MARTIN SAMUEL: It is a familiar trope that there are not many great captains in football these days. Never will that be more keenly felt than at the top of the Premier League on Friday. 

MARTIN SAMUEL- CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: For we now know Watmore spent the final months of his tenure at the Football League attempting to replace broadcasters Sky Sports behind their backs.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Here is the problem with football's return. To make golf work, the PGA Tour are hopeful of securing a million tests for Covid-19.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Until Newcaslte become a threat to some large vested interests is the best estimate. Then, watch attitudes change. The same happened to City.

COMMENT BY MARTIN SAMUEL: It's known as the Brawn Drain. The depressingly predictable exit of the best rugby talent from the Pacific Islands to the biggest, richest nations.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: There is a very straightforward way to prove you have the funds for any transaction. Pay up. Write the cheque, hand over the cash.

MARTIN SAMUEL - COMMENT: Amid a global pandemic, PFA chief Gordon Taylor is responsible for professional footballers becoming the easiest target.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: At Friday's Premier League meeting the differences were made very clear. Top clubs want resumption based on contractual needs.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Premier League players are fit, young men, quite probably coronavirus will be mild for them. And yet, there is always one.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Owners have been immersed for too long in the fight to reach the Premier League. They've lived in a world of extreme, desperate expenditure.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Playing the only grown-up in the village is fashionable right now. As is demanding consideration of the bigger picture, as if we are all oblivious to this crisis.

Trevor Stacey, 98, reminisced with his Royal Marine counterparts yesterday and discussed losing friends 75 years ago amid the chaos of the Normandy landings.

When Alex Morgan mercilessly lampooned tea drinkers after scoring against England, it hurt us badly. And initially, I hated her for it. But when I woke up this morning, I felt rather differently.

EXCLUSIVE - MATT LAWTON: Christian Coleman, the world's fastest man for the last three years, is fighting for his reputation over an alleged series of missed drugs tests.

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: He was long scripted as the heir to Usain Bolt but as of Thursday it was rather more difficult to predict the line of succession to which Christian Coleman will eventually belong.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT LAWTON: Christian Coleman, the world's fastest man for the last three years, is fighting for his reputation over an alleged series of missed drugs tests.

Usain Bolt is continuing to enjoy his retirement after being spotted drinking a stein of beer at an Oktoberfest party in Munich alongside his former doctor, Hans Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt.

A blue plaque has been unveiled on a handsome house in Chelsea in honour of its former resident, Jamaican musician Bob Marley.

The Jamaican athlete, 33, and five friends clashed with another group while partying alongside Love Island stars at Soho's Toy Room in London on Friday night.

Usain Bolt visited Melbourne to attend Oaks Day last week. 

MARTIN SAMUEL: Tyson Fury is an outlier, a mould breaker, just as Usain Bolt was. And not only in terms of his antics, his charisma. And like Bolt, once he enters the vicinity it is hard to take your eyes off him.

Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane has been dealt an African Cup of Nations blow after picking up a suspension ahead of Senegal's opening match.

DR CONGO 0-2 UGANDA: Headers from Patrick Kaddu and Emmanuel Okwi gave Uganda a 2-0 victory against DR Congo in their opening group game at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Francois Kamano struck from the spot after Anicet Andrianantenaina and Carolus Andriamatsinoro goals early in the second half had put the debutants ahead.

Mali opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a resounding 4-1 triumph over Mauritania at the Suez Stadium.

Sadio Mane has admitted he would swap the Champions League win with Liverpool to claim AFCON glory with his beloved Senegal. 

Mali took the cliche of a 'like for like' substitution to a whole new level on Monday night after two Adama Traore's found the net after one replaced the other from the bench.

Uganda and Zimbabwe played out a 1-1 draw at the Africa Cup of Nations, but both teams will walk away very disappointed not to take all three points.

Ahmed Elmohamady and Mohamed Salah fired Egypt into the last-16 of the Africa Cup of Nations with a goal each in a 2-0 win against DR Congo in Cairo on Wednesday.

Tunisia came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Mali in the Africa Cup of Nations Group E.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane scored twice after missing a penalty as Senegal reached the last 16 at the Africans Cup of Nations with a 3-0 win over Kenya.

Adam Ounas and Islam Slimani inspired Algeria to a comfortable 3-0 win over Tanzania as they completed a 100 per cent Group C record in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Christian Atsu has been ruled out of the rest of the Africa Cup of Nations with a hamstring tear, officials said on Tuesday.

Riyad Mahrez scored a wonderful goal as Algeria underlined their status as one of the favourites for the Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-0 win over Guinea which booked their place in the quarter-finals.

Yannick Bolasie missed from the spot as Africa Cup of Nations debutants Madagascar beat DR Congo in a dramatic penalty shootout to reach the quarter-finals.

Liverpool's Sadio Mane has stepped down from taking Senegal's penalties at the Africa Cup of Nations after missing twice from the spot in the tournament.

Wilfried Zaha showed no signs of being distracted by transfer speculation as he stepped up when it counted to send Ivory Coast into the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Victor Wanyama is poised to collect his British passport over the coming weeks. The 28-year-old Tottenham midfielder put off a proposed move abroad last year to ensure he qualified.

The game had looked to be heading to extra time as the two teams battled for the right to play Senegal in Friday's showpiece, but Man City midfielder Mahrez won it for Algeria late on.

Sportsmail looks at both sides, the Manchester City v Liverpool rivalry in this game, how each team got to the final and why Kalidou Koulibaly's suspension could come back to haunt Senegal.

The Dutch legend has been confirmed as the club's new head of La Masia academy after he was sacked as Cameroon assistant manager after a poor AFCON campaign.

The Senegalese forward will return to the club on Monday after a 16-day break following his exertions at the African Cup of Nations - late calls will be made on Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Ivory Coast international Wilfried Bony, who cost Manchester City £28million as recently as 2015, spent the latter half of last season on loan from Swansea at Al-Arabi in Qatar.

Didier Drogba has backed Sadio Mane to be a front-runner for the Ballon d'Or and hopes the Senegalese winger can become only the second African to win the award - after George Weah in 1995.

Riyad Mahrez has pulled-out of the Algeria squad ahead of their African Cup of Nations clash with Botswana on Monday. He assisted in the 5-0 thrashing of Zambia, has not travelled to Botswana

Instantly naming Mahrez as the best current Arab player in the world, former City midfielder Nasri admitted he had reached his verdict 'because (Mahrez) is Algerian and I like his style of play.'

The tournament was moved to the summer months following a decision by their executive committee in 2017. However, a decision has been made to reverse that call on Wednesday.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: An entertaining reaction can be expected now the Africa Cup of Nations will be reverting to its previous place in the calendar from 2021.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has warned that the decision to move the African Cup of Nations back to a January slot will have an impact on the club's transfer policy.

BUMBLE AT THE TEST: Jofra Archer was at the centre of it all again as he picked up three more scalps as the Ashes tide started to turn as England drew the second Test with Australia.