About Last Night: Habs no match for Canes in 4-0 loss - Montreal Gazette

Jonathan Drouin was a late scratch due to a non-COVID related illness. Brendan Gallagher left in the second period and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Author of the article:

Erik Leijon  •  Special to Montreal Gazette

Publishing date:

Dec 31, 2021  •  36 minutes ago  •  2 minute read  •  Join the conversation

Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault deflects the shot of Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov during the second period Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C. Photo by Karl B DeBlaker /Associated Press

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The Montreal Canadiens ended an eventful 2021 with a 4-0 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena on Thursday. The Metropolitan Division leading Canes did all their damage on special teams, scoring three times on the power play and adding another shorthanded.

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Already scraping bottom of the lineup barrel, the injury and COVID depleted Habs scratched Jonathan Drouin from the lineup to due a “non-COVID related illness.” During the second period, Brendan Gallagher left the game and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Forward Brandon Baddock made his NHL debut and wore number 81 for the Habs. Even the two most recent callups, Louie Belpedio and Gianni Fairbrother, couldn’t avoid the COVID list. That’s how Montreal’s season is going.

Meanwhile, the powerhouse Hurricanes got Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal back from COVID protocol.

Nino Niederreiter opened scoring at 10:46 of the first period on the power play. Jacob Slavin’s point shot made it through, and Niederreiter was there to pop home the rebound.

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With Brady Skjei in the box, Carolina jumped to a 2-0 lead. Aho and Teravainen raced to a two-on-one, with the former feeding the latter a clean pass for a one-timer that beat Samuel Montembeault.

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In the second, the Habs hung on for as long as they could, but the talented Canes gradually started to gain momentum. Before the period was out, the Hurricanes scored another power play goal to enter the dressing room up 3-0 after 40 minutes. Teravainen scored his second of the night, completing a pinpoint pair of passes with Aho and Martin Necas. Montembeault slid across earlier to stop the Finnish forward, but Teravainen didn’t miss the second time with a short side blast.

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The Hurricanes finished the Habs for good at 10:52 of the third period with Michael Pezzetta in the box. Rookie forward Seth Jarvis was the latest beneficiary of Carolina’s smooth power play passing, and he made no mistake with a top shelf wrister.

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With Gallagher out, the lineup the Habs sent out in the third period cost less than $20 million in cap space. That being said, what remained of the Montreal Canadiens held the contenting Canes scoreless on five-on-five. The effort was there and the Liveblog commenters found individual performances to appreciate. Lukas Vejdemo went to the net and got scoring chances. Ryan Poehling worked hard on the power play. Commenters liked Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylönen, but as one commenter said, the “the bar is pretty low.”

Thanks to everyone who followed the Liveblog during what turned out to be an interesting 2021, full of highs and lows. On to 2022 we go.

3. “‘Last Game of 2021’ Not exactly New Year’s Eve 1975….” -Ballen Munson

2. “Set off the detonators and let’s blow this team up…..” -Jeff Elikins

1. “I had lunch today with a buddy who is a die hard Leaf fan. When the conversation finally got to the Habs, he asked why I was so defensive when I knew they were playing so poorly. I told him I was defensive because he isn’t a Habs fan. Only Habs fans can crap all over the team, coaches and players with other Habs fans, like we do on this blog. He just didn’t get it.” -Bob Taylor

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The Dudley Boyz & 9 Other Wrestlers Synonymous With A Gimmick Match - TheSportster

Gimmick matches are always a lot of fun, and throughout the career of a top wrestler, they normally get to compete in plenty of them. However, certain wrestlers end up becoming iconic with one specific match type due to the fact they compete in so many of them.

RELATED:5 Current AEW Wrestlers We'd Love To See Return To WWE (& 5 That Should Stay Away)

It is those wrestlers that help to build that gimmick match-up and make it iconic in the eyes of the fans. They typically learn how to work them and bring out innovative moments inside of the matches to try and make them as memorable as possible to the wrestling fans.

10 Dudley Boyz - Tables Match

When it comes to tables matches and spots involving these, The Dudley Boyz are the people that come to mind first with wrestling fans. The tag team put countless wrestlers through tables over the years, causing as much chaos as possible inside of the ring.

The fact they were able to get a catchphrase of getting the tables over showcases just how iconic they became with this match. Fans would be left disappointed if they didn't see them put someone through a table, and they were able to have real success within this realm.

9 Edge - TLC Match

The TLC match is one of the most iconic stipulations of all time, and a lot of wrestlers have been able to compete in this gimmick over the years. However, nobody is more iconic for this match type than Edge, who has been involved in this classic gimmick more than most.

RELATED: Mickie James & 9 Other Underappreciated WWE Women's Wrestlers

He was part of the beginning of the TLC journey, being involved in the first-ever match. However, he has gone on to compete in many of them, both as a tag team and singles guy. Getting to compete against the likes of John Cena and The Undertaker and being considered the favorite showcases his quality in this one.

8 Jeff Hardy - Ladder Match

Jeff Hardy has also been involved in plenty of TLC matches, but it is the ladder bout specifically that has helped make Jeff Hardy an iconic star. Jeff has had tons of ladder bouts in his career, and he has always made them enjoyable to watch.

He is a risk-taker and has been involved in some insane bumps over the years within these matches to make them popular and memorable. While he doesn't always win them, Jeff can make ladder matches fun, with this stipulation having played a big part in his career.

7 Mick Foley - Hell In A Cell Match

Mick Foley hasn't competed in the most Hell in a Cell matches, but when he did compete he ensured they would become iconic. The bumps that Foley took in these bouts helped to sell the brutality and violence of the match itself, which is what made it so important to fans.

There's a reason WWE brings back the Hardcore Legend to cut promos on people stepping inside of this structure. That's because fans associate him with this stipulation, proving that the bumps Foley took were worthwhile in the long run.

6 Kane - Inferno Match

WWE has created a lot of different names for the Inferno match, but whatever the company wants to call it, Kane is the man associated with it. When fire is involved, fans think about Kane, which was perfect as it linked to his character brilliantly.

These matches were interesting as it was unlike anything that fans had ever seen before. The dangerous aspect of things instantly brought people in, and Kane's performances were excellent to see every single time, as he helped build this match up.

5 The Undertaker - Buried Alive Match

The Undertaker has been involved in countless stipulation matches throughout his career, and he has helped make many iconic. His character has brought plenty of them to the wrestling world, and the Buried Alive match is one of those.

RELATED: 10 Cringey Undertaker Moments We Completely Forgot About

This is a unique match type that isn't always easy to get right due to how much is involved within it. However, the Deadman typically brings a lot of great storytelling to things, which is crucial within this specific type of match.

4 Matt Hardy - Cinematic Matches

There have been a lot of cinematic matches in wrestling now due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing things to change. They have all brought something different, but overall it is Matt Hardy who is most associated with this stipulation type of match.

He is the creative mind that brought this style to the wrestling world before it became popular and has continued to work within it since then. Matt has had cinematic bouts in WWE, Impact, and AEW, which nobody else can lay claim to.

3 Bret Hart - Submission Match

The submission match is something that has stopped being used as much nowadays, which is a shame because when done right they can be excellent. But fans will remember the great submission bouts that Bret Hart had throughout his career.

This was something he got over and managed to make his own. He had a lot of great encounters in this stipulation, and that helped to get it over. Because he was such a technical talent, the Hitman was always able to make them enjoyable to watch, which was crucial.

2 Triple H - Elimination Chamber Match

The Elimination Chamber is one of the most iconic gimmick matches of all time, with these matches providing carnage on a regular basis. These are always enjoyable and while tons of wrestlers have stepped inside the steel structure, Triple H is the man associated with this one.

RELATED: 10 Backstage Stories About The Elimination Chamber We Can't Believe

He has been involved in a lot of these matches and more often than not, The Game has picked up the victories. He has been very successful inside of the steel structure, which has helped Triple H make a bigger name for himself over the years.

1 Steve Austin - Royal Rumble Match

Steve Austin is one of the biggest names of all time and one of the reasons for that was down to him winning the Royal Rumble three times. This is more than anybody else and that instantly helped him become associated with this match.

Austin had tons of great moments within the Rumble, helping him to become iconic for one of the best gimmick matches in wrestling history. It was a huge part of his career and while there were a lot of top talents who have done some amazing things inside of a Rumble, Austin is the man people think about first.

10 Times WWE Entrance Themes Were Better Than The Wrestler

There have been a lot of WWE wrestlers with great theme songs that were better than themselves and the work that they put together inside the ring.

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About The Author

Matthew Wilkinson (2078 Articles Published)

Matthew Wilkinson is a writer based in Bradford, England. Can be found on Twitter @MC_Wilkinson1

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Stars-Scorchers match postponed as COVID-19 hits BBL and Ashes series - Sporting News AU

The BBL clash between the Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers on Thursday night has been abandoned. 

As first reported by News Corp and later confirmed by Cricket Australia, a positive COVID-19 case among the Stars' coaching staff has seen a cancelation of the match which was due to be played at Melbourne's Marvel Arena. 

All players have undergone PCR tests but the results are unlikely to be returned in time for the match start at 6:30pm (AEST).

Cricket Australia said it would advise of the new date for the match in due course.

"While regrettable, the decision to postpone tonight’s match was the only option available given the exposures within the Stars cohort," said General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson.

"The league has a number of biosecurity protocols in place to keep our participants safe and the competition moving forward.

"These protocols are regularly reviewed in response to the risks in each state. Safety remains our number one priority and we will work with the Stars to get their side back on the field as soon as possible."

Unfortunately, tonight’s game will not go ahead as scheduled 😔⤵️ pic.twitter.com/0Ku7fY20qo

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 30, 2021

It's the second time the clash between the Stars and Scorchers has been postponed, but the first time the BBL has had to postpone a match due to COVID-19 complications since the pandemic started.

Despite outbreaks across the country and several clubs dealing with positive cases, the BBL has managed to limit the impact to its competition unlike most other professional sporting codes across Australia.

Thursday's blockbuster match was supposed to be the return of Pakistan World Cup star Haris Rauf to the Stars' side.

It comes after the ICC announced match referee for the Ashes series, David Boon, was also confirmed as a positive COVID-19 case and therefore unable to travel to Sydney for the fourth Test.

Boon's omission will see Steve Bernard, a member of the International Panel of ICC Referees and based in NSW, will take over the role for the Test match at the SCG.

All staff and players from both Australia and England squads and their families, as well as match officials have been having daily PCR tests since Monday, December 27th.

It follows an outbreak within England's camp which has since grown to seven cases and seen head coach Chris Silverwood test positive and forced into isolation.

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Alex Rodriguez Attends His First U.K. Football Match: 'All I Can Say Is Wow' - PEOPLE

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Leicester City v Liverpool: The Big Match Preview - The Anfield Wrap

Match preview ahead of Leicester City v Liverpool in the Premier League at The King Power Stadium, with more memories to be made…

I FOUND myself in a moment of reflective awe last week.

Moments after Liverpool had secured their place in the League Cup semi final, I sat and stared at the pictures of the players celebrating with a smile beaming across my face.

Just when you thought this team, this squad, couldn’t find other ways to surprise you, produce other mad moments to write themselves into Liverpool Football Club folklore. Takumi Minamino, Caoimhin Kelleher, Diogo Jota, Leicester City dispatched just like that.

You might have felt before the game that this one wouldn’t matter. Well, a look at the faces of the players after full time confirmed it absolutely did. It always matters to these players and this manager. Because they live and love to entertain us, and they live and love to do it for one another.

Jurgen Klopp’s now famous post-match interview was filled with emotion, the love for his players and this club literally pouring out of him. His smile beaming at you, your smile beaming back. Laughing like children, living like lovers.

It means more because it means everything. It meant more than it did 90+ minutes before. It might mean more to Owen Beck than it would to Mo Salah, but it meant everything to Diogo. It would mean an awful lot to beat them again tonight.

Beck probably won’t start even without Andy Robertson, because we have the best backup left back in the world at our disposal in Kostas Tsimikas. He might be one of the best left backs in the world full stop, to be honest. He’s really that good.

He’ll be joined to his right by the best centre half in the world, Virgil van Dijk, who will likely be joined to his right by the world-class Joel Matip, who will be joined to his right by the best right back in the world, Trent Alexander-Arnold. The best goalkeeper in the world Alisson Becker will step back in for the stellar Kelleher behind them.

In midfield, it feels a little early for us to witness the return of the best midfield trio in the world, but we can settle for the second best with Naby Keita coming into the fray for the recently recovered Thiago Alcantara. Fabinho’s return comes at the perfect time, while captain Jordan Henderson will want to build on his hour in the League Cup.

Upfront, The Reds will boast the firepower of the best player in the world in Mo Salah, as well as two of the world’s most exciting and lethal attackers in Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane. They’ll have more excitement waiting in the wings with Thiago, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Roberto Firmino, should they need it.

Last week they needed their bench to pull them back from the dead. They shouldn’t face the same problem this week, against a Leicester side who look to have lost a bit of their tough edge. This Liverpool side are all edge. They’ll want another piece of Leicester and want the same winning feeling the second string lads got at Anfield.

They’ll do it in front of a buoyant away end. They’ll do it for us, for me and for you. They’ll do it for each other. These lads are the absolute best in the world at what they do. And what they do is create memories that will last a lifetime.

Into these, Liverpool. They stand in the way of more reflective awe.

Predicted 11: Alisson; Trent, Matip, Virgil, Tsimikas; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Jota, Mane

---

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A Scourge In European Soccer: Match-Fixing In Friendlies - Forbes

Steve Menary chuckles when asked about some of the most suspicious matches that he has come across during his research into match manipulation. He has a peculiar catalogue to chose from: fake matches in Russia, a Monday morning friendly in Armenia, the Azov Cup in Ukraine…between 2016-2020 he found 257 friendly games across Europe that could be categorized as “suspicious”. In cooperation with the University of Nicosia, Menary, a journalist and researcher, spent three years investigating match-fixing in club friendlies in soccer.

The global, regulated betting market generated $74.1 billion of net profit in 2019 from a circa $490 billion turnover. It is projected that those numbers will grow to $105,7 billion and circa $770 billion in turnover by 2025, according to Gambling Capital. With a market share over 50%, soccer is punters’ favorite sport, followed by motorsport, basketball and tennis. By 2025, betting on soccer will be worth an estimated $37,7 billion. 

“Friendlies concern up to 6% of the matches that licensed bookmakers in Europe offer,” Menary told me. “So that’s quite a lot. We are talking about anywhere between 4,000 to 5,000 matches. There's not a lot of rules on how friendly matches are played. So there's no real track on where clubs go in the off-season. In other words, fixers and other people are exploiting a legal vacuum.”

It’s easy for match-fixers to target friendlies. They are low-hanging fruit. A friendly between a club from country A and country B in a third country represents a dream scenario: Whose jurisdiction is it? These matches are not a high on the priority list of law enforcement or soccer’s national federations, confederations or global governing body FIFA. There is little regulation, and, in court, the threshold to proof match-fixing will be high.

Scrutiny will be minimal. UEFA and FIFA will be reluctant to step in. At a congress on match-fixing in Amsterdam, FIFA’s head of integrity Ennio Bovolenta said that as a matter of principle the world federation trusts and believes member associations to investigate match-fixing in their jurisdictions. The problem is passed down the chain, but those member associations often do not have the resources and means to tackle match-fixing. Sometimes they are compromised. 

Austria, a popular destination among clubs for summer camps, has offered a good solution to the problem. The Austrian FA (OFB) deploys a team of dedicated officials to monitor summer friendlies. They partner with the police when there is a suspicion of match manipulation. Authorities have raided hotels of Albanian and Romanian clubs. Valuing compliance, the OFB organizes and funds the system through a levy on match agents and clubs in return for supplying officials. 

To copy the Austrian model and create a larger European framework remains wishful thinking, according to Menary. “In terms of regulation, let's make everyone do what the Austrians do, won’t work,” explains Menary. “It wouldn’t apply to San Marino or other places. There is a way to enforce the rules. Clubs should be supplying the names of the players and the match officials. The coaches, the match agents should be supplying information for that to their own federation. And I don't think that's done enough. And that's not that hard to do.” 

Broadly, he proposes four solutions: the enforcement of regulation of friendlies by UEFA, a body for match agents, who should be barred from owning or controlling clubs, and the establishment of data standards to prevent the sale of live match data to unregulated betting operations. 

But there is a bigger problem: Should friendly matches be offered by bookmakers in the first place? Should betting be a part of soccer at all? The sport has long nurtured an unhealthy relationship with the betting industry. In many ways, soccer is dependent on the industry to survive. No one in the sport seems to think that rampant betting and the institutionalized links with the operators are problematic. 

“Betting has become such as integral part of the match day experience both in person and on television through sponsorship and advertising that it is now almost impossible to ignore,” says Menary. "It will be a bit unrealistic to take all the friendlies off the betting market. If Real Madrid plays Manchester United in New York, people will bet on that game. People should think a bit about what sort of games are on gambling markets. There are certain games at the bottom level that really shouldn't be on gambling markets."

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2022 WWE Day 1 card, matches, date, rumors, match card, predictions, start time, location - CBS Sports

WWE

WWE heads into 2022 looking for a strong start. After skipping on a PPV event in December, the promotion with kick off on New Year's Day with a bang as it debuts a new event dubbed WWE Day 1. It all goes down from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta with nearly every champion in action.

Two world championship matches are already set, with Big E defending the WWE championship against Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens in a fatal four-way match and Brock Lesnar challenging Roman Reigns for the universal title. Plenty more matches will be made in the coming weeks, with all the promotion's world titles on the men's and women's side expected to be defended on the card.

As with all major WWE events, Day 1 will stream live on Peacock. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET following a kickoff show one hour prior.

Let's take a look at what we know -- and what we expect -- at WWE Day 1.

WWE Day 1 matches

WWE Championship -- Big E (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley: In late October, Rollins won a ladder match on Raw that guaranteed him a future title shot. That was largely sidelined through November as Big E was tied up with Roman Reigns and Survivor Series. Rollins then announced that he would get his title shot at Day 1, only to see Owens -- who had recently turned heel by attacking Big E -- face Big E with the stipulation that Owens would be entered into the match with a victory. Owens was able to provoke Rollins into attacking him during the match, leading to Owens being named the winner via disqualification and his participation in the Day 1 title match confirmed. Lashley was angry at being left out of the picture and beat Rollins, Owens and Big E in singles matches in a single night, earning his spot and turning the match into a fatal four-way.

Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar: Reigns beat Lesnar at Crown Jewel with a load of help from The Usos. An enraged Lesnar attacked on SmackDown, an attack that carried over into thrashing WWE official Adam Pearce. Lesnar was subsequently suspended for his actions. After Sami Zayn won a battle royal on SmackDown to decide the next challenger to Reigns' title, it was announced Lesnar would return to SmackDown on Dec. 3. Reigns manipulated Zayn into immediately taking his shot at Reigns on SmackDown, with Lesnar getting the shot at the winner at Day 1. Lesnar then took out Zayn before the match to ensure an easy win for Reigns and the rematch Lesnar wanted to kick off the year.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Usos (c) vs. The New Day: In helping Reigns ahead of his Survivor Series match with Big E, The Usos took out Kofi Kingston and destroyed Xavier Woods' King of the Ring throne, scepter and crown. With Kingston back in action, the two New Day members are looking for revenge -- and yet another championship reign -- when they face off with The Usos at Day 1.

Raw Women's Championship -- Becky Lynch (c) vs. Liv Morgan: Lynch is on a good run since coming back from her layoff to give birth to her first child, having put on good matches with nearly everyone she has set foot in the ring with. Morgan failed to beat Lynch in a title match on Raw but threw out a challenge for a rematch. Lynch didn't initially accept, attacking Morgan instead, including stomping on Morgan's arm as it was pinned between the ring steps and ring post. Once Morgan had been appropriately compromised, Lynch accepted the rematch.

Edge vs. The Miz: When Edge made his return to Raw, he listed a variety of potential opponents but left Miz's name out. This brought out Miz, who was making his own return after a stint on Dancing With The Stars. Miz turned down a chance to go one-on-one then and there but the two eventually agreed to a Day 1 clash. After agreeing to the match, Miz spiced things up by hitting Edge with a Skull-Crushing Finale.

Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss: The two are set to battle after an odd build that included trying to remove McIntyre's sword from a desk and a Miracle on 34th Street match on Christmas Eve.

WWE Day 1 predictions

SmackDown Women's Championship -- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Toni Storm: Like Lynch, Flair is a champion in need of a fresh challenger. It seems WWE has selected Storm to fill that role. Storm and Flair have mixed it up in recent weeks, including Flair hitting Storm in the face with two pies on the post-Thanksgiving edition of SmackDown. With no other option clear for Flair, expect Storm to get the chance to step in for a title match.

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Newcastle United vs. Manchester United - Football Match Report - December 27, 2021 - ESPN

4:59 PM ET

Edinson Cavani scored in the 71st minute to help Manchester United rally for a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Monday night.

Allan Saint-Maximin fired the hosts into an early lead with a fine individual effort, cutting to his right and toe-poking a knuckling shot inside David De Gea's far post to make it 1-0.

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Manchester United were playing for the first time in 16 days after having games against Brentford and Brighton postponed for COVID-related issues. And just before kickoff on Monday, Ralf Rangnick revealed that defender Victor Lindelof had tested positive for the virus.

"I didn't like the performance at all," Rangnick said after the match. "Today we didn't control the game apart from a few moments. It's all about energy, physicality and who wins the second balls. In all those areas we weren't at our best.

"The good thing is we got a point but the performance needs to be better. You have to be ready and able to win those direct duels and this was not that often the case. When we were in possession we had too many giveaways and even with the goal, that doesn't make things easy."

Jonjo Shelvey's lengthy run through midfield led to a fine shot from distance that was on target and forced a save from De Gea to preserve Man United's one-goal deficit.

The visitors, who dominated possession, produced very little in the attack throughout the first half and Newcastle took their narrow lead into the dressing room at the break.

Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring a goal against Newcastle in the Premier League. Getty

In an effort to jumpstart his attack, Man United boss Rangnick brought on Jadon Sancho and Cavani to replace Fred and Mason Greenwood, respectively, at half-time.

Bruno Fernandes' lovely low cross into the area perfectly set up Cavani near the penalty spot, but the Uruguayan fluffed his lines and dribbled a first time shot wide of the near post.

Newcastle looked dangerous on the break throughout the second half, with Saint-Maximin, Ryan Fraser and substitute Jacob Murphy all going close before 70 minutes.

The hosts' misses proved costly when Cavani levelled for Man United with under 20 minutes to play, firing home his own rebound after a perfect cross in from the right flank from Diogo Dalot.

De Gea tipped a curling Miguel Almiron strike over the crossbar late in the second half to preserve the draw as both teams settled for a point on the night.

The result left the Old Trafford side seventh in the standings on 28 points from 17 games, behind sixth-placed West Ham on goal difference, while Newcastle stayed 19th on 11 points from 19 matches.

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Clippers' defense no match against James Harden, Nets - Los Angeles Times

Watford expect Premier League match with West Ham WILL go ahead despite Covid issues - Daily Mail

Watford expect Tuesday's Premier League match with West Ham WILL go ahead despite the Hornets still struggling with Covid after more positive tests

• Watford have not played since December 10 due to a Covid outbreak at the club
• Matches against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Wolves have since been postponed
• Covid issues have since eased but a number of players will still be isolating

By Adrian Kajumba For The Daily Mail

Published: 22:30 GMT, 27 December 2021 | Updated: 23:26 GMT, 27 December 2021

Watford are confident Tuesday's game against West Ham will go ahead despite further Covid issues.

Claudio Ranieri's side have not played since December 10 and have seen their last three Premier League games against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Wolves postponed after an outbreak prevented them having enough players to field a team.

While the club's issues have eased slightly ahead of West Ham's visit, a number of players will be isolating and will miss the game after further positive tests.

Watford manager Claudio Ranieri is still dealing with Covid issues among his Watford squad

The Hornets have not played since December 10 and have seen three matches postponed

But Watford expect to have sufficient numbers available to play at Vicarage Road on Tuesday afternoon.

The Hornets head into the match on the cusp of the relegation zone in the Premier League and will be keen to put some points on the board even with multiple games in hand over sides around them in the table.

Despite West Ham's recent drop off in form, Watford have been poor on home soil this term, with just one victory at Vicarage Road in the top flight since the opening day of the season. 

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Leeds-Aston Villa match postponed as Premier League COVID-19 crisis continues - ESPN

8:53 AM ET

Leeds United's Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Dec. 28 at Elland Road has become the latest game to be called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Marcelo Bielsa's side also saw their Boxing Day game at Liverpool postponed after positive COVID-19 cases in the squad.

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A Leeds statement on Sunday read: "We can confirm our Premier League game with Aston Villa on Dec. 28 2021 has been postponed.

"Whilst there have been no new COVID cases in the playing squad, the majority of those who tested positive prior to the Liverpool game are not yet out of isolation.

"Therefore, we still do not have enough recognised first-team players to meet the Premier League requirements for the fixture.

"All tickets purchased [general and hospitality] for the Aston Villa game will be valid for the rearranged date, further details will be announced in due course.

"In the meantime, we hope that all of our supporters have enjoyed a great Christmas. Stay safe and look after each other. Marching on Together."

Villa manager Steven Gerrard was set to miss the game at Elland Road after he tested positive for COVID-19. The former England international will not be present at Villa's Boxing Day game against Chelsea.

The fixture becomes the 14th Premier League match to be postponed amid an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

As things stand, five Boxing Day matches will go ahead as planned, although Crystal Palace will be without manager Patrick Vieira after he also tested positive for COVID-19.

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Live match blog - India vs South Africa 1st Test 2021/22 - Cricket Insights - ESPNcricinfo.com

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A Recent WWE Match Reportedly Needed Heavy Editing To Make Television - TheSportster

A recent WWE match was reportedly not great and as a result had to be heavily edited for it to be okay for television.

RELATED: AJ Styles Working In WWE Is Two Years Too Late

The match in question was the Lash Legend vs Sarray match that took place on the December 17 edition of 205 Live - which was only Legend's second match in WWE.

Legend won her first match against Amari Miller the week before, which was also on 205 Live. But when she had her second match against Japanese star Sarray something went horribly wrong and the resulting match was heavily criticised.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has since reported that the final version of the match that made television was a heavily edited, heavily cut-down version of the whole match because of how bad some of it was - with Legend getting the blame.

The WON event suggested that this was one of the company's most edited matches ever and even after cutting the match down to 3 minutes of 'highlights' that it still fell well short of reaching the standard needed.

It's a small concern because Legend was likely put against Sarray because the latter is an experienced wrestler and one of the best currently in NXT 2.0.

Who Is Lash Legend?

Legend us not a fully trained wrestler, instead she's a former college basketball player who briefly played with the WNBA before transitioning to WWE. She's been hosting the 'Lashing Out with Lash Legend' segments on NXT and seems to have a promising career ahead of her, but it's worth noting she hasn't wrestled since the aforementioned match in question.

Here's hoping that if Legend was the cause of the match not coming together as well as it could have that she manages to bounce back and that WWE gives her another chance. Having patience with the crop of new wrestlers that the company is bringing up through the ranks of NXT 2.0 will be key to their new strategy of focussing on homegrown prospects rather than former indepedent wrestling darlings.

5 NXT Stars Who Would Thrive If Vince McMahon Was In Charge (& 5 Who Would Suffer)

Triple H may be in charge right now, but what if Vince McMahon was? Who would thrive and who would suffer as a result?

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About The Author

Daniel Wood (236 Articles Published)

Daniel Wood is a freelance and local journalist and long-term wrestling fan. He has covered wrestling on-and-off for just over four years

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A Recent WWE Match Reportedly Needed Heavy Editing To Make Television - TheSportster
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Newcastle v Manchester United: match preview - The Guardian

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Newcastle v Manchester United: match preview  The Guardian
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Why the Match.com C.E.O. Took a Stand on the Texas Abortion Law - The New York Times

When Texas lawmakers this summer passed a restrictive abortion law, corporate America was largely silent. Asked to comment about one of the most divisive issues imaginable, executives who had spoken up about voting rights, gun control and climate change were conspicuously quiet.

Then there was Shar Dubey. As other C.E.O.s avoided the controversy, Ms. Dubey — the chief executive of Match Group, which runs online dating sites including Match.com, OKCupid and Tinder — confronted it head-on.

“As a Texas resident, I am shocked that I now live in a state where women’s reproductive laws are more regressive than most of the world, including India,” she said in an email to employees, while announcing she was creating a fund to support Match employees affected by the new law. “Surely everyone should see the danger of this highly punitive and unfair law.”

For Ms. Dubey, who has maintained a relatively low profile even while ascending to the top job at a company worth $37 billion, it was an unusual foray into political activism, and a reminder of the power she wields as one of the few top female executives in the technology industry.

Ms. Dubey, who was born and raised in India, has reached the top ranks of corporate America quietly. As a young woman, she studied at the Indian Institute of Technology, where the future Google chief executive Sundar Pichai was her classmate and friend. She then got her master’s in material science and engineering from Ohio State University, and worked her way up through a series of jobs, including Texas Instruments and the Princeton Review, before joining Match in 2006.

Hoping to fit in, Ms. Dubey shortened her name from Sharmistha to Shar. And in a quest to understand the United States, she watched countless hours of sitcoms after work.

Having taken over as C.E.O. of Match last year, Ms. Dubey is presiding over some of the busiest online dating sites at a moment when a pandemic-weary country is still looking for love.

“Some of our highest trafficked days are right around Christmas,” she said. “Everybody goes home, gets nagged by their family about being single, and makes their New Year’s resolutions. Some of our peak activity is a result of that.”

This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

---

Can you tell me a bit about your childhood and growing up in India?

I grew up in this little town called Jamshedpur, which is in the northeastern part of India, about four hours from Calcutta. It was the first planned town of the famous Tata steel company. My dad was a professor of mechanical engineering, so we lived on campus of an engineering school. It was a bit of a bubble where everybody knew that your ticket to a better life went through a good education, and that was a big influence.

Both my parents were very ambitious for me, which was unusual. Growing up in India in the ’70s and ’80s, it was the boys who had to get educated, and the girls who had to grow up to become good homemakers. But my parents never thought I should be raised differently than my brother. My dad always said: “The first thing you’ve got to do is learn to stand on your own two feet. It doesn’t matter after that. Everything else is sort of easy.” So I studied and got exposed to the broader world, mostly through books. I always knew that there was a bigger and more interesting world out there for me to go check out.

You were one of the only women in your class at I.I.T. Was it a welcoming environment, or did you face discrimination?

Yes. I happened to become the only girl in my class of some 80 to 100 boys. I almost quit in the first week of landing there. There were these stadium seats where 20 people can sit in a row, and I would go sit on in the middle of the first row, and then everybody would move away from me because nobody wanted to sit next to me. My lab partner wouldn’t come do his labs with me.

I was like, “How am I going to navigate this? Nobody wants to talk to me. Am I going to survive four years?” And a girl who was a couple of years senior to me told me, “If you’re going to quit, who else is going to lose out? Grit it up and go figure out how you’re going to survive this.” And I did.

How did you make your way to Ohio State for grad school?

After I graduated, I went back to my hometown and got a job with the steel company. It became clear to me that the number of opportunities for me as a woman engineer in India were going to be limited. So I worked for a year, saved up money, and a year later, I saved up $800 and took my first plane ride of my life to Columbus, Ohio, on a very, very cold night. I didn’t even know where I was going to sleep that night.

What was the first kind of job that you got after graduating from Ohio State?

It was at an aerospace engineer manufacturing company in rural Pennsylvania. I happened to be the first woman engineer they had ever hired, and I was the first foreigner that they ever did an H-1B visa processing for. So that was my introduction to corporate America.

I was suddenly in charge of a shop floor that was run by people who had been there for decades, and now here’s a woman who’s supposed to tell them what to do, and she talks funny. They would let me know that I wasn’t clear enough in my conversations with them, and there was a particular supervisor who did not relish the idea of me coming in there. So it became the big motivation of my life that I was going to win him over before I was done there.

How did you go about doing that?

I realized that when people meet you for the first time they focus on all the things that are different about you. They get so distracted and hung up about all the differences that they don’t actually see the substance of what you bring to the conversation. So there were a few things that I realized I had to change.

So I did shorten my name at that time, so it was easier. And I had to work on my accent, and get up to speed on all the pop culture and references that I had missed. I didn’t know anybody in that little town of Reading, Pa., so I watched a lot of TV. I would watch all the old sitcoms from “Golden Girls” to “Cheers,” and I would get myself familiar with the words and the sayings, and the cultural references that I had no idea about. They became important conversational things that I could use to be accessible and relatable to people.

Outside of that, I figured I was going to outwork everybody. I will be the first one there and the last one out. And at the end of about a year and a half when I left, the supervisor who I had made a point of winning over cried at my farewell. That was one of the biggest accomplishments of my career.

---

“Taking us backward while much of the world is moving forward? That didn’t sit well with me.”

---

What was the hardest thing you’re dealing with as C.E.O. right now?

Maintaining the trust equity that comes with building relationships. It was an advantage for me when I became C.E.O., because I had been at the company a long time. But there were a lot more people that I’d never met. And if you don’t meet folks over time, the longer you’re stuck with not meeting in person, that trust equity gets harder and harder.

Why did you take a stand when Texas lawmakers passed their restrictive new abortion law this summer?

The company did not take a stand. I took a stand, and I tried to make that clear. I created the fund personally. I didn’t think it was the appropriate place for the company to jump in, given we are a very diverse company. We have headquarters in Texas. But when someone came and asked me specifically, what do you think about this as a woman with the life experience that I’ve had, it just didn’t sit right with me to say “no comment” on an issue that I really clearly thought was just wrong. Taking us backward while much of the world is moving forward? That didn’t sit well with me.

Match has been more welcoming of some online regulations than many of the big tech companies. Can you explain where your positions diverge?

For most of Big Tech, privacy comes first. Apple famously doesn’t unlock a phone, even for a terrorist. We’ve always known that safety was existential for our category, because we’re introducing strangers on our platform who eventually go meet in real life. So for us it’s not only privacy, or only safety, but a balance, and it’s not always easy. If you skew in favor of privacy, you’re never going to be able to track and do the kinds of moderation, etc., that you need to do.

The in-person world, the I.R.L. world, is hundreds and hundreds of years of civilization, where we have figured out a code of conduct and behavior, rules of engagement, laws, law enforcement and all the rest. Now so much of our lives are moving online, onto this world, and we still haven’t figured out what is the right level of anonymity versus your real personas online. What is the code of behavior? What is tolerated or not? Let alone laws and law enforcement. There’s no law enforcement on these platforms. That’s the conversation that’s still happening.

Do you feel like the big tech companies are taking enough responsibility for the real-world consequences of what happens on their platforms?

It’s super challenging, and in the absence of real laws and enforcement, we’re all making stuff up. One of the things which is easier for us, as a one-on-one introduction platform, is that we have a much harder stance on bad behavior. A cuss word is enough for us to kick you out of the platform.

But I’m not sure it is right for Facebook and Twitter to be responsible for defining what is hate speech. It’s a complicated problem, which is why I think we need the trifecta of the regulators, the tech platforms and ultimately society. You and me have to decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in this online world, in the same way that we have, over centuries, determined what’s acceptable and not acceptable in the real world.

How has dating has changed during the pandemic?

Behavioral change is usually very incremental. But there are points in time when you do see step changes, and I think a few different step changes happened during the pandemic. A lot of people suddenly reprioritized life’s priorities and realized, “I don’t want to be locked down alone again.” They appreciated the value of a partner, and the lack of value of loneliness.

People became more realistic and honest about themselves and who they were looking for. One of the big things that came back was physical looks were less important. If that sustains, that is a good thing for humanity.

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Why the Match.com C.E.O. Took a Stand on the Texas Abortion Law - The New York Times
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