It has been another astonishing year of sporting drama, featuring triumphs for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, a near-miss for England’s women footballers and a nightmare title defence for the men’s cricketers.

Here, the PA news agency looks back on five of the best and worst sporting moments of 2023.

Darting perfection in World Championship final

Michael Smith fired a stunning nine-dart finish in one of the greatest legs in the history of the World Championship during the early stages of the final with Michael Van Gerwen. In the third leg of the second set it was Van Gerwen who had the first chance at perfection, only to miss double 12. Smith, throwing second, was right behind him though, and made no mistake, following seven-successive treble 20s with a treble 19 and the prized double 12 to send the Alexandra Palace crowd wild. Smith’s perfect leg was the just the second in a World Championship final and he went on to complete a 7-4 victory.

Unseeded Vondrousova wins Wimbledon

Marketa Vondrousova defeated favourite Ons Jabeur in straight sets to make history as the first unseeded women’s singles champion at Wimbledon. The Czech player took advantage of a nervous performance from Jabeur to claim a 6-4 6-4 victory, just eight months after being ranked outside the world’s top 100 and winning a somewhat less prestigious tournament at The Shrewsbury Club in Shropshire. With the Princess of Wales and tennis royalty Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King watching from the front row of the Royal Box, Vondrousova recovered from 4-2 down in the opening set and 3-1 behind in the second to secure a first grand slam title.

Europe retain Solheim Cup after thrilling tie in Spain

Home favourite Carlota Ciganda played a starring role as Europe retained the Solheim Cup after a thrilling 14-14 draw with the United States, the first in the biennial contest’s history. Trailing 4-0 after the opening foursomes, Suzann Pettersen’s side rallied magnificently at Finca Cortesin and it fittingly fell to Spanish star Ciganda to ensure the trophy would remain in Europe with her fourth win from four matches. Pettersen, who will also captain the side in Virginia next year, said: “This is one of the best things I’ve been a part of and this is what makes Solheim Cups so special. It’s going to be one pretty good party tonight.”

Double gold for Britain in World Athletics Championship

Katarina Johnson-Thompson completed a stunning comeback to reclaim her world heptathlon title, edging out American favourite Anna Hall by just 20 points in Budapest. It represented a remarkable return to the top for the 30-year-old after a ruptured Achilles in 2020 and a calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics which forced her to quit after day one. Three days later, Josh Kerr succeeded compatriot Jake Wightman as world champion over 1,500m as he outsprinted odds-on favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the home straight.

Europe regain Ryder Cup in Rome

Two years after suffering a humiliating defeat by a record 19-9 margin at Whistling Straits, Europe regained the Ryder Cup from the United States in impressive fashion at Marco Simone. Captained superbly by Luke Donald, who had inherited the role when Henrik Stenson was sacked for joining LIV Golf, the home side made the ideal start with an unprecedented 4-0 whitewash in the opening foursomes and never loosened their grip, with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland living up to their star billing.

Adam Johnson dies after accident in ice hockey game

Ice hockey and the wider sporting world was shocked by the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson in what the club described as a freak accident. The 29-year-old American died on October 28 after being hit in the neck by an opposition player’s skate during a match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Minnesota-born Johnson played for Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks.

WTA Finals leaves top players feeling ‘disrespected’

For the third year in succession a late decision was made about the venue for the season-ending showpiece, with Cancun in hurricane season unsurprisingly proving a poor choice. World number two Aryna Sabalenka easily won her opening match but then took to social media to criticise the arrangements for players, who were only able to practise in the temporary arena for the first time the day before matches got under way. “I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” Sabalenka wrote. “As a player, I feel really disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time.”

Sir Bobby Charlton dies

Tributes flooded in from the world of football following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton in October at the age of 86. He was a key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team and also enjoyed great success at club level with Manchester United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968. That triumph came 10 years after the Munich air disaster, which Charlton and team manager Sir Matt Busby survived but which claimed the lives of eight of Charlton’s team-mates. Charlton played in the World Cup final alongside his brother Jack – who died in 2020 – and won 106 caps for England, scoring 49 goals. His death means Sir Geoff Hurst is the only surviving member of the side from the World Cup win.

Luis Rubiales overshadows Spain’s World Cup triumph

Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney was overshadowed by the actions of Spanish Football Association president Luis Rubiales, who celebrated his nation’s victory by grabbing his crotch while standing alongside Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia in a VIP box and then kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation ceremony. Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual and, after a long-running saga which included his mother staging a brief hunger strike, Rubiales eventually resigned and was banned by FIFA from all football-related activity for three years.

England’s Cricket World Cup defence

England arrived in India as reigning champions and well fancied to cement their legacy as the premier white-ball side of their generation. They departed after six long and chastening weeks with tails planted firmly between their legs, having conjured a calamitous cocktail of muddled selection, tactical naivety and rank bad form in the middle. Captain Jos Buttler personified their struggles as they endured their worst-ever sequence of results at the tournament, unable to make a dent with the bat as his side were humbled by Jonathan Trott’s Afghanistan and a Sri Lanka side helmed by sacked England coach Chris Silverwood. A seventh-placed finish somehow flattered them.

Manchester City achieved their holy grail of winning the Champions League in 2023 but did it against the backdrop of being hit with an unprecedented number of charges for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.

It was that kind of year in many ways. Spain made history by winning the Women’s World Cup, but immediately found themselves embroiled in a sexism scandal, while the unexpected success of England’s rugby team came with major setbacks for the cricketers.

Here the PA news agency looks at 10 things we learned in 2023.

Manchester City get the one they wanted

For all the Premier League titles won and records set, Pep Guardiola had openly acknowledged he needed to bring the Champions League trophy to Manchester City for his time at the Etihad Stadium to be considered a success.

And in June they did just that as Rodri’s second-half goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul and see City emulate neighbours United by securing a treble, adding the Champions League to the Premier League and FA Cup trophies they had already lifted.

It was the trophy City had wanted more than any other during the more than decade-long overhaul under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, and it was finally theirs.

Governance battles

City’s success came only a few months after they were hit with a stunning 115 charges by the Premier League for alleged breaches of financial regulations – a case that is expected to rumble on long into next year and beyond.

But when the Premier League imposed a 10-point penalty on Everton for a much lesser offence, many in football were shocked and there are now serious questions about how the Premier League handles not only City’s case but also possible charges against Chelsea, who self-reported their own breaches.

At a time when the Premier League is trying to show it does not need an independent regulator, the ramifications of how these cases play out could be huge.

LIV continues to rock golf

Jon Rahm’s December announcement that he was joining the LIV circuit showed that golf is still yet to figure out how to deal with the Saudi-backed start-up.

The joint announcement in June which saw the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV announce a framework for a merger to form a unified commercial entity was far from the end of the dispute and – as some players have said – might even make it easier for players to feel they can jump ship.

Rahm has been a critic of LIV in the past, but, following his Masters triumph and Europe’s Ryder Cup success, made the timing right for him. Where it leaves the rest of golf is unclear as we await further progress on talks between the rival tours.

World Cup woes leave questions for the ECB

England’s defence of their Cricket World Cup title could barely have gone much worse as they won only three of nine games in India, prompting yet more soul-searching.

The ECB’s decision to sideline its domestic 50-over competition in favour of The Hundred does not look good in this context, although how much impact it might actually have is unclear.

The bigger focus is perhaps on the ever-scrutinised schedule. England played half as many ODIs in the build-up to this World Cup than they did before winning in 2019, and most were against weak opposition.

Bitter disappointment for England Women

After the highs of their European Championship triumph, England went to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand among the favourites but it was not to be.

Sarina Wiegman’s team overcame Lauren James’ red card to edge past Nigeria on penalties before seeing off Colombia and hosts Australia but, despite the heroics of Mary Earps in goal, Spain proved too strong in the final, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal.

This month a 6-0 rout of Scotland was not enough for England to top their Nations League group as the Netherlands scored late to beat Belgium 4-0, denying Team GB a place at next summer’s Olympics in Paris.

A World Cup final overshadowed

Spain made history by beating England in the final in Sydney, lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time.

But their big moment became mired in controversy after Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish federation, kissed Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the celebrations despite her obvious discomfort, and was also seen making obscene gestures.

Rubiales then refused to resign for several weeks as the controversy enveloped Spanish football, showing just how much more work lies ahead in changing attitudes.

Red Bull’s dominance is unprecedented

Red Bull completed the most dominant season ever seen in the history of Formula One in 2023 as Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races to leave everyone else in a separate competition.

While there is hope that a fresh season will offer fresh opportunities to their rivals, the sheer scale of their dominance brings its own issues.

With titles effectively secured long ago, Red Bull have already been able to work on the development of next year’s car – leaving everyone else to play catch up once more.

Bright spots for Borthwick

England went to the Rugby World Cup amid relatively low expectations on the back of home defeats to Scotland, France and Fiji during the course of 2023.

It was therefore a welcome surprise to see them not only get out of their group but see off Fiji in the quarter-final before pushing eventual champions South Africa all the way as they lost the semi-final 16-15.

While some experienced players will be retiring, it was a performance that offered hope for the future as exciting youngsters such as Henry Arundell emerged.

Sport continues to grapple with war

The International Olympic Committee has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for Paris 2024 will be allowed to compete as individuals next summer.

The IOC said the decision, quickly condemned by Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country, was about “respecting human rights”.

However, although the IOC has given the green light, many individual sporting governing bodies – not least World Athletics – have not changed their positions, meaning athletes in those events will remain ineligible.

The glacial pace of change at Old Trafford

It is more than a year since the Glazer family announced they would consider a sale or minority investment at Manchester United, offering fans hope that years of neglect could soon be coming to an end.

The deal for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to take a 25 per cent stake – one that would come with considerable control – is not the clean break most wanted, but it does at least offer hope of change, albeit one that is taking longer than expected with mooted timetables for completion having come and gone.

In the meantime, the team continues to lurch from mini-crisis to mini-crisis on the pitch, with Erik ten Hag’s side having been unable to build on the encouragement of last season. Will 2024 be the year real change finally comes to Old Trafford?

It has been another eventful year of sporting action.

Manchester City completed the treble, Europe regained the Ryder Cup and Max Verstappen was once again a dominant winner of the Formula One world championship.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the last 12 months through a selection of sporting pictures.

Erling Haaland, Max Verstappen and Novak Djokovic were among the male stars to produce historic statistics in a memorable year of sport.

Marketa Vondrousova also made history as the first unseeded winner of the Wimbledon women’s single title, while Europe retained the Solheim Cup with an unprecedented draw against the United States.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the standout numbers from 2023.

36 – Erling Haaland’s Premier League-record goal tally as he won last season’s Golden Boot.

280 and 62 – Harry Kane set new goalscoring records for both Tottenham and England, passing Jimmy Greaves’ 266 for Spurs in February and Wayne Rooney’s 53 for his country the following month. He also joined Rooney and Alan Shearer as only the third player with 200 Premier League goals, reaching 213 before leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer.

£106.8million – the British record transfer fee paid by Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez in January as part of Todd Boehly’s £1billion spending spree. Team-mate Moises Caicedo’s move from Brighton could break the record with add-ons potentially taking his price to £115m.

77,390 – A crowd of 77,390 watched Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Women’s FA Cup final, breaking the world record for a women’s domestic club fixture previously set when Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona in 2019.

10 – points deducted from Everton for breaching Premier League financial regulations.

3 – Number of clean sheets kept by Mary Earps, who was awarded the Golden Glove after helping England reach the Women’s World Cup final, where she also saved a penalty in the 1-0 defeat to Spain.

19 – Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races as he took his third successive Formula One world title.

575 – Verstappen’s record points tally was more than double Sergio Perez’s second-placed 285.

24 – Novak Djokovic’s tally of grand slam titles after winning the Australian, French and US Opens this year – the most by a male player and tying Margaret Court’s all-time record.

1 – Marketa Vondrousova beat sixth seed Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4 to become the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title.

81 – Frankie Dettori retired from racing in Britain with an 81st Ascot winner aboard King of Steel in the Qipco Champion Stakes. That total includes nine Gold Cups as well as his unforgettable seven-timer in 1996 when he rode every winner on the card.

600 – Stuart Broad became only the fifth man to take 600 Test wickets, finishing his career with 604 as he retired after the Ashes.

26,643 – career first-class runs for former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, who retired in October.

89 – Australia won the only Test in the Women’s Ashes by 89 runs and went on to retain the urn after the series ended 8-8.

229 – England’s losing margin against South Africa during their dreadful Cricket World Cup defence was their highest by runs in a one-day international.

4 – South Africa won a record fourth Rugby World Cup, moving clear of final opponents New Zealand with their 12-11 win in Saint-Denis.

58,498 – The record crowd at Twickenham as England completed the Grand Slam in the Women’s Six Nations with a 38-33 victory over France.

16.5-11.5 – the score as Europe won the Ryder Cup in Rome.

14-14 – Europe retained the Solheim Cup after the first draw in the history of the contest in Spain.

37 – Simone Biles’ record tally of Olympic and World Championship medals after winning four golds and a silver in Antwerp in October. Her total includes four Olympic and 23 world golds.

47 – Ronnie O’Sullivan became snooker’s oldest UK champion aged 47, 30 years after his win aged 17 which still makes him the youngest. It was his eighth win in the event and his 22nd triple crown title.

20 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson won her second world heptathlon title by just 20 points in Budapest.

61-45 – The score as England lost to Australia in the Netball World Cup final in Cape Town.

After years of near misses, 2023 was when everything came together on the pitch for Manchester City and they finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy.

Their triumph on a glorious June evening in Istanbul, sealed with a fine Rodri strike against Inter Milan, capped a memorable campaign in which they also retained the Premier League and won the FA Cup.

It was a treble achieved only once previously, by Manchester United, and City left their rivals in no doubt as to where the power now lies along the way as they swatted them aside at Wembley.

Ilkay Gundogan scored the fastest goal recorded in an FA Cup final, after just 13 seconds, as City prevailed in an all-Manchester showpiece that was more convincing than the 2-1 scoreline suggested.

The manner in which City won the title was just as impressive, clawing back an eight-point deficit in the spring to overhaul Arsenal, the highlight being a stunning 4-1 defeat of the Gunners in April.

The intensity of that performance was matched over two legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League final, with the 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium leaving few in any doubt this was a side destined for greatness.

Erling Haaland finished the 2022-23 campaign with an extraordinary 52 goals to his name yet the story of City’s season was of a fine team tuned to perfection by Pep Guardiola.

But a large cloud still hangs over the club, after they were charged with 115 historical breaches of financial regulations by the Premier League in February.

Elsewhere, Manchester United returned to trophy-winning ways by claiming the Carabao Cup and Newcastle emerged as a new force by snatching a Champions League spot.

West Ham won their first major trophy since 1980 as they triumphed in the Europa Conference League, a success that finally earned silverware for their veteran manager David Moyes. Beating Fiorentina in the final also provided a fitting farewell for Declan Rice, who later joined Arsenal.

Everton evaded relegation by the skin of their teeth with Leicester facing the drop instead, just six years after winning the Premier League. Luton, a mere 10 years after playing in the National League, defied the odds to win promotion.

Celtic won the domestic treble north of the border while on the international front, England and Scotland both qualified for Euro 2024. Wales will hope to join them.

The women’s game was dominated by the World Cup in Australia. England enjoyed a fine run to the final but fell at the last hurdle as Spain took the glory in a game that became overshadowed by post-match controversy involving Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales.

The Women’s Super League was won, for a fourth year in succession, by Chelsea.

The Paris Olympics and Euro 2024 will underpin next year’s sporting calendar.

Here, the PA news agency picks out 10 stars who are expected to shine.

Sky Brown

Britain’s skateboard superstar claimed an historic bronze medal at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and will head to Paris as the reigning world champion in the park category. Still only 15, Brown has still not given up hope of also representing Team GB in the Olympic surfing event in Tahiti.

Simone Biles

One of the world’s greatest ever gymnasts launched a spectacular return in 2023, after an extended hiatus to prioritise mental health. With a remarkable four world golds, including in the prestigious women’s all-around, Biles once again set her stall out as the star to watch in Paris.

Noah Lyles

The US track star dazzled in 2023, winning gold in both 100m and 200m at the World Championships in Budapest. Looking to build on the 200m bronze he took in Tokyo, Lyles is intent on expanding his horizons by potentially also forming a part of the men’s 4x400m relay squad.

Jude Bellingham

England’s Bellingham has made a stunning start to his Real Madrid career, scoring 12 goals in his first 14 LaLiga appearances and also becoming the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League appearances for the club. A sensational platform at Euro 2024 in Germany awaits.

Sam Walters

The 6ft 6ins Walters was one of the more dependable figures in another testing rugby league season for Leeds Rhinos, so it came as a great surprise that he was allowed to leave to join rivals and reigning Super League champions Wigan. Walters’ speed and power can only make the champions stronger.

Jannik Sinner

Speedy baseliner Sinner has been threatening to move into serious grand slam title contention for some time and the signs are that 2024 could be his year. Sinner won two of four meetings with Novak Djokovic – including a dramatic Davis Cup rubber – and more of the same is seemingly assured for 2024.

Luca Brecel

He probably will not practice and will be one of the first to write off his chances. But enigmatic Belgian Luca Brecel will return to the Crucible in April as the defending world snooker champion – and one of the few top-level current players who can boast the stamina to get to the end of the 17 gruelling days.

Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe might not be in the best of moods in relation to his club career but his importance to France – and his ability to light up the game’s biggest stages – will be in evidence during Euro 2024. Moreover, Mbappe still harbours hopes of appearing as an over-age player at the Paris Olympics.

Keely Hodgkinson

So far it has been a career of so near yet so far for the British 800 metres ace, who has had to settle for silver medals at consecutive world championships, as well as the Tokyo Olympics and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. All eyes will be on her bid to go one better in Paris.

Nat Sciver-Brunt

The all-rounder, who has landed a deal to play for Perth Scorchers in the next women’s Big Bash, will play a pivotal role when England are scheduled to head to Bangladesh in 2024 as one of the favourites to clinch the women’s T20 world title.

Manchester City will remember 2023 as the year they finally conquered Europe and all before them but there was heartbreak on the world stage for two England teams.

A fifth Premier League title in six years and a derby victory in the FA Cup final cemented Pep Guardiola’s side’s dominance of domestic football and, led by the unstoppable Erling Haaland, a first Champions League crown followed.

There could be no argument that City deserved it, with European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid comprehensively beaten before Rodri scored the only goal of a final victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul.

City have found backing up their treble a little tricky so far, with the Premier League shaping up to be a more even playing field, but Guardiola’s men have no more questions left to answer.

England’s women were attempting to follow their brilliant European Championship triumph by winning the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Sarina Wiegman’s team overcame Lauren James’ red card to edge past Nigeria on penalties before seeing off Colombia and hosts Australia but, despite the heroics of Mary Earps in goal, Spain proved too strong, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal in the final.

The biggest moment in Spanish women’s football history was soured, though, by the behaviour of then federation president Luis Rubiales, who eventually resigned after he was widely criticised for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the presentation ceremony.

England did not appear to be among the favourites heading into the Rugby World Cup but came agonisingly close to a second successive final appearance, suffering a last-gasp semi-final loss against South Africa.

The Springboks then held off New Zealand for a historic successful title defence, with Wales and Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland both seeing their hopes end in the last eight.

England’s defence of their Cricket World Cup crown, meanwhile, could scarcely have gone any worse, with only three wins from nine games in India.

The hosts were virtually flawless until the final but the hopes of a nation were dashed by a brilliant performance from Australia.

Australia also retained the Ashes after a close series, with England facing questions over their gung-ho style of play but fighting back to draw 2-2 after losing the first two matches.

Politics remained an ever-present bedfellow, with Saudi Arabia continuing their push into the sporting landscape.

LIV Golf impacted the Ryder Cup, with several familiar faces missing, but Luke Donald’s Europe stole the show over three brilliant days in Rome, defeating the US 16.5-11.5 to reclaim the trophy.

The Solheim Cup also provided plenty of drama, with Europe recovering from 4-0 down to clinch a 14-14 draw and keep hold of the trophy.

The issue of whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete amid the ongoing war in Ukraine saw Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association reverse their ban from 2022, which had resulted in strong sanctions from the ATP and WTA.

With ranking points restored, 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz stunned Novak Djokovic over five sets in one of the great Wimbledon finals.

It was the only real blip in another astonishing season from Djokovic, though, who won the other three grand slam titles to move clear as the most successful male player in history.

Coco Gauff won her first slam title at the US Open, joining Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Marketa Vondrousova in lifting the sport’s most prestigious trophies on the women’s side.

Formula One was again the Max Verstappen show, the Dutchman winning a record 19 of the 22 grands prix.

With thoughts turning to next summer’s Olympic Games, there were encouraging signs for Britain at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon and 1500 metres runner Josh Kerr took gold.

It will also be remembered as a good year for Celtic, who won the league and cup double in Scotland, Chelsea Women, who achieved the same feat in England, Gallagher Premiership champions Saracens, Super League winners Wigan, and Leigh, who claimed a brilliant Challenge Cup victory.

England will be hoping that 2024 is finally the year men’s football comes home as they go for European Championship glory.

Boss Gareth Southgate probably has one final shot at becoming the first manager since Sir Alf Ramsay to win a major trophy after several near misses over the last few years.

The scars are still there from the last Euros, where England lost the final to Italy on penalties, but the team has grown since then and head to Germany among the favourites to win.

It could be a coming-of-age tournament for Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, while Harry Kane will want a winner’s medal to go along with all of the personal accolades he has won.

Scotland are also competing in their second successive Euros, while Wales must attempt to qualify in the early part of the year.

The Olympics are back on European soil for the first time since 2012 when they head to Paris in August and hopes are high for another strong showing for Team GB.

Great Britain has been one of the leading countries in the last three Olympics and is again tipped to do well, with several realistic medal hopes in the French capital.

Skateboarder Sky Brown, runner Keely Hodgkinson, Bethany Shriever in the BMX, Jessica Gadirova and Bryony Page in gymnastics and Bradly Sinden in the taekwondo are all hopeful of topping the podium, with the likes of Jake Wightman, Dina Asher-Smith and Laura Muir also hoping it is their time.

The Paralympics follow a few weeks later and Team GB are again expected to bring home a significant medal haul.

The Olympics could also be the end point for Rafael Nadal’s tennis career.

The Spanish great has hinted that he would call time on his magnificent career in 2024 and there seems no better place than Roland Garros, where he has won an incredible 14 titles.

While Nadal’s time may be coming to an end, British star Emma Raducanu will hope that 2024 is the year her career comes back to life.

Injury has plagued Raducanu since her US Open triumph in 2021 but she is ready to return to tour in a make-or-break year to see how her career will pan out.

She will have especially high hopes on a good run at Wimbledon, which is where she burst on to the scene three years ago.

In boxing, there is a blockbusting bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia in February.

Fury is hoping to unify the heavyweight division in a money-spinning fight with the Ukrainian. If he wins, then there will be more clamour for a bout with Anthony Joshua.

Europe will be aiming to keep hold of the Solheim Cup for a fourth successive time when they take on the United States in Virginia in September.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe defended his players after a Europa League place slipped from their grasp as they tried to secure a Champions League berth.

The Magpies were dumped out of Europe all together as a result of their 2-1 home defeat by AC Milan on a night when they had one foot in the last 16 of the premier competition, then looked destined for the lesser only to end up empty-handed.

Had the game finished 1-1, Howe’s men would have taken the group’s Europa League spot with Paris St Germain having secured second place behind group winners Borussia Dortmund after a 1-1 draw in Germany, but substitute Samuel Chukwueze’s late strike ensured it was the Serie A side who claimed it instead.

Asked if they might have played for a draw as time ran down, Howe said: “We wanted to qualify for the Champions League for sure. That was very much our intention before the game and in-game.

“I’m not sure in that moment you can take that will away from the players. If you look at the goals we’ve conceded, they’ve come from mistakes that can happen in any moment whether you are being proactive or reactive.

“Of course I take ownership of that, but I’d much rather have the intention to go and attack and to try to win rather than the other way round.”

Joelinton’s 33rd-minute piledriver had put Newcastle in the driving seat and their position improved further when Dortmund went ahead, but PSG levelled minutes later and crucially, so did the Italians through Christian Pulisic.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan managed to turn a goal-bound Bruno Guimaraes shot on to his crossbar as the Premier League side sought the victory which would have kept them in the competition, but Chukwueze’s late intervention amid a chaotic conclusion proved decisive.

Howe said: “We’re desperately disappointed. It’s tough to take at the moment. The lads played very well in that first half and I thought we were good value.

“I was hoping the goal would come earlier than it did. Second half, we wanted to try to consolidate that and look for the second goal.

“I was really disappointed with the first goal we conceded because I think that is the key moment. We didn’t deal with a second-phase set-play well enough – it was an uncharacteristic goal, really, for us to concede and then the game became very transitional.

“It was end-to-end from both teams, both teams looking to win, and we conceded on one of those transitions.”

For opposite number Stefano Pioli, who headed into the game at St James’ Park under pressure and with former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic having been drafted in as a senior adviser, there were mixed feelings.

Pioli said: “We definitely wanted to continue our path in the Champions League and that is very difficult. It was a bittersweet evening.

“What we could do this evening we did. Of course we’re disappointed about the Champions League and we regret it. Clearly we’re disappointed, but we also have the conviction that we’re a team that can do well.”

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca says Patson Daka is capable of holding off Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho when both strikers are fit again after scoring in the 3-2 win over Millwall.

Zambia international Daka netted for the second game running as the Foxes came from behind to secure a victory which sent them back to the top of the Championship table, moving them one point ahead of Ipswich.

It was only Daka’s second start of the season after having to wait for his chance with injured Vardy and ill Iheanacho both missing.

Maresca confirmed that Vardy’s knee issue will keep him out of Monday’s match at Birmingham, now managed by Wayne Rooney, but Iheanacho is set to be available.

The Italian says Daka, who will go to the African Cup of Nations next month, deserves to stay in the team.

“I’ve been quite clear with them,” said Maresca.

“If you’re playing, you deserve it. If someone comes in and they’re doing well, you need to work.

“Patson is scoring goals and working hard, after three or four months of having to wait. We’re going to trust him and give him more chances, no doubt.”

Millwall took the lead through Tom Bradshaw, but second-half goals from Jannik Vestergaard, Daka and Ricardo Pereira, whose shot was deflected in off Wilfred Ndidi, settled the game.

Maresca added: “It was a tough game. We expected them in one way. But since the new manager arrived, they have played always in a line of four. Here, they came here with a line of five and two holding midfielders.

“In the first half, we were in control of the game, but without creating clear chances. At half-time, we adjusted some things.

“Instead of attacking with five, we attacked with six. We brought one more player in the last line. It was much better second half for sure.”

A stoppage-time goal from Millwall substitute Kevin Nisbet proved no more than a consolation.

“We came here with with clear plan, which is all well and good, but the players have to execute it,” said Millwall manager Joe Edwards.

“I thought they did it to a tee in the first half. We had our moments. At half-time, we were pleased with our work and knew we’d given ourselves a chance.

“We felt confident we could go and do it again. But we conceded a sloppy goal, and after that we weren’t quick enough to things. Not clinical.

“Then we started playing well again in the last 10 minutes. For two minutes at the end, it’s game on.

“You’re always hoping to win, but a draw would’ve been a great result. We felt that if we came to Leicester with a high press and went toe to toe with them, we wouldn’t get any rewards by losing 4-0.

“But we felt we wanted to show we could offer a threat. It was a frustrated place at half-time, you could feel that. That’s what we came to do. The question then is ‘how long can we sustain it?’”

Wayne Rooney admitted it was “all about winning” after the Birmingham manager celebrated his first away victory since taking charge – 1-0 at Cardiff.

The former Manchester United and England striker admitted the result was far more important than the performance, despite praising a “gritty” display.

Juninho Bacuna’s composed finish after a rapid counter-attack on the stroke of half-time proved enough to secure Rooney a second win in 10 games as Blues manager and ended a run of eight defeats in a row away from home.

“I’m delighted with the win. The performance was good but after the run we’ve been on, it was all about winning,” said Rooney.

“We dealt with Cardiff pretty well. Their set-piece is one of the best in the league and we struggled a bit with that, but in general I thought we limited them, especially in the second half.

“The performance was nothing special but we controlled things, showed plenty of grit and showed real composure for the goal.

“I was pleased with the desire to win.

“The only disappointment was that we created a few chances in the second half to break but we didn’t take care with the final pass. That has been a theme.”

Birmingham moved up to 16th in the table but face Championship leaders Leicester next.

Rooney said: “It’s crucial that we enjoy this win and build on it because we’ve got another extremely tough game coming.

“I understand the fans’ frustration that there has been a change of manager when things were going OK, but I’m confident we are moving the club forward. But until results improve, it’s hard for the fans to believe that.”

Cardiff missed the chance to move level with sixth-placed Sunderland and instead slip to 10th.

However, there were also real concern for defender Perry Ng, who was forced off after just 13 minutes with a head injury.

“He said he couldn’t see,” said manager Erol Bulut. “I don’t know what it was and I hope it is not too serious, but he just said he couldn’t see. I must speak to the medical staff.”

Bulut, meanwhile, bemoaned a tired and lacklustre second-half display that has now seen the Bluebirds score just one goal in four games.

“It’s not just the loss but the way we lost that is most disappointing,” he said.

“We did some good things in the first half but I don’t think I want to talk about the second half. We played as individuals trying to do things but that never works, you have to be a team.

“It’s not enough what we have seen in the last two games, we have to show much more. You have to fight to the end but we did not.”

Bulut was unhappy with the timing of Bacuna’s winner, deep into first-half stoppage time.

“The game should have been finished,” he said.