Crystal Palace 1 Sunderland 0

YOU’RE AWAKE. Barely. You now have hours left to snag a last-second winner with a sports gift for the special person in your life. Let Michael Moynihan take you by the hand.

STEPHEN KENNY boarded a flight back to Scotland at six o’clock this morning to report for duty with Dunfermline, undoubtedly hoping he can imbue his team of SPL strugglers with the same never-say-die attitude as he did with Derry City.

WHATEVER their fate in next Sunday’s provincial decider against Dr Crokes, the Nire will long remember their epic Munster senior football championship semi-final replay victory over Tipperary champions Aherlow at windswept Fraher Field, Dungarvan, yesterday.

TITLES are never won before Christmas but they can be lost, and Reggie Corrigan is adamant Leinster can make a significant hole in Ulster’s Magners League aspirations tomorrow in Ravenhill.

THESE are busy times for Toomevara GAA PRO Tommy Shanahan.

SIMON RAIWALUI, the Saracens and Fijian lock, captain of the Pacific Islanders, will be forever grateful for the opportunity to play against Wales, Scotland and Ireland on a whistle-stop tour of northern Europe.

POLITICS has evolved so much in this country that if you want to get ahead in public life, all you need to do is embroil yourself in a spot of bother.

ARSENAL captain Thierry Henry would love to be able to have a friendly chat with referees — just like in rugby.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own. Today, and every Tuesday, he will be acting as referee on your opinions on the Premiership. Let him know what you think and he’ll argue the toss with you. We’ll be offering a free sports prize to the star contribution each week.

AN HOUR after the final whistle in this thrilling Limerick county senior final yesterday, the Gaelic Grounds was still buzzing, the celebrating Bruree supporters milking the last few drops of a fantastic occasion for the club.

SPANISH champions Barcelona sent out a warning shot to Champions League opponents Chelsea last night as they opened up a three-point lead at the top of the Spanish Primera Liga after their nearest rivals all faltered.

STEPHEN HUNT had waited 26 years to realise his dream of starting a Premiership game; within as many seconds of its kick-off he had also achieved notoriety.

A WIN is a win, even if the performance leaves a lot to be desired — that was the attitude of Cork Con manager Brian Walsh after this opening-round AIL Division 1 game at Temple Hill on Saturday.

DANIEL LEO makes no qualms about it. He would prefer to be in Dublin as a member of the Samoan national team but the Pacific Islanders concept is, he admits, the next best thing.

RYAN GIGGS has admitted Manchester United only have themselves to blame for allowing their Champions League dream to go right down to the wire.

Porto threw Champions League Group G wide open with a deserved away win over CSKA Moscow in the Lokomotiv Stadium last night, but their stay at the top was short-lived.

WILL the real Neil Best please stand up? “I don’t really like fighting, people get injured and lose teeth. My dentist charges enough as it is, I don’t want to give him any more money!” he told RTE, on accepting his man-of-the-match award at the end of a bruising encounter yesterday.

ULSTER continue their search for the form that will take them to the knock-out stages of Europe after going down to a tense 21-15 defeat at Llanelli last night.

ROBERT Dipierdomenico hasn’t changed much in two decades. He’s as broad across the shoulders as he was back in 1984, when he starred for Australia in Compromise Rules games against Ireland.