The big news: City surge to second

Manchester City beat Bournemouth 2-0 to move to second spot on the Premier League table, putting them eight points behind table toppers Chelsea.

City were at their sublime best as Raheem Sterling put City ahead, netting the opener in the 29th minute. Pep Guardiola’s team doubled the lead in the second half when Tyrone Mings’s own goal made it 2-0. City were in command throughout the game and did not let their guard down during the entire match. City are now undefeated in five matches on the trot in all competitions.

Football:

  • Manchester City are hopeful striker Gabriel Jesus did not suffer a serious foot injury in their 2-0 win against Bournemouth. Jesus appeared to turn on his ankle 14 minutes into the clash.      
  • West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association following his antics during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with West Brom.
  • Injured Mario Gotze has not been included in the Borussia Dortmund squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Benfica. Gotze is struggling with a leg injury that kept him out of Dortmund’s surprise 1-2 defeat at Bundesliga bottom side Darmstadt.      
  • Barcelona are set to face Paris St-Germain in the first leg round-of-16 clash in the Champions League on Tuesday. Gerad Pique might return for the Catalans as PSG will have midfielder Marco Verratti in action. 
  • India’s head coach Stephen Constantine said that he is willing to help the India U-17 team get ready for the upcoming U-17 World Cup later this year, reported Hindustan Times. “I have told the AIFF (All India Football Federation) that I am available. Now, it is really up to them,” Constantine said.

Cricket:

  • India beat Bangladesh by 208 runs in the one-off Test in Hyderabad on Monday. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picked up four wickets each while pacer Ishant Sharma picked two for India. 
  • England’s Joe Root was named by the England and Wales Cricket Board as Alastair Cook’s successor, becoming the 80th English captain. He also became the eight man from Yorkshire to be elevated to the post.
  • Irfan Pathan’s 3/10 set up West Zone’s eight-wicket win over North Zone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament on Monday.
  • India’s U-19 bowlers were demolished by England’s Max Holden and George Bartlett in Nagpur as the duo smashed unbeaten tons to take England colts to a commanding 311/1 at the end of the first day of the first youth Test between the two teams. 
  • A total of 351 players which includes 122 capped internationals will feature in the Indian Premier League players auction in Bangalore on February 20. This final list has been pruned from the original size of 799 players.      
  • The Pakistan Cricket Board has accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India that because of not playing a bilateral series with Pakistan, the PCB alleged that they incurred losses up to $200 million (Rs 1,340 crore).
  • Indian selectors are likely to retain the same 16-member squad that beat Bangladesh when they meet on Tuesday to choose the team for the upcoming four-match Test series against Australia. 

Tennis:

  • Former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal will part ways with his uncle and longtime coach, Toni Nadal, after the 2017 season. In an interview with a website, Toni said he wants to focus his attention on Rafa’s academy, which is dedicated to grooming emerging players.