SPORTS

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has led tributes to compatriot and former Ivory Coast defender Steve Gohouri who died at the age of 34. The ex-Wigan player went missing on 12 December after a Christmas party with his German club TSV Steinbach. German police confirmed his body had been found in the River Rhine in the western city of Krefeld ...

Andy Carroll scored against his former club as West Ham leapfrogged Liverpool in the table thanks to a first league double over the Reds for 52 years. Michail Antonio beat Nathaniel Clyne to Enner Valencia’s early cross to net the Premier League’s first goal of 2016. Liverpool midfielder Emre Can was denied by the bar but Jurgen Klopp’s side were ...

With 2015 drawing to a close, BBC Sport asked for your ideas for our alternative end-of-year awards. We picked our favourites – featuring ostriches, the Hokey Cokey and dodgy hamstrings – for you to enjoy. Least likely to own an ostrich farm – Nigel Pearson “I think you must be an ostrich. Is your head in the sand?” Ah, Nigel ...

Second Test: South Africa v England Venue: Newlands, Cape Town Dates: 2-6 January Start time: 08:30 GMT Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW, online, tablets, mobiles, BBC Sport app & BBC iPlayer Radio app. Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & mobile devices Pace bowler James Anderson ...

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says there is no magic formula to turning around the club’s fortunes. United have not won in eight games, including their past six in the Premier League, have dropped to sixth place, and are out of the Champions League. On Saturday they face Swansea, a team Van Gaal has lost to in all three ...

Sierra Leone striker Mohamed Bangura could quit international football if the country’s football association does not resolve its problems. The SLFA is beset by infighting and governmental interference and Bangura says he has had enough. “If the fighting continues, I will not respond to call-ups,” he told BBC Sport. “If nothing is fixed what is the point of being there? ...

Liverpool obeyed the pragmatic instructions of manager Jurgen Klopp in a 1-0 win at Sunderland where quality football was at a premium and there was an element of good fortune in a decisive goal scored by Christian Benteke. As Liverpool ended the first half of the Premier League season, the result was all that mattered to Klopp, who ordered his ...

Lionel Messi scored on his 500th Barcelona appearance as the European champions moved back to the top of the table with a 4-0 win over Real Betis as La Liga returned from a curtailed winter break on Wednesday. Atletico Madrid remain level on points with Barca thanks to two goals in the final two minutes from Angel Correa and Antoine ...

Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi says Chelsea are heading in the right direction after three games unbeaten since boss Jose Mourinho was sacked. Mikel believes the arrival of Guus Hiddink as interim boss has helped the Blues start to recover from a low of 16th place in the Premier League. “The atmosphere has improved since the change of manager,” Mikel ...

Chelsea’s recovery has begun, captain John Terry claimed on Tuesday with the Blues unbeaten in the three games since Jose Mourinho’s departure. A victory over Sunderland has been followed by draws with Watford and Manchester United. A surge up the Premier League table has yet to materialise, however, and the champions remain in 14th place, only three points off the ...