Credit: X
In football, Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City after managing the club for just 83 days after replacing John Eustace two months ago. Whereas in tennis, Novak Djokovic battled wrist pain to beat Jiri Lehecka in the United Cup while Rafael Nadal marked his return to singles action with a massive win over Dominic Thiem.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Wayne Rooney gets sacked by Birmingham City after just 83 days in charge
The former England international Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City after just 83 days in charge of the club, succeeding John Eustace in October last year. The 38-year-old took over the reins when Birmingham City were in sixth place in the Championship. Still, after nine losses in 15 matches during his tenure in the league, they found themselves in the 20th place, staring at a long and arduous battle in the relegation zone.
Liverpool slump Newcastle United to their fifth loss in six Premier League matches
Liverpool defeated Newcastle United by 4-2 at Anfield in the Premier League to slump their opposition to a fifth loss in six matches in the competition. Mohamed Salah scored a brace, along with Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo registering their names on the scoresheet for Liverpool, cancelling out the Newcastle goals from Alexander Isak and Sven Botman, to keep them at the summit of the Premier League at the start of the new year.
Donny van de Beek joins Eintracht Frankfurt on loan deal
The Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a loan deal from Manchester United, with an option for the German club to turn the transfer into a permanent deal. The 26-year-old, who joined Manchester United from Ajax in 2020 for £35m, made just six starts in the Premier League for the English club, going out of favour under the Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.
Paris Saint-Germain become leading contenders to sign Kalvin Phillips: Reports
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly the leading contenders in the race to sign the English midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City this month, as per the Telegraph. It has been well documented that the 28-year-old is interested in leaving the English champions to get more first-team football at a new club to give himself the best chance to potentially represent England at the UEFA Euro 2024.
Some major results in football:
International Friendlies
Japan 5-0 Thailand
China 1-2 Hong Kong
Premier League 2023-24
Liverpool 4-2 Newcastle United
Darts
16-year-old Luke Littler becomes youngest World Darts Championship semi-finalist
Sixteen-year-old Luke Littler became the youngest-ever player to qualify for the World Darts Championship semi-finals. On Monday, Littler had a 5-1 win over Brendan Dolan at Alexandra Palace. While speaking to Sky Sports about this achievement, Littler said, "Wow. I'm in the semi-final on my debut. If I keep it up, I've got a good chance. Now I am dreaming! I'm two games away. I'm definitely thinking about lifting the title."
Tennis
Djokovic battles wrist pain to beat Jiri Lehecka in United Cup
Novak Djokovic suffered a wrist issue during his United Cup match against Jiri Lehecka. Despite this injury scare, the world number powered through to register a 6-1 6-7(3) 6-1 win. This victory further helped Serbia to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and make the quarter-finals. Talking about his wrist injury, Novak Djokovic said, "But I managed to play it through and it's not the first or the last time," he added. "These things happen. You just have to manage and find a solution. Let's see what happens now."
Nadal returns to singles action with 7-5, 6-1 win over Dominic Thiem
Rafael Nadal announced his return to singles action with a dominant 7-5 6-1 victory over Austrian former world number three Dominic Thiem in the first round of the Brisbane International. Nadal suffered a hip injury in last year’s Australian Open and was out for nearly a year. The 22-time Grand Slam champion underwent arthroscopic surgery last June. "Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career," Nadal said on his return. "I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level on the first day is something that makes us feel proud - my team and family who have been there every day in the last year."
Petra Kvitova to Australian Open after announcing pregnancy
Former Australian Open runner-up Petra Kvitova announced she is expecting her first child with her husband and longtime coach Jiri Vanek. Hence Kvitova is set to miss the Australian Open which begins in two weeks. "On the first day of 2024, I wanted to wish you a happy new year and share the exciting news that Jiri and I will be welcoming a baby into our family this summer," Kvitova shared on X with pictures.
Formula One
Sauber to race as Stake F1 team until Audi takeover in 2026
Sauber announced they will race as the Stake F1 team until they become part of Audi in 2026. The team competed as Alfa Romeo last year but the Stellantis-owned brand has now departed. "Last season represented the start of Stake’s journey in Formula One, and the brand’s new role headlining Stake F1 Team represents the natural and exciting next step on this path," said team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi on the team’s name change.
