Jean-Philippe Mateta struck in the second half with the only real piece of quality in a nervy encounter between two struggling teams. It is now two wins and three draws from the last six matches for Glasner’s side, whose winter revival is gathering pace nicely following a sticky start to the campaign. “I feel very happy, we’re all very pleased with the result, it was not the best performance but the result was more important,” said the Eagles boss. “Most of the time we controlled the game and we scored an amazing goal, a fantastic finish from JP. “We had more chances to decide the game but we couldn’t, but I think the win was well deserved. “We didn’t give them any chances from open play and with a clean sheet you can always take the win. “It’s a big win. Now it’s not time to sit back and relax but to keep going. In four days we face Manchester City. We stay humble. There are still many things to improve but we are on the right path.” Ipswich looked the likelier to score as a low-key first half drew to a close and were denied by a point-blank save by Dean Henderson from Harry Clarke’s near-post header. Shortly after the interval Wes Burns got clear down the right and lifted an inviting cross towards Liam Delap, whose header was straight at Henderson. However, from out of nowhere Palace conjured up a lightning counter-attack to go ahead on the hour. Eberechi Eze led the charge before feeding Mateta, who surged forward with a couple of stepovers before brushing off the attention of Jacob Greaves and finishing superbly past Arijanet Muric. It was the French forward’s sixth goal of the season, and his first away from Selhurst Park. Back came Ipswich with Leif Davis fizzing in another cross for Delap, who somehow mistimed his jump and completely missed the ball from six yards. As time ticked down Greaves looped a header against the far post, with the rebound just eluding substitute Ali-Al Hamadi. “Frustrating night,” said Town boss Kieran McKenna. “It was a tight first half, we weren’t fantastic in terms of the flow of the game and didn’t create as many opportunities as we wanted. But having said that neither did our opponents. “In the second half we conceded a really poor goal and that proved decisive. We can do better than we did tonight.”
Oliver Glasner: Crystal Palace are heading in right direction after Ipswich win
Maresca led the Foxes to the Sky Bet Championship title last season before joining Chelsea over the summer. Leicester famously toasted their improbable Premier League success in 2016 with an impromptu bash at Vardy’s house. But the venue for last April’s party was not at the striker’s abode, but at Maresca’s house when the players turned up unannounced at 2am. Maresca recalled: “The best present I had from last season was when we got promoted and they arrived at my home. All the team. “This showed the connection between the players; they could go for a party at a different place but they all arrived at my home. It was a fantastic connection and I will always be thankful for them. “I was at home celebrating with my staff and my family and about two o’clock in the morning all the squad was there. We celebrated all together. “When I was a player and I won things I never thought to go to the manager’s home. That shows the connection.” Similarly to when they clinched the Premier League crown, Leicester were not actually playing when they found out they were promoted after Leeds lost at QPR. “To be honest I was at home watching the game and when it finished all the staff came over – and later the players,” added the Italian. “They didn’t knock on the door, they were in the garden and knocked on the window. What time did they leave? I don’t remember.” Vardy might not be having a party at the end of this season but he is still banging in the goals at 37 and Maresca rates the striker even more highly than England’s two top goalscorers – Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney. “People don’t realise how good he is,” added Maresca. “I know England have been quite lucky because of Kane and Rooney, this type of striker, they are fantastic. “But Jamie is, if you ask me, the best one.” Maresca returns to the King Power Stadium for the first time with Chelsea on Saturday, but he will be without captain Reece James due to a hamstring problem.NoneStock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mixed close in thin trading following a holiday pause
AP News Summary at 1:54 p.m. ESTLeyton Orient striker Daniel Agyei has ended National League Oldham Athletic's dream of a place in the FA Cup third round after Os goalkeeper Josh Keeley had scored a last-gasp equaliser to take the tie to extra time. Keeley's header in the ninth minute of added time cancelled out Manny Monthe's 47th-minute opener for Oldham and set the stage for Agyei, who had earlier missed a penalty, to win it for the League One outfit in added time at the end of the extra 30 minutes. "I think this will go down – not the game, but the moment in the game – will go down in (history)," Orient manager Richie Wellens said in a video posted on the club's X account. "Full credit to Josh because he deserves this. He has the character and the belief and I'm pleased for him and all the team." It was left to Dagenham and Redbridge to fly the flag for the National League as goals from Junior Morias and Josh Rees were enough to get the better of League Two AFC Wimbledon, who had equalised through Matty Stevens. National League North Brackley Town gave a good account of themselves against League One high-fliers Stockport County, but could not keep their cup dream alive either as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat. League One leaders Wycombe Wanderers booked their place in the third round courtesy of a 2-0 win - their 11th in a row - at National League Wealdstone, but Crawley Town squandered a 2-0 lead at home to League One counterparts Lincoln City to go down 4-3. Peterborough United scored three times inside the last 13 minutes to secure their passage with a 4-3 home win over Notts County and Bristol Rovers beat Barnsley 4-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Oakwell. Accrington Stanley went through 4-1 on penalties against 10-man Swindon Town after Tyler Walton's added-time equaliser had made it 2-2, while 2013 winners Wigan Athletic scored a 2-1 comeback victory at League One rivals Cambridge United in extra time. Elsewhere, Charlton Athletic eased to a 4-0 win at Walsall. Exeter City scored a 2-0 victory over Chesterfield. Salford City had a 2-0 success against Cheltenham Town, while Stephen McLaughlin's strike secured a 1-0 win for Mansfield Town at Stevenage and Morecambe went through by the same score at home to Bradford City.
Finalists Announced for 2025 SPIE Startup Challenge, Showcasing Innovative, Investment-ready Optics and Photonics Technologies and ApplicationsAnd manager Ruben Amorin has no problem with it. “For me, it’s a very, very good sign,” Amorin said after his team beat Viktoria Plzen to stay unbeaten in the Europa League. Hojlund scored two goals and hoped for a centering pass from Diallo to go for a hat trick in the final minutes. The Denmark striker didn't get the pass, though. Viktoria had been pushing forward looking for an equalizer, which created space for United counters. On another break shortly afterward, Hojlund opted to keep the ball. The pair then had a heated post-game exchange. “We need to feel something,” Amorin said. “If we need to fight each other, it's like a family. When you don't care, you don't do nothing. When you care — you fight with your brother, with your mother, your father.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Could the Atlanta Braves be unexpected power players in this free-agency cycle? Coming off their first non-first-place finish in the National League East since 2017, the Braves will be out for blood next season. But because they have a litany of superstars returning from injury (Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Austin Riley, etc.), not many seem to believe that Atlanta will make marquee additions. However, the rest of the NL has taken a big step forward, and the Braves should feel motivated to keep up in the arms race. The Los Angeles Dodgers are defending World Series champions, and the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies all have fantastic rosters. What should Atlanta do, then, to boost their odds at making it back to the World Series? How about adding another big bat to the lineup to pair with Acuña in the corner outfield? In fact, the Braves could kill two birds with one stone by robbing the Dodgers of one of their most reliable bats. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports recently s uggested that Atlanta could pursue All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández this winter to add to the meat of their order. "(Hernández is) a reliable power source who inked a one-year free-agent contract last season, which means, at another year older, he might be a bargain once again," Perry said. "Then again, he's coming off one of the best seasons of his career with the Dodgers in 2024. Atlanta could use his thump in the outfield." Hernández, 31, will be looking to hit it big in free agency after his 33-homer Silver Slugger campaign. Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicted that the slugger would land a four-year, $85 million contract, which would certainly be a big chunk of Atlanta's free-agent budget. If the Braves want to catch the Dodgers in the NL, though, this could be the way to get it done. Hernández could be the second-best hitter to sign a new contract this winter, and Atlanta could use him to turn their already-great lineup into a juggernaut. More MLB: Braves proposed blockbuster lands $75M three-time All-Star to replace Max FriedChurch of Scientology Food Drive Makes Thanksgiving Special for 300 Local FamiliesAmid divisions, Kurds pursue unified representation in post-Assad SyriaPresident-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ File video above: Former President Donald Trump found guilty in hush money trial In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” “Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts,” the attorneys continued, before citing the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges. “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. The Manhattan district attorney, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing , previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Trump takes office Jan. 20 . Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump has pledged to appeal the verdict if the case is not dismissed. He and his lawyers said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes.
Opposition fighters are at Damascus' gates. Who are they and what now?
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Daniels and the Commanders host Penix and the Falcons in prime time with playoff chances at stake
BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad's erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad's status Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. The insurgents' march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; and Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar, contributed to this report.As he prepares to return to a Manhattan courtroom to face the judge overseeing his transfer of property to women he defamed, Rudy Giuliani is urging him not to hold him in contempt. In a series of court filings on Christmas Eve, the former New York City mayor implored District Judge Lewis Liman to reject a demand for sanctions from a pair of election workers who accused Giuliani of repeatedly violating court orders — including blowing past deadlines and throwing up obstacles to hand over his property to satisfy tens of millions of dollars he owes them. He also claims that the mother-daughter pair of election workers he defamed in the volatile aftermath of the 2020 presidential election are not even legally entitled to receive any of his property because they failed to file an oath as required under state law. Giuliani is expected to testify at a court hearing set for January 3, where Donald Trump ’s former attorney will say that he “did not knowingly and/or intentionally and/or willingly violate or disobey” any court orders, according to a letter to the judge from his attorney Joseph Cammarata. In a separate filing to the judge written by Giuliani himself, he swore that he already turned over a long list of property to the women, just as he was ordered to. “I respectfully submit that the items which I was required to turn over, I turned over,” he wrote. “The Court should see that I gave everything that I could give.” Giuliani has given “everything” that the judge “required me to provide that I possessed, and out of an abundance of caution, additional items were provided to the Plaintiffs,” he added. The filings included lists of 42 pieces of property that he says were turned over as ordered by the court, including items removed from a storage facility in Ronkonkoma, New York, to another storage locker in Queens. “I have not intentionally or willfully disobeyed any of this Court’s orders or Plaintiffs’ discovery demands,” Giuliani wrote. “If any documents were not produced by me, it was because I did not possess them or was unable to locate them.” He wrote that he has “fully or substantially” complied with the court orders, and that he “should not be held in contempt or sanctioned.” But he also argues that the “receivership has not yet technically or legally begun” because defamed election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss never signed an oath, which “must have been administered by any person authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds by the real property law of New York State, and then filed with the Court before the Plaintiffs undertook the duties as Receivers.” “Even if the Plaintiffs could have filed the Oath at any time, the Plaintiffs failed to do so,” Cammarata wrote in a separate Christmas Eve filing. Earlier this month , attorneys for Freeman and Moss argued Giuliani “has not turned over a single dollar,” nor has he turned over a “number of specific items of personal property that he has been unambiguously ordered” to hand over — including the title to his Mercedes Benz convertible, keys to his Manhattan penthouse, valuable sports memorabilia and home furnishings. “It is unclear at this point even where those possessions are located,” they wrote in court filings. Giuliani has delivered a 1980 Mercedes Benz convertible , more than a dozen watches, and a “single diamond ring,” as well as access to his New York penthouse apartment, “but no keys or ownership documents,” leaving the women “to sort through significant logistical obstacles to a sale, including the presence of his ex-wife’s name on the title,” according to their attorneys. He also only delivered “some” of the items in a storage facility he was ordered to open for the women, they argued. During a court hearing last month , Liman warned Giuliani that he could face contempt sanctions for failing to meet his “unqualified obligation” to deliver all listed property to the women, but Giuliani “has neither complied with that obligation nor provided any explanation for why he could not do so,” according to attorneys for the women. In another hearing in November, Liman criticized Giuliani for “farcical” excuses about his assets. Following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, Giuliani falsely accused Freeman and Moss of manipulating election results in Georgia. They sued him for defamation in Washington, D.C., and in December 2023, a jury awarded them $148 million in damages. He then filed for bankruptcy, but after a protracted legal battle, the case was dismissed earlier this year to let Giuliani and his many creditors battle for control of his assets in separate courtrooms overseeing the lawsuits against him. Now, the 80-year-old former mayor faces even more financial penalties — or even jail — in the ongoing legal fallout from his false election claims during his spurious campaign to keep Trump in office. He will appear in court in D.C. on January 10, one week after he sits for a similar hearing in Manhattan, for allegedly breaking a court order against repeating defamatory statements about the women.
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