Vladimir Coufal has backed “unbelievable” Declan Rice to win silverware with Arsenal this season despite suffering Carabao Cup defeat on his return to West Ham.

Rice joined Arsenal for £105million in the summer after a decade with the Hammers, who he captained to Europa Conference League success in his final match with the club.

The 24-year-old has started the season in fine form but was unable to help the Gunners fight back in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Rice came off the bench to a mixed reception as the hosts ran out comfortable 3-0 winners courtesy of a Ben White own goal and second-half strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.

West Ham will now face a trip to Liverpool in the quarter-finals, but Coufal believes Rice will add to the Community Shield won by Arsenal in August.

“I think they’ll win something for sure,” the Czech Republic full-back said.

“They’ve won the Community Shield already, so he already has a trophy with Arsenal. I think they’re not too disappointed to lose this game.

“It was something special, to see him on the other side of the pitch. He’s doing an incredible job for Arsenal, even better than he did for us.

“He’s an unbelievable player. It was strange to see him in different colours but we wish him all the best. He came into our changing room to say hello and see how we are.”

Arsenal may still be contesting for the Premier League and Champions League, with the FA Cup yet to come, but Coufal is targeting Carabao Cup success to add to the winners’ medal in the Europa Conference League.

“Of course we would like to win another trophy,” he said.

“It’s still very difficult. We know Man City are out, Man United, now Arsenal, but still there are a lot of good teams remaining.

“Every win against a team from the top six or top end of the table is really good. It was Carabao Cup but we needed this win after three difficult defeats in a row.”

Mikel Arteta made six changes to the Arsenal side that lost in east London but his starting XI still boasted nine full internationals.

One of the most experienced of those, Italy midfielder Jorginho, captained the visitors and he is pleased they can attempt to quickly bounce back from the defeat as they travel to face Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

“It’s great that the game is in three days because it’s a chance to turn things around, and turn this feeling because it’s not the best feeling, of course,” he said.

“We can go and try to put things right. The only thing we can take from this tough result is how we need to be much better at competing for the next game, because if you’re going to play at this level, you won’t win for sure.

“So that’s what I think we need to improve on for the next game to try and win there.”

Under-fire Erik ten Hag says Manchester United need to “stand up” and work “shoulder by shoulder” to turn around a season that is threatening to go into a tailspin.

Old Trafford is under the spotlight after two 3-0 home humiliations in the space of four days ratcheted up the pressure on a club enduing their worst start to a campaign since 1962-63.

Sunday’s derby defeat at the hands of rivals Manchester City was compounded by Newcastle on Wednesday, who comfortably won the repeat of February’s Carabao Cup final.

It underlined just how far things have gone off track since the sides met at Wembley, with United now having lost eight of their 15 matches in all competitions this term.

“This is not good enough and we know that,” manager Ten Hag said after Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall and Joe Willock struck for Eddie Howe’s Magpies.

“We were in the game and then in a couple of minutes we are giving the game away.

“That’s below our standards and we know that all and we have to take responsibility for this.”

United’s performances have been as much a concern as the results, leading pressure to mount on Ten Hag just 17 months after starting in the post.

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Bookmakers’ odds on him leaving have been slashed, but the defiant Dutchman said he was a “fighter” as United prepare for three key games before November’s international break.

Premier League matches away to Fulham and home to Luton bookend next Wednesday’s trip to Copenhagen as they attempt to keep their Champions League campaign alive.

Asked how he lifts everyone ahead of the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at Craven Cottage, Ten Hag told MUTV: “Yeah, but that is our job. We sleep and (Thursday) we have to go again, so we have to stand up.

“(Sticking together) is the only way, the only way we do it, shoulder by shoulder, then we will come through this.”

Ten Hag has repeatedly spoke about togetherness in recent weeks and has taken hope from the misfiring squad’s ability to get narrow victories over the line.

But players continue to underperform, both individually and collectively, and confidence appears to be an issue at United.

“Yeah, that’s normal,” Ten Hag said. “But you only get your confidence when you take responsibility, when you fight, starting from winning your battles, winning and dictating the ground on the pitch.

“When you do that, then you get results and from there on you build your own confidence.

“So, confidence is something that is in your own hands (as an) individual but of course you have to do it as a team.

“You have to stick together and you have to do it together.”

No players spoke to the media after United’s latest embarrassment at the hands of Newcastle, with the team booed at both half-time and the final whistle.

A number of supporters had made an exit before full-time, but on a night of understandable frustration there remained supportive chants from sections of the Old Trafford faithful.

“The crowd were behind us, so I have to congratulate the fans,” Ten Hag added. “They were all game behind us – we didn’t deserve but they were.

“We tried to fight but we make easy mistakes and they took the chances.”

The British horseracing industry has launched a petition urging the UK government to halt the planned introduction of what are seen as intrusive affordability checks.

By 11am on Thursday over 10,000 had already signed the online petition just hours after it had been posted, which it says could push punters towards black markets.

The Gambling White Paper published in April outlined plans to introduce blanket affordability checks which the industry as a whole has come together to rally against.

Racing industry experts have warned of a “catastrophic” impact on horse racing, with more than half of 14,000 people who recently took part in a survey suggesting they would walk away from the sport rather than provide personal financial information.

Independent estimates say up to £250million could be lost in revenue over the next five years.

Although it is registered in the name of Nevin Truesdale, chief executive of the Jockey Club, the petition is launched on behalf of Britain’s horseracing industry, which supports more than 85,000 jobs and contributes £4.1billion to the UK economy each year.

Its online citation reads: “We want the government to abandon the planned implementation of affordability checks for some people who want to place a bet. Such checks – including assessing whether people are ‘at risk of harm’ based on their postcode or job title – are inappropriate and discriminatory.

“The proposed checks could see bettors having to prove they can afford their hobby if they sustain losses as low as £1.37 per day. We accept the need to help those with problem gambling but more intrusive checks triggered at a higher threshold risks bettors moving to the black market where there are no consumer protections or safer gambling tools. There will also be a negative impact on British horseracing’s finances due to a reduction in betting turnover and resulting fall in Levy yield.”

Truesdale said: “The horseracing industry is hugely supportive of changes which directly address problem gambling, especially in the digital age we are in and we welcome the reform of the gambling laws which will result from the white paper, once it passes through the Parliamentary legislative process.

“However, the proposed and ongoing affordability checks are a significant infringement on personal freedom and have the potential to impact unfairly on two groups of people – the millions who gamble responsibly every year and the tens of thousands whose livelihoods depend directly and indirectly on horseracing.

“It is deeply disturbing that racing fans may have to prove they can afford to lose what amounts to less than £10 a week having a flutter on the sport they love, in particular when you consider the extremely low percentage of problem gambling in relation to horseracing. Nowhere else in society do we see this level of intrusiveness from the government when it comes to people’s legitimate hobbies.”

Truesdale added that a major concern regarding the government’s plans is that the checks themselves will not actually succeed in addressing the biggest issue they have been designed to tackle.

“If you introduce these blanket checks as they have been proposed, all it will actually do is create issues and friction for people, most of whom bet perfectly responsibly,” he said.

“We would like to see a much more targeted system of checks, which specifically respond to other markers of harm rather than just a blanket affordability check that will do nothing to address the underlying issue.”

Should 100,000 sign the petition it will be considered for debate in parliament.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes Jarell Quansah underlined his potential by producing a “top game” in tricky conditions at Bournemouth.

The 20-year-old defender helped the much-changed Reds set up a Carabao Cup quarter-final against West Ham with an assured performance in Wednesday’s 2-1 success at Vitality Stadium.

The England Under-21 international was forced to contend with relentless rain and swirling winds on just his fourth senior start for the Reds as Storm Ciaran hit the south coast.

Manager Klopp praised his players’ professionalism in successfully battling the adverse weather and singled out centre-back Quansah for special praise.

“He was really good,” said the German.

“In these circumstances, wow. So many difficult balls to judge, to estimate where it is coming down.

“He did really well. On the ball, Caoimhin (Kelleher) thought ‘give him the ball quite a lot and let’s see what he can do’.

“He did really well there. Yes, top game, absolutely.”

Quansah made his Liverpool debut at Newcastle in late August, having spent the second half of last season on loan at League One club Bristol Rovers.

The 20-year-old was voted man of the match by Reds supporters after Darwin Nunez’s stunning 70th-minute winner in Dorset secured progression to the last eight.

Cody Gakpo marked his first start since suffering injury at Tottenham on September 30 with the first-half opener before Justin Kluivert’s maiden goal in English football brought Bournemouth level.

Substitute Nunez unleashed an eye-catching effort into the top right corner just 10 minutes after coming off the bench to find the net for the third successive game, earning acclaim from fellow goalscorer Gakpo.

“It was an amazing goal,” the Netherlands forward told Liverpool’s website.

“I think for the players it’s not really a surprise as we see his quality every time in training and in games as well.

“Now he’s just in a great run and we are there to support him and he is there too, supporting us to keep this fantastic run for him and for us as well.”

Dutch forward Kluivert hopes to become more prolific after breaking his Bournemouth duck in his ninth appearance since his summer move from Roma.

The diminutive 24-year-old briefly brought the Cherries level with a close-range header from Alex Scott’s corner in the 64th minute.

“I’m super happy for that,” he told afcbtv. “We had to wait on that a while but I’m happy that it came and I’m looking forward to scoring a lot more.

“It was nice with the head, there are not a lot that I make in my career.”

 He added: “I’m extremely proud of the lads. We fought to the end and unfortunately, they got the better hand with a great goal.

“We can take a lot of positive things and with a good mindset head to the next game (at Manchester City on Saturday).”

Hamish will attempt to successfully complete an unbeaten 2023 season when he lines up in the rearranged Betfred St Simon Stakes at Newmarket on Friday.

William Haggas’ stable stalwart, who is owned by the trainer’s father, Brian, has won all three outings this term and was last seen winning easily at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

He will now race on the Rowley Mile for the very first time, bidding to go one better than when second in the race when held at its usual home of Newbury 12 months ago.

“We need some more rain really, but I think the ground will be pretty soft,” said Haggas.

“Newmarket is a completely different test for him. He’s a quirky horse so it will be interesting to see how he copes. We have never contemplated running him here, but there is a first time for everything I suppose.

“He is a useful horse. He’s in good form, so we’re hopeful.”

It was Max Vega who denied Hamish in the race last year and he is one of two in the race for trainer Ralph Beckett, alongside stablemate Lone Eagle.

Charlie Appleby’s King Of Conquest steps up in trip having pushed Haggas’ My Prospero close at Goodwood in September while Karl Burke’s Al Qareem has been in brilliant order since returning from a layoff and adds extra spice to the contest in search of a hat-trick.

“We chose to run here rather than go to France (for the Prix Royal-Oak). We just felt near enough two miles on heavy ground would be hard work for him when you add in the travelling as well,” explained Nick Bradley, managing director of owners Nick Bradley Racing.

“I think the race is strong enough, the last two times he has been headed and fought back and I would be pretty hopeful, but Hamish is obviously in there as a very good horse.

“We go there expecting a big run and soft ground over a mile and a half might be perfect for him. I don’t quite know what his optimum is, when he won his Group Two it was over further on soft ground, but right now this is what I would choose – a mile and a half and soft ground.”

The Bradley silks will be carried for the first time by Grant Tuer’s Nottingham scorer Je Ne Sais Quoi in the supporting Irish EBF “Bosra Sham” Fillies’ Stakes, a race that has attracted 15 two-year-old fillies.

Chief among some talented youngsters in the field is Richard Hannon’s Serene Seraph who was placed behind a number of quality operators in her first two starts before opening her account in style at Newbury.

She now makes her first start for new owners Wathnan Racing and connections are confident she will handle the drop back in trip as they search for some end-of-season black type.

“She will take her chance coming back a furlong but I think she will get away with it,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser for the owners.

“It looks like very testing ground as it was at Newbury when she won last time.

“She has some very strong form in the book and we were keen to have a go at some black type before putting her away for next year.

“She’s a big filly and she will only be better next year, but Richard is very happy with her and we are happy to take a chance.”

Dual Group One winner Mostahdaf will retire to the stallion ranks at Shadwell’s Beech House Stud after his final career start in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf on Saturday.

The Frankel colt is trained by John and Thady Gosden for owner-breeder Shadwell, the racing operation of Sheikha Hissa.

His five-year-old campaign has been a great success with victories in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York, performances that see him lining up at Santa Anita on a mark of 128 with nearly £2.5million in prize-money earnt so far.

Beech House Stud in Newmarket is newly refurbished and will become the home of all Shadwell’s UK-based stallions, meaning Mostahdaf will stand alongside Baaeed, Tasleet and Mohaather.

Angus Gold, Shadwell’s racing manager, said: “Mostahdaf has been a top-class horse for the last three seasons, from showing his speed when winning five of his six races as a three-year-old between seven furlongs and a mile; he then displayed his clear versatility and ability over further.

“Since winning the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia by seven lengths earlier this year, he has come from behind to beat the best 10-furlong horses in Europe at Royal Ascot, and then made all in the Juddmonte International. At York he highlighted both his speed and class by running six of the last eight furlongs under 12 seconds.

“Mostahdaf never missed a day’s training and was a thorough professional throughout his career; his enthusiasm for his work, together with his outstanding physique and speed, should make him a very attractive prospect for breeders.”

John Gosden added: “Mostahdaf has always been a pleasure to train. Sound and always positive and generous in his work. His action is superb and fluent with a high cruising speed and electric acceleration. A horse who has been very consistent throughout his career.”

In other stallion news, Juddmonte have announced the Ralph Beckett-trained Irish Derby winner Westover has been sold and will stand at Yushun Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan for the 2024 season.

He will be syndicated, and a fee is yet to be determined.

Slough boss Scott Davies is back involved in the FA Cup first round but this time the only rush he is seeking is the high of a win.

Davies, who is candid enough to admit he lost his professional career because of gambling, was a player at Crawley when they reached the fifth round in 2012.

Under the stewardship of Steve Evans, Crawley won four ties before they were beaten by then-Premier League opposition in Stoke, but Davies laughs upon the realisation that he did not contribute towards that run.

“It sounds normal for me, but I fell out with the manager that season, so I didn’t play a big part at all,” Davies told the PA news agency ahead of sixth-tier Slough hosting Sky Bet League Two outfit Grimsby on Sunday.

Except that is no longer normal for a player once so crippled by a gambling addiction that he quit the professional game at the age of 26 after losing more than £200,000.

Davies’ relationship with gambling started a decade earlier when he walked into a bookmaker to kill time after training with Reading’s youth team, but in the flash of an eye his £50 weekly wage had been swallowed by the roulette machine and he suddenly had no money for the £1.50 bus fare to training.

Across the next 10 years the midfielder would score against Chelsea in pre-season, but blow his chance to work with ex-Royals boss Brendan Rodgers, regularly bet on himself, waste a £30,000 signing on fee in a fortnight and hurt the people closest to him.

Plenty of wake-up calls were ignored: sleeping in his car, bailiffs knocking at his door and even a crash when he was watching horse racing on his phone.

But a year after being released by Oxford, the sight of his emotional mother outside a bookmaker tipped Davies over the edge and he subsequently checked into rehab at Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance clinic in 2015.

He said: “My rock bottom was when I lost my football career ultimately because of my gambling.

“I didn’t deserve to be a professional footballer any longer because I wasn’t living the life of a professional.

“It was around a year after I came out of the professional game when I was playing in non-league that it hit me like a ton of bricks.

“I lost my identity of who I was, I didn’t have any structure, focus or routine in my life and I found myself self-harming in my kitchen in 2015, which was a dark place.

“I look back now and realise I tried to deal with the problems myself when I wasn’t equipped to do that.

“When I started talking about the issue, I felt like I started to overcome it and it has been over eight years now since I had a bet.

“I’ve definitely turned a corner for the better and I am in a good place.”

Davies has transformed his life since leaving rehab and now regularly visits Premier League and Football League training grounds to share his story as part of his work with EPIC Risk Management, a global gambling harm minimisation consultancy.

While the 35-year-old believes football is finally starting to take gambling seriously, with more education and better help on offer, he has been saddened by the plight of Brentford forward Ivan Toney and Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, both of whom are currently serving bans for betting on the sport.

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“We want the integrity of our game to be kept at the highest level possible, but I also find it extremely sad that people are struggling with addiction,” Davies added.

“We sometimes forget the person involved and just look at the story. No one has a bet with the intention of losing their career, but sometimes addiction can take over.

“From what I am reading, Tonali and Ivan Toney have definitely had an issue with gambling and hopefully they come out on the right side and get the help they need.

“I am actually really forward to seeing Ivan Toney come back. For me it will be great to see he has recovered from any issues he might have been facing and got the help he needed.”

The ‘new Scott Davies’ is approaching a year in management, happily married and content with life.

Davies, who has made 179 appearances for Slough since 2018, masterminded a successful survival mission in the National League South last season after being named permanent player-boss in November.

Now into his first full campaign as a manager, Davies will take on a Football League side on Sunday when Grimsby visit a sold-out Arbour Park, but the former Reading protege has no current desires to return to the pro game.

Davies added: “A lot of people say I should get my badges and focus on getting to the Football League as a manager, but I’m very different.

“With what I have been through in my life and where I have been, I am quite content and happy with what I am doing at the moment with being player-manager at Slough and working with EPIC.

“I take each day as it comes, like I have done for probably the last eight years.

“The regrets I have in football I am definitely making amends for now. I know I can get some unbelievable days as a manager and hopefully one of them starts with a win on Sunday.”

An emotional Ons Jabeur announced she will donate some of her WTA Finals prize money to help Palestinian victims of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

After beating Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-3 in a reversal of the Wimbledon final for her first victory at the tournament in Mexico, Tunisian Jabeur broke down in tears during her post-match interview.

“I am very happy with the win but I haven’t been happy lately, to be honest with you,” said Jabeur.

“The situation in the world doesn’t make me happy. It’s very tough seeing children, babies, dying every day. It’s heartbreaking. So I’ve decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians.

“It’s not a political message, it’s just humanity. I want peace in this world and that’s it.”

Jabeur will need to beat Iga Swiatek in her final group match to have a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Second seed Swiatek has been in fine form in Cancun, defeating Coco Gauff for the ninth time in 10 meetings on Wednesday night.

The US Open champion double-faulted four times in a row during the second set in a 7-5 6-0 loss, with errors costing her dearly.

The win means Swiatek, who can overtake Aryna Sabalenka to reclaim the world number one spot this week, is the first female player to record 65 or more tour-level wins in back-to-back seasons in nearly two decades.

Swiatek is the only player to record 65 wins in 2023, with Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz on 64 and 63 wins respectively.

A prospective Saudi Arabia World Cup is taking football back to a “dark time”, according to Human Rights Watch.

FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 tournament after a process lasting less than a month and with only interest from Asian and Oceanian federations permitted.

While it still needs to be rubber-stamped, probably at FIFA’s Congress late next year, this appears little more than a formality.

In a statement to the PA news agency, Minky Worden, director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said: “FIFA awarding the World Cup without any competition or transparent bidding and assessment process takes us back to the dark time for football that delivered the Qatar and Russia World Cups in a corrupt process that led to years of arrests.

“With more than 11 years until the 2034 World Cup, why were all other federations that had previously expressed an interest in bidding to host a World Cup discouraged or disallowed?”

In announcing the bids, FIFA stressed that its dialogue with Saudi Arabia prior to the Congress will include ensuring its human rights obligations are met, but Worden has low expectations.

“The previous due diligence process to assess bids and deal with predictable human rights problems wasn’t perfect – but it existed,” she said.

“FIFA’s human rights policy will be worth less than the paper it’s printed on if Saudi Arabia’s bid goes forward as planned.”

Royal Ascot winner Bradsell has been scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

In a huge blow to connections the King’s Stand Stakes hero will not be taking his place in the field.

He had been seen in action on the Santa Anita track on Wednesday but overnight trainer Archie Watson informed Breeders’ Cup officials Bradsell would not be running.

In the absence of usual partner Hollie Doyle, who is suspended, he was due to be ridden by Luke Morris but unfortunately for those concerned Bradsell will be absent when the field lines up on Saturday.

European interest in the race now rests with Nunthorpe winner Live In The Dream and Aidan O’Brien’s Aesop’s Fables.

Great Britain sprinter Joe Truman knows he has a point to prove as he targets an Olympic debut in Paris next summer.

The 26-year-old saw his Tokyo dream dashed by a back injury which hampered him for the best part of two years, and his return to action did not go smoothly either – he was knocked out cold in a high-speed crash in the keirin at the Commonwealth Games last summer.

But those frustrations are now fuelling Truman as he looks to fulfil his long-standing ambition to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.

“I feel like I’ve missed a lot of opportunities,” Truman told the PA news agency.

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“Even at the Commonwealth Games last year, I was looking forward to racing in the sprint and the kilo (time trial) which I never got to do.

“I think I’ve got a point to prove but I’m just going out to make myself better. If for the next eight months I can go into every week smashing it, doing whatever I can, leaving no stone unturned, then I’ve nowhere to hide really.

“My main motivation is to put right the opportunities I’ve missed for various reasons. It is very good fuel really. You don’t want to end your career with any ‘what ifs’ so I’m really putting my best into every session.”

Truman’s ambitions have led him to the UCI Track Champions League, the made-for-TV series which is midway through its third season, as he looks to build up his race experience.

This is the first year the Champions League has taken place in a pre-Olympic year and although organisers moved it forward by a month, a number of star riders nevertheless chose to sit out this season to not disrupt their training. Truman took the opposite view.

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“(Getting to Paris) would be massive,” he said. “It would be making good on eight years’ work. That’s what I want most out of the next year, and that’s the reason I’m here.

“Some others didn’t want to do it because they didn’t think it would be good preparation but I saw it as the opposite. It’s a good opportunity to get some race practices in. For me, in the keirin, the Commonwealth Games I’ve only ridden the keirin once.

“I really need to get some more experience because I want to go to the Games competitive in all events, not just the team sprint, so something like this has a lot of positives in it.”

After years of setbacks, Truman feels like he is approaching his best form again at just the right time.

He surprised himself with a time of 59.092 in the one kilometre time trial at the World Championships in Glasgow in August, narrowly missing out on a medal.

At the opening round of the Champions League in Mallorca last month, he made it to the semi-finals of the sprint and came out of the night in fourth place overall in the men’s sprint standings.

Although there was disappointment a week later in Berlin, Truman will approach Paris this weekend with optimism before his primary target – the closing two rounds in London on November 10-11.

And Truman said the competition, which is an invitation-only event based on results, was a good environment to try new things.

“It’s a big occasion, televised worldwide and good crowds, especially in London where I want to show my nose, but it’s a strange mix – you’re not expecting much from yourself physically but mentally you want to go well,” he said.

“The best training is when you’ve got a number on your back. That’s when you get the best out of yourself.”

The Boston Celtics remained perfect on the season and scored the second-most points in their storied history in a 155-104 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 12 rebounds in three quarters as one of eight Celtics to score in double figures.

Derrick White scored 18 points, Jaylen Brown added 16 and Jrue Holiday had 15 as Boston won its fourth straight and joined Dallas as the only unbeaten teams left in the NBA.

The only time the Celtics scored more points in a regular-season game came in a 173-139 win over the Minneapolis Lakers on Feb. 27, 1959.

The Celtics made 16 of 21 shots in the first quarter with eight 3-pointers and had 75 points by halftime for the second straight game.

Mavericks hit 20 3s to stay unbeaten

Grant Williams matched career highs with 25 points and seven 3-pointers as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Chicago Bulls 114-105 to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2004-05.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had 24 points with seven 3s and Luka Doncic added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who went 20 of 48 from long range and limited the Bulls to 11 for 33.

Zach LaVine scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic added 21 and 20 rebounds as Chicago failed to win two straight for the first time this season.

Thompson lifts Warriors with last-second basket

Klay Thompson drained a 17-footer with less than a second remaining and the Golden State Warriors got past the Sacramento Kings, 102-101.

Domantas Sabonis hit a 20-footer with 15 seconds left to give the Kings a one-point lead, but Thompson answered from just inside the key with 0.2 seconds left.

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 21 points, Dario Saric added 15 and Thompson and Andrew Wiggins had 14 points apiece.

Sabonis finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds as Sacramento dropped its seventh straight regular-season road game in the series.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has beaten American Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals in Mexico.

The American world number three felt the pressure from her Polish opponent, double-faulting four times in a row during the second set on Wednesday in Cancun.

The errors cost Gauff dearly as she gifted the upper hand to Swiatek.

Gauff could not mount the comeback as Swiatek secured the win 7-5 6-0 as she hopes to take back the world number one crown from Aryna Sabalenka.

The win means she is the first female player to record 65 or more tour-level wins in back-to-back seasons in nearly two decades.

Swiatek is the only player to record 65 wins in 2023 with Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz with 64 and 63 wins respectively.

She will take on Ons Jabeur in her final group match on Friday, Jabeur having beaten Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-3.

It was the first game between the pair since the Wimbledon final, Jabeur saving six of seven break points in the first set.

Jabeur took the second set after she broke Vondrousova at 3-3 and again after holding serve to set up a crucial match against Swiatek.