Manchester City face a major risk of being knocked out of the Women’s Champion League after a 3-0 loss to opponents Barcelona in the first leg of their quarter final tie.  

Asisat Oshoala scored Barcelona’s first in the 35th minute, followed by a penalty conversion from Mariona Caldentey early in the second half. 

City then missed a penalty of their own, with Chloe Kelly failing to beat Barcelona keeper Sandra Panos.  

Jenni Hermoso then scored Barcelona’s third in the final minutes of the match, meaning City face an uphill struggle in the second leg, which will take place at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium next Wednesday.  

City were significantly hampered by the absence of their skipper, centre-back Steph Houghton, who is struggling to recover from an injury to her achilles tendon.  

Saliva concussion test hailed as a ‘gamechanger’ 

A “game-changing” trial of a pitch side saliva test to detect concussion has been carried out on male elite rugby players across the UK. 

According to the research team, who carried out the study, technology to carry out tests during competitive matches could be introduced within three to five years. 

However, the salvia test cannot yet be used on women due to a lack of data. Some reports suggest that concussion risks may be higher for female athletes than their male counterparts.   

The issue of concussion and brain injury in sport has been brought to the fore in recent years by high profile cases of early onset dementia in both professional rugby and football, with many ex-players joining legal action against governing authorities as a result.   

Manchester City to install rail seats for ‘safe standing’ 

Manchester City have confirmed they are preparing to install 5,620 rail seats at the Etihad Stadium in order to “enhance safety in an area where persistent standing occurs”. 

This comes ahead of an expected shift in government policy to allow fans to stand during top tier games.  

Fellow Premiership clubs have installed similar so-called ‘safe seating’ including Tottenham and Wolves, with Manchester United looking to follow suit later this year. 

Standing in the top two divisions of English football was banned following a review of safety measures in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, in which 96 fans died. 

Tom Daley dives into the world of crotchet

The Olympic diver Tom Daley became a crochet enthusiast during the first UK lockdown and has now progressed to creating his own version of a high-end Gucci dress. 

The self-taught crocheter’s aim was to recreate the £1,750 Gucci striped dress for his best friend Sophie and after sharing the finished result, followers said they “couldn’t tell the difference between the two.” 

As well as knitting high-end fashion, Tom also spends his time knitting cardigans, jumpers and even soft toys for his two-year-old son, Robbie, adding: “It is strangely therapeutic, my happy place is now on the sofa with knitting needles.”