The big news: Saints get the better of the Reds

Southampton stunned Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield as they progressed to the final of the EFL Cup on Thursday. The Saints were heading into the match with a 1-0 advantage owing to their win in the first-leg of the semi-final at St Mary’s last week. For Liverpool, defeat meant Jurgen Klopp’s has lost their seventh game this year and have registered only one win against League Two side Plymouth in the FA Cup. Southampton will either face Manchester United or Hull City at Wembley.

The match was a drab affair with both sides failing to get on the scoresheet in the first half. Liverpool had two clear chances in the second half, but striker Daniel Sturridge failed to convert them. However, a minute into injury time, Shane Long slotted one behind the net to take Southampton into the final.

Football:

  • Spanish side Celta Vigo stunned giants Real Madrid 2-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Heading into the game with a 2-1 win in the first leg, Celta Vigo didn’t drop their intensity at all and managed to reach the semis with a 4-3 aggregate.
  • Celtic equalled the Lisbon Lions’ run of 26 domestic games unbeaten with a 1-0 win over St Johnstone to move 22 points clear in the Premiership.
  • Juventus made the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 win over 10-man AC Milan. Goals from Paublo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic ensured an easy win for the Italian Giants.
  • Paris St-Germain have signed Benfica striker Goncalo Guedes for £25.5 million. Guedes inked a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions.
  • Patrice Evra has joined Marseille on a free transfer from Juventus. The former Manchester United defender inked an 18-month contract.         

Cricket:

  • India take on England in the first T20I game against England in Kanpur on Thursday. After winning the Test series and one-day series, Virat Kohli will look to outclass England in the 20-over format in the first game of the three-match series.
  • Sri Lanka beat South Africa by five wickets to win the third and final T20I game in Cape Town on Thursday. With the win, Sri Lanka bagged the series and won their first trophy in South Africa.
  • India skipper Virat Kohli and the Indian blind cricket team’s captain Shekar Naik were awarded the Padma Shri. Shuttler PV Sindhu, wrestler Sakshi Malik, Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, gymnast Dipa Karmakar’s names also featured on the list, along with Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa Malik, who won gold and silver medals respectively in the Paralympics last year. 
  • Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid turned down an honorary doctorate degree that the Bangalore University wanted to give him. Dravid politely declined the offer and informed the university that he wants to “earn a doctorate” degree.

Badminton:

  • Defending champion Kidambi Srikanth beat compatriot Lakhanee Sarang 15-21, 21-7, 21-14 to reach the second round of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow on Wednesday. Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu registered a comfortable 21-9, 21-11 win over compatriot Anura Prabhudesai to enter the last 16.
  • India’s doubles badminton specialist Jwala Gutta on Wednesday questioned the criteria of selecting recipients for the Padma awards by writing a stinging post on her official Facebook page. Gutta was not on the list of recipients announced on Thursday. he last 16.

Athletics:

  • Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was stripped of his 4 x 100m gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics after his relay teammate Nesta Carter was found guilty of doping.