Kenneth Vargas and Lawrence Shankland scored second-half goals as in-form Hearts eked out a 2-1 win at struggling Livingston to tighten their grip on third place heading into the cinch Premiership winter break.

The Jambos – whose top scorer Shankland saw a penalty saved at 0-0 – endured a nervy finale after Livingston pulled one back through an Andrew Shinnie spot-kick.

But they held firm to make it eight wins in 11 league matches since the start of November, a run that has allowed them to sign off for the winter break five points clear of fourth-placed Kilmarnock with a game in hand. Livi, by contrast, were left six points adrift at the foot of the table after a 13th game in succession without victory.

Both sides made five changes each after disappointing results at the weekend. Livi’s alterations included goalkeeper Jack Hamilton taking over from Shamal George, while new Australian striker Tete Yengi was listed among the substitutes. Hearts boss Steven Naismith handed Austrian midfielder Peter Haring a first start since mid-September.

Livi started brightly and Ayo Obileye saw a header from a James Penrice corner well saved by Hearts keeper Zander Clark in the second minute.

The Lions thought they had gone ahead in the ninth minute when Kurtis Guthrie powered home a header from a Shinnie cross. However, a full three minutes after the ball nestled in the net, the goal was disallowed as the scorer was deemed to be offside following a VAR review.

Hearts struggled to get a foothold early on but they started to create some chances as the half wore on. Shankland prodded an effort over in the 32nd minute before the Jambos captain glanced a header off the crossbar, two minutes later. Vargas then shot over from just inside the box, on the stroke of half-time.

The Jambos started the second period on the front foot and Vargas fired just wide after driving forward to the edge of the box.

Hearts were awarded a penalty in the 48th minute when Lions skipper Michael Devlin fouled Alan Forrest as he ran on to a through pass from Alex Cochrane.

Shankland – who missed a spot-kick against Hibernian last Wednesday – fired the ball straight down the middle and saw his effort saved by the legs of Hamilton before Toby Sibbick headed the rebound over.

The breakthrough came for the visitors in the 52nd minute when Vargas ran on to a lovely pass from Forrest, burst into the box and slotted low beyond the exposed Hamilton.

After Obileye tried to conjure an equaliser with a shot that deflected just over, on the hour mark, Hearts doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when Shankland guided home his 18th goal of the season with the outside of his right foot after being set up by Forrest just inside the box.

Livi got themselves back in the game with 12 minutes remaining when Shinnie tucked home a penalty after Frankie Kent was deemed to have handled in the box following a VAR review, but Hearts held firm for a fourth win.

Aberdeen were rarely troubled as they moved clear of the cinch Premiership relegation places with a 3-0 win at fellow strugglers Ross County.

A first-half double from Jamie McGrath was added to in the 80th minute by Bojan Miovski, who took his personal tally to 15 goals across all competitions this season.

The win lifted the Dons four points above second-bottom County.

A cagey start saw both teams trying to gain the upper hand tactically, with County’s midfield being put under plenty of pressure by the Dons’ high press.

That made it difficult for the Staggies to consistently play in the Aberdeen half, and it was the visitors who got the first goal.

Miovski recovered well after his shot was blocked by Jack Baldwin to send a cross into the middle, and in line with the back post McGrath was able to control the ball and leave Ross Laidlaw powerless to prevent it finding the bottom corner.

The same player doubled the Dons’ advantage on the hour mark, this time taking advantage of a piece of magic from Leighton Clarkson to weave past Ryan Leak and tee McGrath up for a tap-in.

County’s best chance of the first half fell for Simon Murray, who cut inside from the left channel to force Kelle Roos into a reaction save at his near post.

Aberdeen thought they had extended their lead even further shortly after the restart, only for the offside flag to go up after they had the ball in the net.

They also thought they had a claim for a penalty when back-to-back shots were blocked inside the County box, but VAR helped confirm that no spot-kick was necessary.

County struggled to land a punch on their opponents, even into the latter stages, with the Dons content to counter-attack into space when the opportunity presented itself.

One such occasion led to their third goal. Miovski ended up in a foot race with Baldwin, and got the better of the Staggies captain to squeeze a shot past Laidlaw and seal the points for Aberdeen.

There was a further late blow for Ross County, who saw Baldwin sent off for clattering into Ester Sokler when the Dons forward would have been through on goal.

Airdrie earned back-to-back cinch Championship victories with a 2-0 win against Inverness.

The hosts went close in the early stages when Charlie Telfer’s free-kick flew past a post and Mason Hancock had a low effort saved by Mark Ridgers.

The Inverness goalkeeper was called into action again to deny Gabby McGill from a corner and the hosts had another chance 10 minutes into the second half when Rhys McCabe’s curling effort went wide.

Airdrie eventually broke the deadlock in the 61st minute when Nikolay Todorov headed home from a corner to send them in front and Inverness had a chance to equalise in the 82nd minute when Cameron Harper’s shot was blocked by Callum Fordyce.

Fordyce then wrapped up the win three minutes later, heading home from Telfer’s free-kick for Airdrie to move fourth in the table.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe held meetings at Old Trafford on Tuesday in his first visit to the home of Manchester United since the billionaire’s deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club was announced on Christmas Eve.

Ratcliffe was joined by INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford and executive Jean-Claude Blanc, who are both due to join United’s football board once Ratcliffe’s investment has been ratified by the Premier League.

Further meetings are due to take place at both Old Trafford and the club’s Carrington training ground during the ratification process, which is expected to take several weeks.

Under the terms of Ratcliffe’s £1.2billion deal to purchase a stake in the club from the Glazer family, his INEOS group will take responsibility for United’s footballing operations, and the meetings are intended to help his team get to know the club and to inform planning.

Former British Cycling boss Brailsford was in the stands for United’s come-from-behind home win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

United’s next match is the FA Cup tie away to League One Wigan on Monday evening.

Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique wishes he could be playing for a title every week as he bids to land his first trophy with the club on Wednesday.

The Ligue 1 champions can open 2024 by claiming more silverware as they take on French Cup holders Toulouse for the Champions Trophy at the Parc des Princes.

PSG, winners of the trophy in nine of the past 10 years, go into game as strong favourites having opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table while Toulouse languish in the bottom three.

Enrique, the former Barcelona and Spain manager who took charge last summer, told reporters at a press conference: “We have the opportunity to play a match to win our first title this season, so that’s a source of motivation.

“Our aim is to win every title possible. It would be a reward for all the work we put in last year, so of course we’re very motivated.

“I’d love to be able to play for a trophy every week, like all the players.

“Of course, the motivation is greater than any normal league match. It’s going to be played at ‘home’ but as a neutral ground, so I imagine the atmosphere will be great.”

Toulouse have found the going tough under new manager Carles Martinez Novell on the domestic front but they finished second to Liverpool in their Europa League group.

Enrique expects them to be highly motivated and is taking nothing for granted.

He said: “Paris Saint-Germain lives for this type of match but both teams will be motivated.

“They’re a team that can do a lot with the ball and if you give them time, they’re very good at occupying space. Without the ball, they can also perform well.”

The game comes after PSG began the January transfer window by completing the signing of Brazilian defender Lucas Beraldo.

He could be the first of a number of additions.

Enrique said: “If I can have several players available in each position, I’d obviously be delighted.

“We’ll be paying close attention during this transfer window and we’ll see if there are any opportunities that allow us to improve the team.”

Ousmane Dembele is the latest addition to the PSG injury list with a hamstring problem but back-up goalkeeper Arnau Tenas is available after a shoulder issue.

Despite being pleased with how things went last year, Trinidad and Tobago’s senior men’s Head coach Angus Eve, says there is still more work to be done with sights set on this year’s Copa America and, by extension, 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup qualification.

Eve’s men will kick the year off with the Copa America playoff against Canada in March, where victory would put them into the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament scheduled to take place in the United States in June.

“We said we want to go back to where we are competing against these teams. We are now in the last eight of Concacaf, fighting in the last four for a place in the Copa America. Who would have thought in a couple of months we would have been here?” Eve asked rhetorically, during an end-of-year interview with TTFA Media.

One of the Soca Warriors’ biggest accomplishments for 2023, was their 2-1 victory over United States in the second-leg of the Concacaf Nations League A quarterfinals.

Still, Eve pointed out that the work continues.

“There is a lot more to be done. Player development, exposure for players is so important and playing at the higher levels consistently. Then, we will get more players playing outside of Trinidad and Tobago like we used to,” he said.

“The clubs have to understand that sometimes you need to take the players for four days. We have to work in tandem with each other to get the players where we want them to be,” Eve added.

Reflecting on their journey since 2021, Eve confessed that explained that much like the players, he too has benefited from exposure via coaching courses, and rubbing shoulders with top coaches in the region.

“It has motivated me even more to do well because of the level of professionalism; the type of people you’re rubbing shoulders with. You learn by having conversations (and) the most that I would have learned is when I have conversations with other coaches at the side, or with the tutors and lecturers,” Eve revealed.

Looking ahead, the tactician hopes for greater Government and corporate support, as he requested a more professional approach, improved staffing, proper processes put in place, and regular exposure for his charges.

“The local players need to be playing more. Even if we get an international game every two months,” Eve declared.

“America came down with about 35 (staff) members. They had a whole hospital set up. They had a whole technical department set up with all the analytics and things. Our department is one guy, McShine and the other department is one guy, Derek King. And the other department (medical) is one guy, doctor Danai. Everything is one guy, when other people have departments for these things,” he stressed.

St Johnstone have signed Kerr Smith on loan and striker Benjamin Kimpioka on a permanent deal, subject to international clearance.

Aston Villa announced 19-year-old Scottish central defender Kerr has signed a new contract before making the loan switch back north for the remainder of the season.

Saints also confirmed 23-year-old Swedish forward Kimpioka, who previously had a spell at Sunderland, has joined on an 18-month contract from AIK.

Smith will join up with Craig Levein’s squad immediately, although St Johnstone’s cinch Premiership game against Dundee at Dens Park has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

He began his senior career with Dundee United and made 12 first-team appearances, making his debut at Ibrox at the age of 16, before signing for Villa in January 2022.

Left-back Luke Robinson has been recalled by Wigan midway through his season-long loan, while Dara Costelloe was recalled from his loan spell by Burnley and has since joined Dundee.

Sergio Reguilon will return to Tottenham after Manchester United exercised a break clause in his loan deal.

The 27-year-old Spanish left-back made 12 appearances for United after joining in September following injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

But the PA news agency understands United have now chosen to cut short the deal with Shaw having returned to action, although he is currently out with a slight injury, and Malacia also nearing a comeback.

It is understood United included the break clause in the original deal as it was always seen as a strong possibility that Reguilon would return to London during this window.

With United having been eliminated from European competition and the Carabao Cup, it was felt there would be fewer opportunities for Reguilon to feature in the second half of the season.

He has only played for United so far this season, so could play for another club if he left Spurs during the January window.

Tottenham are looking to strengthen their defence and PA understands they have stepped up their pursuit of a new centre-back by opening talks with Genoa over the signing of Radu Dragusin.

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has been in need of reinforcements, especially defensively with Micky Van de Ven absent since November and Cristian Romero now sidelined until February with a hamstring injury.

Postecoglou has repeatedly made clear his desire for any January recruits to arrive during the early part of the transfer window and could get his wish with talks progressing well with Genoa.

Romania international Dragusin, 21, has established himself as a regular in Serie A during the past two seasons at Genoa after he initially came through Juventus’ academy.

If Dragusin was to arrive, it could open the door for Eric Dier to depart during the January transfer window with the versatile 29-year-old now into the final six months of his deal and the club willing to listen to offers.

Midfielder Pape Sarr, meanwhile, is poised to extend his contract with the club until 2030, PA understands.

The 21-year-old Senegal international has made 33 appearances for Spurs in all competitions since signing from French club Metz in 2021.

He claimed his second goal for the Premier League side during Sunday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth before leaving the field in tears due to a hamstring problem.

That injury had cast doubt on his participation in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, which Senegal begin against Gambia on January 15, but following the match Sarr expressed a confidence that he would be fine to compete in the tournament.

After completing his transfer to north London, Sarr was initially loaned back to Metz for the 2021-22 campaign, but he has excelled this term and established himself as one of Postecoglou’s key men, starting 16 of Tottenham’s 20 top-flight league games to date.

His maiden goal in English football came in Spurs’ 2-0 victory over Manchester United in August.

Jamaica’s Khadija “Bunny” Shaw heaped praises on Bermudian Shaun Goater for the guidance he gave towards her now dazzling career at Manchester City.

Shaw, who joined Manchester City in 2021, said the relationship with Goater was the platform that assisted her to not only find her footing, but more importantly, enjoy her football at the club. That has resulted in her rich vein of form.

Goater, a member of City’s women’s coaching staff headed by Garth Taylor, netted 103 goals in 212 appearances during his impressive run between 1998 and 2003.

 “Shaun came more often towards the end of last year, but even in the beginning, he would (give) me little pointers that would go a far way, because sometimes the little details can go a far way,” Shaw shared.

“For example, towards the beginning of last year he would tell me little stuff like ‘try not to let the centre backs see you and the ball’. So, I would take stuff like that and try it on the training pitch at first and then sometimes I would do it in games,” she added.

The towering striker, who ended 2023 atop the Women’s Super League (WSL) scorers list, pointed out that the relationship with Goater took flight when he officially joined the coaching staff.

“When I heard he was coming around more often I was excited because now he could actually come on the pitch, and we could actually work together more often and stuff like that. Shaun’s great for sure,” she declared.

Goater first joined City’s Academy coach staff two years ago and worked with various age groups from the foundation level up to the professional development level.

The 53-year-old, who holds an UEFA ‘A’ licence, also worked with forwards at Doncaster Rovers and St Johnstone during brief spells. He joined Taylor’s staff close to a year now, a move Shaw said has been fruitful for her career.

Shaw has so far tallied 21 goals in the 2023/24 season, and her feat has positioned Manchester City in second on 22 points, three behind leaders Chelsea.

The 26-year-old’s rich vein of form puts her ahead of Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly (18), Bethany England (12) of Tottenham Hotspur, and Brighton Hove and Albion’s Elisabeth Terland (12), as she aims to repeat her Player-of-the-Season feat from last season when she tallied 31 goals in 30 games across all competitions.

“In my first year, I would walk around, and I would see him, and he would say ‘let’s catch up, let’s catch up’, but we never got the opportunity to,” she revealed during a club podcast on New Year’s Day.

“He would watch some of the games … and I would always see him around, but we never got the opportunity to catch up. Last year, my second year, he came around more often … we would sit down and watch videos. I love Shaun,” Shaw ended.

Wayne Rooney has been sacked as manager of Birmingham after less than three months in charge and says he will “take some time to get over” his dismissal.

The former Manchester United and England striker has overseen just two wins in 15 games following his controversial appointment at St Andrew’s in October.

Supporters called for Rooney’s removal as the side slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Leeds on New Year’s Day. The result left the club 20th in the table having been sixth when Rooney took charge.

Rooney, however, has said he does not feel he was given long enough and it would take a while to recover from the decision.

A club statement read: “Birmingham City has today parted company with manager Wayne Rooney and first-team coach Carl Robinson.

“Despite their best efforts, results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset. Therefore, the board feels that a change in management is in the best interests of the football club.”

Rooney has said he is now planning to take a break from the game.

The 38-year-old, who has previously managed at Derby and DC United, said in a statement: “Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be.

“However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.

“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16.

“Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.”

Rooney was controversially brought in at the expense of popular former boss John Eustace by the club’s new ownership group. A takeover by a company owned by American businessman Tom Wagner was completed last summer.

Eustace had lifted Blues away from relegation trouble during a 15-month spell.

Chief executive Garry Cook said: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St Andrew’s.

“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction.

“The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”

Professional development coach Steve Spooner will take responsibility for men’s first-team matters on an interim basis.

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk will not entertain talk of a Premier League title race unless the team can get to March in a similarly-strong position.

A 4-2 victory over Newcastle extended their advantage at the top of the table to three points over Aston Villa but, more significantly, ensured they stayed out of reach of Manchester City five points back, with their match in hand.

January is a significant month for Jurgen Klopp’s side as they do battle on three fronts, starting with an FA Cup third-round tie at Arsenal at the weekend followed by the first tie in a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final at home to Fulham.

Due to the winter mini-break there are actually only two more scheduled league matches before February and that could help their primary aim of adding to the Premier League title they won in 2019-20 as it lessens the impact of the absence of Mohamed Salah, who signed off with two goals before heading to the African Nations Cup with Egypt.

But Van Dijk said they were not looking as far ahead as that.

“I’m not going to speak about any of this, I never did and I won’t do it now either,” he said when asked about the title race.

“It’s far too early to do that. We are at the start of January, we have players leaving now, we have players coming back from injury so let’s see what it brings.

“If in February/March we are still up there, obviously we have to get the last push going and see if we can squeeze it out, but for now we just focus on the game ahead, don’t look at others and try to improve ourselves.

“That’s always been the experience and it brought us one success over the last six years to win the Premier League and hopefully we will see what happens at the end of the season.”

Salah’s departure – having racked up 14 league goals and eight assists – will undoubtedly be felt but it is Klopp’s job to lessen how much.

He does at least have Diogo Jota fit again after a month’s absence, while midfielder Alexis Mac Allister’s return after a six-game absence will offset the loss of Wataru Endo to the Asian Cup.

“Obviously we are going to miss Mo and his qualities, his leadership qualities as well. The situation is how it is and the same goes for Wataru,” added Van Dijk.

“Other players have to step up and stay fit and it was good Jota came back, Macca came back and everyone has to be ready for a big game at the weekend in the FA Cup and then the Carabao Cup and then hopefully a little break again.

“I think December was already a very big month and the way we coped with that was very good in my opinion.

“Now we are going to play in three competitions, we have a chance to go to Wembley if we go through the Carabao Cup and to the next round of the FA Cup but how we approach it is game by game.

“It could be a good month but we will take it game by game and see.”

Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr is poised to extend his contract with the club until 2030, the PA news agency understands.

The 21-year-old Senegal international has made 33 appearances for Spurs in all competitions since signing from French club Metz in 2021.

He claimed his second goal for the Premier League side during Sunday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth before leaving the field in tears due to a hamstring problem.

That injury had cast doubt on his participation in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, which Senegal begin against Gambia on January 15, but following the match Sarr expressed a confidence that he will be fine to compete in the tournament.

After completing his transfer to north London in the summer of 2021, Sarr was initially loaned back to Metz for the following campaign.

He has excelled this term and established himself as one of Ange Postecoglou’s key men, starting 16 of Tottenham’s 20 top-flight league games to date.

His maiden goal in English football came in Spurs’ 2-0 victory over Manchester United in August.

Wayne Rooney’s short tenure as Birmingham manager has come to an end with his sacking on Tuesday morning.

The former England striker, who signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at St Andrew’s in October, headed into the role with a 27 per cent win rate across his first two jobs with Derby and DC United – an overall figure that has dropped to 26 per cent.

Here, the PA news agency looks at his record in detail.

Derby

Rooney moved from his playing role at Derby into the manager’s seat, initially sharing the job with Liam Rosenior, Shay Given and Justin Walker before taking sole charge.

They were bottom of the Championship at the time but climbed to 18th, eight points clear of the relegation zone, before a late-season slump saw them survive by just a point.

Their relegation the following season came after a total of 21 points were deducted – 12 for entering administration and nine for historical financial breaches.

They rallied with three successive wins in December 2021 and 10 in their final 25 games of the season and without the deductions would have finished 17th on 55 points.

He won 24, drew 22 and lost 39 of his 85 games as manager, including those with the managerial group in charge, for a 28.2 per cent win rate.

DC United

That win percentage dipped to 25.9 with DC United as Rooney was unable to make his mark as a head coach in Major League Soccer.

His side were mathematically eliminated from play-off contention in the 2023 season despite the win over New York City on October 8 that marked the end of Rooney’s reign.

Rooney’s “mutually agreed” departure came with him having been boss for the whole of that season and the last 15 of the 2022 campaign.

His final record in all competitions, including two games in the US Open Cup and three in the Leagues Cup, read won 14, drew 14, lost 26.

Birmingham

Rooney was appointed as boss of Birmingham – who were taken over by United States-based Shelby Companies Limited in July and had seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady become a minority owner the following month – two days on from the sacking of John Eustace while lying sixth in the Championship table.

He spoke of the goal of promotion, but defeat in his first match, 1-0 at Middlesbrough, set the tone and another 14 games later he departs with the team languishing in 20th place.

Blues registered victories in only two of Rooney’s 15 matches, with nine losses, for a win percentage of 13.3.

That gives him an overall managerial record of 40 wins from 154 games (26 per cent), with 40 draws and 74 defeats.

Wayne Rooney has been sacked as manager of Sky Bet Championship club Birmingham.

The former Manchester United and England striker has overseen just two wins in 15 games following his controversial appointment at St Andrew’s in October.

Supporters called for Rooney’s removal as the side slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Leeds on New Year’s Day.

A club statement read: “Birmingham City has today parted company with manager Wayne Rooney and first-team coach Carl Robinson.

“Despite their best efforts, results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset. Therefore, the board feels that a change in management is in the best interests of the football club.

Chief executive Garry Cook said: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St Andrew’s.

“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction.

“The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”

Blues – now 20th in the table – were sixth when Rooney was brought in by the club’s new ownership group at the expense of popular former boss John Eustace.

Eustace had taken charge 15 months previously and successfully steered the club away from relegation.

A change of thinking at the club came last summer after a takeover by a company owned by American businessman Tom Wagner.

Fulham captain Tom Cairney has signed a new contract to stay at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2025.

Cairney, 32, has made 304 appearances since joining the Premier League club from Blackburn in June 2015.

“It means everything to me to extend my contract. 10 years is a hell of a long time in football, a very rare thing,” Cairney told the official club website.

“I said from quite early on that Fulham feels like home – a lot of players say that and then move on, but I feel like it’s obvious that I meant it as I’ll still be here 10 years later.

“I just want to thank everyone for the support over the years – the Fulham fans have been incredible with me, and I’ll just look to keep repaying them.”

Fulham owner Tony Khan said: “I don’t think that the importance of Tom Cairney joining Fulham in 2015 can be underestimated in terms of our recent history.

“He has been a great signing for the club whose contribution over the years has led to so many memorable successes on the pitch.”