Juventus' long domination of Serie A finally ended last season thanks to Inter, but their success never looked likely to be the start of a new monopoly in Italy's top flight.
With Inter not only losing their mastermind Antonio Conte but also arguably their two best players in Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, Simone Inzaghi was always going to have a tough task on his hands in their attempts to successfully retain the Scudetto.
Milan fans will have watched on frustrated last season, their own improvement paling in comparison to that of their bitter rivals, who finished 12 points clear of the Rossoneri at the top.
Of course, Milan only secured a top-four finish at all on the final day of the season – but there is much cause for optimism at the club and Sunday's Derby della Madonnina suggested the positivity is well-placed, even if Stefano Pioli's team only got a 1-1 draw.
Let's not forget, Milan's record in this fixture has been dreadful in recent times. Inter won five of the past six in Serie A, while the Rossoneri's run of three successive home defeats in the derby was their worst such run since 1934.
Milan went into the match knowing a win would take them top after Napoli dropped points against Hellas Verona, but arguably the most important thing here was to avoid a defeat – victory for Inter would have brought them to within three points of their bitter rivals.
And to be fair to Inter, they looked every inch a side out to win.
It didn't take long for one of the main pre-game narratives to come into focus as Hakan Calhanoglu, playing his first derby for Inter since leaving Milan in pre-season, won a penalty from Franck Kessie and then stepped up to take the resulting kick.
His celebration left no doubt about his thoughts on the jeers being aimed his way, as he cupped both ears in the direction of the home fans, with the Turkey midfielder becoming only the fourth player since 1994-95 to score in his first Milan derby after making his previous appearance in the fixture for the other team.
It was the kind of start you hope from every derby match, with the emotions and intensity turned right up inside the first 10 minutes, and Milan were certainly up to the challenge.
Their response was quick – though they had more than a helping hand. Fikayo Tomori was the man who ran off in joyous celebration as the Inter net bulged, though replays amusingly showed he didn't even touch the ball as Stefan de Vrij put past his own goalkeeper.
The gripping end-to-end nature of the match soon brought another twist.
Matteo Darmian darted onto the ball, surging inside Fode Ballo-Toure and into the box, luring the Milan left-back into a clumsy lunge. Penalty.
But Calhanoglu didn't fancy the opportunity to get a second, instead allowing Lautaro Martinez to step up, and the Argentinian failed to beat Ciprian Tatarusanu in the Milan goal.
Milan started to fade towards the end of the first half, with Inter creating two more fine opportunities just before the break and then remaining in the ascendancy in the second period.
Martinez saw a stinging drive go just over and then Calhanoglu inexplicably failed to get a volley on target at the back post as he blasted across the face of goal.
But Pioli's substitutions worked very well. Ismael Bennacer's introduction brought a little more poise and intricacy to the Milan midfield, while Alexis Saelemaekers showcased his trademark endeavour.
In fact, the Belgian went closest to breaking the deadlock as his long-range effort came back off the post and Kessie put the rebound wide.
Inter managed to hold on in the face of the late onslaught, and while a point seemed a fair result, it's already a fourth draw for Inzaghi's men. That's five matches they've failed to win, and although they remain third, you get the feeling they need to start turning those into victories if they are to stand a chance of retaining the title.
They certainly have the personnel to do so, while Milan's showing provided a little more evidence that last season's second-place finish wasn't a fluke, with this the first time in the three-points-for-a-win era that the Rossoneri have amassed as many as 32 points from their first 12 matches.
Of course, Napoli will hope to prove otherwise, but there remains the very real possibility that the Scudetto will be staying in Milan at the end of the campaign.
The second derby of the season will likely have some say in which of the two clubs prevails, and that in itself is glorious.
It had arguably lost much of its lustre in the eyes of the neutral in recent years, with the collective standard of their squads somewhat lacking in comparison to the fixture's glory days back in the early 2000s and it rarely having relevance due to Juve's domination.
But one thing Sunday's contest showed is that the Derby della Madonnina is once again becoming Italy's most relevant fixture.
Max Verstappen insists there is a long way to go in the Formula One drivers' championship race despite a "straightforward" win at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 24-year-old never looked back after moving from third to first after the first turn, wrapping up a 19th career win and ninth of the season by more than 16 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second and Red Bull team-mate and home favourite Sergio Perez in third.
The result meant Verstappen overtook Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Jim Clark as the driver to win most races in the Mexican Grand Prix, with this victory added to triumphs in 2017 and 2018.
Verstappen holds a 19-point lead over Hamilton at the summit of the drivers' championship with just four races remaining, but he is refusing to get carried away.
"There's still a long way to go," he said. "It's of course looking good, but it can turn around quickly. I'm looking forward to Brazil [next Sunday]. I also have good memories there.
"It was quite straightforward today, which was really nice."
Speaking about his electric start, which saw him power past Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, Verstappen said the key was holding off from breaking for as long as possible.
"It was three-wide, and it was just about trying to brake as late as you can," he explained.
"I went from third to first and that was basically what made my race because then I could just focus on myself. There was incredible pace in the car, so I could just do my own thing."
Verstappen's team-mate Perez put on a superb show in front of his home crowd, becoming the first Mexican driver to finish on the podium in this grand prix.
He also briefly led the race when Verstappen went into the pits to become the first Mexican to lead a lap at his country's grand prix.
"Having Checo [Perez] as a team-mate, coming to Mexico is amazing – actually even before that," Verstappen added. "All the fans here have been incredible, they love Formula One. It's really nice to be here."
Brazil awaits the drivers next Sunday in the second of November's triple-header, before a trip to Qatar.
Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu scored a penalty against his former club Milan, who missed out on an opportunity to go top of Serie A in a 1-1 derby draw at San Siro.
Calhanoglu - who joined the blue half of Milan from the red side on a free transfer in July - won and then converted an early spot-kick, but Inter were pegged back soon after as Stefan de Vrij scored an own goal.
The Nerazzurri were handed a second penalty in the first half, but Ciprian Tatarusanu saved Lautaro Martinez's strike from 12 yards to keep his side level.
Inter looked the more dangerous side in the second half, yet were unable to secure the victory. However, simply denying Milan three points meant the title-chasing Rossoneri were unable to leapfrog Napoli, who also drew 1-1 with Hellas Verona.
Calhanoglu opened the scoring against his former club, earning a penalty from Franck Kessie before powering the spot-kick down the middle in the 11th minute following a lengthy VAR check.
Inter's lead did not last long, however, as De Vrij inadvertently headed into his own net past Samir Handanovic just six minutes later after losing the flight of a cross from the left.
Milan then conceded a second spot-kick, with Fode Ballo-Toure scything Matteo Darmian down in the box, but Martinez stepped up this time and Tatarusanu produced a superb save from the striker's well-struck effort in the bottom-left corner.
Inter twice looked certain to re-take the lead shortly before the break when Nicolo Barella's shot was hacked off the line by Ballo-Toure before Martinez fired narrowly wide.
The Nerazzurri continued to push for a second after half-time and created a number of chances, including Calhanoglu's fizzing effort across goal, which was missed by both Martinez and Edin Dzeko.
Substitute Alexis Saelemaekers struck the post and Kessie skewed the rebound wide in the Rossoneri's best chances to win the game late on, but ultimately neither side was able to find a winner in the closing stages.
Max Verstappen extended his lead at the summit of the Formula One drivers' championship to 19 points after roaring to victory in the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 24-year-old had already moved from third to first by the first corner, which saw Valtteri Bottas – who had started in pole position – drop down to last after being hit from behind.
Verstappen was rarely troubled after that, claiming a 19th career win and ninth of the season by more than 16 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second and Red Bull team-mate and home favourite Sergio Perez in third.
The race started in dramatic circumstances, Verstappen blitzing past Bottas and Hamilton before the first turn to take an immediate lead.
Things quickly deteriorated for Bottas, who dropped to 18th after Daniel Ricciardo clipped him as he navigated the first turn – an incident that took Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher out of the running.
Verstappen wasted little time stamping his authority on the race after the safety car departed on lap four, opening up a 3.3-second advantage by the 10th lap.
That lead had reached 8.5 seconds by lap 27, before a pit stop gave the home fans reason to celebrate when Perez briefly became the first Mexican to lead a lap at his country's grand prix.
Verstappen soon resumed his position at the front of the pack and, with a comfortable win looking likely, attention turned elsewhere for drama.
That came in the shape of the battle for second, with Perez's team confidently telling the 31-year-old he would catch Hamilton inside the remaining 24 laps.
Despite falling just short, he could at least celebrate becoming the first Mexican driver to finish on the podium in this grand prix.
Diego Simeone accepted full responsibility as Atletico Madrid threw away a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 with Valencia after two stoppage-time goals.
Atletico were 3-1 up after an hour and remained in that position until the second minute of added time, when Hugo Duro pulled one back for the hosts.
The Valencia substitute repeated the trick four minutes later to dramatically level the scores, turning Goncalo Guedes' free-kick past Jan Oblak at the near post.
Simeone refused to point the finger at any of his players for the dropped points or begrudge Valencia their turnaround, blaming only himself for the result.
"[My players] played an extraordinary match for 80 or 85 minutes," Simeone said to Movistar after the game. "The pity is that those points no longer return.
"In the end, they played everything to bet on a goal from a set piece. They were ready and focused and it is a deserved draw for Valencia.
“What I have to say I will say in the dressing room. It is hard to lose points, mistakes are punished in football.
"It was a great game, with 80 to 85 very good minutes, great personality and unfortunately, sometimes we are right, today we are wrong. It is the coach's fault. [I made mistakes in] in-game situations.
"I would not single out any footballer, if you have to single someone out, it is the coach, not any player."
The draw sees Atletico lose pace in their LaLiga title defence, remaining in fourth behind Real Sociedad, Real Madrid and Sevilla.
Simeone's men will renew their bid to retain the league crown when they host Osasuna after the international break on November 20.
Novak Djokovic claimed his sixth Paris Masters title on Sunday, overcoming Daniil Medvedev and gaining revenge for his defeat in the US Open final in the process.
Prior to this week's Masters 1000 event, Djokovic had not played since going down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to world number two Medvedev at Flushing Meadows in September.
That defeat ended Djokovic's hopes of sealing a calendar Grand Slam, but he was in fine form this week as he regained the title he last won in 2019, having not played in the competition last year.
Defending champion Medvedev started the final brilliantly, but Djokovic rallied to win 4-6 6-3 6-3, claiming a record-setting 37th Masters title in the process.
And the world number one explained how he learned from the mistakes he made in New York to prevail this time around, taking his head-to-head record with Medvedev to 6-4 in the process.
"I went back and reviewed the final of the US Open to see what I did wrong and what I did right," Djokovic told the Tennis Channel.
"I tried to read the patterns of his serve and the ball toss, maybe. I tried to look for the small details, because it was a match of small margins."
Reflecting on the showdown in Paris, Djokovic added: "He started better, broke my serve in the first game and I came back. He served the first set out pretty comfortably, but I felt as if I was there.
"I thought it was only a matter of time when I was going to read his serve better and start to make some plays.
"You can't go through him. You have to find a way to play with controlled aggression, play the right shots at the right time and make him come in. It's variety that wins matches against him. We both suffered on the court and there was a lot of gruelling rallies."
Djokovic, who had already secured a record seventh year-end number one, has won 49 matches in 2021, losing on just six occasions.
Pakistan ended the Super 12s phase of the T20 World Cup with an unblemished record as Shoaib Malik inspired a comprehensive win by 72 runs against Scotland on Sunday.
While Pakistan were already assured of a spot in the semi-finals, where they will face Australia, they maintained their impressive momentum in dominant fashion against a Scotland side that never looked likely to reach the 190 target set by their opponents.
Granted, it took them a little while to really find their groove, with Mohammad Rizwan (15) and Fakhar Zaman (8) falling as Pakistan found themselves with a fairly unimpressive score of 59-2 in the 10th over.
But captain Babar Azam (66) kept things ticking along nicely, while Mohammad Hafeez (31) enjoyed a solid showing as well until he was caught leg-before by Safyaan Sharif (1-41).
It was Malik who stole the show and took Pakistan to another level, however. His unbeaten 54 came from just 18 balls and included seven boundaries including six sixes – it was the quickest half-century in Pakistan's T20 history and the third-fastest ever in the T20 World Cup.
That elevated Pakistan's innings from reasonable to unassailable, with Scotland surely realising they had little hope.
Richie Berrington (54 not out) could at least leave with his head held high, but no one else got more than 17 for the Scots.
While Scotland managed to see out the full 20 overs, they just could not get enough runs on the board against a miserly Pakistan attack.
Malik is the star
A particularly curious aspect of Pakistan's tournament is the fact Malik was a fifth different man of the match from five games, highlighting the spread of quality in the side. But even then, no one would have predicted just how devastating he was going to be here – not that he was getting carried away.
Speaking afterwards, he said: "Yes, I'm in good form but I want to see myself more consistent to help the team." If he produces innings like that on a regular basis, the outcome will be frightening.
Berrington plays with pride
Were it not for Malik's brilliance, Berrington probably would have been man of the match himself. His 54 came from 37 balls and he was Scotland's only hope, with no team-mate managing a strike rate of over 100.
Rory Burns says Ben Stokes' return to the England Test squad in time for the Ashes tour of Australia has provided "a massive boost".
Stokes was initially omitted from the squad for the away series as he recovered from a second operation on a broken finger and took a break from cricket to protect his mental wellbeing.
But the all-rounder gave Joe Root's side a huge lift last week by declaring he was ready to make his comeback, and he flew out to Australia on Thursday.
He will be available, barring any fitness issues, for the first Test at The Gabba on December 8.
Stokes was a star of the previous Ashes series in 2019, albeit his heroics in a famous Headingley Test did not prove enough for England to reclaim the urn.
And Burns explained the confidence boost Stokes' timely return has provided.
"It's obviously a massive boost, you know. To get Stokesy back in the side and back in the squad and back around things is obviously a massive boost for us," the opener told reporters.
"We all know what a good player he is. I don't really have to tell you about that. To get a bloke of his calibre and background back in our group is obviously a massive lift for us."
Stokes' return may have come as a surprise to some, but not Burns, who said: "I wasn't actually that surprised. I kind of felt like something was bubbling away.
"So, it was nice when I saw it announced. Because it is exciting and we want to get out there and have the best side possible, and obviously Ben adds to that in a massive way."
Burns impressed in the 2019 series, scoring 133 in the first innings of his Ashes debut before going on to record two more half-centuries (53 and 81).
"I think, from a personal standpoint, I played quite nicely in my only Ashes series to date," Burns continued.
"That was in my home conditions and those sort of things; we are probably going to get some different conditions out here in Australia. There is confidence there but also, at the same time, it's just taking what's in front of you every step of the way."
Xavi will take his first training session as the new head coach of Barcelona on Tuesday, the club has confirmed.
The former Barca midfielder was announced as Ronald Koeman's replacement on Saturday and will be officially presented on Monday before taking his first training session a day later.
Xavi arrives with the Blaugrana sat in mid-table in LaLiga and stated on Saturday that "the training sessions will be demanding and we will compete hard".
Following the international break, the legendary Spain midfielder's first game in charge will be the Catalan derby against Espanyol on Saturday 20th November.
Meanwhile, Barcelona announced that Eric Garcia and Nico Gonzalez suffered muscle strains in Saturday's 3-3 draw at Celta Vigo.
The duo join Ansu Fati in the treatment room, who was taken off just before half-time in that game with a thigh injury.
Scotland held off Australia to claim a narrow 15-13 win in their first November Test at Murrayfield, ending the Wallabies' five-match winning run.
Sunday's hosts had beaten Australia in the sides' previous two meetings, but Dave Rennie's men came into the clash in their best spell of form since a sequence of seven straight victories across September and October 2015.
Finn Russell's penalty 12 minutes from time ultimately proved the difference, prompting Hamish Watson to tell Amazon Prime: "Something special is building here."
Watson had opened the scoring in a tense back-and-forth encounter, powering over in the 22nd minute following a lineout.
Michael Hooper thought he had replied before the break, but the TMO intervened to rule out his try – Allan Alaalatoa sent to the sin bin for catching Matt Fagerson in the face – and James O'Connor's penalty instead provided Australia's only first-half points.
The Wallabies' 14 men had their first lead early in the second half through Rob Leota's score, only for debutant Ewan Ashman to squeeze the ball down in the corner for Scotland.
Another O'Connor penalty put Australia back in front heading into the closing stages, but the game was decided from Scotland's tee and the boot of Russell.
Hugo Duro scored twice in second-half stoppage time as Atletico Madrid threw away a two-goal lead in a remarkable 3-3 draw away to Valencia on Sunday.
Atletico looked to be well on track to bouncing back from a disappointing midweek defeat to Liverpool but Valencia showed commendable spirit to peg them back right at the end.
The visitors had dominated the first half and led through Luis Suarez's sublime goal, only for Valencia to improve after the break and level through Stefan Savic's own goal.
A quick-fire double from Atletico, courtesy of Antoine Griezmann and Sime Vrsaljko, looked as though it would be enough for the champions, only for Valencia substitute Duro to clinch a late brace that incredibly rescued a point.
Novak Djokovic came from a set down to defeat Daniil Medvedev 4-6 6-3 6-3 and win the Paris Masters on Sunday.
Djokovic lost to Medvedev in the US Open final in September, with that defeat ending his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam.
But the Serbian, whose semi-final win over Hubert Hurkacz ensured he will be the year-end world number one for a record seventh time, got his revenge in France.
It marks a fifth title of the year and a sixth triumph at this event for Djokovic, who did not compete in the tournament last year – Medvedev winning it in his place.
The 34-year-old had it far from his own way, with Medvedev instantly going a break up, and although Djokovic hit back to draw level at 2-2, the world number two held off a second break point before nosing himself ahead at 4-3.
Yet having served out the first set at the first time of asking, the US Open champion slipped up in the fourth game of the second as Djokovic reeled off some superb returns, and he did not look back.
With the momentum and crowd on his side, Djokovic broke Medvedev twice in quick succession in the decider, and although he was denied claiming the win on his serve, it merely delayed the inevitable.
Medvedev's powerful serve was not enough, with Djokovic keeping his composure to seal a record-setting 37th Masters 1000 title with a sublime forehand into the corner of the court following a draining rally.
Francesco Bagnaia's late-season rally did not come in time to push Fabio Quartararo all the way for the 2021 MotoGP title, but the Ducati rider's outstanding form has shown him how to compete next year.
Quartararo clinched the championship at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when second-placed Bagnaia dramatically crashed out.
On Sunday, at the Algarve Grand Prix, Bagnaia – starting from pole for a fifth consecutive race – won while Quartararo crashed.
If not for his untimely previous retirement, the Italian would be still within touching distance of the season leader heading into the final round.
"If I had the win in Misano, today was perfect for me," Bagnaia told a news conference. "But it's not like this."
Bagnaia's result clinched second and also delivered the constructors' championship for Ducati, who now lead the teams' standings, too.
But attention can start to turn towards next year, when Bagnaia will hope to be competitive from the outset.
"I think we didn't lose the championship in Misano," he said. "I lost a lot of points before and I started to be so competitive after some races.
"For sure, it's a really great base for next year. Also we have worked so hard and so well with our bike, so for next year we have a really great base."
Of course, Bagnaia would have to cope with significant pressure if he were to lead the title race from the outset, and he acknowledged riding this week without the championship on the line was an easier experience.
"I didn't change it compared to Misano," he explained. "But in Misano, I was trying to [keep] open the championship but I was knowing that it was very difficult to win it.
"Today, if I had the win in Misano, for sure Quartararo was not crashing. I was racing without the pressure of the championship, so I just did the same thing."
Quartararo took the title from Joan Mir, who is also keen to respond in 2022 after a difficult championship defence.
He finished second on Sunday for the second time this year but has not won a single race and said Suzuki would have to work on a "better base".
For now, Mir was simply delighted to be back in contention on race day, saying: "Honestly, I'm so happy, I'm especially happy for this podium.
"It's not for the result, it's more for the weekend that we did. It was unbelievable. I felt so good from the first moment and I was able to be competitive from FP1.
"Then, as Pecco said, when you feel good with the bike and the base is good, everything came easily. What I needed was a weekend like this one."
England captain Owen Farrell has been cleared to return to the squad after his coronavirus test was revealed to be a false positive.
The 30-year-old went into isolation and missed England's 69-3 over Tonga on Saturday after a PCR test taken on Thursday came back positive.
However, England revealed on Sunday that the result has been reviewed and determined as a false positive test.
He tested negative in subsequent PCR tests and has therefore been given the green light to link up with his team-mates at Pennyhill Park.
Farrell will be in contention to return to action for Eddie Jones' side when they take on Australia at Twickenham next Saturday.
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