Huddersfield moved five points clear of the Championship relegation zone with a 3-0 Boxing Day win over disappointing Blackburn.
Jaheim Headley’s low strike handed the Terriers a first-half advantage which was added to after the break by Sorba Thomas and Delano Burgzorg as Darren Moore’s side opened up a five-point gap to the bottom three.
Town headed into the encounter sitting just above the drop zone and on a winless run of five matches, while Rovers had lost four out of their last five clashes and sat 14th in the standings.
Following early Blackburn pressure, Thomas collected David Kasumu’s right-wing cross to chest down and slice over from inside the box after four minutes.
At the other end, Niall Ennis had Rovers’ first real chance before the 10-minute mark but fired straight at Town keeper Chris Maxwell.
Ben Wiles rose the highest from Thomas’ corner not long after but Leopold Wahlstedt was untroubled in the Blackburn goal.
Town then went close to taking the lead when Kasumu found Thomas and Wahlstedt showed great reactions to parry to safety.
Rovers winger Arnor Sigurdsson was not far away after latching onto Sammie Szmodics’s lay-off for a sublime curling effort which flew just over.
The chances continue to come and Dominic Hyam diverted Headley’s dangerous low cross over his own goal, before Burgzorg’s mazy and persistent run down the right was eventually snuffed out by Rovers.
The hosts made the breakthrough in the 28th minute when Headley took aim and his low drive went straight under Wahlstedt too easily to put the Terriers in front.
Jack Rudoni rose highest to meet Thomas’ free-kick as Huddersfield sought a second but Wahlstedt was equal to it, while injured Town goalkeeper Maxwell was replaced before half-time by Jacob Chapman for his Championship debut.
Szmodics nearly capped off a flowing Rovers move in stoppage time but curled just over as the hosts led at the break.
After half-time, Blackburn top scorer Szmodics delivered a dangerous cross which just missed the arriving Ennis and Chapman parried behind.
The hosts doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second half when Burgzorg slotted across goal for a free Thomas to bury past Wahlstedt.
Shortly after that, Huddersfield wanted a penalty when Rudoni went down under Wahlstedt’s challenge but replays showed the Rovers stopper clearly got the ball.
It mattered little for Town though as they made it 3-0 in the 68th minute to all but wrap up the win, substitute Josh Koroma putting Burgzorg in and the Huddersfield attacker’s shot slipped under Wahlstedt.
Jake Garrett’s 78th-minute free-kick sailed harmlessly over as Rovers sought to reduce the deficit, with Callum Brittain’s long-range drive also off target as the Terriers held firm to claim three valuable points.
Arsenal's decision to let Miedema leave 'shocking and outrageous', says White
Arsenal's decision to let Vivianne Miedema leave the club has been described as "shocking" and "outrageous" by former Gunners striker Ellen White.
On Monday, Arsenal announced Miedema – the all-time record scorer in the Women's Super League with 79 goals in the competition – will depart when her contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Miedema helped Arsenal win the WSL title in 2018-19 and clinched the competition's Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20. In all competitions, she has scored 125 goals and added 50 assists in 172 appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2017.
She has played just 13 games in 2023-24, however, having undergone knee surgery in March. That came after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury suffered in December 2022 sidelined her for 10 months.
Manchester City have been linked with a move for the Netherlands star, and White believes Arsenal will regret letting her go.
"I think it's an absolutely shocking decision by the club, to be honest," White told BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly.
"I just think it's shocking that they haven't shown her the love to want to keep her at the club.
"If she does want to go to someone else in the WSL, I hope she goes to that team and sticks two fingers up at Arsenal and scores a few goals and celebrates hard. It's just outrageous. She is not going to be short of offers."
Xavi has 'zero doubts' over Araujo's Barcelona future
Ronald Araujo’s Barcelona future is still undecided, but Xavi says he has "zero doubts" over the defender’s decision.
The Uruguayan has been offered a contract extension to keep him at the club beyond 2026, but Araujo is yet to sign it.
This season, he has made 36 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona, though he dropped to the bench for their win over Real Sociedad on Monday.
Asked about Araujo’s future on Wednesday, Xavi said: "I talk a lot with Araujo, and he knows what I think. There are zero doubts about his future on my side.
"He knows what I want for his future. I always try to speak honestly and sincerely and he’s happy here."
Reports suggest that Bayern Munich and Manchester United are interested in signing Araujo if he does decide to leave Barcelona.
Alonso wary of Atalanta threat ahead of Europa League showdown
Bayer Leverkusen will find it tough to overcome Atalanta in the Europa League final, manager Xabi Alonso said.
The Italian side knocked out Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and three-times finalists Marseille in previous rounds.
But Leverkusen have plans of their own as they chase a treble of titles, having recently been crowned as the new Bundesliga champions.
Currently on an extraordinary 50-match run this season, Leverkusen play Gian Piero Gasperini's side, who are fifth in Serie A, in Dublin on May 22.
"Atalanta is one of the best teams in Europe. The coach has a clear plan, they have a great mentality and a big squad," Alonso told reporters on Wednesday.
"If we do our best, we have a chance, but it will be tight. They are a top team."
With the league title in the bag, Leverkusen are fully focused on winning both their finals, which includes the German Cup clash against Kaiserslautern on May 25.
But before that, they have a home game against Augsburg in the league on Saturday.
"The feeling is very good, we're looking forward to playing two finals. It's a great opportunity for us. We have time to prepare. There's still the Bundesliga game, but of course we're already focussing on the two finals," the Spaniard said.
"With the Bundesliga decided, we can focus more on the Europa League than if there was still something at stake. But the Bundesliga is not over yet, and we respect Augsburg."
Midfielder Florian Wirtz, who has scored 18 goals for Leverkusen in all competitions this campaign, is better after missing the last two games through injury.
"We'll take it slowly and look day by day. There's no risk of a more serious injury, it's all about the pain. We'll see how it looks again tomorrow," Alonso added.
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