Stefano Pioli explained that his Milan side avoided discussing Inter's earlier win ahead of facing Genoa.

Milan claimed a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Rafael Leao and Junior Messias in San Siro on Friday.

Their game came hot on the heels of Inter's 3-1 victory at Spezia, a result that had seen the reigning champions briefly move into top spot in Serie A.

However, Milan got the job done, winning for the first time in three games to restore their two-point advantage with five matches left, though Inter do have a game in hand.

Milan are attempting to win their first Serie A title since 2010-11 and Pioli noted that although he knew Inter had won, his side had not discussed the possible ramifications.

"I knew their result, but we didn't talk about it with the team," he told DAZN.

"We had to go back to winning. We knew that whatever happened, we would try to win every game.

"I think we had the right approach and hunger this evening, we ran very few risks and that is an important factor."

Pioli suggested it is difficult to know how to best handle the pressure of the title race, though he backs the character of his players.

He added: "We have to keep going, the tension is rising and so is the pressure. Now we have to feel the pressure as nothing but positive energy.

"Every day [in training] I am undecided whether to increase the pressure or to release it. But, I have to expect a lot from these guys because they are strong.

"We are more aware of our strength, I am pushing for this. There are few games left and we have to do well. Many of us are fighting for the Scudetto for the first time, it is a path that will help us. We want to be winning again."

Milan kept a sixth straight clean sheet, making Pioli only the third coach in the club's history to achieve such a feat in a single Serie A season, after Fabio Capello (twice in 1993-94: seven and nine) and Nereo Rocco (seven in 1971-72).

Key to that has been the form of goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who made a stunning save to deny Genoa's Hernani a consolation in stoppage time.

"We have to continue like this," Pioli said. "Maignan is incredible, he is receiving the right compliments. He must give his contribution to this young team."

Milan have picked up more than 70 points after 33 Serie A games for the first time since their last Scudetto-winning season 11 years ago.

Ralf Rangnick provided a frank assessment of a Manchester United squad that he believes is "not easy" to manage and potentially contains several players who cannot cope with the pressure of playing for the club.

United head into Saturday's clash with relegation-threatened Norwich City having won just one of their previous five Premier League matches.

The most recent of which was a dire 1-0 defeat last weekend to an Everton side that had lost six of seven top-flight games beforehand.

United's performance in that loss led to even greater concern among the fanbase about the collective mentality and attitude of the squad, with a small group of supporters staging a protest outside the training ground on Friday.

Another larger demonstration is expected at Old Trafford on Saturday, and Rangnick accepts there could be certain individuals in the team who are not equipped to handle the expectation on Man Utd players.

"I don't know if this is the case, but it might be, at least with one or two or three of our players, it seems to be like that," Rangnick said.

"That the level of expectation is high and that some of the players seem to struggle with their own performance with that.

"Again, no alibis, no excuses, we have to be ready to cope and deal with it for [Saturday], for sure I am fully aware of that, and I’m also convinced and very positive that all of the players know about this.

"This is a test of character tomorrow and mentality in this game. We are playing against the bottom team. Yes, I know they won against Burnley last week and we know that Everton lost against Burnley the week before and we also thought we should be psychologically in a better position than Everton, but we have to show it on the pitch.

"Whatever we talk about right now, whatever kind of speculation we have and whatever you think, or I think might be reasons for the performance at Everton, we have to be able to, in our own house, beat a team like Norwich and show the best possible performance. This is what it’s all about but the truth, the reality, is on the pitch, whatever we talk about right now."

Reports this week have suggested United are close to appointing Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as their new permanent manager, and on the evidence of 2021-22, the Dutchman will be presiding over a massive rebuild.

Rangnick was hired in an interim capacity in November, with United hopeful he could get them back on track for a top-four finish – that now appears beyond them, though the German insists he has no regrets even as he gave a fairly damning summary of his squad.

"No, I have no regrets whatsoever that I took that role. I would do it over and over again," he continued. "You have to see the situation that we had in December, and I don’t regret that at all.

"As a manager, I always think you have to question and ask yourself what could I have done better. Could you maybe have played with a different formation in this game, or could you have made this substitution earlier on? This is what is always happening.

"We always question and ask ourselves what we could have done better but in general, I think we are all aware that this is not an easy squad.

"That the whole situation was not easy, otherwise I wouldn't even be sitting here, and Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] would probably still be here.

"But again, I think we have shown in the past, in the last couple of months that we were able to raise the level but in the same sustainable way that I would wish it to have happened. And that's the reason why I am not happy at all with what we have done and achieved so far."

Patrick Cantlay holds a two-stroke lead after the second round at the RBC Heritage following a four-under par 67.

After posting a bogey-free 66 on the first day, the world number six's second round featured three bogeys, but he closed it out with four consecutive birdies starting on the par-five 15th hole to tie for the best round of the day.

Over his first two rounds, Cantlay has birdied 10 of the 18 holes at Harbour Town.

Speaking to the media after his round, Cantlay explained that his finish was exactly how he wanted to head into the weekend.

"Obviously, that's a dream finish," Cantlay said. "I finally rolled in some putts and that was really nice to see going into the weekend.

"Just staying with my game plan and continuing to leave the golf ball in the right spots, which is paramount around this place, I think is the key."

Six players shot 67 on Friday, including second-placed Robert Streb, who is alone at seven under.

First-round leader Cameron Young could not come close to repeating his unbelievable round of 63, going 10 strokes worse, but he is still very much in the mix in a tie for third at six under with a group of players including Cameron Tringale and Erik van Rooyen.

Chilean pair Joaquin Neimann and Mito Pereira are one shot further back at five under, along with Jordan Spieth, while Corey Conners and Shane Lowry have continued their fine form from The Masters to be in the hunt at four under.

Pre-tournament favourite Collin Morikawa posted his second consecutive 70 to sit in a tie for 34th at two under, but blew a chance to go into round three in the top-20 after double-bogeying the 18th.

Justin Thomas finished one stroke better than the cut-line at one under, while reigning champion Stewart Cink held on to see the weekend at even par along with Webb Simpson and Danny Willett.

Cameron Smith's Masters hangover saw him finish one over, missing the cut along with Dustin Johnson, who followed up Thursday's 72 with an equally disappointing 71.

Other notable names to drop out include Kevin Kisner, Russell Henley and Matt Fitzpatrick, with the latter carding 75 to fall three strokes short.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph was an "unarmed" passenger in the vehicle from which the fatal gunshot that killed a 20-year-old man was fired, according to his attorney.

Cameron Ray died on March 18 after being shot outside a Dallas area nightclub following an apparent altercation between two groups.

ESPN reported on Thursday that local police wanted to speak to Joseph, 22, in connection with the incident.

In a statement to the Dallas Morning News on Friday, Joseph's attorney Barry Sorrels said the Cowboys player was present but not involved in the violence.

"Kelvin Joseph did not shoot Cameron Ray," Sorrels said. "Mr. Ray's death is a tragedy, and Kelvin extends his deepest condolences for the family's loss. 

"On the night of March 17, Kelvin was unarmed and was not looking for violence. He found himself in a situation that escalated without his knowledge or consent. 

"Along with condolences to the Ray family, Kelvin apologises to the Dallas community for being anywhere near this type of incident. The investigation is ongoing, and we intend to respect the process."

The Cowboys also released a statement confirming their knowledge of the situation.

"The Dallas Cowboys are aware of the tragic incident that occurred in Dallas on March 18," it read.

"First and foremost, our hearts go out to Mr. Ray's family and loved ones. 

"The organisation is aware of Kelvin Joseph's possible connection to this incident. We are in contact with Dallas law enforcement and have alerted the NFL office."

Lautaro Martinez admits he feels irritated by constant speculation over his Inter future, after the forward helped seal a 3-1 win over Spezia on Good Friday.

The Argentine struck in the second half to help confirm a crucial three points for the Serie A champions, moving them back to the summit – temporarily at least – ahead of rivals Milan.

Yet with his contract due to expire next year, talk over an impending exit has dogged Martinez for much of the season, with the striker starting on the bench at Stadio Alberto Picco.

Speaking afterwards, Martinez acknowledged that discussion over his next move is something that bugs him, alongside accusations that he has not put the effort in during the 2021-22 season.

"People talk a lot and I don’t like it," he said. "I’ve always given my best for Inter and I don’t like certain voices.

"I try to give my all, obviously I don’t like being on the bench, but when I entered I gave my all for Inter which is what counts here.

"I have always been calm, I work for the team, to lend a hand to my teammates, I am focused on my work and I don’t listen to everything they talk about.

"I think about my family, those who love me and Inter, so I always have to give my best."

Victory for Inter – though relatively unconvincing, despite overwhelming possession, and then given a late scare by a response from the hosts – keeps them in the thick of the title race.

It will give an extra charge to an already hot derby encounter with Milan when the two sides meet in the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Tuesday.

Martinez believes Simone Inzaghi's side looked to have turned a corner after dropping crucial points earlier in the new year, and stressed that their destiny is now of their own making.

"[We're] feeling good," he added. "We are doing a great job, we have lost some important points.

"We have now recovered and have everything in our hands. The path is still long, we have to recover and think about Tuesday."

Paolo Maldini is prepared for a change of off-field leadership at Milan after it was reported the club's owners are in talks with potential buyers of the Serie A giants.

Technical director Maldini said it was important to keep a focus on on-field matters as Milan chase the Serie A title.

The club legend, who made a record 902 appearances for Milan as a player, spoke about the possibility of a takeover before Friday's league clash with Genoa.

Milan won that game 2-0 to move top of the table after city rivals Inter briefly went to the summit earlier in the day.

"I know little, but it is normal that in the future of Milan there may also be a sale," Maldini told DAZN. "I don't know when that moment will be.

"A few matchdays from the end [of the season], however, I think it is in everyone's interest to try and think about winning this championship. We also have the semi-final of the Coppa Italia to play."

It has been widely reported that Investcorp, founded in Bahrain, is in talks to buy the San Siro giants from American hedge fund Elliott Management, which is said to be seeking a price above $1billion.

The Financial Times reported Investcorp has secured an exclusivity period set to last for around two weeks.

Reigning Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will have to overcome Alexander Zverev if he is to have the chance to defend his title.

Zverev, who is ranked third in the world - two places higher than Tsitsipas - fought back to defeat Jannik Sinner 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in his quarter-final match, denying his opponent another top-five seed scalp following his prior win over Andrey Rublev.

"It means a lot, definitely, especially [with] how this year has been going so far for me," said Zverev after a gruelling three hours on court.

"I've lost long matches like that, so I’m happy I won this one."

Tsitsipas also orchestrated a superb turnaround against Diego Schwartzman, prevailing 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.

The Greek had looked set for a last-eight exit at four games down in the final set, only to stage a dramatic comeback to keep his hopes of a first title since last May's Lyon Open alive.

"There was a moment in the match where I felt what I was doing wasn't working," Tsitsipas said.

"He had a massive lead and momentum in what he was trying to do. I just tried to stay in the match as much as I could and that worked out very well.

"I wasn't expecting much at that point being a double break down, so I relaxed at that point."

Schwartzman meanwhile will rue his inability to put the tie to bed, having already reached two ATP finals this year.

Grigor Dimitrov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will face off in the other semi-final.

Bulgarian Dimitrov beat off Hubert Hurkacz in another final-set tie-break, winning 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2).

Fokina, who eliminated Novak Djokovic in the second round, turned over Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in another comeback result, triumphing 2-6 6-4 6-3.

Milan regained top spot in Serie A as they returned to winning ways in timely fashion with a 2-0 victory over struggling Genoa.

Inter's 3-1 win over Spezia earlier on Friday had sent the reigning champions to the top of the pile, but Milan responded in San Siro to restore their two-point lead.

Rafael Leao's early volley put Stefano Pioli's team ahead and a first win in three games was secured late on when Junior Messias struck.

Alexis Saelemaekers and Olivier Giroud passed up presentable opportunities, but 19th-placed Genoa were unable to make Milan pay for that profligacy as they slumped to a third straight defeat.

A late switch to Milan's line-up saw Pierre Kalulu shifted to right-back in the absence of Davide Calabria, and the defender produced a moment of real quality for Leao's 11th-minute opener.

Leao had not scored since the end of February but kept his cool to steer Kalulu's inch-perfect cross into the right-hand corner on the volley.

On the opposite flank to Leao, Saelemaekers struggled to get involved and his rustiness showed when he lashed over from Franck Kessie's cutback nine minutes before half-time.

Saelemaekers nearly had a free run at goal after pouncing on a defensive mistake early in the second half, only to slice wide.

The winger turned provider just prior to the hour, but Giroud could not keep an acrobatic attempt down.

Yet Milan's faltering attack finally crafted another opening in the 87th minute, with Messias hitting home at the second time of asking following Salvatore Sirigu's fine save, the goal standing despite a VAR check for handball.

The Dallas Mavericks will be without talisman Luka Doncic for Game 1 of their playoff series against the Utah Jazz and he is a major doubt for Game 2.

Doncic strained his left calf in the third quarter of the Mavs' final regular-season fixture, a 130-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs, and sat out the rest of the game after putting up 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

The two-time All-Star would have been ineligible for the game had the NBA not rescinded his 16th technical foul of the season, which he earned in the game prior against the Portland Trailblazers.

It was reported on Thursday that Doncic was set to miss Saturday's game against Utah and now ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has claimed the 23-year-old will definitely be out, adding that Dallas have serious concerns that he will also be missing for Game 2 on Monday.

Doncic has averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this season. Across his career, he has averaged 30 points per game against the Jazz.

Inter moved back to the summit of Serie A in the latest turn of an enthralling title race after they claimed a 3-1 win over Spezia.

The Nerazzurri threw down a gauntlet to rivals Milan as they deposed them at the top of the table thanks to goals from Marcelo Brozovic, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez.

Simone Inzaghi's defending champions could well end the weekend back in second place, with their San Siro neighbours set to face Genoa later on Good Friday.

But victory at Stadio Alberto Picco at least means the Nerazzurri remain neck-and-neck, with a game in hand on the Rossoneri beyond this latest round ensuring destiny stays in their own hands.

In a game where opportunities were initially at a premium, it took almost 15 minutes for either side to register an attempt, with Denzel Dumfries heading wide.

But when Danilo D'Ambrosio headed down a looping cross near the edge of the box in the 31st minute, there was little stopping Brozovic's rasping drive into the top-left corner.

The visitors were not as clinically composed as they would have liked, however.

Nicolo Barella slid reaching for the ball past the hour to fumble a great chance for a second, while Dumfries blazed a subsequent low cross way over the crossbar.

But when Martinez flicked Ivan Perisic's cross beyond Ivan Provedel with just over a quarter-hour to play, Inter looked to be home and dry.

Giulio Maggiore fired home a response late on to set up a nervy final act, but the visitors restored the two-goal cushion in stoppage time, with Sanchez drilling a squared Martinez pass home.

Aiden Markram blasted successive sixes off Pat Cummins to seal an eye-catching seven-wicket win for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

After Kolkata put 175-8 on the board, Hyderabad reached their target with 2.1 overs to spare, thanks to Markram's 68 not out from 36 balls and an equally explosive 71 from Rahul Tripathi.

At Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, only three Kolkata batsmen reached double figures, but Shreyas Iyer's 28, a rapid 54 from Nitish Rana and 49 not out by Andre Russell looked to have helped them to a competitive score. T Natarajan took 3-37, including the wickets of Iyer and Rana.

As it turned out, Sunrisers won with comfort, recovering from losing Abhishek Sharma (3) and Kane Williamson (17) early in their reply as Tripathi and Markram put on 94 for the third wicket.

Tripathi was furious at himself for holing out to long on with the team score on 133, giving Russell (2-20) a second wicket of the innings, but Markram took over the heavy scoring mantle from that point.

He finished the contest in style in the 18th over, taking a lusty four through midwicket off Australia Test captain Cummins before going the same way off the next ball.

Markram hooked the subsequent delivery for six over deep square leg, clinching a third win in a row for Sunrisers, who began the season with two defeats.

Knight Riders' missing ingredient

It is now two defeats in a row for Kolkata, who had won three of their first four in this campaign, and captain Iyer had little doubt where they had fallen short this time.

He said the batters had "put in a great effort" to post a healthy score, adding: "It was just a bad day for us from a bowling point of view, and we need to sit back, reassess stuff and come back stronger."

While Cummins (1-40 in 3.5 overs) took the bludgeoning late on, the likes of Aman Hakim Khan (0-13), and Varun Chakravarthy (0-45) proved too expensive before the match reached that point.

Tripathi onslaught turned the game

Reaching a half-century from just 21 balls was an outstanding effort from Tripathi, tilting momentum firmly the way of Sunrisers. He hit six maximums in what was comfortably his best score of the IPL season so far, passing the 44 he managed in an early defeat to Lucknow Super Giants. He was eventually out to the 37th ball he faced, with Sunrisers well on the way.

"It's nice to bat when a guy like Tripathi gets going," Markram, who hit four sixes in all, told beinSPORTS. "He almost gives you a bit of time to settle in. He really set a nice platform, and it feels good to get the win for the side."

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Matic signed for United from Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2017 and swiftly established himself as a crucial part of Jose Mourinho's side, starting 35 top-flight games in his first season at the club.

His role lessened under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the former Serbia international nevertheless signed a new deal in July 2020, extending his stay at Old Trafford until the end of 2022-23.

However, having made only 11 Premier League starts this season, Matic has announced it will be his final campaign with the club.

"After a great deal of thought, I have decided that this season will be my last with Manchester United," the 33-year-old wrote in a post on his official Instagram account.

"I have informed the board, the manager and the players of my decision.

"It has been a huge honour and a privilege to play for this great club. A big thank you to the fans for their unwavering support.

"I will now give everything until the end of the season to help my team-mates finish as strongly as possible."

Matic could be the first of a mass exodus at United ahead of 2022-23, with fellow midfielders Juan Mata, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard all out of contract at the end of June.

It is uncertain as to who will be in permanent charge of United next season, though it has been widely reported that Ajax coach Erik ten Hag reached a verbal agreement earlier this week.