TOP STORIES:

SOC--ENGLISH ROUNDUP

LIVERPOOL, England — Virgil van Dijk becomes an instant favorite at Liverpool by marking his debut with a late goal to clinch a 2-1 win over local rival Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. By Steve Douglas. SENT: 600 words, photos.

NEW/DEVELOPING:

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HOPMAN CUP

PERTH, Australia — Switzerland, led by Roger Federer, plays Germany in the Hopman Cup final. 350 words. Match begins at 0800 GMT.

FOOTBALL:

SOC--ARSENAL-WENGER BANNED

LONDON — The English Football Association has banned Arsene Wenger from the touchline for three games after the Arsenal manager accepted he was abusive when questioning the integrity of a referee. SENT: 100 words, photo.

SOC--CONTE-MOURINHO

LONDON — Chelsea coach Antonio Conte hits back at a taunt by Jose Mourinho by suggesting the Manchester United manager has senile dementia. SENT: 300 words, photo.

SOC--ROMA-NAINGGOLAN DROPPED

ROME — A series of drunken, live Instagram postings on New Year's Eve has resulted in midfielder Radja Nainggolan being fined and dropped from Roma's squad for Saturday's match against Atalanta. SENT: 200 words, photo.

SOC--ITALIAN ROUNDUP

ROME — Giovanni Simeone scores an equalizer in added time and Fiorentina salvages a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan to extend its unbeaten streak to eight matches. SENT: 300 words, photos.

SOC--LUCERNE-BABBEL OUT

LUCERNE, Switzerland — Former Bayern Munich and Liverpool defender Markus Babbel has left as coach of Swiss club Lucerne two days after saying he did not want his contract renewed at the season's end. SENT: 100 words.

TENNIS:

TEN--QATAR OPEN

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Andrey Rublev of Russia saves a match point to reach his second career ATP Tour final with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2) win over Guido Pella of Argentina at the Qatar Open. Rublev will play Gael Monfils of France in his quest to win a second career title. SENT: 300 words.

Also:

BC-TEN-BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL. 400 words, photos by 1000 GMT.

BC-TEN-ASB CLASSIC. 250 words by 0900 GMT.

CRICKET:

CRI--AUSTRALIA-ENGLAND

SYDNEY — Usman Khawaja, on 91, goes for his first century in more than a year when Australia resumes at 193-2 Saturday on the third day of the fifth Ashes test, 153 runs behind England's first-innings total of 346. By Keiran Smith. 600 words, photos. First copy expected by 0200 GMT.

CRI--SOUTH AFRICA-INDIA

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — India's early progress was checked late on Day 1 of the first test in South Africa, with the tourists 28-3 at stumps and 258 runs behind. By Gerald Imray. SENT: 700 words, photos.

BASKETBALL:

BKO-LITHUANIA-BALL-BROTHERS

PRIENAI, Lithuania — Flying into a frenzy of camera flashes, cheering fans and funk music, the Ball family discovered in an instant just how much Lithuania has been anticipating its arrival. By Liudas Dapkus. SENT: 700 words, photos.

YOUR QUERIES: Questions and story requests are welcome. Contact your local AP bureau or the AP International Sports Desk in London by telephone at 44-2074274105 or email lonsports(at)ap.org.