ESP ALTO DE L’ANGLIRU: Chris Froome virtually secured overall victory in the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday by extending his lead over Vincenzo Nibali as Alberto Contador won the 20th queen stage in his final race before retirement.
Barring disaster in Sunday’s parade around the center of Madrid, Froome, who now holds a lead of 2min 15secs over Nibali, will become just the third rider in history to win the Tour de France and Vuelta in the same year.
Home favorite Contador sealed a dream send-off by claiming the first stage win of the race by a Spaniard in a time of 3hr 31min 33sec for the 117.5km from Corvera de Asturias to Alto de l’Angliru.
A three-time former winner, Contador, 34, claimed his sixth career Vuelta stage victory as he distanced the race leaders at the start of the brutal climb up Angliru.
However, he just missed out on climbing onto the podium as he moved up to fourth overall.
Russia’s Ilnur Zakarin leapfrogged Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman into third.
Froome was again well protected by his Sky team in the chasing group behind, before attacking himself two kilometers from the finish line to take third on the stage behind teammate Wout Poels.
Nibali’s hopes of launching a challenge for the leader’s red jersey were undermined by a minor crash on a sharp descent before the climb to Angliru began as the Italian finished 34 seconds behind Froome in sixth.
Froome all but wins Vuelta as Contador rules penultimate stage
Froome all but wins Vuelta as Contador rules penultimate stage
Man United climb to third, Fulham sink sorry Spurs
- Red Devils have taken their tally to 19 points from a possible 21
LONDON: Benjamin Sesko stretched his hot streak with the winning goal as Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to go third in the Premier League, while Tottenham failed to dispel relegation fears after defeat at Fulham.
Sesko was handed his first start in seven games since Michael Carrick took charge at Old Trafford and rewarded his boss with another vital goal to edge United closer to a return to the Champions League.
Palace had taken an early lead at Old Trafford when Maxence Lacroix outmuscled Leny Yoro to guide in a header from Brennan Johnson’s corner.
But United hit back to remain unbeaten under Carrick and take their tally to 19 points from a possible 21.
The game swung on one incident as Lacroix was sent off and conceded a penalty for pulling back Matheus Cunha just before the hour mark.
Bruno Fernandes confidently stroked the resulting spot kick past former teammate Dean Henderson.
Fernandes was then the creator for the second as his curling cross was powered in by Sesko.
The Slovenian has now scored seven times in his last eight appearances to quieten critics of his £74 million ($100 million) price tag after a slow start to his career in England.
Tottenham remain perilously poised just four points above the relegation zone as interim boss Igor Tudor again failed to halt their alarming slide after a 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage.
Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi gave Fulham a deserved half-time lead as they moved up to ninth and back into contention for European football next season.
Richarlison headed in a late consolation for Tottenham, but they remain the only Premier League side without a win in 2026.
The one crumb of comfort for Spurs was defeat for relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, 2-1 at Brighton.
All three goals arrived in the first 15 minutes as Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck netted for the Seagulls either side of Morgan Gibbs-White’s reply.
Forest sit two points above the drop zone ahead of a daunting trip to Manchester City on Wednesday.
