Erling Haaland needs to "play with passion" against defenders who attempt to unsettle him, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Haaland scored his 21st Premier League goal since arriving from Borussia Dortmund during the 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday.

But images emerged after the game of the Norway international arguing with Toffees centre-back Ben Godfrey, while James Tarkowski and Conor Coady were also involved in confrontations with the striker.

Guardiola was pleased with how the 22-year-old Haaland handled himself against three experienced Premier League defenders trying to wind him up, although he stressed he had to draw a line somewhere.

"I like it," Guardiola told reporters ahead of City's league visit to Chelsea on Thursday. "He just needs to limit his behaviour, not him [but] everyone.

"The decisions, you have to use here [points to head] but play with this passion. It is necessary. I prefer that than to be flat.

"Strikers have to handle tough central defenders. Tomorrow he'll have a battle with [Kalidou] Koulibaly, Thiago Silva. That's why the Premier League is so special."

Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm since joining City in June, becoming the fastest player to score 20 goals in the competition, doing so in just 14 games, seven fewer than previous record-holder Kevin Phillips.

However, Guardiola feels Haaland can become even better, saying: "A lot of things he has to improve.

"As much as he continues scoring goals, he still has margin to improve on many things. Of course, he's young, and he'll be better in the future."

Guardiola left it until the 87th minute against Everton before making a change, with substitutes Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and returning World Cup winner Julian Alvarez unable to steal three points late on.

Asked whether this was an error looking back, Guardiola replied: "Yes, definitely. What was the result? Yeah, a mistake.

"But even with substitutions 15 minutes earlier, maybe we would've lost. Maybe I should've done it earlier, but in that moment I took a decision."

Arsenal took advantage of City's draw with Everton by beating Brighton and Hove Albion to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to seven points, although a goalless draw at home to Newcastle United on Tuesday means Guardiola's men can close the gap to five points with victory at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners may have missed the opportunity to momentarily open a 10-point gap, but Guardiola was still impressed with their performance – albeit he is also pleased with how his team have played since returning from the World Cup.

"The way they [Arsenal] played yesterday impressed me a lot," Guardiola added. "They dropped two points, but not in the quality they played.

"The way we played the last games, the feeling is good. My target always as a manager is try to do better than the opposition. First of all, be yourself, [but] if it doesn't happen, it's football.

"What I want to see is we still want to fight. We don't give up, until the last chance we can fight and win the Premier League."

The NFL has not yet made a decision on when, how or if the Buffalo Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals will be completed while "everything is being considered".

Monday's game was postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter.

Hamlin had collided with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and suffered a cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated on the field, then rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The Bills player has remained in hospital in critical condition, but the NFL has started to look at potential resolutions for the suspended game.

Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations for the NFL, ran through various considerations in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.

While looking at all options, Vincent said the league would be guided by Bills head coach Sean McDermott.

"My concern is making sure the men have what they need to function," Vincent added.

Harry Kane moved within two goals of tying Jimmie Greaves' all-time record for Tottenham as his second-half doubled inspired them to a 4-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Spurs had resumed their Premier League campaign in disappointing fashion, coming from behind to draw 2-2 at Brentford before losing 2-0 at home to Aston Villa.

It looked like being another underwhelming game for Tottenham in a lacklustre first half, but Kane lifted them back to winning ways in style.

His brace on his 300th top-flight appearance took him to 264 goals for the club and within striking distance of Greaves (266) before Matt Doherty and Son Heung-min made it a rout as Tottenham moved two points adrift of the top four.

Spurs found themselves under pressure for much of the first half and were grateful to Hugo Lloris's smart stop denying Jordan Ayew after a neat one-two between Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze.

Lloris was nearly caught out by a long-range effort from Joachim Andersen but it was the Palace goal that was breached 155 seconds after the restart.

England captain Kane could hardly have asked for a simpler finish, his task in nodding in at the far post made much easier by Ivan Perisic's superb right-wing cross.

Kane doubled his tally just under five minutes later when he collected a whipped low ball in by Bryan Gil and lashed beyond Vicente Guaita and into the bottom-left corner.

The points were made safe with a first goal of the season for Doherty, whose close-range shot had too much power for Guaita following good work from Kane and Son.

Son had the final say, winning a tussle with Marc Guehi to latch on to Kane's lofted ball and fire in his first league goal since his hat-trick against Leicester City in September.

Sean McDermott set the tone for the response to Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest, according to Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor.

Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter of Monday's game against the Bengals following a collision with wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field, before being rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he has remained in critical condition.

An unprecedented incident saw the NFL community rally around Hamlin, although the procedure in the immediate aftermath was understandably unclear.

That was where Bills coach McDermott came in, Taylor has revealed, with his focus on supporting Hamlin as the game was suspended.

"I always knew Sean. We've never worked together, never had a meal together, but I had respect for him," Taylor said.

"Seeing the way he led his team deepened that respect for him and verified everything I thought he was about as a man."

He added: "I don't want to disclose any of the private conversations Sean and I had except this.

"When I got over there, the first thing he said was, 'I need to be at the hospital with Damar, I shouldn't be coaching this game'. That to me provides all the clarity.

"'Unprecedented' is the word that gets thrown around a lot in this situation, because that's what it is. In that moment, he really showed who he was.

"All his focus was just on Damar and being there for him, being there for his family, at the hospital.

"At that point, everything trended in the direction it needed to trend. The right decisions were made.

"I really felt Sean McDermott led in that moment. He was there for his players, he processed the right way, which was incredibly difficult, and really helped us get to the solution we needed to get to."

The Philadelphia Eagles still do not know if Jalen Hurts will play in Week 18, although the quarterback will take part in Wednesday's walkthrough.

Hurts has missed the Eagles' past two games with a shoulder injury, having been a leading NFL MVP contender in a 13-1 start to the season.

Philly have lost twice in the QB's absence, meaning fans are eager to see him back before the playoffs, with work still to do in their final regular season game to clinch the top seed in the NFC.

The Eagles play the New York Giants, another postseason team, but have not yet decided on Hurts' involvement.

"We'll still keep that day by day," said coach Nick Sirianni. "We don't have to make a decision yet.

"We'll see how the week goes and see how [Wednesday's] walkthrough goes. [On Thursday] we'll see a little bit more because we'll be doing more than a walkthrough, we'll be practicing, so we'll get a better idea."

Damar Hamlin remains in intensive care in critical condition but with "signs of improvement" noted on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills have said.

Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter of Monday's game between the Bills and the Bengals in Cincinnati following a collision with wide receiver Tee Higgins.

The safety suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field.

He was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he is said to have since been sedated on a ventilator.

As the NFL world has rallied around Hamlin, there have been positive updates from Hamlin's family regarding the 24-year-old's condition.

And the Bills offered more encouraging news on Wednesday in a post on their Twitter account.

It read: "Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday [Tuesday] and overnight.

"He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him."

Michael Smith considered himself darts' equivalent of Andy Murray after beating Michael van Gerwen to land his maiden world title triumph.

The 32-year-old claimed a 7-4 victory in Tuesday's thrilling PDC World Championship final at Alexandra Palace in London, which included a perfect nine-dart leg in the second set.

Smith, who had lost eight successive major finals before his breakthrough triumph at the Grand Slam of Darts in November, is now the world number one as a result of his victory.

He is just the 11th winner of the tournament in its 30-year history, with Phil Taylor having won it 14 times prior to his retirement in 2018.

And Smith believes there are parallels to tennis star Murray's memorable 2012 US Open final win against Novak Djokovic – his first of three grand slam triumphs after four final defeats.

"I'm like the Andy Murray of darts," Smith told Sky Sports. "He has come through with these three amazing players in [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and Djokovic.

"He managed to get Queen's and then won the US Open, Wimbledon, and Wimbledon again, and he had to work hard for that. 

"I know he got to world number one and then, unluckily for him, he had his injuries, although it didn't cost him his career as he's still playing now."

Five different players have now had their name on darts' biggest trophy in the past six years, with Peter Wright the only multiple winner in that period. 

"Back in the day it was Phil Taylor and someone who pushed him," Smith said. "Barney [Raymond van Barneveld] was there, Adie [Adrian Lewis] pushed him for a bit as well. 

"Then Michael [Van Gerwen] came along, then you've got Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and Gez [Gerwyn Price].

"You've got really unbelievable players where anyone in the top 32 can win a TV title and it's not just Phil Taylor dominating the sport. The sport is wide open now, which is good."

Smith averaged 100.71 across the 11 sets, with that the highest in the World Championship final since Van Gerwen's 102.88 three years ago when losing to Wright (102.79).

David de Gea is confident of securing a new deal with Manchester United and has outlined his desire to spend the remainder of his career at the club.

The 32-year-old's current contract will expire at the end of the season, though United have an option to trigger a one-year extension, and there have been talks regarding an agreement for a longer renewal.

De Gea was not among the players who saw such clauses triggered earlier this month, with United extending the deals of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Fred, but the Spain international foresees no issues in securing an agreement of his own.

"I'm very relaxed. I just focus on training, perform as best as I can. But, for sure, it's going to end in a good way," he told Sky Sports.

"I hope [to stay for the rest of my career]. I was saying this is my club, I've been here many, many years and it's a huge honour to be here and I'm so happy here."

After a slow start to the season, United have found their feet under the guidance of Erik ten Hag and have not conceded at home in the Premier League since the 3-1 victory over Arsenal in September.

Those defensive displays have seen the club open a five-point lead over Tottenham in the hunt to qualify for the Champions League and represent a significant improvement from last season, with De Gea identifying the team spirit as the major difference compared to last term.

"We were talking, everyone is ready, everyone is focused, everyone is training really well, everyone is in the same direction, so this is massive," he added.

"It doesn't matter who is playing. Even the substitutes, it doesn't matter who came in, they put everything on the pitch, we have great team spirit and for me it's great to see the players play in this way."

United are expected to be active in the transfer market this month, with Ten Hag declaring the need for an attacking addition, while Jack Butland is said to be a player of interest in the hunt for a back-up goalkeeper after Newcastle United ended Martin Dubravka's loan spell at Old Trafford.

Iga Swiatek dragged Poland into the semi-finals of the United Cup with inspired performances in her singles and doubles matches against Italy.

Poland trailed after Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini secured wins against Daniel Michalski and Hubert Hurkacz respectively, only for Swiatek and Magda Linette to level things with respective singles victories over Martina Trevisan and Lucia Bronzetti.

That sent the Brisbane city final to a decider in the mixed doubles, which Swiatek and Hurkacz won with ease 6-1 6-2 against Musetti and Camilla Rosatello, though there was a pause in the second set to dry rainfall on the court.

Despite defeat, Italy also advanced to the final four as the city finals loser with the best record.

It was more routine in Sydney as the United States eased to a 4-1 win against Great Britain.

Madison Keys came from a set down to beat Katie Swan, while Jessica Pegula eased past Harriet Dart 6-2 6-0 after Cameron Norrie had defeated Taylor Fritz in three sets.

Despite going a set behind, Frances Tiafoe came back to beat Dan Evans 3-6 7-5 6-3 to clinch the win for his country, before Pegula and Fritz added some gloss after beating Dart and Evans in the mixed doubles.

The third city final in Perth included a thriller as Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Borna Coric 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 7-5. Donna Vekic had no trouble getting Croatia on the board as she eased past Despina Papamichail 6-2 6-0.

Maria Sakkari put Greece 2-1 ahead when she beat Petra Martic 6-3 6-3, but Borna Gojo defeated Stefanos Sakellaridis in straight sets to make it 2-2.

However, Greece secured the win and their place in the last four after the pairing of Sakkari and Tsitsipas saw off Martic and Gojo 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

Greece will take on Italy in the semi-finals, while Poland face the USA, with both taking place in Sydney on Friday.

Daniil Medvedev cruised into the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International with a straight-sets victory over Miomir Kecmanovic on Wednesday.

The Russian, seeded third in South Australia, made short work of his Serbian opponent in a 6-0 6-3 win to reach the last eight with little hassle.

"It's always better to win 6-0 than to win 7-6 saving nine set points and playing one hour, 20 [minutes]," Medvedev said.

"But tennis is not as easy, otherwise everyone would be number one, but we have only one. So happy with my level today against a strong opponent. Second set was tougher, but managed to close it out at the end and looking forward to my next matches."

It sets up a match with countryman Karen Khachanov, who defeated Britain's Jack Draper in a 6-4 6-2 straight sets victory of his own at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre.

Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka will also compete in the quarter-finals after a 6-4 6-3 win over American Mackenzie McDonald, and will face home favourite Alexei Popyrin.

At the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, top seed Marin Cilic needed to survive a second-set fightback from Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena before he progressed 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Aslan Karatsev meanwhile took a two-set thriller against Tim van Rijthoven, prevailing in a 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (10-8) triumph.

West Ham joint-chairman David Gold has died aged 86 following a short illness, the club has confirmed.

The lifelong Hammers fan, who took charge in January 2010 alongside business partner David Sullivan, helped oversee the club's transition from a Premier League also-ran to a European contender.

Under Gold, the club earned sixth and-seventh-place finishes over the past two seasons, and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last year.

In a statement, manager David Moyes paid tribute to Gold, who also played as a schoolboy for the club during his youth.

"I am extremely sad to hear this news," he said. "On behalf of all of the players and my staff at the training ground, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to David Gold's family at this very difficult time.

"It was clear that he had a genuine and sincere love for the club and was a true supporter at heart. He will be greatly missed."

Sullivan also paid his respects, adding: "Of all our joint ventures, none gave us more pride and happiness than the day we took ownership of West Ham United.

"David had a long-standing connection with the Hammers, having grown up opposite the Boleyn Ground in Green Street.

"He always wanted what was best for West Ham United, and his passing is a great loss for all of us."

The club confirmed a further tribute would take place in due course, with the Hammers due to travel to fellow strugglers Leeds United on Wednesday.

Manchester City must be "almost perfect" between now and the end of the season if they are to catch Premier League leaders Arsenal, according to manager Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal dropped points for just the third time this season in Tuesday's goalless home draw with Newcastle United, but they are still eight points clear of second-placed City.

The reigning champions play their game in hand away at Chelsea on Thursday, though Guardiola accepts Arsenal may well be uncatchable on current form.

"The way you have to reduce the gap is to play good and win games," Guardiola said at Wednesday's pre-match press conference.

"They have an average and they're going to do 100 points or more if they carry on, and we won't catch them. We will have to be almost perfect. 

"We'd expect from here to the end of the season they'd drop a little bit in terms of their performances, but they were excellent against Newcastle, so we'll see what happens."

City were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday and have taken only four points from the past nine on offer either side of the World Cup break.

However, Guardiola's side have won their past three games against Chelsea without conceding a goal, including a 2-0 win in November's EFL Cup third-round tie.

"It is always difficult when you travel to Stamford Bridge," Guardiola said. "It is a tough game against a tough side who are well managed.

"It doesn't matter the position you are when you travel there – it's always difficult. At the same time, we're looking forward to it and the next few weeks in different competitions."

City face Chelsea twice in the space of three days, first in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge and then at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Guardiola confirmed Ruben Dias remains absent for at least the first of those games, while a late decision will be made on fellow centre-back Aymeric Laporte.

Bernardo Silva is line to retain his place in attack, despite again suggesting this week that his future lies away from City beyond this season.

Asked about Silva's latest comments, Guardiola insisted the Portugal international – under contract until June 2025 – remains an important part of his plans.

"He's a key player, so important on and off the pitch," said Guardiola, who has lost just seven of his 34 Premier League games in London, three of those against Chelsea.

"He's a guy who can talk, always with a nice conversation and always you learn about his humanity, his vision for the club and the league. 

"He's an incredible player against top sides, in decisive games he's always there. Nothing has changed about his future."

City have won their first Premier League game in each of the past 10 calendar years, stretching back to a 1-0 loss at Sunderland in 2012.

Graham Potter says Raheem Sterling's "challenging" start at Chelsea is understandable but he expects the forward to improve as he prepares to face former side Manchester City.

Sterling has come in for criticism since ending a successful and trophy-laden seven-season spell at Man City to join Chelsea in a reported £50million deal ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

That is despite the England international having scored and assisted more goals (nine) than any team-mate this season in his 21 appearances, while only Mason Mount has created more chances (32 to 28).

He was on the scoresheet in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, which extended Chelsea's disappointing run of form to just one win in five either side of the 2022 World Cup.

With plenty of focus on Sterling ahead of Chelsea's double-header with City in the Premier League and FA Cup third round this week, Potter has called for more from the 28-year-old.

"It's been a challenge for him, I think. But it's been a challenging period for everybody," Potter told reporters. "There has been a lot of change here and a lot of things have happened. 

"In that regard, it's never easy to completely settle and completely hit the ground running. There's more to come from Raheem, I'm sure, but he gives his best every day. We need to help him get to the level that we know we can get to."

Sterling scored 91 goals in 225 Premier League appearances for City, who trail leaders Arsenal by eight points with a game in hand, despite the incredible form of striker Erling Haaland.

The Norway international has found the net 27 times in 21 games this season – seven goals more than any other player across Europe's top five leagues – including seven strikes in his six away league matches.

Rather than focus on Haaland's obvious strengths, however, Potter is focusing on the damage his Chelsea players can do to City's defence in Thursday's match at Stamford Bridge.

"Haaland's obviously had a fantastic season; the goals there are amazing," Potter said. "It's a top team, but we have to think about ourselves, and think about how we can do better.

"We need to think about how we can take steps forward in terms of our game. That's the approach we'll have. Playing well ourselves is the key.

"Then you have to understand the quality they have and try to stop it. It does sound simple when I articulate it now but obviously in reality it's not so straightforward. 

"They're a top team, but we can cause them a problem. We can be ourselves and try to play well and try to put them under pressure. We need to use Stamford Bridge to our advantage and then see what happens."

City boss Guardiola has lost eight times against Chelsea in all competitions, with that the joint-most defeats suffered against a single opponent in his coaching career alongside Liverpool.

However, Guardiola's City have won their past three matches against Chelsea without conceding a goal, most recently prevailing 2-0 in November's EFL Cup third-round tie when the Catalan exchanged words with Potter at full-time.

Asked about that conversation ahead of their latest encounter, Potter said: "It was a general football conversation. He understands the challenges that we have here and he's faced some similar ones himself. 

"It was just a conversation after a game you have with football coaches. It's nice, I think it's good. It's good that managers can speak because it's complicated when you're out there.

"There are always emotions, and we're all fighting for the points, but afterwards it's nice to be able to speak as human beings and talk about the game.

"I think if you did the research on football, and not just Pep but the people within the game that played against my teams and have watched the work that I've done, I think there's a general level of respect. 

"There certainly is from my perspective to him, because he's fantastic. He's a fantastic person. But also, what he's achieved as a footballer and was achieved as a coach is amazing."

Novak Djokovic is set to miss the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open after the United States extended the requirement for all non-American nationals to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The 21-time grand slam winner was forced to sit out both tournaments last year, as well as other events in America and Canada, due to not being vaccinated.

Whereas many countries are relaxing vaccination requirements, meaning Djokovic is able to compete in this year's Australian Open, US travel authorities are asking for proof of being fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter the country until at least April 10.

That will see Djokovic sit out the prestigious Indian Wells between March 6 and March 19, and the Miami Open between March 20 and April 2.

Djokovic is currently competing in the Adelaide International, where he kicked off his season with a 6-3 6-2 win over Constant Lestienne on Tuesday, ahead of beginning his quest for a 10th Australian Open crown later this month.

The Serbian was deported from Australia this time last year after his visa was revoked due to his unvaccinated status and was initially banned from entering the country for three years, but that was waived in November.

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