Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Liverpool closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to nine points after a 2-0 win over Leicester City at Anfield.

After City's 2-0 win over Brentford yesterday extended their advantage at the top, second-placed Liverpool needed to issue a response, edging in front in the first half at Anfield thanks to Diogo Jota's close-range finish.

Mohamed Salah came off the bench to rapturous applause to make his first appearance since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, with the Egyptian striker curling a sumptuous effort against the post as Liverpool pressed for a second.

That second did not look like it was going to come as chances continued to come and go, but Jota remained ruthless in the penalty area, drilling home the game-clinching goal three minutes from time.

The win moved Liverpool onto 51 points from 23 games, with leaders City having played one game more, while Leicester's poor season continued as they remain languishing down in 12th in the standings.

Meanwhile Arsenal claimed a first win in six matches in all competitions with defender Gabriel scoring the only goal in 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Victory lifted Arsenal into fifth place with 39 points from 22 games while Wolves, who could have gone above the Gunners, remain in eighth position.

-Reuters

Fox on song in UAE

Auckland golfer Ryan Fox is the leader after equalling the course record in the opening round of the latest European Tour event in the UAE.

Fox fired a blistering nine under par 63 to hold a two shot lead.

His round included ten birdies and on bogey and matched his lowest ever round on the tour.

"It was nice to get in the zone, I just felt like I had control of the golf ball," Fox said.

"I probably need to throw a couple of thanks out too, I struggled last week here with my back and I have my physio out here, and the Tour physio has helped me out over the weekend and I feel 100 per cent this week which was nice.

"Shaun Norris was nice enough to give me a putting tip on Tuesday when we played a practice round together and that seemed to work pretty well too so big shout-out to those guys.

"I hit it in the greenside trap a couple of times and got up and down. It is the kind of golf course where you feel like you've got a lot of opportunities and it was nice to take advantage of those today and then hole a couple of longer putts on some of the tougher holes to keep the round going.

"I worked hard today on just focusing on every shot, obviously my body felt a bit better today than last week, I felt like I could do what I wanted to do and I wasn't fighting it so hopefully I wake up tomorrow feeling good and I can keep doing what I'm doing."

-RNZ

Kiwi rugby league stalwart dies

Kiwi rugby league great Olsen Filipaina has died, he was 64.

He died more than two weeks after being placed on a ventilator due to kidney failure, his brother Alf announced on Facebook.

"He was a fighter and fought for 16 days in ICU but our heavenly father needed a stand-off for his Rugby League Team, and now he has the best," Alf wrote.

He had previously reported that his brother had been admitted to hospital on Jan. 13 with a stomach infection, before deteriorating with a longstanding kidney problem.

Filipaina, a centre/five-eighth, played 28 tests for New Zealand between 1977 and 1986.

Born in New Zealand to a Maori mother and Samoan father, he crossed the Tasman to join Balmain in Australia's National Rugby League in the 1980s. He played 107 NRL games and has lived in Sydney since retiring.

Nicknamed the "Galloping Garbo" because he worked as a garbage collector even while playing elite-level rugby, he was named a "Legend of League" by NZ Rugby League in 2007.

-Reuters

Eriksen not scared to play in Premier League

Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen says he has no qualms about playing with a heart-starting device implant in a league as physical as the Premier League.

Eriksen, who collapsed during a European Championship match in Copenhagen last June and was given life-saving CPR treatment, is now fitted with a special heart-starting device known as an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

The 29-year-old was forced to terminate his contract with Inter Milan in December because footballers fitted with an ICD are not permitted to play in Serie A. He signed for Brentford last month as a free agent for the rest of the season.

"I don't really have any scared feelings about it, I don't feel my ICD, so if it gets hit I know it is safe enough, "I am not scared of the challenges ahead and the bullies in the game, no."

The Denmark international said the doctors believe his cardiac arrest was a one-time occurrence as he had neither any history of cardiac issues nor family problems.

Eriksen will be unveiled as a Brentford player later today but says he is not yet ready to play his first competitive match since his collapse.

-Reuters

Vettel "surprised" F1 scrapping pre-race ceremony to support causes

Sebastian Vettel said Formula One drivers had not been consulted about the sport's plans to do away with the pre-race slot for taking the knee, and suggested the decision may have been taken for business reasons.

Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali told Sky Sports earlier this week that the sport would no longer set time aside for drivers to take the knee ahead of races, as it looks to introduce more concrete actions to combat racism.

The drivers typically used the pre-race moment, introduced in 2020, to support causes of their choice or Formula One's broader "We Race As One" diversity, inclusion and sustainability platform.

"The issues that we are tackling are not going to be gone within two years," said four-times champion Vettel ahead of the launch of his new 2022 Aston Martin challenger.

"Therefore I was a bit surprised. Probably it was getting a bit too strong and too individual for the business side of it."

Vettel, who like seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton is a staunch advocate for social justice, racial equality and environmental sustainability, was among those to kneel.

He hoped drivers would still find a way to display their support for the issues they cared about.

-Reuters

South Africa batsmen Dean Elgar has history with Devon Conway

South Africa captain Dean Elgar says friendships will be put aside when they come up against in-form New Zealand batsman Devan Conway in the first of two tests at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch next week.

Many of the touring South Africans have played with and against Conway in the country's domestic cricket, so are well aware of his qualities.

"He is playing with a different badge on his chest now and has had a great start to test cricket. His numbers speak volumes and he is in a massive purple-patch," Elgar said.

"But we don't see him as a South African guy anymore, he is living here and playing for another country."

"I am sure there will be some friendly chats off the field because a lot of guys know him and played with him and against him. But once match-day comes and you walk over that white line, it is all business, irrespective if he is your friend or not."

The South Africans are now free to train as a group after spending a week in quarantine.

-RNZ

Man arrested for hacking Neymar's account

Brazilian police have arrested a man they believe hacked into Neymar's bank accounts and repeatedly stole small sums of money amounting to more than $60,000.

Police said the alleged hacker worked at an unnamed bank where the Paris St Germain and Brazil player and his business manager father had accounts.

They arrested the 20-year-old "for defrauding bank clients", a police statement said.

Although the police did not name the player in the statement, the officer in charge of the case said it was Neymar and explained how the alleged theft occurred to Brazilian TV show Brasil Urgente.

"He got the password of his office colleague and stole small amounts of money from famous people with high net worth."

-Reuters