Arne Slot is relishing Liverpool's upcoming double-header against Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Liverpool came from behind thanks to Mohamed Salah's second-half double to beat Southampton 3-2 on Sunday.

That victory at St Mary's moved the Reds eight points clear of Man City, who were thrashed 4-0 at home by Tottenham on Saturday for a fifth straight defeat in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola's team visit Anfield on December 1, though first the Reds host European champions Madrid in the Champions League.

And Slot cannot wait for Liverpool to go up against two heavyweights.

"It's what you need in a league like this, with so many quality teams. You have to keep winning because if you don’t, the other ones will," the Dutchman told BBC Sport.

"That's what we try to do every game, now it's Real Madrid and next Sunday it's Man City.

"You couldn't wish for more than playing these two games in the upcoming week, at home."

No manager in Premier League history has reached 10 wins in fewer matches from the start of their career in the competition than Slot (12 games, level with Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti).

Liverpool were indebted to Salah, however, with the forward dragging them level and then converting the winner from the penalty spot after Mateus Fernandes had put Southampton into a surprise lead early in the second half, following goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Adam Armstrong before the break.

Salah became the first player to score in five successive Premier League appearances for Liverpool since the Egyptian himself in October 2021 (seven in a row). His second goal was his 100th away from Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions.

"It was very good that Mo scored in that moment," said Slot of Salah's first goal, which came in the 65th minute when he nudged Ryan Gravenberch's pass beyond the stranded Alex McCarthy.

"It was not the best period of the game so he helped us with that and then afterwards we dominated so much, they got tired.

"That is what special players do. They can score goals out of nowhere. It's not completely out of nowhere because the assist of Gravenberch is a great ball as well, but Mo is known for the timing of his runs, he feels the right moment to run behind the last line, and normally you know he’s not offside because he always finds the right moment, and then he scores the goal, which was very helpful for us."

While Slot acknowledged Liverpool were tested by the Premier League's bottom club, he felt his team were always in control.

He added: "It wasn't a surprise for us, we saw how they played against Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle in away games, never mind how they would play in a home game against a top team. But we dominated. Because we went down 2-1, it made it really difficult for us.

"We dominated the whole game, which is not that easy against Southampton because they want possession, they want to dominate the game as well, but they couldn't. Because the scoreline was as it was, it felt like a difficult match, but if you look at the underlying numbers we deserved to win."

Those metrics support Slot's point. Liverpool accumulated 2.9 expected goals from 27 shots, 11 of which were on target, while they also limited Southampton to 37.9% possession.

Yashasvi Jaiswal revelled in a "special" century as India took command on day three of the opening Test against Australia in Perth.

The opener made 161 as part of a 201-run opening stand with KL Rahul to celebrate a fourth hundred in the longest format.

Virat Kohli was also unbeaten on 100 as India declared on 487-6 before Australia finished 12-3 in reply and surely out of the game with 522 runs required for victory.

In quotes reported by BBC Sport, Jaiswal said: "For me all my centuries are amazing, but this is special because I really wanted to do it against Australia.

"I worked so hard in every practice session, I wanted to score runs here in Australia, so I really enjoyed it.

"I was just playing normally, I always trust in me and believe in me."

Australia's top-order frailties were exposed once more as captain Jasprit Bumrah dismissed debutant Nathan McSweeney for a duck and Marnus Labuschagne (three) before nightwatchman Patrick Cummins (two) fell to Mohammed Siraj in a devastating spell before the close of play.

Josh Hazlewood all but conceded defeat and said the hosts' plan for day four is now to stick at it as long as possible and, ideally, tire out India's quicks ahead of the upcoming Tests.

"I think it's just about the batters sticking to their plans tomorrow, batting some time," he said.

"It's obviously a long series so if we can put some overs into their top quicks, that's one of the goals.

"And if some guys find some form and score 80, 90 or 100, that's probably the positives we can take out of it."

The NHL’s in-season coaching carousel has made another turn.

The St. Louis Blues announced Sunday they have fired Drew Bannister and replaced him with the newly available Jim Montgomery.

Team president and GM Doug Armstrong announced the sudden change Sunday after the Blues’ disappointing 9-12-1 start to the season.

Montgomery, the 2022 Jack Adams Award winner, was fired by the Boston Bruins just five days ago.

Montgomery will join his new team in New York ahead of Monday’s game against the Rangers.

St. Louis fired Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last season and named Bannister the interim bench boss.

In May, the Blues removed the interim tag from Bannister’s title.

Montgomery spent the last two full seasons leading the Bruins to 100-point seasons and play-off appearances, but both post-season runs ended against the Florida Panthers.

Boston opened the season 8-9-3 under Montgomery before he was fired, and the Bruins have won both their games under new coach Joe Sacco.

Among the NHL’s 32 teams, this is the 23rd coaching change since January 2023.

After missing the playoffs last season, the Blues are 30th in the NHL in scoring this season at 2.36 goals per game. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer haven’t fared much better in goal with a combined .885 save percentage.

Leicester City have dismissed manager Steve Cooper after a run of four Premier League games without a win.

Cooper, who previously managed Leicester's rivals Nottingham Forest, only took charge of the Foxes for 15 games in all competitions.

He was appointed in June, after Enzo Maresca left to join Chelsea following Leicester's promotion back to the Premier League.

After going six league games without a win at the start of the season, Cooper appeared to have steadied the ship with victories over Bournemouth and Southampton.

However, a winless streak of four top-flight matches, in which Leicester lost to Forest, Manchester United and Chelsea, while drawing with Ipswich Town, has seen Cooper lose his position.

In a statement released on Sunday, Leicester confirmed Cooper's assistants Alan Tate and Steve Rands had also left the club, with Ben Dawson set to take charge until a replacement is appointed.

Former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter was reportedly in talks to join Leicester prior to Cooper's appointment in the summer.

The Foxes are 16th in the Premier League on 10 points after 12 games.

Liverpool went eight points clear at the top of the Premier League as they came from behind to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory over Southampton at St Mary's.

Two second-half goals from Mohamed Salah turned Sunday's game on its head after Mateus Fernandes had given bottom club Southampton a surprise 2-1 lead.

Dominik Szoboszlai had given Liverpool a 30th-minute lead by curling home via the far post after Flynn Downes' dreadful clearance landed at his feet inside the area.

However, the outstanding Tyler Dibling was felled by Andrew Robertson for a Southampton penalty on the stroke of half-time. Adam Armstrong's spot-kick was repelled by Caoimhin Kelleher, but the striker kept his nerve to tuck home the equaliser.

Armstrong then turned provider when Fernandes swept home Southampton's second in the 56th minute, but their lead would not last.

Salah cushioned a searching Ryan Gravenberch pass beyond a stranded Alex McCarthy for 2-2 in the 65th minute, then saw his inswinging cross handled by Southampton substitute Yukinari Sugawara seven minutes from time.

The Egyptian scored what proved to be the winner from the resulting penalty, and he almost got a hat-trick when he crashed a shot off the base of the post in the 88th minute.

Southampton remain bottom of the table, five points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves. Liverpool, meanwhile, are sitting pretty ahead of next week’s meeting with Manchester City, who were routed 4-0 by Tottenham on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Salah helps Slot into history books

Despite a lacklustre defensive performance, Liverpool earned their 10th victory in 12 Premier League games this season (one draw, one defeat), thanks primarily to Salah's quality in attack.

Salah has become the first Liverpool player to score in five successive Premier League games since the Egyptian himself did so in seven straight matches in October 2021. 

His penalty, meanwhile, was his 100th goal away from Anfield for the Reds across all competitions.

Slot has now joined former Chelsea bosses Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti as the fastest managers to reach 10 Premier League wins upon their arrival in the division.

Gregor Townsend insists Scotland can still play better despite ending their 2024 calendar on the high of an impressive 27-13 win over Australia at Murrayfield.

Finn Russell surpassed 400 Test points after scoring one of four Scotland tries and kicking seven points in a game where Scotland led by 21 points at one stage.

Head coach Townsend was delighted to send supporters home happy but was not happy with all aspects of his side's performance on Sunday.

"If you catch me in 10 minutes I'll be in a better mood. There was more in us. We weren't as accurate in the first half," he told BBC Sport.

"It shows we can get a win when we're not playing as well. There were moments in the game that I loved. We saw what it meant to our supporters to get a win against a quality team.

"We're better than some of the aspects today, but I'm proud that the players found a way to win.

"I'm inwardly happy, but if there was a game next week it would be a tough review and there would be a lot of things to improve."

Captain Sione Tuipulotu crossed in the first half for Scotland, who led 7-3 at the break after Noah Lolesio's had put Australia in front.

The hosts took command after the break with Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and Russell going over in the second half.

Wing wizard Harry Potter scored on his Australia debut to add some credit to the scoreline for the visitors and Scotland showed great defensive resolve after that to ensure no more points were conceded.

Skipper Tuipulotu collected the Hopetoun Cup in front of his grandmother and said: "It was an amazing moment. When she handed over the cup she said 'you got 'em!'

"I'm super happy and it makes the day all worthwhile, when we win like that. We won playing our rugby, we scored some brilliant tries. We know how dangerous our back three is but it was a group effort today and that's what I'm most pleased about."

Victor Wembanyama said he had flipped a switch upon his return to action on Saturday, as the San Antonio Spurs managed an impressive 104-94 win over the Golden State Warriors.

San Antonio found themselves trailing by 17 points near the end of the third quarter and in danger of seeing their winning streak snapped at two games.

However, they rallied for the biggest comeback win by any team facing the Warriors this season, with Wembanyama the driving force.

Returning after sitting out three games with a right knee contusion, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year had 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while also shooting 2-of-3 from 3-point range after half-time.

"I did find my rhythm physically," Wembanyama said afterwards. "It was a little hard to come back in terms of conditioning in the first half. 

"There's a switch I'm trying to flip on demand.

"Strong catches, quick moves, not holding the ball, but also taking my time, taking shots with confidence, good feet and good preparation for the shot."

Point guard Chris Paul always knew a tough first half – in which Wembanyama went 2-of-6 from 3-point range – would not impact his team-mate's confidence.

"Vic's confidence never wavers, and it's so dope to see," Paul said. "He's confident. He knows the next one's going in. 

"Vic was huge, just being his first game back. The defense, the shots. The plays that he made tonight were all winning plays. He's an alien. He's just so unique."

Golden State coach Steve Kerr was also left in awe of Wembanyama's all-round display, saying: "He was amazing, blocking shots, thwarting others, just being a presence in the paint. 

"It was an impressive performance by him and by the whole team, defensively."

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said his errant players only had themselves to blame for their 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo in LaLiga, adding they were fortunate to even escape with a point.

Barca opened a two-goal lead thanks to efforts from captain Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, but after Marc Casado was sent off in the 82nd minute, the hosts fought back with two late strikes.

Alfon Gonzalez and Hugo Alvarez were on target as Celta denied Barca the chance to move eight points clear at the summit, and Flick said his side could have few complaints.

"It wasn't only the last few minutes, we played a really bad game tonight," Flick told DAZN.

"If you don't play at 100% you can't win. That's just the way it was the whole game. We have to be honest.

"These things happen. It was a bad game. The players are not happy. Everyone can play better than what we did today. You have to stay focused. Sometimes it may seem that what we do is easy, but it is not."

Flick would not point fingers at Casado for the red card or defender Jules Kounde for a bad mistake that led to Celta's first goal. Instead, he criticised his side's collective effort and performance levels.

"The red card and Kounde's mistake are just a consequence of the bad game from the team. We made a lot of mistakes and lacked confidence on the ball throughout the match," Flick said.

"We didn't play the football we are used to but we were lucky with some situations and in the end got a point but we have to react because it cannot be repeated.

"I hope what we saw today doesn't have a negative impact in our Champions League game against Brest on Tuesday. We have to learn with the mistakes we move on."

Barca top LaLiga with 34 points, five ahead of Atletico Madrid in second and seven ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, who have two games in hand. 

Pep Guardiola admits he has been surprised by Manchester City's alarming dip in form, saying: "In eight years we never lived like this".

Guardiola is in the midst of the longest losing run of his managerial career, with City suffering a fifth straight defeat in all competitions on Saturday as they were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham.

They have also lost three Premier League games in a row and could end the weekend eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who visit bottom club Southampton on Sunday.

It is their worst run in the competition since they lost three straight between February and March 2016, when they finished fourth under Manuel Pellegrini.

"In eight years we never lived this. I knew sooner or later we would drop," Guardiola said after Saturday's game.

"I never expected to lose three Premier League games in a row but we have been incredibly consistent again and again and again. 

"Now we cannot deny the reality that sometimes happens in football and life is here."

City's drop-off has coincided with star midfielder Rodri – who won the Ballon d'Or last month – being sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Guardiola's side did not lose any of the 34 Premier League matches in which Rodri appeared last season, winning 27 and drawing seven, though they lost three of four when the Spaniard was absent.

Each of City's last six league defeats have come when Rodri has not featured, but former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes their poor run cannot be totally blamed on his injury.

"We've seen City lose the odd game here, but we've very rarely seen them outplayed in every department, but that's what we're watching," pundit Neville told Sky Sports.

"They look well short. As short as I've seen them since Pep's first season. I've not seen them as bad as this, how they've been in the last few weeks.

"He will have wanted that international break to come, thinking it would be a reset moment. But now here, it further entrenches the opinion this is a City side currently in decline.

"This is more than just Rodri, far more."

New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson has said he wants to see overseas-based players become eligible for the All Blacks after his side laboured to a 29-11 win over Italy. 

The visitors recorded their 18th straight win against Italy to wrap up their autumn series, but Robertson's side were made to work for the victory in Turin in flanker Sam Cane's final Test for the team, ahead of his switch to play club rugby in Japan. 

Speaking after the game, Robertson said he would ask New Zealand Rugby to follow in the footsteps of world champions South Africa and allow those playing outside domestic competitions to be eligible for the national team. 

"We don't want to be a cycle behind or a couple of years behind," Robertson said. 

"Professional rugby is always evolving. Let's keep an open mind and see what's next. I'll definitely be presenting.

"Using South Africa as an example, they get the opportunity to use a lot of experienced players who are looked after and managed well into their 30s so they've got a great balance.

"And they've got big squads, they can have two really quality 15s."

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli bagged magnificent centuries to put India in a commanding position on day three of their first Test match against Australia in Perth. 

India declared in a dominant position of 487-6 after Jaiswal (161) built on their 172-0 at stumps on day two and former captain Kohli (100 not out) added quick runs with his first century in 16 months coming up during the final hour. 

The tourists then wreaked havoc with the ball in five overs before stumps as captain Jasprit Bumrah dismissed debutant Nathan McSweeney (zero) and Marnus Labuschagne (three) before nightwatchman Cummins (two) fell to Mohammed Siraj with the score at 12, as the hosts trail by 521 runs with seven wickets in hand. 

Earlier in the Test, India had scored 150 batting first before bundling out Australia for 104 in the first innings. 

Jaiswal resumed his innings at 90 on the third day and brought up his century in the first hour before KL Rahul departed for 77 after an opening-wicket partnership of 201. 

The centurion fell as India's third wicket at 313-3 as Australia picked up three wickets in the space of eight runs, but Kohli reached his ton with help from Washington Sundar (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38 not out) as India asserted their dominance. 

Max Verstappen has said that he is hungry for more success after claiming his fourth consecutive Formula One world title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. 

The Red Bull driver claimed the title by finishing fifth, ahead of championship rival Lando Norris, in the race which was won by George Russell of Mercedes. 

Verstappen is now behind only Lewis Hamilton (seven), Michael Schumacher (seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) in terms of world titles won, and the Dutchman has said he will aim for a fifth title in 2025. 

"If you look to next year right now, I think it's going to be a proper battle between a lot of cars, but I'm hungry," said Verstappen, who secured the title with two races to spare.