The big news: United scrape through to League Cup final

Manchester United set up a League Cup final against Southampton after beating Hull City 3-2 on aggregate, despite losing the second leg 1-2 on Friday.

United’s 17-match unbeaten run came to an end at the Kingston Communication Stadium. Jose Mourinho’s side led 2-0 from the first leg but struggled to find their stride in the second-leg and lost 1-2.

Tom Huddlestone put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot and Marcos Rojo was fouled for pulling Harry Maguire’s shirt. However, the world’s most expensive footballer Paul Pogba made it 1-1. Oumar Niasse slotted a second goal for Hull to earn them a fine win, but that was not enough to see them through to the finals.

Football:

  • Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is excited but also nervous and anxious as he returns to Anfield to coach the youth team. Gerrard will begin the job in February.
  • Barcelona reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with a 6-2 aggregate win over Real Sociedad. Barcelona thrashed Sociedad 5-2 in the second leg on the quarter-final.
  • Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will accept a Football Association misconduct charge for his outburst during the 2-1 league win over Burnley. 
  • Chelsea have approached Celtic with an offer for goalkeeper Craig Gordon. However, the Blues have been told that the 34-year-old keeper is not for sale. 
  • Hull City’s Robert Snodgrass has the club that he wants to leave and could join West Ham United, said Tigers boss Marco Silva. West Ham, Burnley and Middlesbrough have shown interest in signing the winger.

Cricket:

  • Australia’s captain Steven Smith is out of the New Zealand series after sustaining an ankle injury in the final One-Day International against Pakistan.
  • Centuries by David Warner and Travis Head helped Australia clinch a 4-1 series win over Pakistan on Thursday.    
  • England registered a comfortable seven-wicket win over India in the first Twenty20 International in Kanpur on Thursday.

Tennis:

  • Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer reached his first Grand Slam final in 16 months with a 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 win over Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the semi-final of the Australian Open.
  • Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams beat fellow American Coco Vandeweghe to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday. Venus, who beat Coco 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3, will face younger sister Serena Williams in the final. Serena beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2, 6-1.
  • India’s Leander Paes and his Swiss partner Martina Hingis bowed out of the Australian Open mixed doubles draw after losing in the quarter-finals 6-3, 6-2 against Australians Samantha Stosur and Samuel Groth.  

Badminton:

  • India shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the quarter-finals of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold on Thursday. Olympic silver medallist Sindhu beat Lalita Dahiya 21-7, 21-12, while Srikanth got past Ansal Yadav 21-15, 21-16.      

Chess:

  • Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna held World Champion Magnus Carlsen to a draw in a thrilling encounter in the Tata Steel Chess tournament at Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.