Jason Kidd and Kyrie Irving were frustrated by a "passive" performance from the Dallas Mavericks, who went down 109-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
The Mavs were second best throughout the opening contest of their first-round series against the Clippers, who were without talisman Kawhi Leonard.
James Harden stepped up with 28 points in Leonard's absence, Paul George chipped in with 22 and Ivica Zubac contributed a career-high 20 points, adding 15 rebounds.
Dallas, seeded fifth, shot just 38.8 per cent for the game, and were 56-30 down by halftime.
Doncic finished with 33 points, while Irving finished with 31, but the latter was deeply frustrated by the Mavs' display.
"It really centered around the foundational point of talking about physicality and this being the playoffs," Irving said.
"A lot of guys aren't used to being here. A few young guys aren't used to being here, so they don't know what they can get away with and what the refs are going to call.
"I think this was a great first test for us. We obviously failed and we came out with a loss, but I think there are some things we can take into Game 2."
Mavs coach Kidd added: "They were physical and we were passive."
For the Clippers, it was a timely reminder of what Harden is able to offer.
"I can score with the best of 'em," Harden said.
"Still can score with the best of 'em. My role for this team is just generating really good shots and making guys' jobs easier.
"And then when my number to score is called, then you score the basketball. Obviously, Kawhi is out, so my playmaking and my volume is going to go up a little bit more, and took advantage of it."
Zubac lauded his teammate's performance, labelling Harden as "one of the greatest scorers this game has seen".
"James was great," he said. "We needed him and he played great.
"He is one of the greatest scorers this game has seen. He can do that on a nightly basis. It's just the role is different for him in this game and [with Leonard out], we need him to score more and that's what he did and we all know he can do that."
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue chipped in with the praise, too, saying: "When he's scoring the basketball and making the right play, it's huge.
"He understands that he doesn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting with Kawhi and PG both on the floor.
"But if one of those guys are out, he has to step up and be aggressive to score the basketball. That is what he has been doing for us of late. I thought he really set the tone early."
Christian Horner has knocked back criticism that Max Verstappen’s stranglehold on Formula One is “boring” by describing his star driver’s unstoppable form as a “golden moment”.
Verstappen claimed his fourth win from the five rounds so far this season with a commanding drive at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix to establish a 25-point championship lead.
The Dutch driver has failed to triumph at only two of the last 23 races staged in the sport, and he is the overwhelming favourite to secure a fourth world crown in as many seasons.
Speaking prior to Sunday’s race, Lando Norris, who finished runner-up to Verstappen in Shanghai, admitted that seeing the “same driver win without a fight is boring”, and a “turn-off” for fans.
But addressing claims that Verstappen’s dominance is damaging the sport, Red Bull team principal Horner said: “You have to appreciate success. Max is a special talent and this is a golden moment for him.
“As we have seen with every single driver in the past, it doesn’t last forever. It is about enjoying the moment and being in the moment and there are no guarantees we can give him a car like this for the next five years.
“Max is just a metronome. The pace he showed last year, he has continued that through.
“And since the last Chinese Grand Prix in 2019, he has won 50 per cent of all the races. He has won 21 out of the last 23 races. He is in fantastic form, at one with the car and the team and enjoying his racing.”
Verstappen also won the first sprint round of the season in Shanghai.
The dash to the chequered flag took place before qualifying for Sunday’s main event in a rejig this year.
Verstappen, 26, has often criticised the format, and although he agreed the new schedule is better than in previous years, he urged F1 bosses not to increase the number of sprints – which is set at six this season.
“The sprint format was more straightforward that it has been but let’s not overdo it,” said the triple world champion.
“We are already doing 24 races in a season and six of these sprint events, too. I guess it sells better and the television audience numbers increase, but it also increases the pressure on the mechanics to ensure everything is tip-top.
“So, we have to deal with it, but let’s not now think that we need 12 of these (sprints) because it will take its toll on people in the sport.”
What the papers say
The top three clubs in the Premier League, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City will battle for Wolves left back Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer, according to the Mirror. The 22-year-old Algerian has played 28 Premier League games for Wolves this season and scored two goals and added an assist.
Meanwhile, Wolves are weighing up a number of players if their goalkeeper Jose Sa leaves in the summer. The Sun reports the clubs reported targets include Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher and Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson.
Crystal Palace are considering a move for 23-year-old Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika if they lose star players Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, the Sun says.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Luis Diaz: Barcelona are circling the Liverpool forward this summer, who has scored eight goals with four assists in the Premier League this season, according to Spanish outlet Sport.
Ferland Mendy: Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in Real Madrid’s 28-year-old French defender, French publication L’Equipe says.
James Harden scored 28 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers overcome Kawhi Leonard's absence and come through with a 109-97 victory over the cold-shooting Dallas Mavericks in Sunday's Game 1 of a Western Conference quarter-finals series.
Harden and Ivica Zubac each stepped up with the fourth-seeded Clippers missing Leonard due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. Zubac set a play-off career high with 20 points while grabbing 15 rebounds, while Harden went 6 of 11 from 3-point range in addition to dishing out eight assists.
Los Angeles also used a strong defensive effort to gain the upper hand in this best-of-seven series. Fifth-seeded Dallas shot just 38.8 per cent for the game and especially struggled in the
second quarter, missing 19 of 21 field goal attempts while being outscored by a 22-8 margin for the period.
The Clippers took a commanding 56-30 half-time lead behind their dominant second quarter, as they held the Mavericks' star duo of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving to a combined 17 points on 5-of-19 shooting over the first two periods.
Irving regrouped in the second half to finish with 31 points. Doncic compiled 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, but the NBA MVP finalist ended 11 of 26 from the field and 4 of 12 from 3-point range.
Paul George added 22 points for Los Angeles, which shot 50 per cent (18 of 36) from 3-point range compared to 30.3 per cent for Dallas.
Game 2 will take place Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Lillard carries Bucks past Pacers with Antetokounmpo still unavailable
The Milwaukee Bucks were also able to withstand the loss of a superstar in their series opener, as Damian Lillard set a franchise play-off record with 35 first-half points to lead the way in a 109-94 Game 1 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Lillard didn't score after half-time, though his prolific performance through two quarters was more than enough to give Milwaukee, the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed, a 1-0 series lead despite Giannis Antetokounmpo still recovering from a strained left calf he sustained late in the regular season.
The two-time league MVP's absence wasn't a major factor thanks in large part to Lillard, who tallied 19 first-quarter points as the Bucks opened up a 30-21 lead after 12 minutes before breaking the game open in the second.
Lillard put up 16 more points in the second quarter as Milwaukee outscored the Pacers by a 39-21 margin for the period to build a sizeable 69-42 lead at the break.
Khris Middleton scored 15 of his 23 points after half-time to keep the Bucks ahead by double digits the entire second half.
Middleton added 10 rebounds and Bobby Portis also notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.
Sixth-seeded Indiana received 36 points and 13 rebounds from Pascal Siakam, but the Pacers shot just 20.5 per cent (8 of 39) from 3-point range and never led after the game's initial stages.
Indiana will attempt to bounce back in Tuesday's Game 2, which will again be held in Milwaukee.
Celtics cruise past Butler-less Heat in series opener
The Miami Heat, on the other hand, had a far more difficult time dealing with two key players missing as the defending Eastern Conference champions were dealt a 114-94 loss by the top-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the teams' quarter-finals series.
Jayson Tatum registered his first career play-off triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Boston, which lost in seven games to Miami in last season's East finals.
Derrick White added 20 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 18 as Boston never trailed against an eighth-seeded Miami team playing without six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and starting guard Terry Rozier.
Butler is likely out for the series after injuring his right knee during the play-in round, while Rozier has missed the Heat's last seven games with a neck strain.
Boston set the tone right from the start by opening the game on a 17-2 run. Miami later countered with a 9-0 spurt to cut its deficit to 26-23 early in the second quarter, but that was as close as the Heat would get the rest of the day.
The Celtics answered with an 11-2 run to go back ahead by double digits, and their lead swelled to 60-45 at half-time as Tatum scored 10 points in the second quarter and reserve Sam Hauser drained four 3-pointers during the period.
Boston kept pouring it on after the break, as it built a 91-59 advantage after three quarters.
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points, while Delon Wright hit all five of his 3-point attempts in a 17-point effort off the bench.
The series resumes Wednesday in Boston.
Top-seeded Thunder hold off Pelicans in series opener
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points and converted a tie-breaking three-point play with 32.5 seconds left to play as the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 94-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the opener of another Western Conference quarter-final series.
Playing their first post-season game since 2020, the Thunder prevailed despite eighth-seeded New Orleans rallying from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to tie the contest with under four minutes remaining.
The Pelicans, who were without star forward Zion Williamson due to a left hamstring strain, had a chance to pull out the victory but CJ McCollum missed a 3-point try shortly before the buzzer.
Oklahoma City appeared to have seized control after ending the third quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 74-68 lead entering the fourth. The margin later grew when Chet Holmgren buried a 3-pointer with 10:25 remaining that gave the Thunder an 82-72 advantage.
New Orleans answered with a 9-2 spurt to get back in it and later pulled even when Herb Jones' 3-pointer created an 88-88 tie with 3:58 left.
The game remained deadlocked at 90-90 until Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled while knocking down a short floater with 32.5 seconds on the clock. The NBA MVP finalist made the ensuing free throw for a three-point Oklahoma City edge.
McCollum, who finished with 20 points, hit a jumper on the subsequent possession, and the Thunder gave New Orleans a chance at the lead when Holmgren made just 1 of 2 free throws after being fouled with 14 seconds left.
The Pelicans got the ball to McCollum with time winding down, but the veteran misfired on a contested 30-foot shot as Oklahoma City hung on.
Jalen Williams added 19 points for the Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday, while Holmgren posted 15 points and 11 rebounds.
New Orleans was led by Trey Murphy's 21 points, while Jonas Valanciunas pulled down 20 rebounds to go along with 13 points.
Newcastle striker Alan Shearer announced his retirement from football on this day in 2006.
The former England captain confirmed that his career had been brought to a close at the age of 35 after sustaining a knee injury in the Wear-Tyne derby the previous week.
In what turned out to be his final game for the Magpies, Shearer scored a penalty as his side went on to win 4-1 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
However, he was forced to call time on his playing days after tearing his medial ligament in a challenge with Julio Arca.
News of his retirement came as Newcastle faced West Brom in their efforts to secure European football.
A huge banner was displayed in an act of appreciation at the Gallowgate End of St James’ Park, showing Shearer in his famous goal celebration pose with the message: “Thanks for 10 great years.”
With their talisman sidelined, goals from Nolberto Solano and Shola Ameobi kicked off the post-Shearer era as the Magpies beat the Baggies 3-0 in front of 52,272 fans.
The crowd were sparked into full voice 15 minutes from time when Shearer briefly poked his head out of the dugout.
Shearer arrived back to his native Tyneside in 1996 after transferring from Blackburn, and went on to score 206 goals in his 10 years at Newcastle.
He is regarded as the greatest Premier League striker, scoring a record 260 goals, and won three Golden Boots during his career.
Shohei Ohtani became Major League Baseball's career home leader among Japanese-born players with a two-run shot that highlighted the Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-0 rout of the New York Mets on Sunday.
Ohtani's third-inning blast off Adrian Houser helped support a stellar start from Tyler Glasnow as two of the Dodgers' marquee offseason additions took center stage.
Glasnow scattered seven hits while striking out 10 over eight innings to improve to 4-1 since being acquired by Los Angeles from the Tampa Bay Rays in December.
Ohtani's home run was his 176th in the major leagues, breaking a tie the reigning American League MVP shared with former New York Yankees star Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese native.
Andy Pages contributed his first major league homer, a three-run shot during a fifth inning in which the Dodgers scored eight times en route to ending a three-game losing streak and preventing the Mets from sweeping the three-game series.
After Ohtani's historic home run broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, Los Angeles put the contest out of reach against Houser and reliever Grant Hartwig in the fifth.
Pages started the outburst with a lead-off double and later scored on Mookie Betts' single, and an infield hit by Ohtani loaded the bases before Freddie Freeman drove in two more runs with a double for a 5-0 lead.
Will Smith followed with a two-run double of his own to extend the margin. Four batters later, Pages took Hartwig's pitch over the center field wall to cap the big inning and give Los Angeles a 10-0 advantage.
Houser was charged with eight runs allowed after being lifted with none out in the fifth.
Rangers halt Braves' win streak behind three homers
Andrew Knizner hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the fourth inning and the Texas Rangers went deep two more times to stop the Atlanta Braves' six-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory.
Adolis Garcia added a two-run homer and Evan Carter had a solo shot as the defending World Champion Rangers overcame an early 3-0 deficit and avoided being swept in the three-game weekend series.
Atlanta had gone ahead quickly on Marcell Ozuna's MLB-leading ninth home run of the season, a three-run blast off Texas starter Michael Lorenzen in the first inning.
Lorenzen (2-0) kept the Braves off the scoreboard for the remainder of his six-inning stint, however, to help the Rangers rally in the fourth.
Carter started the comeback with a lead-off homer off Darius Vines, who later surrendered singles to Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Smith before Knizner launched the first pitch he saw into the left field seats to give Texas a 4-3 lead.
Garcia followed Carter's infield single in the eighth with a two-run shot off Tyler Matzek to extend the margin to 6-3.
The Braves got a run back in their half of the eighth when Ronald Acuna Jr. singled and later came home on Austin Riley's base hit with none out. Relievers David Robertson and Tyler Yates retired the next three hitters, however, to end the threat with two runners on base.
Yates then worked a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.
Acuna finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored, while Vines was handed the loss after permitting four runs in five innings.
Phillies finish sweep of White Sox to extend win streak to six games
Aaron Nola struck out seven over eight strong innings to help the Philadelphia Phillies extend their winning streak to six games with an 8-2 rout of the lowly Chicago White Sox.
Nola yielded just two runs on four hits to improve to 3-1 on the season, and the right-hander received plenty of offensive support as Philadelphia finished off a sweep of the three-game series.
Kyle Schwarber homered and drove in two runs, Bryce Harper also knocked in two runs and Alec Bohm went 3 for 5 with an RBI double as the Phillies completed a successful 10-game home-stand in which they won eight times.
Chicago, meanwhile, continued its worst start in franchise history as it dropped to 3-18, the lowest winning percentage in the majors this season.
The White Sox did take a 2-0 lead, however, when Eloy Jimenez followed Robbie Grossman's one-out single in the top of the first inning with his first home run of 2024.
Philadelphia quickly answered, as Chicago starter Nick Nastrini walked Schwarber and Trea Turner to start the bottom of the first before Harper delivered a single that scored Schwarber and sent Trea Turner to third.
The Phillies then attempted a double steal in which Turner stole home and Harper advanced to second on a throwing error, and Harper later came home on Brandon Marsh's single for a 3-2 advantage.
Nola surrendered just two more hits the rest of the way, and the Phillies increased their lead with three runs in the fourth on an RBI single from Turner, Harper's sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double from Bohm.
Schwarber's lead-off homer in the sixth extended the margin to 7-2, and the slugger had a sacrifice fly in the seventh to bring home Philadelphia's final run.
Nastrini was tagged for six runs - five earned - and walked five in just three-plus innings in his second major league start.
Scottie Scheffler has a five stroke lead with just three holes to play after rain halted play in the RBC Heritage on Sunday.
The US Open champion and world number one continued his great form at Hilton Head in South Carolina on the fourth day of the tournament, hitting an eagle and two birdies across 15 holes.
A storm stopped play for two and a half hours with darkness forcing a finish on Monday.
Fellow American Wyndham Clark had a strong day through his 18 holes, moving into second place with eight birdies and an eagle, but two bogeys and a double bogey stopped him from further encroaching on Scheffler’s lead.
Clark is tied with American’s Patrick Cantlay and J T Poston, who have one hole left to play and Sahith Theegala, who has three holes left to play.
Scheffler is looking for his fourth win in five starts.
The 2023-24 NBA MVP award will be won by either the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA announced the three finalists for the top individual honour with Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic being the top three vote-getters for the Michael Jordan trophy.
Jokic won back-to-back awards in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and should he win again he'll become the ninth player to win three or more MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Jordan and Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James (four), and Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson (three).
Jokic led the Nuggets to the franchise's first NBA title last season and the second seed in the Western Conference play-offs in 2023-24 after averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder to the West's top seed with an average of 30.1 points - third highest in the NBA while also leading the league with 150 steals.
Doncic averaged an NBA-best 33.9 points per game, while also ranking second in assists per game (9.8) and 3-pointers made per game (4.1).
Neither Gilgeous-Alexander nor Doncic have won the MVP award before.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is the runaway favourite to win the league rookie of the year after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and an NBA-best 3.6 blocked shots per game.
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren and the Charlotte Hornets' Brandon Miller are the other finalists.
Nottingham Forest have accused VAR Stuart Attwell of being a Luton fan after feeling they were on the wrong end of “three extremely poor decisions” during Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Everton.
Forest posted on X, formerly Twitter, soon after full-time that they were considering their options, having “warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him”, adding that their patience had now been “tested multiple times” this season.
The relegation-threatened midlands club were furious not to be awarded spot-kicks by Anthony Taylor for challenges on Giovanni Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi by Ashley Young, who in the meantime had looked fortunate to escape a handball decision, with Attwell backing the referee.
Forest posted: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept.
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game, but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.
“NFFC will now consider its options.”
All three incidents were waved away by referee Taylor, with VAR Attwell opting not to reverse any decision, suggesting with the handball that Young’s arm had been deemed to be in a natural position when it was hit by Hudson-Odoi’s cross.
Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo backed the club’s statement in the main but played down the importance of Attwell’s allegiances.
Asked whether he agreed with his club’s stance, he said: “Yes I share (the view) because I saw the images. You see it so clearly, you don’t understand why the decision was against us.
“I honestly think the situation with Gio Reyna in the first half was a clear one and the handball, we can ask because if not, the ball goes to (Chris) Wood and there is an incident with Callum and Ashley Young.
“I share the feeling of the club because it is not only this game, it has been a while for poor decisions against us. It is not an excuse but we are not comfortable with the referees.”
Nuno stopped short of repeating the club’s suggestion Attwell’s appointment as VAR raised issues of impartiality, instead choosing to question the official’s inability to spot what he thought were three viable spot-kicks.
“I am aware of the complaint that the club was not comfortable with the VAR but the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) decided another way,” he said.
“It is not important if he is a fan of another club or not. The VAR is sitting down in a chair, they have time to assess the images.
“I would just like to understand the why – why we have always been on the end of bad decisions.
“It is a feeling of disappointment that we are always being punished and it is difficult to control the players with this feeling because they felt they worked hard and not got what they deserved.”
Asked whether he thought it was appropriate for the club to complain about the appointment of officials before a match, the Forest boss said: “I prefer not to answer if it is appropriate.
“It’s a feeling and trying to avoid what happened today and not raise any more suspicions or thoughts that no-one wants. It is about preventing.”
It is not the first time Forest have been incensed with refereeing decisions, and as a result they appointed former official Mark Clattenburg as a consultant analyst to fight their corner.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Clattenburg described the three decisions as “a joke” and said Forest had been subjected to “some egregious refereeing” this season.
He added: “You will have seen the statement released by the club — how the PGMOL were contacted to warn that it was not appropriate for a Luton fan such as Attwell to play such a pivotal role in a massive match that would impact the relegation race.
“Certainly, I would not have risked this situation if I were the head of the referees and all of this could have been avoided had the PGMOL simply made smarter appointments.
“Referees do not make mistakes deliberately but this was mind-boggling to watch. Why Attwell did not send Taylor to his screen, only he will know.”
The PA news agency understands the Football Association is aware of the post and is investigating. PA has also contacted the PGMOL for comment.
Amid the furore, Everton moved five points clear of the relegation zone after goals in either half for Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil.
The only downside to the day for the hosts was striker Beto being carried off after being knocked unconscious in a clash of heads.
“He definitely came around and could understand what is going on, a good early sign,” Toffees boss Sean Dyche said.
“It was fantastic how early the medical team came around, we hope for news over the next 24 to 48 hours.”
The Everton manager was happy to have secured back-to-back home wins either side of Monday’s 6-0 humiliation at Chelsea.
“It is very pleasing considering the madness of the current situation – two wins and two clean sheets in three games, sandwiched by a horrible performance,” he said.
“The reaction was very important today.”
Real Madrid took a giant leap towards the LaLiga title after Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal secured a 3-2 win against arch-rivals Barcelona.
Bellingham fired home at the far post in the first minute of added time after Vinicius Junior’s first-half penalty and Lucas Vazquez had cancelled out goals from Barca pair Andreas Christensen and Fermin Lopez in El Clasico.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side moved 11 points clear of Barca at the top of the table with six games remaining with victory at the Bernabeu, where the visitors needed to win to preserve their title aspirations.
Atletico Madrid’s top-four hopes were dented as they followed up their midweek Champions League exit to Borussia Dortmund with a shock 2-0 defeat at Alaves, with Carlos Benavidez and Luis Rioja on target for the hosts.
Real Sociedad remain in the final European qualification place after being held 1-1 at Getafe, for whom Mason Greenwood assisted Oscar Rodriguez’s first-half equaliser after Ander Barrenetxea had given the visitors the lead.
In the Bundesliga, Josip Stanisic’s stoppage-time equaliser clinched champions Bayer Leverkusen a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund and extended his side’s unbeaten run in all competitions this season to 45 matches.
Leverkusen, crowned German title winners for the first time last week, trailed to Niclas Fullkrug’s late effort at Signal Iduna Park before Croatia defender Stanisic headed them level in the seventh minute of added time.
Third-placed Stuttgart’s 11-game unbeaten league run was halted in a 2-1 defeat at mid-table Werder Bremen.
In Serie A, Atalanta climbed back up to sixth place with a 2-1 win at Monza, with Charles De Ketelaere and El Bilal Toure on target before Daniel Maldini’s late consolation for the hosts.
Paris St Germain moved 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after a convincing 4-1 home win against Lyon, in which Goncalo Ramos fired a double with all five goals scored before the interval.
Third-placed Brest slipped to back-to-back defeats, with their bid for a top-three finish faltering after a 2-0 home defeat to Monaco.
Denis Zakaria and Takumi Minamino scored either side of half-time for Monaco, who had Eliesse Ben Seghir and Wilfried Singo sent off in added time, both for violent conduct.
Lille maintained their Champions League challenge, bouncing back from their Europa Conference League exit at the hands of Aston Villa by beating Strasbourg 1-0 at home.
Jonathan David struck early in the first half to lift Lille one point behind Brest with a game in hand.
Pep Guardiola feels his Manchester City players will need to cool off “in the fridge” after their exertions of the past few days.
City responded to last Wednesday’s draining penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid by digging in for a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
The win, secured by a late goal from Bernardo Silva, maintained their hope of defending the domestic double but Guardiola later hit out at the scheduling of the fixture.
The City boss felt his players should have been allowed more rest after their European game and he now intends to give them a break before they return to Premier League action at Brighton on Thursday.
“In the fridge for two days,” said Guardiola when asked what his plans were for his squad ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium.
“Don’t see each other, stay at home with your families. Try to rest, nothing special.
“Two days to prepare for Brighton and (Nottingham) Forest. One game at a time.”
Guardiola clarified comments after the game suggesting he could boycott media duties over the issue.
The Spaniard insisted he meant to say he would not have time to go above and beyond the usual obligations.
“No, it’s Gary Lineker – come on!” he said, in reference to the host of Saturday’s BBC TV coverage.
“If they ask for a photoshoot for the broadcasters, I’ll say no I’m busy, I don’t have time. It’s a joke for the future.
“I always attend the media because I represent this institution. I’ve always done it and will always do it, but if they ask for extra then I don’t have time.
“If you put me in a game every three days then the managers have a lot to do.”
Guardiola also praised the character of Silva, who had been one of two City players to miss in the penalties in the defeat by Real. The Portuguese had also been close to being substituted shortly before scoring his 84th-minute winner.
He said: “Always life gives you a second chance and he took it.
“I was thinking of changing it and put Oscar (Bobb) on the right but, after the goal, Bernardo is so intelligent to keep the ball. So intuitive. In that moment I could not change him.
“He was so tired but Bernardo has this special intelligence. I’m so happy, he deserves the best. They weren’t easy days for him.”
Defender William Saliba knows Arsenal have to win their remaining five Premier League games if they are going to become champions.
The Gunners returned to the top of the table after a 2-0 win at Wolves on Saturday night and are now level on points with Liverpool following their win at Fulham on Sunday.
Both sides could move further ahead of Manchester City, who were in FA Cup semi-final action on Saturday and do not play in the league until Thursday night – by which point they will have two games in hand.
The Gunners could move four points clear of City if they beat Chelsea on Tuesday night and with games against Tottenham, Bournemouth, Manchester United and Everton to come, Saliba says Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points.
“Of course, anything can happen in the last five games,” the defender said.
“If we want something at the end we have to win. It will be very tough because we are so close to Liverpool and City but we started well today and we have to keep going.
“If we want to put pressure on, we have to win, to win and keep going like this. We know it will be hard but we are prepared.”
The victory at Molineux, secured by goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard, was a good response to a difficult week for Arsenal following back-to-back defeats against Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.
“We know it’s really hard to come back after the two last games because we lost but we knew how important this game was,” he said.
“We came back with a win and a clean sheet. We are happy and we have to keep going like this. We have good experience from last year and this season too.
“We know it can be up and down very quickly so we are well prepared.”
Wolves are crippled by injuries, with all of their main attacking options ruled out or not fit enough to start.
But boss Gary O’Neil said Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina, who came off the bench against the Gunners, should be able to start against Bournemouth on Wednesday.
“I was trying to pick a team with the rest of the week in mind, trying to juggle it with just 10 available that can complete 90 minutes,” he said.
“It was a tough call but we felt we’d be able to produce that high-energy performance and get a couple of them a bit of a rest.
“Pablo’s groin settled down even further and hopefully it will do them both good not to have gone through 90 minutes and they will be feeling a bit better come Wednesday.”
Goncalo Ramos helped himself to a double as Paris St Germain went 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after a 4-1 win over Lyon without needing to call upon Kylian Mbappe.
The France international was left sitting on the bench as Ramos struck twice after Nemanja Matic’s own goal and Lucas Beraldo’s strike, with Ernest Nuamah replying at the Parc des Princes in a dress rehearsal for next month’s Coupe de France final.
Victory strengthened the champions’ grip on the title, with Monaco, who had Eliesse Ben Seghir and Wilfried Singo sent off in stoppage time, having earlier gone second after winning 2-0 at Brest to leapfrog them.
The home side, who have not lost in the league since September, wasted little time in establishing their authority, although they needed a helping hand from the unwitting Matic to do so.
Bradley Barcola, playing against his former club, made ground down the left before feeding a third-minute pass in to Vitinha, whose attempted cross clipped the midfielder and flew past keeper Anthony Lopes.
It took a last-ditch block from Jake O’Brien to prevent Randal Kolo Muani from making it 2-0 with just five minutes played, but the respite proved fleeting as Barcola flicked on Marco Asensio’s corner and defender Beraldo fired into the roof of the net from point-blank range.
Gianluigi Donnarumma had to claw away Said Benrahma’s deflected cross, but Barcola called upon Lopes with a 14th-minute strike and Kolo Muani scuffed wide after another enterprising run from Barcola, with the bulk of traffic heading towards the visitors’ goal.
O’Brien came to Lyon’s rescue once again with a perfectly-timed tackle on the goal-bound Kolo Muani after Achraf Hakimi had played him in with a fine 23rd-minute pass.
Donnarumma tipped away Alexandre Lacazette’s rising drive as Pierre Sage’s men enjoyed a period of possession, but Ramos’ thumping header from Hakimi’s cross made it 3-0 13 minutes before the break, and it might have been worse for the visitors with Barcola hitting a post from a tight angle seconds later.
Nuamah reduced the deficit with a skidding effort and then clipped the outside of a post as half-time approached, but Ramos struck again with 42 minutes gone, sliding in to dispatch Asensio’s low cross after Warren Zaire-Emery had broken at pace.
PSG laid siege to Lopes’ goal on their return and Ramos whipped a 53rd-minute shot on the turn into the keeper’s midriff, but Donnarumma had to save from Rayan Cherki and Maxence Caqueret as the visitors responded.
With Lyon opting for damage limitation after the break, clear-cut chances were at a premium for the hosts and indeed it was Donnarumma who had to repel a late attempt from substitute Mama Balde.
Erik Ten Hag insisted he was not embarrassed but admitted Manchester United “got away with it” after edging past Championship Coventry on penalties in their FA Cup semi-final.
The Premier League outfit were given an almighty scare at Wembley on Sunday as the second-tier side fought back from 3-0 down and then had a late extra-time winner disallowed for a marginal offside.
A thrilling contest ended 3-3 after 120 minutes and it was United who ultimately prevailed, 4-2 on spot-kicks, to set up a repeat of last year’s final against rivals Manchester City.
It was another highly unconvincing performance by United – which may have increased the pressure on under-fire manager Ten Hag – but the Dutchman tried to highlight the positives.
Ten Hag said: “I can’t say that word (embarrassment) because, at the end of the day, it’s about the achievement.
“I see the mistakes we make – we can’t look away from it – but it’s not an embarrassment. It’s a huge achievement.
“Even the big team from United, a decade ago, only achieved the final three times. We now have two times in two years. So that’s a good performance.
“I see we can play in very high levels but in the same match we can also go very low. That’s not explainable. It has to do with managing the game.
“I have to teach my players, clearly. We have to do better in such occasions.
“On several occasions we’ve let the result slip away but today we got away with it.”
United had looked to be cruising past an apparently inferior opponent as they opened up a handsome lead with goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
Yet the Sky Blues, who are eighth in the Championship, pulled one back through Ellis Simms on 71 minutes and then threw caution to the wind.
Callum O’Hare pulled another back with a deflected strike and Haji Wright sent the game into extra time with a stoppage-time penalty after handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Both sides hit the bar in extra time before Victor Torp thought he had snatched a dramatic winner in the closing minutes, only for VAR to rule Wright fractionally offside in the build-up.
Despite the heartbreaking manner of the loss, Sky Blues manager Mark Robins insisted there was no feeling of injustice.
The former United striker said: “If it’s the right call, it’s the right call. I think he was a toenail offside, which is disappointing. Had he cut his toenail, we wouldn’t be talking about penalties.
“This FA Cup run will be spoken about, certainly in Coventry City circles, for a long, long time.
“Whilst I’m disappointed for everybody, we can’t be too down about it. We’ve gone toe to toe with Manchester United, come back from 3-0 down and almost won it with a fourth, then lost it in a shoot-out, which can happen.
“We performed like Manchester United for that last half-hour and that’s what I’m most proud of.
“This club has been in the doldrums for so long but we’re certainly out of that period. We’ve just got to keep moving it forward, which is why we won’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
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