa provides one of the Premier League's all-time great players with a platform to truly prove himself as a manager.

Gerrard, who spent 17 years patrolling Liverpool's midfield and scored 120 Premier League goals in 504 appearances, has been named Villa boss after the Birmingham club sacked Dean Smith on Sunday.

After three months and six rounds of qualifying, the first round of the FA Cup Proper began over the weekend. For many (including myself) the FA Cup represents the purest form of footballing competition.

More than 70 teams play for the chance to earn the title of English champions, and while the title invariably goes to a Premier League side, the early rounds of the cup provide an unfiltered look at the roots of the sport.

It's a chance to watch non-league teams you've never heard of before playing the biggest match in club history in front of a thousand fans.

PARIS — Midfielder Paul Pogba left training with a possible thigh injury ahead of France's World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Saturday.

The Manchester United player, who was one of very few players to take part in a light session on Monday evening, left the pitch with a thigh problem with team doctor Franck Le Gall.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel hopes Christian Pulisic and N'Golo Kante return from the international break unscathed as he says the pair are not 100 percent ready despite being called up by France and the United States.

Kante has just returned from an injury layoff, playing 85 minutes for the league leaders in their 1-1 draw with Burnley at the weekend, while Pulisic has played only four times in all competitions this season due to an ankle injury.

MANCHESTER — Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Manchester United in their derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Gifted two goals by United in the first half, City were happy to control the game after the break, while their hosts failed to present any sort of real threat.

It was ultimately a disappointing derby with City's superiority in all areas confirmed abundantly while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's showed once again they simply lack enough quality to mount even a token title bid.

LONDON - Antonio Conte got a crash course in what he can expect as Tottenham Hotspur's new manager after the Italian's first game in charge ended in a 3-2 home victory over Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Conte, who replaced Nuno Espírito Santo this week after the Portuguese was sacked 10 Premier League games into his first season, watched his side tear into a 3-0 lead after 28 minutes with Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura on target plus an own goal.

Sports fans across the U.S. were appalled by news in November 2021 that Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III drove drunk and crashed into a car going 156 mph, killing a woman and her dog. What sports fans may not know is that one of Christian Pulisic’s former teammates committed a similar crime. Did Marcos Alonso kill someone? Let’s compare the Ruggs and Alonso situations.