Clive Woodward never thought he would see the day England were so badly outclassed on home soil after witnessing their record home loss to France.

France crossed over seven times in their astonishing 53-10 victory at Twickenham on Saturday to keep their Six Nations title defence alive.

It is the most points ever conceded by England in a home Test, overtaking the 42 points scored by South Africa in November 2008.

Woodward, who guided the Red Rose to World Cup glory in 2003, was left stunned by his former side's capitulation and is fearing the worst ahead of next week's trip to Ireland.

"England were never going to win that game; we were second best by a long, long way," he told ITV Sport. "To think we're going to play Ireland next week is a sobering thought.

"To actually see that in a Six Nations game... I never thought I'd see that scoreboard ever at Twickenham."

Fellow pundit Johnny Wilkinson described the loss as "a massive reality check" for England, who tasted defeat at home to France for the first time in 18 years.

England have now lost two of their four matches this campaign – Steve Borthwick's first since replacing Eddie Jones in December – and find themselves in fourth place.

Borthwick accepts England were too easily dismantled by France and knows there is a gulf between his side and the world's elite heading into the Rugby World Cup.

"Certainly you have to give immense credit to France and they are clearly a world-class team," he told ITV Sport. "We are really disappointed in that performance. 

"There are lots of things we wanted to do but we couldn't execute. I think we lost collisions across both lines, attack and defence. 

"We knew they have immense power and unfortunately we didn't deal with it. When we attacked they were able to dominate. There is plenty of work on the collision areas

"We got exposed today. I thought we would get a measure of where we are at – there is a big gap between us and the top teams in the world. 

"I don't think it matters what I thought it [the gap] was before; I think we understand where we are and what we have to do."

France were 24 points to the good by half-time – another unwanted record for England in the Six Nations – with 23-point Thomas Ramos opening the scoring inside two minutes.

Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud all crossed over twice each in a one-sided contest, with Freddie Steward scoring England's only try.

It is the first time in the Six Nations era that three different France players have scored two tries each in a single game.

Reflecting on one of England's all-time worst displays, captain Ellis Genge admitted there can be no excuses.

"I am not going to sugar-coat it. That is one of our worst performances and we were punished numerous times," he said. 

"We asked the boys to keep fighting and I think for 80 per cent of it we were fighting. The momentum was against us for too long and we didn't claw it back. 

"I am not hiding away from it – we were well beaten today. [France] are brilliant. They have shown time and time again why they are the number two team in the world. 

"We are way off where we want to be. If I had the answers I would be somewhere else earning millions. It's a bit of a mystery at the moment."

France boss Fabien Galthie found the 53-10 drubbing of England "very moving" as he delivered an emotional response to his team's record win at Twickenham.

Les Bleus had not won a Six Nations game at England's London HQ since 2005, but they turned on the style and piled on the most points England have ever conceded on home soil in a Test.

Defeat to Ireland last month could be the result that costs France the championship, but this was a third win in four this year and the biggest statement yet from Galthie's team in this Rugby World Cup year.

France inflicted a seven-try humiliation on their hosts, revelling in each score. They are the World Cup hosts this year, and performances such as Saturday's barnstorming rout will raise expectations.

Speaking to France 2, Galthie appeared to momentarily shed a tear as he considered the scale of his side's achievement.

He said: "I've been coming here for a long time, you realise that... it's very moving.

"We played just the way we wanted to play. We wanted to do this. We didn't know how, but we wanted to do it.

"This place, the context ... it's not a coincidence. We have been working for four years with the players. At the start of the tournament, we weren't satisfied, but we were on the right track.

"The players wanted to do something. We were able to get the game out. The players, the staff, the French Rugby Federation, all the people who helped us to be here today... I spare a thought for them."

Reigning champions France are now level on points with Grand Slam-chasing Ireland, who take on Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday in their penultimate game of the tournament.

Julian Nagelsmann is keen to keep in-demand defender Benjamin Pavard at Bayern Munich after he scored twice in the Bundesliga leaders' thrilling 5-3 win over Augsburg on Saturday.

Mergim Berisha opened the scoring for Augsburg early on, but Bayern surged into a 4-1 lead by the break as Joao Cancelo and Leroy Sane struck either side of Pavard's brace.

While Berisha sealed his own double after the interval and Irvin Cardona also netted late on, Alphonso Davies' goal ensured Bayern sealed a fourth successive win in relative comfort.

Last November, Pavard discussed the possibility of leaving Bayern for a new project, and with the France international's contract due to expire next year, he has been linked with Barcelona, Inter and Manchester United.

Having seen the 26-year-old mark his 150th competitive Bayern outing with his first double for the club, Nagelsmann said: "Of course I want to keep Benjamin at Bayern. 

"Playing in that position that he loves as a centre-back… he played very well today. So yes, I'd love to keep him."

Despite seeing Augsburg put to the sword in a typically ruthless Bayern performance, Nagelsmann was not impressed with some aspects of the hosts' display.  

"I'm happy with the result. It's job done today, that was important," Nagelsmann said.

"It was very similar to the game in the DFB-Pokal against Augsburg [a 5-2 win in October], it was a bit chaotic right from the start. We conceded the goal right away.

"Then we played really well for 30 minutes, everything was done well on our offensive side. In the second half, we did not have as much control or pressure any more.

"The game was a little bit too open in my opinion, we could have scored a couple more goals, but the result is above everything. 

"Not everything was perfect on the offensive or defensive side, but all in all, it's all about the three points."

A late penalty from Erling Haaland gave Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Palace are now without a win in their last 11 games (D5 L6), but Patrick Vieira's side put up a strong challenge and kept City at bay for large periods of the contest.

Pep Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker on the bench and was about to bring the Belgium international on with time running out, before his side won a penalty in the 78th minute, which Haaland converted.

A third straight Premier League victory moves City to within two points of leaders Arsenal, who visit Fulham on Sunday.

City made their intentions clear early as Rodri forced Vicente Guaita into a save from a volley while Jack Grealish dragged a good chance wide of the near post inside the first four minutes.

Palace came into the game more as the first half went on but were reliant on an uncharacteristic miss from Haaland as the Premier League's top scorer lifted a presentable effort over the bar from Nathan Ake's cross.

Guaita saved well from Phil Foden's free-kick 11 minutes into the second half, while substitute Julian Alvarez – who replaced Foden moments later – turned beautifully before firing his shot over.

It looked like Palace would hold out for a fifth consecutive home draw before Michael Olise conceded a penalty by fouling Ilkay Gundogan after a short corner, allowing Haaland to send Guaita the wrong way from the spot and score his 28th league goal of the campaign.

The Norwegian had another chance with seven minutes remaining when he headed over Grealish's cross, but City held on to put further pressure on Arsenal in the title race.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit a stunning winner as Napoli beat Atalanta 2-0 to move 18 points clear again at the top of Serie A.

The 11th goal of the Georgian's debut Serie A season came in the 60th minute, with his twinkle-toed run into the penalty area followed by an explosive finish.

Fed the ball by Victor Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia still had plenty of work to do and left Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi bamboozled by his shimmying footwork, with the defenders collectively powerless to prevent a masterpiece.

Amir Rrahmani's looping header in the 77th minute made the points safe, as Eljif Elmas sent a corner from the right into the danger zone and the centre-back did the rest.

With first-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret injured in the warm-up, Napoli fielded on-loan back-up Pierluigi Gollini, who faced his parent club. The home side were not obviously jolted by that loss and dominated the first half, but they could not find a breakthrough before the interval.

Matteo Politano saw an early effort turned wide for a corner, while Kvaratskhelia had three goal attempts that brought no reward.

Atalanta won 3-2 in this fixture last season, coming from behind to win as Napoli on that occasion slipped from first to third place. But such was their lead in the standings this time, Napoli knew they would stay comfortably top whatever the result, regardless of last week's defeat to Lazio giving the chasing pack a sliver of hope.

Kvaratskhelia smashed over the bar from the edge of the penalty area early in the second half, with Napoli creating plenty of half-chances. Osimhen spurned a more clear opening when the Serie A top scorer headed wide from Politano's right-wing cross.

But then came Kvaratskhelia's special strike, a goal of quality that is rarely surpassed. He was player of the month in Serie A for February, and this underlined his blossoming talent.

Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel went close as Atalanta chased a leveller, Gollini defying the visitors with necessary saves from both forwards, but Rrahmani's header killed off the contest.

Antonio Conte hailed his Tottenham side for showing a strong mentality to return to winning ways against Nottingham Forest, but made it clear this is only the start.

A 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw the north London side end a streak of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, having exited the FA Cup and Champions League either side of a Premier League defeat at Wolves.

A brace from Harry Kane was added to by Son Heung-min's second-half effort to ease the pressure upon Conte, following a sequence of results where his future was brought into question.

That pressure did not affect his side, however, who secured three points comfortably, though Conte was keen to stress this has to be a benchmark for their upcoming matches.

"Today was important, especially because after the game against Milan, we weren't able to go to the next round of the Champions League, but today it was really important because we know we only have the league now," he told a post-match press conference.

"We have only 11 games to go, we needed to bounce back and show that we are strong mentally and in this type of situation the morale can be really down.

"Instead I saw the right desire to get a win, and it was positive, but at the same time I said to my players this has to be the start."

Victory against Forest moved Spurs six points clear of Liverpool in the hunt for Champions League football after Jurgen Klopp's side suffered a shock defeat to Bournemouth earlier in the day, but Conte insisted the results of others have no bearing on his team.

"We have to think about ourselves and earlier I was asked about Liverpool losing. We have to think about ourselves," he said.

"A top club has to look at themselves, not at other results. Think about getting the three points and then it doesn't matter what the other team does.

"We have to do the best we can until the end of the season and then see where we are."

Bud Grant, the legendary coach who led the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s, has died at the age of 95, the team announced on Saturday.

"We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the club posted on social media. "We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news."

A 1994 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Grant was known for his stoic demeanour and steely-eyed stare. The teams he coached were feared for their 'Purple People Eaters' defense.

Grant led the Vikings from 1967-83, and again in 1985, compiling a 158-96-5 record. When he retired, Grant was eighth on the all-time coaching wins list.

Under his guidance, Minnesota played in the Super Bowls following the 1970, 1973, 1974 and 1976 seasons but lost all four. The franchise hasn't been back to a Super Bowl since.

The 1970 season was the last before the AFL-NFL merger. Grant's Vikings won the NFL championship that season, despite losing Super Bowl IV to the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, 23-7.

Born in Superior, Wisconsin, Grant played football, basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota and was drafted to play in both the NFL and NBA.

Grant played two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and won an NBA championship in 1950 before turning his focus to the football field.

He caught 56 passes for 997 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1952 before leaving the NFL for the Canadian Football League, where he joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Grant played four seasons in the CFL before becoming Winnipeg's coach.

Grant coached the Blue Bombers for 10 seasons, winning 102 games and four Grey Cup championships. The team would later build a statue of Grant outside their stadium.

His success in Canada opened an opportunity for Grant to coach the Vikings in 1967, and a storied NFL career was born.

Grant went on to become an icon for the state of Minnesota and a permanent resident, living in the same home he bought when hired by the Vikings in 1967.

Even after he retired from coaching, the Vikings listed Grant as a consultant every year from 1986 to 2023, and he maintained an office at the team facility.

France ended their 18-year wait for a Six Nations victory at Twickenham with a record 53-10 bonus-point triumph on Saturday to keep their title hopes alive.

Les Bleus crossed over three times in the first half and were 24 points ahead at the midway point – the biggest half-time margin any side has had over England in the tournament.

The visitors added four more after the restart, with Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud helping themselves to two tries apiece, while Thomas Ramos – who started the rout – finished with 23 points to his name.

A famous victory moves France level on points with Ireland, who are away at Scotland on Sunday, while England's campaign is effectively over with one round of games to go.

France were up and running inside five minutes following a rapid break as Ethan Dumortier fed Ramos to touch down and subsequently add the extras.

Ramos added to his tally from a penalty and Flament found a gap to power over soon after as France took complete control.

Marcus Smith temporarily reduced the deficit, only for Ramos to add another penalty of his own, before Ollivon smashed through Smith on the line to add to England's pain.

England looked dejected when Ramos converted again, but they started the second half well and, after Max Malins had one ruled out, Freddie Steward used his power to dot down.

Any hope of a miraculous comeback were ended eight minutes later when Ramos knocked a kick over the top into the path of Flament to race through.

The bonus point was secured at that stage but France were far from finished, with Ollivon alert at the breakdown – unlike England's players – to reach over and double his try count.

Penaud touched down under the posts and there was still time to add another try – France's seventh of the day – in one of England's darkest days in the tournament's history.

One of the most oft-repeated phrases is that there is no offseason for NFL teams. 

It bears repeating because the league consistently validates it year after year, with the 'offseason' serving as an ever-increasing hive of activity as teams reconfigure their rosters through free agency and the NFL Draft in the hopes of putting together a winner. 

That activity was supposed to kick into high gear for 2023 NFL free agents on March 13 when the 'negotiating period' opened ahead of the new league year.

But the league is already ahead of schedule in that sense, as Tuesday’s franchise tag deadline was one teeming with headlines. 

Quarterbacks Derek Carr, Geno Smith and Daniel Jones were all signed to lucrative contracts, the latter pair remaining with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants, respectively.

The Giants also franchise-tagged Saquon Barkley and the Baltimore Ravens did the same with 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson, though their decision to place the non-exclusive tag on the star quarterback has only increased the doubt about his long-term future.

So much has already been resolved, or not quite resolved in the case of Jackson, yet there are still a plethora of star names at positions on both sides of the ball who will be free to talk to teams on Monday.

The news will likely come thick and fast. With that in mind, let’s look at the key storylines to follow in free agency through the prism of Stats Perform's advanced data.

Brissett and Jimmy G's value

The first major domino in the quarterback market fell on Monday when Carr was signed to a four-year, $150million deal by the New Orleans Saints.

That deal was followed in relatively short order by another, with the Seahawks retaining Smith on a three-year contract worth $105 million, and then Jones receiving $160m over four years from the Giants.

Smith, the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year, led all quarterbacks (minimum 200 attempts) in well-thrown rate, delivering an accurate, well-thrown ball on 87.0 per cent of his passes.

Yet there is evidence to suggest the Saints could have got much more value for their money by looking elsewhere at the game's most important position.

Carr receiving $37.5m annually from the Saints after the Las Vegas Raiders released him appears a somewhat bemusing move from New Orleans, especially after one of the worst statistical seasons of his career.

His well-thrown rate of 78.5 per cent was below the league average of 80.7 and trailed that of two other prominent free-agent quarterbacks – Jimmy Garoppolo (82.3) and Jacoby Brissett (84.1). Brissett's ratio was the best among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts who also averaged at least 9.0 air yards per attempt.

Garoppolo and Brissett could be described as anything from high-end backup to above-average starter, but Carr's deal and the $40m a year Jones got from the Giants after a season in which he posted a well-thrown rate of 84.9 per cent should give their agents leverage in negotiations with suitors.

The advanced data surrounding accuracy suggests the two former New England Patriots may have been better options for the Saints. Their numbers and level of performance from last season should encourage teams interested in QBs like the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans and New York Jets (Will Aaron Rodgers leave the Green Bay Packers?), though recent movements may mean neither is as affordable as might have previously been anticipated.

Meyers and Slayton set for paydays

The receiver options in free agency are limited, with most of the intrigue at that spot surrounding a man who did not play last season: Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham missed all of last year as he remained unsigned while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl LVI. 

Somebody will take a chance on Beckham this offseason given his pedigree, but the more eye-opening paydays may go to two more unheralded names.

Jakobi Meyers and Darius Slayton are each coming off impressive seasons. Meyers ranked 15th in combined open percentage (46.2) across man and zone coverages among wide receivers with at least 100 matchups and got open on 59.0 per cent of his man matchups. Only four wideouts with a minimum of 25 man matchups won a higher percentage.

The Giants were actively shopping Slayton last offseason, but his ability to create separation was a huge factor in their return to the playoffs.

He finished the year with a 69.0 burn percentage, which measures how often a receiver won his matchup with a defender strictly on plays where he was targeted. And his average of 13.5 burn yards per target ranked fifth among wideouts with at least 50 targets.

Given Beckham averaged 10.8 burn yards per target in his last season in the league and will not have played a game in over 18 months by the time the new season rolls around, handing Meyers or Slayton a large deal and backing them to continue their ascension may be a more astute move than betting on OBJ.

Should Schultz reset the market?

Arguably the biggest prize among the pass catchers is tight end Dalton Schultz, who may well reset the market at that position after the Dallas Cowboys elected not to use the franchise tag on him.

Darren Waller of the Raiders is the league's highest-paid tight end, earning an average of $17m per year.

Schultz could surpass that, but there is statistical evidence to suggest teams should be wary of paying him more than the NFL's established elite at the position.

His burn rate of 65.7 per cent was sixth among tight ends with at least 50 targets, trailing Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert and George Kittle. He also was fifth in burn yards per route (2.3) behind Kelce, Andrews, Kittle and Kyle Pitts.

But he only finished with five touchdowns in his 15 games and his burn yards per target average of 9.5 was only just above the average of 9.4.

By paying up for Schultz, a team will be putting their faith in him to eventually rise to the level of Kelce and Kittle. The reality is it will be very tough for him to replicate their all-round impact and cap space may be better spent elsewhere in a year when the draft class at tight end is strong.

Offensive tackle overpays

Speaking of possible overpays, let's talk about the offensive tackle market. Top-tier offensive tackles usually do not make it to the market, but two bonafide starters are set to.

Orlando Brown Jr. could cash in after the Kansas City Chiefs opted not to franchise him in the wake of their Super Bowl victory, while former San Francisco 49ers starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey is also primed for pastures new.

The 49ers do not have the salary cap space to pay McGlinchey the top-of-market money he could receive and that is probably for the best.

His pressure-allowed rate of 8.7 per cent was slightly better than the average of 8.9 for players with a minimum of 100 snaps at right tackle, but he was also credited with giving up nine adjusted sacks (including the playoffs). Only five right tackles gave up more, three of whom played more pass protection snaps than McGlinchey.

McGlinchey provides consistently solid play, but his ceiling is quite low. With Brown, the level of consistency could certainly be called into question.

He allowed a pressure rate of 9.9 per cent (the average for left tackles with a minimum of 100 snaps was 8.9) and was in the bottom half of the league in both pass-block win rate (63.9 per cent) and run-block win rate (63.7 per cent).

Those numbers are an indication of why a Chiefs team who have done an excellent job of quickly developing young players were willing to let Brown test the market a year after trading star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. And both he and McGlinchey come with 'buyer beware' stickers.

Edge rush bargains available

While the top tackles in the class could be considered fool's gold, there are some potential bargains to be had for those teams looking to add edge rushers in free agency.

Marcus Davenport only managed half a sack in the 2022 season for the Saints, but he was actually one of the better players at his position in terms of generating pressure.

His pressure rate of 23.6 per cent was 10th among edge rushers with at least 100 pass rush snaps.

Sixth on that list was Arden Key, whose decision to sign a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars did not pay off as his sack number dropped from 6.5 in 2021 with the 49ers to 4.5 last season. 

Yet Key's 25.5 per cent pressure rate indicates he can be a very dangerous weapon for defensive coordinators to wield. Still only 26, Key has plenty of room to grow and realise the potential that was obvious during his college career at LSU.

Davenport and Key are not likely to command hugely lucrative contracts. The axiom goes that you can never have too many pass rushers, and adding either of this duo would be a wise move by general managers eyeing extra help on the defensive front.

Who can Philly keep?

Having re-signed edge rusher Brandon Graham to a one-year deal, the Eagles still have 18 players set to enter unrestricted free agency, giving Philadelphia a huge challenge as they try to keep the core of a Super Bowl roster intact.

Among that group are two starters on the much-vaunted offensive line, starting running back Miles Sanders and backup Boston Scott, five defensive linemen (including starting defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave), both starting linebackers and starting safeties, and starting cornerback James Bradberry.

To put it mildly, that is quite the list. And with a little under $4m in cap space to play with, the Eagles are going to have to get creative to retain many of those players.

The question is: Which players should they prioritise?

Future Hall-of-Fame center Jason Kelce could yet retire. If he does not, the Eagles have a difficult decision to make. Kelce's aggregate win rate across pass blocking and run blocking of 83.5 per cent was second among all offensive linemen last season. However, he is 35 and the Eagles drafted his successor, Cam Jurgens, last year.

On the other side of the trenches, it could be very tough for them to keep both Cox and Hargrave, and it is easy to make a case for either one.

Cox had the higher aggregate win rate in pass rushing and run defense. His 40.1 per cent win rate was vastly superior to Hargrave's 34.4 per cent, but the scales tip firmly in Hargave's favour when it comes to the pass rush. Hargrave won 43.8 per cent of his rushes compared to 33.0 for Cox. 

In 2023, the edge goes to players who more consistently impact the passing game. That is Hargrave, but the league-wide recognition of his abilities may make him too expensive to keep.

Further back in the secondary, there are two standout names who should be high on Philadelphia's list of in-house targets to re-sign. 

Bradberry is one after he finished 15th among all starting corners with a combined open percentage-allowed across man and zone coverage of 25.3. 

Safety Marcus Epps may have been unable to prevent Travis Kelce from finding the endzone in the Super Bowl, but he was ninth for all defensive backs by the same metric, posting an open percentage-allowed of 20.2. 

Some of the higher-profile names may depart, but keeping Epps around would be a shrewd and important bit of business.

Dean set to cash in

Bradberry will be one of the top cornerbacks in a free-agent class that has plenty of depth, but Jamel Dean is arguably the top prize at that position.

The 26-year-old Dean was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' best corner in 2022, ranking 10th among corners with a combined open percentage-allowed of 24.3.

In addition, he finished 12th among outside corners with a burn-allowed rate of 44.1 per cent.

Simply put, Dean has already established himself as one of the better young corners in the NFL by doing an excellent job of preventing receivers from creating separation against him.

And with the Buccaneers in a dire salary cap position, he will have the opportunity to cash in with a new team.

With a track record of impressive play on his resume as he enters what should be his prime years, Dean could soon be one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL.

Cincy's safety dance

The Cincinnati Bengals are set to see safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell hit the open market. They will likely only re-sign one after drafting Dax Hill in the first round last year.

Bates was a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and has served as a key cog on the Cincinnati defense, but Bell's greater versatility could make him the choice. 

Bell played 627 snaps as a deep safety last season as the Bengals suffered an agonising AFC championship game loss, but he also played over 100 snaps at both box safety and nickel corner. Additionally, he spent time at outside corner, both linebacker spots and on the edge.

By contrast, Bates played 78.5 per cent of his snaps as a deep safety. The only other position where he played more than 100 snaps was at box safety.

There was nothing to separate the two in terms of performance in zone coverage, which made up the bulk of their coverage snaps. Both Bates and Bell finished the season with a zone open-allowed percentage of 21.6.

However, Bell's multiplicity may carry more value in a league in which being able to disguise coverages is a significant advantage.

Bates' best fit is with a team that plays a lot of single-high safety coverage. Though the Bengals' most common coverage in 2022 was Cover 3, they did also play a large amount of two-high coverages, often leaning on Tampa 2 and Cover 4.

As such, do not be surprised to see the Bengals hang on to Bell and leave Bates to try to find a place he can continue to thrive in a league pivoting away from schemes that suit him best.

Wout Weghorst is still revelling in the "special" feeling of scoring his first Manchester United goal at Old Trafford, having waited "too long" to break his duck at the Theatre of Dreams.

At the ninth attempt since his loan move from Burnley, the Netherlands international finally netted his first home goal in the commanding 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the Europa League.

That marked Weghorst's second strike in 15 appearances, though the 30-year-old's work rate has been widely praised despite his modest goal return.

Reacting quickly in the box to turn home after Scott McTominay's shot had been saved by Claudio Bravo, Weghorst's sheer relief was evident.

"Yes, I think you could [see] it," he told United's official website. "[It was a] great feeling and, of course, I had to wait a long time for it – too long.

"[I'm] really happy. I got my goal, so that was a great feeling with the stadium, in front of the Stretford End. It was special."

United's performance against Betis on Thursday provided a timely response to their humbling 7-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield four days earlier.

Weghorst found himself at the centre of controversy after that loss, with footage emerging of him touching the 'This Is Anfield' sign in the tunnel ahead of kick-off, a gesture usually associated with Liverpool players rather than their opponents.

He claimed he was simply trying to wind up compatriot Virgil van Dijk as he attempted to prevent the defender from touching the sign.

But he got himself back in United fans' good books on Thursday, and he was thrilled to have played a part in helping the Red Devils bounce back.

"That was what we wanted, to give a reaction after the defeat that was, of course, not acceptable. It [was] not our level, not our standards and definitely something we should avoid, and have to avoid for the future.

"We were really [happy] to get a reaction and to show us, and I think that's what we did [against Betis]."

Erik ten Hag's side will look to continue that momentum against Southampton – the Premier League's bottom team – to tighten their grip on third place.

Graham Potter believes Chelsea's impressive week is indicative of the development of his team following their 3-1 win at Leicester City.

Prior to last Saturday's win over Leeds United, Chelsea had claimed just two wins from 12 games.

But that victory was followed by a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund that sent them into the Champions League quarter-finals and a strong seven days was capped in style at the King Power Stadium.

Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic were all on target for the Blues, with Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk each performing well as several of the host of new additions Chelsea brought in during the January transfer window provided compelling evidence they are settling into the team.

Chelsea remain 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and face a battle to play any kind of European football next season.

Potter, though, was very upbeat after their third successive win.

He told Sky Sports: "It's been a really positive week for us, three wins against Leeds, Dortmund and today says a lot about the development of the team.

"It's a hard fought game, as they always are, but in the end I thought we deserved to win.

"Three wins in the week at this level is very pleasing. Now we have to follow that up with a win next weekend and then into the international break. We will try to get three points against Everton."

Chilwell and Wesley Fofana got a frosty reception as they faced their former club, but Potter was thrilled with their response.

"Ben answered it in the perfect way, it was one of those games where the home crowd made it difficult but they handled it well," he added. 

"It wasn't a straightforward game, Leicester had chances and we had to suffer but that will get better as we keep going.

"Our defensive record has been good in terms of goals conceded in the Premier League and the mentality is strong in the team. They give everything, they want to keep the ball out of the net and we have players on the other side who want to put the ball in the back of the net."

Ruben Amorim intends to stay as Sporting CP head coach after being linked with a move to Tottenham.

It appears likely Antonio Conte will end his short tenure at Spurs at the end of the season, when his contract expires.

Conte will have spent less than two years at the helm of the north London side, leading them into the Champions League but proving unable to deliver a trophy.

Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper and Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi have also played down links to Tottenham.

Amorim has attracted attention as one of Europe's brightest young coaches, impressing at Braga before joining Sporting in March 2020 and winning a Primeira Liga title in his first full season in charge.

Sporting were runners-up to Porto last season and are only fourth this term, but 38-year-old Amorim remains widely admired.

Asked about reports of Tottenham interest at a press conference on Saturday, Amorim said: "My objective is that I have a contract with Sporting for another three years and in my head is to be champion at least once more in those three years.

"If we win two championships in that time it's a step forward. I'm interested in showing results and not what is said abroad."

The coach, whose team play Boavista on Sunday, last week chalked up his 100th win in charge of Sporting as they beat Portimonense 1-0 on league duty.

Sporting allowed defender Pedro Porro to join Tottenham in January, but Amorim may be more difficult to prise away from Lisbon.

Amorim was quoted in Portuguese media on Saturday as saying: "I've always been treated well in Portugal, they follow my day to day; abroad they watch European games and titles, not the daily context.

"I've always felt recognised. When I'm good, I'm the greatest. My goal is to get back to being very good."

Jurgen Klopp believes there was "no reason" for the BBC to tell Gary Lineker to step aside from hosting Match of the Day after the presenter became involved in a political row on social media.

The BBC announced on Friday that Lineker would not be involved in this week's edition of the hugely popular British football show after the former striker criticised the UK government's new asylum policy on Twitter.

Lineker compared the language being used by current politicians to that expressed in Germany in the 1930s.

In the aftermath of the BBC's announcement, several big-name pundits including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer said they would not appear on the show out of solidarity with Lineker, forcing the BBC to air Saturday's episode without a studio team.

Asked about the row after Liverpool's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, Klopp outlined his view that Lineker's message was an acceptable one. 

"How I understand it, I am not a native... but I cannot see any reason why you would ask someone to step back for saying that. I can't," Klopp said.

"I'm not sure if it's a language issue or not, but I can't find it. But that's the world we are living in. Everybody is so concerned about doing things in the right manner, saying the right stuff to everybody.

"If you don't do that, you create a s***storm, which we didn't have when we were young. It's a really difficult world to live in.

"If I understand it right, then this is a message or opinion about human rights, and that should be possible to say. 

"I don't understand the social media part of it, but I'm probably too old for that. But apart from that, no. If I got it right, there's no reason, for me." 

In response to the government's asylum policy, Lineker had posted: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I'm out of order?"