The Football Association (FA) is to take no disciplinary action after investigating a comment alleged to have been made by a player in last month's Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool.

A complaint was made regarding an exchange between two players in Arsenal's 3-2 win at Emirates Stadium on October 9.

However, following the conclusion of a "full and thorough investigation" – in which the accused player "strenuously denied the allegation throughout" – the FA announced on Wednesday the matter had been closed.

The FA added in a statement: "Whilst The FA is entirely satisfied that the allegation was made in good faith, it is equally satisfied that there is no case to answer."

It explained: "The investigation included taking witness statements from the complainant and accused, along with an additional six players who were within proximity of the alleged incident, reviewing multiple angles of video footage, and seeking independent linguistics experts evidence. 

"None of the witnesses heard the alleged comment, and the player accused strenuously denied the allegation throughout."

The statement added: "The FA continues to take all allegations received extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who believes that they have been the subject of or witness to abuse to report this through the appropriate channels. 

"The FA receives a number of complaints in any one season and thoroughly investigates each one that it receives. Following consideration of all of the evidence received, not all cases will result in a charge being issued."

Chelsea have announced the arrival of Laurence Stewart from Monaco as technical director with a focus on global football, in what is seen as the first move towards a multi-club model.

Stewart, a former performance analyst for England during the 2014 World Cup, will arrive at Stamford Bridge upon the completion of his tenure with the Ligue 1 outfit.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has made little secret of his desire to move the Premier League outfit towards a multi-club model, akin to Manchester City and the City Football Group, who own teams in 11 countries.

Stewart, who has experience with such a model through Monaco, appears to be arriving to help facilitate that vision, given the emphasis his role will have on global matters.

"Laurence is an important appointment as we plan to build a deep sporting team that will collaborate closely," Boehly said in a statement with co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali.

"[He's] a world-class football leader who understands talent management, data and scouting, player development and performance."

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald cut his ties with brand management agency Donda Sports amid further condemnation for its owner Kanye West.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year signed with the company following victory at Super Bowl LVI in February, alongside Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown.

But both men have now left the organisation amid further derogatory and antisemitic comments by its musician and businessmen founder, who is now known as Ye.

"We felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings," Donald said via a statement issued alongside his wife Erica.

"We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race."

Ye saw his ties severed with apparel giant Adidas on Tuesday, having held a near-decade-long lucrative sportswear partnership with the German brand.

Manchester United are "going in the right direction" under Erik ten Hag, but left-back Luke Shaw says the club know they "can do better".

Ten Hag arrived from Ajax at the close of a dismal 2021-22 campaign for United and was tasked with turning around their fortunes after another barren season.

Despite a rocky start, Ten Hag has since helped United rediscover their rhythms, having now strung together six games unbeaten in all competitions since derby defeat to Manchester City at the start of October.

Ahead of Thursday's Europa League encounter with Sheriff, Shaw reflected on the team's growth under their new boss, and feels there is still yet more to come.

"I think there has been a massive improvement," he told United's club website. "The start of the season was obviously nowhere near good enough, we all knew that, but I think, since then, we've taken a lot of big strides.

"We know we can do better – for example against Newcastle at home [earlier this month], we have to be winning those games and taking three points instead of one. But there has definitely been improvements."

Asked about Ten Hag's impact, Shaw said: "He speaks to the players individually quite a lot and I think, from the start of pre-season, I could see what sort of manager he was going to be and I was extremely impressed with the way he came across, not just in terms of how he speaks to you, but his ideas of how he wants his team to set up.

"His structure and the way he wants to play with the ball and without the ball – it was really impressive. Things obviously take time, but I think we're going in the right direction and I think it could be a really good next few months because I feel like we're taking the right steps."

Shaw has not been a guaranteed starter for United this term, battling Netherlands international Tyrell Malacia for his berth, but the England defender believes the contest between the two is bringing out the best in him.

"I really like Ty; I sit next to him in the changing room, and he's a really nice guy and an extremely good player," he added.

"He's still very young and we get on really well and, for both of us, it's nice to get on well with someone who is in your position."

Devin Booker loves and admires Klay Thompson, but that does not excuse him from being competitive after their verbal spar led to the Golden State Warriors guard's ejection from Tuesday's game.

Booker scored 34 points as the Phoenix Suns won 134-105 over the Warriors, with Thompson ejected for the first time in his career during a heated third quarter between two of the top Western Conference contenders at Footprint Center.

Thompson was thrown out of the game after consecutive technical fouls, instigated by a heated exchange with Booker that went on for several minutes.

The pair bumped chests and exchanged words, leading to double technicals for both players, but Thompson boiled over during an ensuing timeout and was thrown out after yelling at the officials, despite being restrained by Stephen Curry and assistant coach Chris DeMarco.

"I love Klay Thompson," Booker told ESPN during his on-court interview after the game. "I have from the beginning, from the draft coming out, I said I wanted to be Klay Thompson.

"But that doesn’t excuse us from competing against each other and talking a little mess with each other. I had fun with it. I'm a big fan of his and his competitive nature and that's that."

When asked at the press conference what Thompson said to Booker, he said: "They have four rings. Repeated over and over. And they do."

Thompson managed only two points on one-of-eight shooting, with that frustration boiling over, while Booker kept his composure to an extent. The Warriors guard was still shouting at the Suns bench as he was walked out following his ejection.

"He was having a tough night," Booker said. "I think everything plays into his frustration. I've been there before.

"You know what they have, they've got the four rings, they're going to use that in all the trash talk, rightfully so, respectfully. But that doesn't have anything to do with competing.

"I've always admired his game, how he plays on both sides of the ball and obviously the rings speak for themselves. Like I said, I'm going to bring it every time."

Thompson's ejection comes amid a sluggish start to the season for the five-time All-Star shooting guard, averaging 14.0 points on 40.5 per cent shooting from the field, while he has made eight-of-28 three-point attempts at 34.8 per cent.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr understood Thompson's frustration but tried to offer some perspective to his frustrated four-time NBA champion.

"One thing I will remind Klay on, he's had plenty of slow starts in his career," Kerr said. "I remember several years ago where he really struggled for the three-point line in his first four or five games.

"Klay cares so much about the game, his own impact on our team. He wants it so badly and he's trying to force everything right now. He's trying too hard. I'll remind him of that."

Liverpool can seal progression to the Champions League last 16 when they play on Wednesday, but Barcelona could see their exit confirmed from Europe's top competition.

Jurgen Klopp's Reds make the trip to face Ajax in Group A knowing they are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League at the very least – and simply avoiding defeat would guarantee their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

It is a more dicey affair for Xavi's Barca, however, as they welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou in Group C knowing a loss would spell the end of their journey. Even a win will not be enough if Inter defeat Viktoria Plzen.

Tottenham will hope to keep their noses in front in Group D, with Marseille and Sporting CP just a point behind, while Atletico Madrid have work to do in Group B.

Stats Perform previews Wednesday's eight matches by picking through the Opta data.

Ajax v Liverpool

Ajax have made for generous opponents for Liverpool of late, losing their last three against the Reds in the Champions League. Only Juventus (four, 1997-2004) and Real Madrid (seven, 2010-2019) have previously won four in a row against Ajax in the European Cup or Champions League.

Yet Ajax remain the last Dutch side to achieve a home win against Liverpool, albeit that was back in 1966, with the Premier League side unbeaten in seven subsequent trips to the Netherlands.

Liverpool's countrymen have also made hay, as Ajax have won just one of their last eight home European matches against English teams, beating Manchester City in October 2012.

With or without another strong result, this will be an historic occasion for Liverpool and Klopp, who will match Rafael Benitez's 62 Champions League matches in charge of the Reds, who bring up 150 games in the competition.

Barcelona v Bayern Munich

Needing a win, Barca might have hoped to face any team but Bayern, who have a record three Champions League away wins at the Blaugrana. Along with Juventus and Real Madrid, they are one of three teams to have won more matches at Barca than they have lost.

Home and away, Barca have lost nine of their 12 Champions League matches against Bayern, including the past five in a row.

In fact, if Bayern win again, they will match Madrid's record of 10 wins against a single opponent in the competition – Madrid's dominance coming against Bayern.

Although Bayern are already through, they are seeking a fourth home-and-away double against Barca in a Champions League season (also 1998-99, 2012-13 and 2021-22). Dynamo Kyiv (in 1997-98) are the only other team to beat Barca twice in the same campaign even once.

Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting CP

Sporting won 2-0 against Tottenham in Portugal in what was the sides' first meeting, but they have a dismal record in England, with two victories in 15 attempts away to English sides.

Spurs have won six of their seven home European matches against Portuguese opposition, only losing to Benfica in the 2013-14 Europa League.

Both of Tottenham's wins in this campaign have come at home, where Antonio Conte is bidding to become just the second Spurs coach to win each of his first three at home in the Champions League – after Harry Redknapp.

He and Tottenham will know they must keep their focus early and late; Sporting's last three Champions League goals have come in either the first or last minutes of the match, netting twice in second-half stoppage time in the reverse fixture.

Atletico Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen

Atletico have not lost at home to Leverkusen in their prior four such matches, winning two and drawing two, but the Bundesliga team have started to turn the tide, winning two in a row against them in the Champions League.

That strong home record applies whenever Atletico face German opposition, though, as Borussia Dortmund were the last Bundesliga visitors to win there in 1996. Atleti are unbeaten in 11 since.

Diego Simeone needs his team to rediscover their scoring touch, having gone three without a goal in the Champions League.

That is their worst run under Simeone. Only once in the competition have Atletico gone four without netting, back in 2009 under Abel Resino.

Other fixtures:

Club Brugge v Porto

21 – Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has saved all 21 of the shots on target he has faced in the Champions League this season. He has prevented a competition-leading 4.9 goals, according to expected goals on target data.

4 – Four of Porto's last seven Champions League goals have come from the penalty spot.

Inter v Viktoria Plzen

12 – Inter have scored 12 of their last 14 Champions League goals in the second halves of matches. All three against Barca last time out came after the interval – only the third time an away team has netted three second-half goals at Camp Nou in this competition.

28 – Plzen have averaged just 28 per cent of the possession in the Champions League this season, the lowest average by a team in a single season since Opta data collection began in 2003-04.

Napoli v Rangers

4 – Napoli have won all four of their matches in the Champions League this season and could become the first Italian side to win their opening five games in a single campaign since Juventus in 2004-05. 

12 – No goalkeeper has faced more shots on target (29) or conceded more goals (12) than Rangers' Allan McGregor in the Champions League this season. Indeed, he has only kept four clean sheets in 21 appearances in the competition overall.

Eintracht Frankfurt v Marseille

50 – Eintracht Frankfurt's Mario Gotze could make his 50th start in the Champions League in this match. He has been involved in 25 goals in his previous 65 appearances, including 21 in his 49 starts.

3 – Marseille have won their last two games in the Champions League – both against Sporting CP – and will be looking to win three in a row for the first time since October-December 2010, when they won four on the spin under Didier Deschamps.

Alexandar Georgiev says it was "pretty special" to be the Colorado Avalanche's shootout hero against the New York Rangers whom he left barely four months ago.

The Russian goaltender stopped three of four Rangers' shootout attempts as the Avalanche won 3-2 at his former home rink, Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Georgiev, who stopped Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere to seal the win, had spent five years with the Rangers before being traded to the Stanley Cup champions in July.

"Pretty special," Georgiev told reporters. "It doesn't get much better than a tight shootout win.

"The building is awesome. Brought a lot of good memories back. But for me, it was just playing the game and letting it come to me… I was just enjoying the moment."

Avs head coach Jared Bednar praised Georgiev, who made 44 saves on 46 shots across the game to improve to 4-0-1 this season.

"I'm really happy for him," Bednar said. "Every game's a big game, but when you're coming in against your former team and playing against your old teammates, there's a little added incentive.

"I'm happy to see our guy come away with two points and the win."

Avs defenseman Cale Makar, who got his seventh assist in seven games, said Georgiev was on another planet in the game where he came up against star Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

"I feel like I knew Georgie was going to have a game tonight," Makar said. "He's a good goalie but I feel like he was on a completely different planet tonight."

Devin Booker continued his prolific start to the season as the Phoenix Suns flexed their offensive muscle with a 134-105 win over Western Conference rivals Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Booker, who turns 26 on Sunday, became the first player in franchise history to have three 30-point games in the first four of a season, finishing with 34 on 10-of-19 shooting from the field with seven assists and three steals.

Deandre Ayton added 16 points with 14 rebounds, including 11 in the first half, while Chris Paul had 16 points with seven rebounds and nine assists.

The Suns, who improved to 3-1, shot at 41 per cent from the field, making 12-of-29 three-pointers, with Paul draining four-of-five from beyond the arc. Phoenix outscored the Warriors 62-39 in the second half.

The reigning champions, who moved to 2-2, continued their worrying defensive start to the season, having conceded 109 or more points in all four of their games this season, averaging 124 points against per game.

Stephen Curry managed 21 points to end his 30-point run to start the season, shooting seven-of-17 from the field and four triples.

Jordan Poole was productive off the bench with 17 points, including 14 in the first half. Klay Thompson was ordinary again with two points, shooting none-of-five from three-point range.

Pels triumph over Doncic's Mavs despite key outs

The New Orleans Pelicans overcame the absence of Zion Williamson (hip) and Brandon Ingram (concussion) along with a Luka Doncic masterclass to win 113-111 over the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic scored 37 points on 16-of-30 shooting, with 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Mavs, but the undermanned Pels triumphed, led by Trey Murphy with a team-high 22 points with 100 per cent shooting. 

C.J. McCollum struggled to find his range, shooting six-of-20 for 14 points but eight Pels players reached double-figure scoring as they improved to 3-1 to start the season. 

Doncic became the first Mav to ever open a season with three straight 30-point games. The Slovenian is also only the second player in NBA history with 100-plus points, 25-plus rebounds and 20-plus assists through the first three games of a season.

SGA's OKC down short-handed Clippers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced a dominant all-round display with 33 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised past the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 108-94.

The Clippers were without former NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard due to knee soreness along with seven-time All-Star Paul George with illness, with the defeat seeing them slip to 1-3.

Gilgeous-Alexander went at 50 per cent from the field, making two-of-two from beyond the arc, with five rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and three steals in a masterful display, while Tre Mann scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half.

The San Diego Padres are all in on superstar Juan Soto, with general manager A.J. Preller telling reporters on Tuesday the goal is to have him around "for many years to come".

Soto was acquired from the Washington Nationals in a blockbuster trade at this season's deadline after turning down a 15-year, $440million contract extension.

The Dominican Republic product celebrated his 24th birthday on Tuesday, and he already has two All-Star appearances, three top-10 MVP finishes and a Home Run Derby crown to his name.

This past season was Soto's worst of his career at the plate, hitting just .242 to lower his career average to .287, but he showed he still has the elite plate discipline that makes him such an outlier at his age.

He has now started his career with five consecutive seasons where he has an on-base percentage above .400, and despite a career-worst slugging percentage of .452, his 27 home runs were only two fewer than the previous year where he was named MVP runner-up.

Soto was disappointing in the first two rounds of this year's postseason, but hit a pair of home runs in the Padres' NLCS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies as he began to rediscover his power.

Prior to the trade, Soto was considered one of the best young players in the history of the sport, and a few cold months of batting have done nothing to change that as the Padres have control over him for two more seasons before he becomes eligible for free agency.

Addressing the media, Preller made it clear that a long-term extension for Soto is the organisation's priority, while dancing around their plans for out-of-contract closing pitcher Josh Hader, who they also acquired at the deadline.

"They're guys that, you know, in Juan's case should be here for many years to come," he said. "I think we'll have that conversation. All this is pretty fresh. 

"From Juan's standpoint, he's getting to know the city and getting to know the organization. When we made the deal, we made it knowing that we got him for three pennant races. 

"He's an incredibly talented player, he's an impact player, and we'll have those conversations here. This offseason is kind of taking the temperature, seeing where his head is at going forward."

After sneaking into the playoffs, the 89-win Padres eliminated the 101-win New York Mets and the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers in back-to-back series, and manager Bob Melvin said they will be aiming even higher next season.

"Much higher," he said. "You look at the core guys we have coming back, this is going to be as good a group as anybody."

Preller added: "This is a taste of what's to come".

Anthony Davis has rallied around maligned Los Angeles Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook, who has been listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets due to left hamstring soreness.

Westbrook exited the Lakers' final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings 11 days ago after only five minutes due to a hamstring issue. 

The 33-year-old nine-time All-Star has played all three of the Lakers' games this season since, but has been the subject of significant criticism, the latest for taking on and missing a midrange shot late in Sunday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham declined to elaborate on his likely line-up for the Nuggets game, as they look to snap an 0-3 start to the season.

Westbrook's status was disclosed by the Lakers after Ham spoke to reporters, while the former MVP was not made available either.

The Lakers point guard is averaging 10.3 points shooting at 28.9 per cent from the field with 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game across three games this season.

Davis, who has started this season impressively despite the Lakers' winless start, leapt to the defence of Westbrook who has copped the brunt of the criticism directed at the team.

"I mean, it's crazy," Davis said. "People are forgetting who Russ is… I can't imagine how tough it is for him. It's something you guys have to ask him.

"But just as a team, as an organisation, we're just trying to be there for him and just keep supporting him and make sure that he doesn't get caught up in it, because that's when things can go bad for him. We want to make sure that he's continuously in a great space.

"He was all smiles today, which is a good thing. We want to make sure that no matter what, he knows we're on his side and we have his back. And whatever he needs from us, we're right here, on and off the court."

The Lakers' winless start to the season comes after missing the playoffs in 2021-22 with a 33-49 record.

"Obviously, there's some sense of urgency," Davis added. "You don't want to dig yourself too big of a hole. But we've got to stay even-keeled.

"We can't get rattled or flustered and things like that. Just like if we win 12 in a row, we don't want to get too high.

"We think all this adversity is going to be good for us. We're glad it's happening in October and not March or April."

Kawhi Leonard is experiencing stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee and has subsequently been ruled out of the Los Angeles Clippers' next two games.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP missed all of last season after tearing his ACL during the 2021 playoffs and has played 21 minutes off the bench in two of the Clippers' three opening games this season.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue revealed ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that Leonard had not suffered a setback but would sit out of their next two games, including Thursday's second game at OKC.

"After shootaround, [he] experienced some stiffness in his knee," Lue told reporters. "We want to be cautious, make sure we're doing the right thing by him, even though he wanted to play.

"We just thought it wasn't smart. He can be mad at us if he wants to but just not smart right now."

The Clippers are opting for a cautious approach with Leonard, who will fly back to Los Angeles on Wednesday to undergo treatment, with the team to monitor him before making a call on his availability for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

"That [soreness] is part of the process when you have ACL surgery," Lue said. "It's known to happen to get a little stiffness so we just got to be smart about it."

The 31-year-old has averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.0 assists in his two games this season, shooting at 44.4 per cent from the field.

Casemiro has highlighted the importance of Brazil remaining grounded after being labelled as one of the favourites to win the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Brazil last lifted football's most prestigious trophy 20 years ago, when Ronaldo Nazario scored eight goals as Luiz Filipe Scolari's team triumphed in Japan and South Korea. 

However, Tite's team have been tipped by many to end that drought this year, with the Selecao topping the FIFA World Rankings ahead of the tournament and seeing the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Junior start the club season in fine form.

Speaking to Manchester United's media channels, Casemiro said: "There are two sides to it. Of course, there's no hiding from the fact Brazil are favourites, but the favourites don't always win in football, the favourites aren't always champions.

"We know there are other national teams doing some great work, teams that are also favourites. Football, nowadays, speaks for itself. We know there are other teams playing very well.

"We know our responsibility, we know we have to respect the teams we come up against. 

"It's inevitable when we talk about Brazil, though we do this with our feet on the ground and a lot of respect for our opponents."

With 65 senior caps to his name, Casemiro appears a certainty to feature when Brazil open their Group G campaign against Serbia on November 24, and he could be joined by United team-mate Antony.

The winger has scored three goals in his first six Premier League appearances since joining Red Devils from Ajax, and now hopes to make an impact for Brazil on the grandest stage of all.

"My first call up to the Selecao was this year, so it's a wonderful experience for me," Antony said, being interviewed alongside Casemiro.

"I've always dreamed of putting on the Brazil shirt, today I can live that dream leading up to a World Cup.

"Putting on the national shirt, representing your country and your family is very important to me. I hope to be putting it on more and more and make history with the Brazilian national team."