the age. his lawyers have said the allegations are false. big anti—government protests are taking place in the georgian capital. the demonstrations were sparked by the prime minister saying he would suspend moves showing the —— joining the eu. half of the parliament receipt have been filled in ireland, but it could be weeks before a government is formed. i will have a full bulletin at seven o'clock. time now for sports day. hello and welcome to sportsday. liverpool go nine points clear at the top of the premier league as manchester city's winless run extends to seven games. aberdeen miss the chance to move within two points of leaders celtic as they're held to a draw by bottom

of the table hearts. england go one up in their test series with new zealand after a comprehensive win in christchurch. also coming up on sportsday... there was plenty of chaos in qatar with several crashes and safety cars in formula one's penultimate race of the season. judd trump leads the uk snooker championship final 5—3 over barry hawkins with the evening session due out shortly. hello there and welcome to the programme, where we start at anfield and liverpool have stretched their lead at the top of the premier league after a 2—0 win over champions manchester city. cody gakpo and mo salah scored the goals which take them nine

points clear of arsenal and chelsea, and 11 points ahead of struggling city who are fifth. alex fletcher was watching. arne slot has embraced life in the premier league, bringing his liverpool team together and taken them further away from pep guardiola's much as a city. the champions were without a win in six and got off to the worst possible start. fresh from a goal in the week, cody gakpo was the man in the right place. liverpool quick to target a second, unsure how we didn't find the bottom corner. plenty for pep guardiola to ponder at the break. city taking their time, ponder at the break. city taking theirtime, and ponder at the break. city taking their time, and too much of it. mo salah with the chance and the miss, not what and field is used to seeing. but more sloppiness from manchester city would give the game to

liverpool. salah stepping up... and make no mistake from the spot. that is now one goal in six straight premier league games for the egyptian. city struggling. liverpool nine point clear at the top. having comprehensively beaten real madrid earlier in the week in the champions league arne slot�*s liverpool continue their relentless pursuit in the premier league. let's get some reaction now from liverpool's cody gakpo yes, i think we have a good feeling. a big week for us, and we won both. all three of them, so very important. yes, now we are on next week.— are on next week. you know about city's _ are on next week. you know about city's quality, - are on next week. you know about city's quality, but - are on next week. you know about city's quality, but did | about city's quality, but did you — about city's quality, but did you sense it might be a chance to take — you sense it might be a chance to take on _ you sense it might be a chance to take on a team low on confidence? i to take on a team low on confidence?— to take on a team low on confidence? ., _ ., confidence? i will not say low on confidence, _ confidence? i will not say low on confidence, but _ confidence? i will not say low on confidence, but they - confidence? i will not say low| on confidence, but they aren't in their best moments. but again, they show today in moments they are good on the

ball. we were very focused from the start. and we try to hurt them and it worked. we the start. and we try to hurt them and it worked.- them and it worked. we will brin: them and it worked. we will bring you — them and it worked. we will bring you more _ them and it worked. we will bring you more reaction - them and it worked. we will bring you more reaction at l them and it worked. we will l bring you more reaction at the end of the programme. chelsea are level on points with second placed arsenal, after a 3—0 victory over aston villa at stamford bridge. it leaves villa in the bottom half of the table, without a win since october while enzo maresca's side is unbeaten since losing to liverpool that same month. nesta mcgregor was watching. chelsea welcomed aston villa to stamford bridge knowing it is the result of a fixture like this that may well decide the european places. and it was the home side that made the better start. let stand ten minutes on the clock... with a little help of the post, jackson, his eighth goal of the season. villa perhaps should have drawn level but ollie watkins scrapped his big moment, i did proved costly. their captain

providing the finish. a roaming midfielder enjoying his connection with the fans. in truth, the second half failed to live up to the entertainment of the first, until just before full—time. a moment of individual brilliance from cole palmer. not a bad way to notch up palmer. not a bad way to notch up goal number 3a the club. chelsea ending the day with three goals, all three points, and their champions league aspirations well and truly on track. despite chelsea going up to joint second with that win, enzo maresca played down any talk of them being in the title race. why shouldn't you be talked about being in the title race, given where you are? because we aren't ready for it, and the reason is there are teams like liverpool, city and arsenal, they are better than us. we have to accept how we are now. of course, our expectation has

been fight with them. last year we did, but this year they are feeling comfortable and strong and better. and we are a little bit under our result and expectation, but keep going. ruben amorim has his first premier league win as manchester united boss. they beat everton 4—0 at old trafford, with marcus rashford and joshua zirkzee both scoring twice. the win moves united into the top half of the table, with everton just two points off the relegation zone in 15th. with the amount of time we had to train, it was a great effort from the players, but i felt more than the team, the players could solve some problems we have as a team by the quality we have. it was far from the perfect performance, it was a very good result. it was a really tough match.

the one thing is it is very unlike us to make that many mistakes. we had a spate at the start, we corrected at the now, and that has got to be pushed aside because the next one is important. tottenham were held to a 1—1 draw at home by fulham as ange postecolglou's side drop a spot to seventh in the table. brennanjohnson opened the scoring after half time, his sixth league goal of the season for a depleted spurs outfit, but it was fulham who equalised through tom cairney shortly after — before he was sent off. it is not like they created loads. from our perspective, we are pretty thin on the ground, these boys are giving everything. they are depending on energy levels that many wouldn't. i can't ask much more. ~ . . wouldn't. i can't ask much more. . ., ., , more. what a reaction in every moment. _ more. what a reaction in every moment. even _ more. what a reaction in every moment, even the _ more. what a reaction in every

moment, even the first - more. what a reaction in every moment, even the first few. moment, even the first few minutes, _ moment, even the first few minutes, the reaction from tottenham. created some doubt in ourselves. the reaction was good — in ourselves. the reaction was good the _ in ourselves. the reaction was good. the reaction from the goal. — good. the reaction from the goal, how we took control and push _ goal, how we took control and push them back and kept creating chances. as you said, at the — creating chances. as you said, at the tactical change, five at the back, _ at the tactical change, five at the back, and then reshape the midfield~ — the back, and then reshape the midfield. 15 minutes with ten men: — midfield. 15 minutes with ten men. and _ midfield. 15 minutes with ten men, and tottenham didn't create _ men, and tottenham didn't create chances. in the scottish premiership aberdeen missed the chance to move within two points of leaders celtic after they were held to a 1—1 draw at hearts. while rangers were the beneficiaries of an own goal away to st johnstone as they try to make up ground in third place. adam cottier has more. rangers began their game at st johnstone 13 points behind leaders celtic. two league winds in five games had set them back significantly. after a thumping 4—1 win in the roper league, they were hoping to

build on momentum. chances were at a premium for them, and when they did come they found the goalkeeper in solid form. the only goal of the game came at the midpoint of the second half. making his first start in 18 months, he found him, and the midfielder of the final touch for stjohnstone one own goal. it proved a decisive moment of a poor game and another unconvincing display from rangers. in edinburgh, aberdeen were hoping to narrow the gap to celtic of two points ahead of a showdown with them. facing the bottom side hearts, they scored with their first shot on goal as clarkson guided his shot past craig gordon. hearts 41 goalkeeper denied clarkson second before the break. aberdeen had to change their goalkeeper for the second half after injury. the

replacement was soon beaten by his own player, as devlin�*s own goal drew hearts level. he played his part in making sure things didn't get worse for aberdeen, but a 1—1 draw means they are now four points of the summit. they will hope to reduce the deficit when celtic visit on wednesday night. five games in the second round of the fa cup today and one shock to tell you about. league one strugglers burton albion have been dumped out by fifth tier tamworth. 1—1 after extra time, jasbir singh made two saves in the shoot—out before haydn hollis slammed the lambs into the third round. elsewhere, doncaster rovers came from behind to knock out non—league kettering town in extra time, with goals from former sheffield united striker billy sharp the difference. birmingham city and reading are both into the third round, as are bromley for the first time. all the highlights are on the bbc sport website.

in the championship, sheffield wednesday came from behind to win 2—1 away at derby county. a typically spectacular goal from their captain barry bannan proved the highlight of the game, before a late winner from jamal lowe secured back—to—back wins for wednesday and lifted them into the top half of the table. derby are 15th after winning only one of their last nine games. a match in italy's serie a has been suspended after fiorentina midfielder edoardo bove collapsed on the pitch in the first half of their match with inter milan. the 22—year—old, on loan from roma, suddenly fell to the ground, causing a stoppage in play with both sets of players immediately signalling for the medical staff to enter the field before forming a protective ring around him. bove was taken away on a stretcher and put into a waiting ambulance after the referee asked both players to leave the pitch before suspending the match.

england have beaten new zealand by eight wickets in the first test in christchurch. they wrapped up the victory on day four to take a 1—0 lead in the three—match series. jacob bethell�*s unbeaten 50 on his test debut guiding them to their target of 104 to win in their second innings. ben croucher reports. the future of english cricket looks to be in pretty safe hands. granted it has not been a perfect year, but the beginning of the end of 2024 couldn't have gone much better. day four in christchurch, four wickets, the breakthrough. it is straight and the finger has gone up. is straight and the finger has one u. , gone up. five in the innings. new zealand _ gone up. five in the innings. new zealand went _ gone up. five in the innings. new zealand went down - gone up. five in the innings. - new zealand went down swinging, pushing the victory target beyond 100. mitchell's 84 was ebullience but in vain. the tenth wicket in the match, the best by an england bowler

oversees in 12 years, and only his third test. jacob bethell is playing in his first and waited no time chasing down 104 to win, 12.5 waited no time chasing down 104 to win,12.5 overs it took england. he was enjoying himself, a maiden test 50 and hitting the winning runs. a special start to this three test tour. world champion max verstappen underlined his dominance in formula one as he won the penultimate race of the season in qatar. mclaren started the day with a 30 point lead over ferrari in the constructors' championship, but that's been cut to 21 after a torrid day for lando norris and a good one for charles leclerc in a chaotic race, as nick parrott reports. winning his fourth world title last weekend hasn't sated max verstappen�*s appetite for success. after been reducing qualifying he bounced back by taking the lead at the first corner. lando norris got a

great start, moving up a place to second. while they kept a clean, chaos behind them with several collisions bringing out the safety car. things were shaken up when he had a wing mirror that had fallen off a car. lewis hamilton hit the debris and the safety car was back out. no sooner had they got under way again, peres spun out. the final twist saw lando norris centre the pits to save a penalty. he thought back to finish tenth with the fastest lap. max verstappen took the chequered flag for his ninth win, while charles finishing second keeps their championship fight alive. let's have a quick look at some of the day's other sports stories. england'sjude bellingham scored a penalty for real madrid as they beat getafe 2—0 at the bernabeu. they win 2—0 to close the gap on leaders barcelona to one point in la liga. botafogo clinched the first copa libertadores in their

123—year history last night, beating brazilian rivals atletico mineiro 3—1, despite being down to 10—men almost the entire game. junior santos sealed victory in the 97th minute at the river plate stadium in argentina. sale sharks have closed the gap to the premiership playoffs after a dominant second half saw them beat leicester tigers 39—25, scotland winger arron reed scored two of their six tries. and england all—rounder freya kemp has returned home from the team's tour of south africa, in a bid to manage her workload and help her prepare for the upcoming ashes series in australia. kemp played in all three of england's t20 wins and the test side. the uk snooker championship remains finely poised with world number onejudd trump leading barry hawkins by five frames to three. it's a best of 19 contest with plenty more to look forward to.

hazel irvine is at the barbican in york. there is the prize on offer, the trophy. these men have won it 11 times between them. it is judd trump in poor position to left it again, but how strong is barry hawkins's challenge looking after eight frames? 5-2, it looking after eight frames? 5—2, it looks like he has a 6— to lead — 5—2, it looks like he has a 6— to lead to _ 5—2, it looks like he has a 6— to lead to set a target. arguably the highlight is the two clearances barry hawkins has made at a century break. the _ has made at a century break. the clearance is so important for his— the clearance is so important for his chances to win it. barry— for his chances to win it. barry hawkins has never laid hands on a triple crown title. he's not given up and isn't without hope. a lot of circumstances working against him after a one o'clock finish in the semifinal, but still look sprightly.— in the semifinal, but still look sprightly. but maybe thins look sprightly. but maybe things working _ look sprightly. but maybe things working for - look sprightly. but maybe things working for him. i

look sprightly. but maybe i things working for him. he's -ot things working for him. he's got through— things working for him. he's got through a _ things working for him. he's got through a sticky - things working for him. he's got through a sticky match l got through a sticky match earlier— got through a sticky match earlier in_ got through a sticky match earlier in the _ got through a sticky match earlier in the week. - got through a sticky matchj earlier in the week. maybe got through a sticky match i earlier in the week. maybe he is fated — earlier in the week. maybe he is fated to _ earlier in the week. maybe he is fated to do _ earlier in the week. maybe he is fated to do well _ earlier in the week. maybe he is fated to do well because i earlier in the week. maybe he is fated to do well because iti is fated to do well because it did look_ is fated to do well because it did look for— is fated to do well because it did look for all— is fated to do well because it did look for all the _ is fated to do well because it did look for all the world - is fated to do well because it did look for all the world it . did look for all the world it would _ did look for all the world it would he _ did look for all the world it would be 6—2— did look for all the world it would be 6—2judd - did look for all the world it would be 6—2judd trump, j did look for all the world it - would be 6—2judd trump, but barry— would be 6—2judd trump, but barry showing _ would be 6—2judd trump, but barry showing fighting - barry showing fighting qualities _ barry showing fighting qualities. all- barry showing fighting qualities. all to- barry showing fighting qualities. all to play. barry showing fighting - qualities. all to play four, 5-5 — qualities. all to play four, 5-3. ., ., qualities. all to play four, 5-3. ., ,, 5-3. how do you assess the way judd trump _ 5-3. how do you assess the way judd trump has _ 5-3. how do you assess the way judd trump has gone _ 5-3. how do you assess the way judd trump has gone through i 5-3. how do you assess the way| judd trump has gone through it, and what do you reckon about barry's challenge? how will judd trump you the last frame? he will be disappointed to be 5-5 — he will be disappointed to be 5-3. elite he will be disappointed to be 5—3. elite is a lead, but going 5—2. _ 5—3. elite is a lead, but going 5—2, tinged with disappointment. he would expect it from _ disappointment. he would expect it from barry because he's a great — it from barry because he's a great player. the worrying thing _ great player. the worrying thing for bari is one he's got level. — thing for bari is one he's got level. can _ thing for bari is one he's got level, can you push on and take the lead — level, can you push on and take the lead himself? he is keeping onjudd — the lead himself? he is keeping onjudd trump's coat the lead himself? he is keeping on judd trump's coat tails, which _ on judd trump's coat tails, which is _ on judd trump's coat tails, which is incredible, but he's -ot which is incredible, but he's got to— which is incredible, but he's got to go— which is incredible, but he's got to go forward.—

which is incredible, but he's got to go forward. you can 'oin us at seven o'clock i got to go forward. you can 'oin us at seven o'clock on i got to go forward. you can 'oin us at seven o'clock on bbc“ got to go forward. you can join | us at seven o'clock on bbc two. looking forward to it. 17—year—old mia brookes claimed women's gold at the big air world cup in beijing today with a superb final run that saw her score 94 — the highest score of the day — for a total of 179.75, to jump up from second place and clinch her first world cup title. brookes is the slopestyle world champion and the reigning big air world cup crystal globe holder, which is given to the person who finishes top of the standings in a year. didn't even plan to come to win today, just wanted to land my new tricks. just to be here is so sick, and to win is insane. i have no words. it is so sick, and