Although United's men's team are without European football this season, they generated an operating profit of £32.6million in the first six months of the fiscal year, compared with a £3.9m loss for the same period last year. The operating profit for the most recent quarter was £19.6m, compared to £3.1m in the same period last year. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Man Utd news & transfers🔴Man Utd fixtures & scores | FREE Man Utd PL highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Man Utd games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 Those numbers come after minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe oversaw a wide-scale redundancy programme and restructuring of the club, and in announcing their latest figures, United said they were seeing "the positive impact of operating cost and headcount reduction programmes implemented in the prior year". United's total revenues for the second quarter of the financial year were £190.3m, down from £198.7m for the equivalent period the previous year, with commercial revenue dropping from £85.1m to £78.5m and matchday revenues down from £52m to £49.5m but that has been without the financial benefit of Champions League football this season. The onus then falls to Man Utd to ensure a spot in Europe's elite competition next season to continue their financial gains under Ratcliffe's tenure. English clubs have each made between £73m and £86m from playing in the league phase of the Champions League this season. The club still has $650m worth of debt from the Glazer era while short-term borrowing is up to £295.7m. But with a revived United up to fourth in the Premier League under Michael Carrick, and Marc Skinner's side second in the Women's Super League and through to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League, United believe they are well placed for a further rise in profits going forward. "We are now seeing the positive financial impact of our off-pitch transformation materialise both in our costs and profitability," Berrada said. "We continue to take a football-first approach and invest in both our men's and women's first teams. "On the pitch our men's team sits fourth in the Premier League and our women's team are second in the Women's Super League, as well as reaching the League Cup final and the quarter-final of the UEFA Women's Champions League. "Today's results demonstrate the underlying strength of our business as we continue to push for the best football results possible for our men's and women's teams." United say they remain on track to record revenues of between £640m and £660m for the full fiscal year. Analysis: Return to Champions League remains crucial for Man Utd Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol: "Manchester United's latest accounts show how important it is for the club to get back into Europe. "If you want to make Manchester United great again, they need to be playing in the Champions League again as soon as possible. "The new expanded format of the competition means English clubs have each made between £73m and £86m from just playing in the league phase this season. "United are improving on and off the pitch, although it is too early to start celebrating about the latest figures they posted in New York this morning. "Not being in Europe would be a financial disaster for most clubs, but United's finances are just about holding up - despite overall debt rising to £1.29 billion with no new stadium for that vast borrowing. "The long-term Glazer debt is still $650m, the short-term borrowing is up to £295.7m and more than £500m is owed on transfers. "As expected, being out of Europe means United revenues for the six months to the end of last December fell from £341.8m to £330.7m. "Matchday income was down £2.8m to £75.7m because United played five fewer games at Old Trafford than in the final six months of the previous year. "Increased ticket prices mean United are making more per game and United still make more money on matchdays than any other club in England. "The departure of several high-profile players means United's wage bill for the final three months of last year fell by 9 per cent to £75.1m. "There is no mention of how much compensation Ruben Amorim was paid as he was sacked on 5 January - just after the period covered in these accounts."

A 98th-minute penalty, converted by Atalanta's Lazar Samardzic, means there will be Italian representation in the next round of the Champions League knockouts. But their giants have fallen. There was a certain irony on Tuesday night at the San Siro. Moments before kick-off, Inter Milan welcomed club legends Ronaldo Nazario and Christian Vieri onto the pitch as special guests - two figures whose partnership once demonstrated the might of what Serie A once was. Come full-time, that period has never felt further away. What followed on the pitch was Inter - 10 points clear at the top of Serie A - being knocked out by a Bodo/Glimt team who are currently in pre-season. They were not just beaten; they were well beaten, against a team making their first-ever Champions League appearance this season, let alone an appearance in the knockout stages. Who could each English team face in the last 16? Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱 And losing their knockout play-off to Norway's first Champions League proper team for nearly two decades was not just a low for Inter, but it confirmed one for Italian football. The following day, Juventus salvaged some pride but a 7-5 aggregate loss to Galatasaray is still a stunning exit for the previous powerhouse of Serie A. Reigning Serie A champions Napoli fell at the first hurdle, failing to progress from the league phase. AC Milan aren't even in European competition this season. While Bologna and Roma continue to fly the flag in the Europa League, Fiorentina finished 15th in the Conference League table - requiring a play-off against Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok to make the last 16 of that competition. And speaking of play-offs, it could get worse. Italy's national team need one to avoid a third absence from a World Cup tournament - a competition the nation has won four times. So what has happened to Italian football across the board? It has been pretty clear this season that the Serie A teams have not been able to cope with the demands of the European competition - particularly the speed of play. "Italian teams play at a slow pace," Fabio Capello told Sky in Italy. "When they face teams that run and press, they don't have the quality, aren't accustomed to playing at a high pace, and make mistakes. "This is the key. Right now, we are not accustomed to being aggressive. As soon as they increase the pace from the Italian league, they are stopped because a challenge is too hard - a player's ear is touched, and they go down, all these things. "These are the results. We play at a slow pace, unfortunately, and when it happens, it's hard to be dangerous." The numbers back that up. The direct speed of Italy's top-flight has been on a downward curve in the last five seasons, with many describing the current style of play as slow, compared to the rest of Europe's big five leagues. Serie A have the second-lowest direct speed of play out of their European rivals, only the French top-flight has a lower speed - with no Ligue 1 clubs qualifying for the top eight positions in the table. The Premier League's speed going on an upward curve in the last 12 months could explain why they have fared well this season - with all six of England's teams safely and comfortably through to the last 16 across the board. The speed of play could also have something to do with a dip in player quality in the league, partly due to a lack of investment put in by clubs. Where are the net generation of Italian stars? Last summer, the most expensive transfer made by an Italian club was Christopher Nkunku's £36m from Chelsea to AC Milan. The most exciting signings, and arguably the most successful, were free transfers Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric and Jamie Vardy. Milan relying on 40-year-old Modric for creativity, Juventus having ex-Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly as a starting defender - who was sent off in the second leg against Galatasaray - and Davide Frattesi going from nearly joining Nottingham Forest in January to starting in the Champions League defeat to Bodo perhaps tells you everything you need to know about the level. And while Serie A is relying more and more on older and more experienced players, there is a lack of promising Italian youth coming through. Since June of last year, only one capped player for the national team is under the age of 24 - Inter's young forward Pio Esposito. England have managed a dozen. In 2025, Italy also gave 1.9 per cent of their Serie A minutes to eligible players under the age of 21. That's the second-lowest out of the top 50 leagues in world football. Only the United Arab Emirates Pro League managed fewer. It has been the case for a while. According to the CIES Football Observatory, between 2020 and 2025, Italy produced just 413 football exports. It ranked 24th in the world, behind the United States, Japan and Russia. The other four nations in Europe's big five leagues all managed over 1,000 players in the same category. Italy's players - young or old - are just not as fancied by Europe's elite. A traditional tactical problem? Also at the heart of Italian football is a lack of tactical innovation. While other leagues have done well to take new tactical insight from the rest of Europe, Italy seems a little stuck in its ways. Italian coaches Max Allegri, Maurizio Sarri, Luciano Spalletti and Antonio Conte have all been passed around Italy's top clubs in recent years, without much differentiation. Even Atalanta replaced now-Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini with ex-Fiorentina coach Raffaelle Palladino and Inter did the same with Parma's Christian Chivu coming in for Simone Inzaghi. Every Serie A appointment seems within its own boundaries. Cesc Fabregas' overachieving Como revolution is a good example of what happens when you take tactical ideas from elsewhere. Carlos Cuesta is another example, he is faring well with Parma having joined from Mikel Arteta's Arsenal backroom staff in the summer. Could a lack of infrastructure in Italian football - another theme banded around this week amid their clubs' failings in Europe - have something to do with all these issues? This year, Deloitte's Football Money League saw no Italian teams in the top 10 wealthiest teams in the Europe. The report added that the most significant part of the wealthy teams' revenue was the way in which they used their stadiums on a non-matchday - such as Tottenham Hotspur's NFL deal. Italy's plight can be seen in the San Siro. It is a pantheon arena of the game but unique because it is outdated and 'old school' - hence why it is being renovated. It is so far behind its equivalent stadia in Europe - as is Italian football compared to the rest of the continent.

The 22-year-old marked the milestone with a fist-pump and a subtle chuckle to herself on her way to a 6-5 victory as Suljovic squandered three match darts. It saw her advance to the third round in Leicester having beaten former Lakeside champion Chris Landman 6-5 in the opening round after a 116 finish. She was eventually stopped in her tracks by a 6-3 loss to David Sharp, with Gerwyn Price going on to win the tournament by beating Andrew Gilding in the final. Premier League darts: Latest schedule and results ✅Darts in 2026: Key dates, calendar, results 📅Got Sky? Watch on the Sky Sports app 📱Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW 📺 "I couldn't believe I'd hit it! I just about hit the treble 19 and then I was quite confident that the double 12 was going in," said Greaves. "I couldn't stop smiling because I couldn't wait to tell my dad, even though I knew he'd be watching it. "I've narrowly missed hitting one a few times to it was nice to finally hit one. It's nice to be the first woman to hit one on the PDC ProTour, I'm glad it was on the stream as well. "It was hard to get back into the game after I'd hit it, I was shaking afterwards. It was nerve-wracking but I managed to get the win in the end." Greaves recently opened the 2026 Women's Series with a perfect weekend in Germany as she extended her winning run to 113 matches and 17 consecutive titles after dropping just 23 legs and producing 14 whitewashes in 27 games. The three-time WDF World Darts Championship champion has not been beaten on the Women's Series circuit since April 2025. "I'm enjoying my start to life on the PDC ProTour, I've been struggling in patches with a bit of tension in my throw, but I am playing well and enjoying it," she added on Wednesday. "You're playing the best players in the world so if you lose a game, it's just a case of your opponent playing better than you on the day." Greaves has asserted herself as one of the rising stars of darts as a two-time Women's World Matchplay champion and winner of a record 50 PDC Women's Series titles. She became just the fourth woman ever to hold a PDC Tour Card having finished second in the 2025 PDC Developmental Tour rankings to earn her opportunity. She became the first woman to reach the final of the PDC World Youth Championship after beating Luke Littler in the semi-finals last year. Price warms up for MVG Premier League clash with victory Price powered his way to a first PDC ranking title of 2026 with a comprehensive 8-1 victory over Gilding. Price - runner-up to Wessel Nijman in Players Championship Two earlier this month - went one better in Leicester, producing a tournament average of 102.82 to triumph. The former world champion conceded just 14 legs across his seven matches at the Mattioli Arena, overhauling Nijman to move top of the 2026 Players Championship rankings after six events. "I thought I played decent today," reflected Price, who will take on Michael van Gerwen on Night Four of the Premier League in Belfast on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports. "There were one or two games where I wasn't at my best - even in the final - but I had enough in the tank. "It's a big night for me in the Premier League [on Thursday], so it's great to get a bit of confidence by winning this and I'm looking forward to tomorrow now. "I'm feeling good. Two years ago I had the worst year I've ever had in the PDC, so I'm defending absolutely nothing this year. "Whoever is above me, I'm going to catch them!" Price powered into round three with successive 6-1 demolitions of Cristo Reyes and Maik Kuivenhoven, which he followed up with another emphatic win at the expense of Lukas Wenig. The 40-year-old continued his procession with another outstanding display against Scott Waites, averaging 109.48 to run out a 6-1 winner in the battle of the former Grand Slam champions. The relentless standard continued in his quarter-final clash against Kevin Doets, with Price averaging 108.59 to set up a showdown against his World Cup partner Jonny Clayton. Clayton snapped his 10-match losing streak against Price in last week's Premier League, but he was unable to repeat the feat, as Price averaged 104.47 to seal a 7-4 success. The Welshman then raced into an early 3-0 lead against Gilding in Wednesday's showpiece, backing up a clinical 104 checkout on tops with consecutive 15-darters. Former UK Open champion Gilding opened his account with an 84 finish on the bull in leg four, only for Price to win the remaining five legs - including a spectacular 153 finish in the penultimate leg - to pocket the £15,000 top prize. 2026 Players Championship Six results Last 16 Gerwyn Price 6-1 Scott Waites Kevin Doets 6-4 Danny Noppert Jonny Clayton 6-0 Jimmy van Schie Christian Kist 6-2 Jurjen van der Velde Ross Smith 6-5 Tom Bissell Andrew Gilding 6-4 Kim Huybrechts Thibault Tricole 6-2 Adam Lipscombe David Sharp 6-2 Alan Soutar Quarter-Finals Gerwyn Price 6-4 Kevin Doets Jonny Clayton 6-3 Christian Kist Andrew Gilding 6-5 Ross Smith Thibault Tricole 6-3 David Sharp Semi-Finals Gerwyn Price 7-4 Jonny Clayton Andrew Gilding 7-6 Thibault Tricole Final Gerwyn Price 8-1 Andrew Gilding Nine-Darters! Beau Greaves hit a nine-darter in her round two tie against Mensur Suljovic. Max Hopp hit a nine-darter in his round three tie against Thibault Tricole. Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries is defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.

Liam Rosenior made a positive start to his time at Chelsea. There were routine wins against Brentford, Pafos, Crystal Palace and Wolves, and more thrilling ones away at Napoli and in salvaging three points at home to West Ham. The defeats to Arsenal in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final were frustrating, a missed opportunity, but understandable. But blowing winning positions at home to Leeds and Burnley to draw their past two Premier League home games has shifted the situation. Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 Chelsea now face a daunting run of fixtures. The toughest run-in of any side competing for Champions League qualification. After they "set fire to four points from two home games," as Rosenior described it, the pressure is well and truly on. A top-five finish is far from certain now. Currently, Chelsea only sit above Liverpool on goal difference. And now they must protect that advantage through a run of games which begins with away days at Arsenal and Aston Villa, and will see Chelsea host Manchester City and Manchester United back-to-back in mid-April. They then have to go to Anfield on May 9. And that's before factoring in a Champions League knockout tie against either Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle, and an FA Cup run, where they have drawn Wrexham, which will reduce training time and put strain on resources. It is this run of games which weighs into an Opta prediction model that expects Chelsea to finish sixth. That would be a serious step back after Enzo Maresca managed fourth last season and the loss of Champions League revenue would complicate plans for the summer transfer market. 'Not good enough' - Rosenior on Chelsea's FIVE big problems It would also be a finish which would add to the criticism of the squad-building at Chelsea, where a focus on youth and potential over experience has exposed them to suggestions they lack composure and cutting-edge. After Chelsea's draw with Burnley, Rosenior and opposition boss Scott Parker talked up the quality of the Blues' squad. They rank third in Opta's expected points (xG) table, based on expected goals data. In fact, they have created a higher xG score than any other side in the Premier League. But they also rank fourth-worst for underperforming in that metric, having scored around four goals fewer than they should have. This is a Chelsea team which tops the stats for PPDA (opposition Passes Per Defence Action), a metric which measures how quickly a team wins the ball back. Yet, they have let in 12 set-piece goals. Only four teams have conceded more. In both boxes, they have been found wanting at key moments. For Chelsea supporters, this again has been a season of promise and glimpses of what this talented young group can become - but also a season of untimely setbacks, slip-ups and switch-offs which have cost the team at crucial times. Now, the margin for error is minimal. Now it gets serious. Lessons to be learnt… Chelsea began February with defeat at Arsenal. They will begin March there, hoping to have learnt lessons from that Carabao Cup semi-final second leg loss… Don't be passive… Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson slammed Chelsea after that cup game because they didn't "give it a go" to overhaul the 3-2 aggregate lead Arsenal held from the first leg. For this Premier League trip Chelsea cannot be gung-ho - but Rosenior will also not want to see a repeat of the slow possession which featured in last week's draw to Burnley. Chelsea were cruising but never got the second goal and Wesley Fofana's red card changed the game. "I want incision. I want us to create wave after wave of attack," said Rosenior after that draw. He won't get dominance like that at the Emirates but, in possession, Chelsea must show intent. Solve set-piece struggles… Zian Flemming's header to grab Burnley a point at Stamford Bridge was excellent - but it helps when you have a free run and unmarked opportunity to meet a James Ward-Prowse pinpoint delivery. Rosenior had flooded the pitch with giants when Chelsea went down to 10, aware of Ward-Prowse's quality deliveries. But was left fuming at a player "who didn't do their job" and left Flemming free. Against Arsenal, the top set-piece scorers in the Premier League, who also scored from a corner against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, there can be no repeat. Keep their heads… It's now eight red cards this season for Chelsea. Rosenior, interim Calum McFarlane and Maresca have insisted there isn't a discipline problem in this team. Well, there certainly is a case for a lack of composure - and that attribute will be vital at the Emirates. Let's not forget, this is must-win for Arsenal, too, as they look to bolster their Premier League title bid. Emotions will be running high and Chelsea need to keep their focus. That's not just about red cards, either. After Fofana's sending off against Burnley, Rosenior said the draw added to a list of games after Wolves away, Crystal Palace away and Leeds at home where Chelsea "have conceded goals from moments of lack of concentration, lack of accountability". Chelsea team news ahead of Arsenal away Fofana will be suspended for the trip across London, while Marc Cucurella is out and Estevao is a doubt. Romeo Lavia was back on the bench against Burnley and will hope to make his return from injury.

The consortium, which features James Bord, the co-owner of Dunfermline and a former professional poker player, was granted exclusivity by club administrators in December. However, it has now released a statement confirming that interest is at an end. Report & highlights: Sheff Wed relegated after defeat at Bramall LaneGet more EFL to your phone with WhatsApp A spokesperson for the consortium said: "Throughout the process to purchase Sheffield Wednesday Football Club we have at all times respected the integrity of the process, working professionally, constructively and transparently with the administrator, the EFL and the IFR to provide them with the details they need to satisfy their tests. "We have done so in full adherence to the rules applied - including on communicating our involvement, vision and future plans, rather than making any public comments. "Unfortunately, we have regretfully decided that we must withdraw from the process. "Our initial bid had constraints applied on our ability to renegotiate - which is crucial as the figure we offered is significantly higher than that justified by the findings of a lengthy due diligence process." Three other groups contacted The Owls' administrator on Wednesday, saying they are still interested in buying the club in the wake of the collapsed deal. Sky Sports News understands Mike Ashley's representatives are in contact with Wednesday's administrators, along with other interested parties. Former Newcastle United owner Ashley has a clear interest in Wednesday, but the price he was originally prepared to pay was below that of some of his competitors. Whether Ashley is prepared to improve his offer at this stage is unclear. As Sky Sports News reported on Monday, the accountancy firm Begbies Traynor maintained dialogue with a number of other interested parties as a contingency, ever since Bord was given preferred bidders status in December. Detailed talks are now expected to take place with those three businesses, who have already proved they have at least £50m in funds to buy the club and take it forward, if they were to be successful in completing the purchase. Wednesday fans voiced immediate concerns around cash flow when Bord withdrew because he has been helping to fund the club's financial shortfalls for the past two months. But we have been told that previous cost-cutting exercises and player sales at Hillsbrough have left the hierarchy confident that Wednesday can fulfil their Championship fixtures, and remain solvent beyond the end of the season. A statement from the administrators revealed: "The offer from the preferred bidder was valued at £47.8m and represented the highest and best proposal received during the structured sales process." Meanwhile, Bord has lost over £4m of his own money during his takeover attempt, Sky Sports News can reveal. He paid a £2.5m non-returnable deposit when he was given preferred bidder status in December, and he has put forward more than £1.5m to fund the club day-to-day since that time. It's thought Wednesday are currently losing around £1m a month. Bord said in his statement that the rules didn't allow his consortium to renegotiate on the original price they had agreed with the club's administrator. It's thought concerns over the necessary maintenance work at the stadium was a key reason for the offer being withdrawn. But sources have told us that there may have been room for renegotiation, had Bord's lawyers approached the administrator with plans for a revised offer. Wednesday suffered the earliest relegation in EFL history after a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United on Sunday. They entered administration last October. The spokesperson added: "Our consortium has a strong track record of restoring football clubs through financial stability, disciplined management and robust governance. "We genuinely believed we could play a positive long-term role as custodians of one of the greatest clubs in English football and wanted to help guide Sheffield Wednesday towards a brighter future. "While we leave this process with a sense of regret, our admiration for the club and its supporters remains undiminished and it will always hold a special place in our hearts." Bord and fellow consortium members Felix Romer and Abdullah Faisal Bin Jamil wrote an open letter to Wednesday fans explaining that the "historic mishandling" of the club under previous owner Dejphon Chansiri meant the size of their original bid could not be justified. "We have fondly watched Wednesday from afar for many years. It is a club whose glory has been diminished over the years by poor owners who forgot or intentionally disregarded your passion, your history and your value. You deserved, and deserve, better," they wrote. "When the opportunity came about to be part of your next chapter, we jumped at the chance and in good faith began the process of purchase. "We have always engaged professionally, transparently and constructively with the administrator, EFL and IFR via an exceptional team of advisers. "Tragically, the historic mishandling of the club and pattern of catastrophic under-investment means our sizeable binding bid can no longer be justified. "As widely reported, we have spent over £4 million to help run the club over the last two months and, after much consideration, have decided that we can no longer continue to do so as the exclusivity agreement we signed means only a small amount could be removed from our offer - regardless of the outcome of our analysis work. "We know this will be a bitter disappointment to many - who hoped that the ownership saga would soon be over - and for this we can only apologise wholeheartedly. It is a decision that we have come to after much consideration." Supporters Trust calls for administrators to find suitable new owner before next season A statement from Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust: "The Trust notes today's announcement that the James Bord consortium has withdrawn from bidding to buy #SWFC. "We now call on our administrators and relevant regulators to move this process forward as quickly as possible to ensure Sheffield Wednesday can have a suitable new owner in place before the start of the 2026/27 season. "Our squad has been decimated over the past year and we need our new owner to be in place to have sufficient time to plan and deliver a substantial rebuild before the end of the summer transfer window. "The minimum expectation of Wednesday fans is that we can put out a team that is competitive in League One next season. We need our future ownership in place as quickly as possible if we are to have any chance of delivering that."