Mikel Arteta will not stop anyone at Arsenal from dreaming about Premier League glory, but the Spaniard wants the Gunners to remain realistic ahead of Tuesday's huge meeting with Newcastle United.

Arsenal will move 10 points clear of Manchester City at the Premier League summit if they beat the Magpies at the Emirates Stadium, after the champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday.

With the Gunners unbeaten in their past 10 league games (W9 D1), belief is beginning to build among supporters that a first title triumph since the 2003-04 season could be on the horizon.

Asked whether he needed to play down talk of the title, Arteta said: "It's not about stopping anybody. It's about being realistic about where we are. 

"The way we are performing, obviously it's impressive and we are really happy with that.

"But we also have to set the bars and objectives in the short term for what we want to improve and see what is making us win so many football matches."

Saturday's thrilling 4-2 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion was celebrated in joyous fashion by the Gunners' players, and Arteta has no qualms about the team enjoying their fine run of form. 

"It's great," Arteta said. "When I see those interactions, I see the enjoyment and I see joy and happiness because they were really excited after a big win for us.

"But they are also moderate and understanding as well. We still have a lot of things that we have to improve as a team."

While Arsenal are the only Premier League team with a 100 per cent winning record at home this season (7/7), Newcastle begin 2023 in third place after losing just once all campaign, and Arteta expects a tough test.

"They're a very good team, really well coached," Arteta said. "I think what that Eddie [Howe] has done in that short period of time, when you look at the numbers, is incredible. 

"Big credit to him and the coaching staff. They have created, I believe, a momentum around the team that they play the same way against any opponent.

"It's going to be another big test but we play at home in front of our crowd and we are looking forward to it."

Arsenal have won their past 11 home games against Newcastle in all competitions – only against Stoke City (an ongoing run since 1983) have they ever won more consecutive home matches (16).

The Los Angeles Clippers must wait on the status of franchise player Kawhi Leonard after he was a late addition to the injury report for Monday's home game against the Miami Heat.

Leonard, who has only played in 16 of the Clippers' 38 games this season, has been listed as questionable due to a non-COVID illness after suiting up for each of his side's past three outings.

After missing the entire 2021-22 season following an ACL tear in the 2021 playoffs, Leonard has slowly been recapturing the form that has earned him five NBA All-Star selections and seven NBA All-Defensive honours.

He averaged 10 points per game across his five games played in October and November, but looked back to his old self in December, posting 20.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his 11 games played in the month.

Leonard also has fond memories of his time competing against the Heat, announcing his arrival as a star when he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2014, as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the LeBron James led 'Heatles' in their quest for a three-peat.

It is one of two Finals MVP trophies in Leonard's possession after also carrying the Toronto Raptors to an improbable championship in 2019, joining James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to win the award with two teams.

The Heat may also be undermanned for Monday's fixture, with Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson all questionable due to various injuries.

Alexis Mac Allister is in no rush to make an exit from Brighton and Hove Albion after his World Cup triumph, despite reported interest from multiple European heavyweights.

The Argentina midfielder earned a recall to the national team at the start of last year and proved instrumental in helping Lionel Messi and company reach the summit at Qatar 2022.

His form had already been impressive for the Seagulls this term, but his performances with La Albiceleste have seen links to several major suitors only multiply since.

But speaking after his return to the Premier League outfit following an extended post-tournament break, Mac Allister has insisted he is happy at Brighton.

"I try not to read too much [into speculation]," he told the club's Albion TV channel. "I always say I am happy here. I don't have any rush to leave.

"I feel really good. I'm really grateful [for] this club, my team-mates and all the people who work here. I'm just focused on the next game."

Mac Allister's words will come as a boost to coach Roberto De Zebri, who warned on Monday the 24-year-old could find a mid-season switch an impediment to his game.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus are among those all linked with a move for him, though the Blues' pursuit of Enzo Fernandez suggests they may have cooled their interest.

Mac Allister was one of eight Brighton players who headed to the World Cup, and the first Seagulls player to reach the tournament final in history.

The playmaker feels that the experience for all of the team's international stars however will benefit them going forward into 2023, as they look to press on for a top-six finish.

"It was a good World Cup for this club and for the players who went to the World Cup," he added.

"We know we’ve got a good team with really good players. This is a tough league, it will be hard, but we will try to finish as high as we can."

Jake DeBrusk did not want to see the Winter Classic end as he enjoyed a dream outing at Fenway Park, guiding the Boston Bruins past the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Bruins replicated their 2010 feat – when they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in the previous Winter Classic to be held at Fenway – by downing the Penguins by the same score on Monday.

DeBrusk was the hero with two third-period goals after Kasperi Kapanen gave the Penguins the lead in front of 39,243 fans in the NHL's annual outdoors game.

Speaking to TNT after the game – which the NHL-best Bruins have now won a record three times in four appearances – DeBrusk expressed his gratitude for the chance to play at Fenway.

"I've been lucky enough to play in three of these now, and just look around. I mean, this is Fenway Park all pretty much in yellow," DeBrusk said.

"It's one of those things where you almost don't want it to end."

DeBrusk expected team-mate Taylor Hall to make the decisive contribution after he tied things up by beating replacement goaltender Casey DeSmith just six seconds after a Pittsburgh penalty expired.

While DeBrusk ultimately proved the game-winner by knocking in a rebound with two minutes and 24 seconds left, the goal owed much to Hall's fine work.

"I actually thought it was going to be him [who scored]," DeBrusk said. "I was talking to him on the bench, saying, 'Hey Hallsy, it wouldn't be bad to score your first one at Fenway'."

The defeat leaves the Penguins in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-12-6 record for the season.

Head coach Mike Sullivan lamented fine margins, including an early injury to goaltender Tristan Jarry.

"There's a fine line between winning and losing", Sullivan said. "It comes down to subtle details. There were momentum swings on both sides in all periods.

"I don't have any update on Tristan. Obviously he is being evaluated for a lower body injury. It's tough to lose a guy that early in the game."

Martina Navratilova said she is "not done yet" after it was confirmed she had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.

Navratilova is one of the most decorated tennis players of all time, having won 18 grand slam singles titles between 1978 and 1990.

She successfully underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2010, but it has been revealed she is once again battling the illness.

A representative described Navratilova's prognosis as "good", and the 66-year-old said the disease was "serious but still fixable".

Navratilova has pledged to fight, posting on Twitter: "Needless to say my phone and Twitter are both blowing up.

"I will say again – thank you all for your support and I am not done yet."

The Czech also received support from Billie Jean King, who tweeted: "Martina is as brave as she is strong. She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers."

Liverpool are "not a Jurgen Klopp team" at the moment, according to Jamie Carragher, who was scathing of the Reds' lacklustre performance in Monday's defeat at Brentford.

A deserved 3-1 victory for Thomas Frank's Bees further compounded the woes of the Merseyside outfit, who have struggled to recapture the highs of last season this term.

Since restarting their campaign after the World Cup concluded last month, Liverpool have been knocked out of the EFL Cup and staggered to muted Premier League wins against Aston Villa and Leicester City.

Defeat to an energetic Brentford side leaves them four points adrift of the Premier League's top four, and Carragher feels they no longer possess the characteristics associated with their decorated manager.

"That has been a theme of Liverpool all season," the former Reds defender told Sky Sports. "As soon as the intensity of a game rises, they cannot cope.

"They need to play a slower type of game because as soon as it goes fast, they are not at the races, they cannot keep up with it.

"When I watch Liverpool now, and certainly in midfield, it feels like Jurgen Klopp's team is morphing into something else.

"For me, from minute one of Klopp's era, teams were sprinting all over the pitch. When I don't see Liverpool sprinting and closing down now, it is not a Jurgen Klopp team and I want to know why."

Liverpool have already sought to bolster their ranks with the signing of Cody Gakpo, but Carragher claims offensive power is not their foremost issue, calling for the arrival of a midfielder.

"I don't know what has happened to Liverpool in terms of midfield," he added. "[They] have bought one midfield player in four-and-a-half years in Thiago [Alcantara]. It is coming back to haunt them now.

"They have signed Cody Gakpo [but] if Liverpool think they can make the top four without signing a midfield player in this window, they have got no chance."

Virgil van Dijk's half-time withdrawal in Liverpool's 3-1 defeat to Brentford was a precautionary measure after the defender struggled with the intensity of the game, Jurgen Klopp explained.

With an Ibrahima Konate own goal and a Yoane Wissa header putting Liverpool 2-0 down before the break, Klopp rang the changes by removing Van Dijk, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Harvey Elliott from the action.

While replacements Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson and Naby Keita initially had a positive impact, they were unable to stop the Reds from sliding to their first defeat against the Bees since 1938.

Van Dijk began the game as captain with both Jordan Henderson and James Milner out, and his withdrawal led to suggestions he had sustained an injury.

However, Klopp outlined his belief that the Netherlands skipper had avoided any lasting damage in his post-match press conference, revealing: "Virgil felt a little bit the muscle but said he is fine, and he's a very good judge of these kinds of things. 

"But I didn't want to take any risk – the physios looked quite happy when I said we don't take risks. I think it is not an injury, he just felt the intensity.

"The other two were tactical. We obviously had the opportunities.

"We could bring in Naby, who I think played a really good game, and Robbo – and Robbo with the first action after half-time was exactly what we needed. 

"We needed that speed in behind and so that was the reason for these two changes."

Liverpool's loss at the Brentford Community Stadium dealt a huge blow to their hopes of Champions League qualification, leaving them four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United having played a game more.

Scott Stallings has revealed his invitation to this year's Masters Tournament was delivered to the wrong person in a case of mistaken identity.

The three-time PGA Tour winner had been expecting official confirmation of his inclusion for the year's first major at Augusta in April.

However, his package was instead sent to another man who shares his name, as well as having an identically named wife and residing in Georgia.

Taking to social media, Stallings posted a message he received from his namesake, who offered to forward the invite to its rightful recipient.

"Literally had been checking the mailbox five times a day and then I got this random [direct message] yesterday," Stallings tweeted.

The original recipient reached out on New Year's Day, writing: "My name is Scott Stallings as well and I'm from [Georgia]. My wife's name is Jennifer too.

"I received a FedEx today from the Masters inviting me to play in the Masters Tournament April 6-9, 2023. I'm [100 per cent] sure this is NOT for me. I play but wow! Nowhere near your level.

"It's a very nice package complete with everything needed to attend. I think we have some confusion because of our names, our wives' names and geographical location."

Stallings' previous best display at the Masters came when he claimed a share of 27th place in 2012, while his last PGA title came at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2014.

The major will be the first of the 2023 season, with players from both the PGA Tour and the breakaway LIV Golf circuit expected to feature at Augusta.

Jurgen Klopp accused Brentford of "stretching the rules" after Liverpool fell to a shock 3-1 defeat against the Bees on Monday.

An Ibrahima Konate own goal and a Yoane Wissa header put Liverpool two goals down before half-time, as Klopp's side struggled to cope with Brentford's set-piece deliveries.

Liverpool made three changes at the break – including Virgil van Dijk coming off – and the alterations looked to have given the Reds hope when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled a goal back on his 100th Premier League appearance for the club.

However, Bryan Mbeumo put the game to bed when he muscled Konate off the ball before lashing home late on to give Brentford their first win over Liverpool since 1938.

Klopp was frustrated after a game in which he perceived Brentford to have bent the rules, while he criticised referee Stuart Attwell's failure to take action over their behaviour during set-pieces.

"I'm not sure you can really control it all the time because each corner is a massive threat," Klopp told Sky Sports. "They stretch the rules in these moments with full body contact.

"There was only one offensive foul on a set-piece tonight which was whistled and that was against us, which is really funny. Holding is holding, and pushing is pushing.

"It was more the game they wanted than the one we wanted. They could dictate it because of how it got whistled.

"The two corners they scored with, one was offside and the other one, of course we don't behave perfectly, but they stretch rules. They are really pushing, they are really holding. That's obviously what you can do.

"The third goal I can really not respect. The ref thought it wasn't a foul and then VAR hides behind the phrase 'clear and obvious'. The referee has to explain that, if anybody could ask him.

"There's a reason why they are so successful with offensive set-pieces and still concede a lot of defensive goals around set-pieces, because there you cannot do the same stuff because in your own box, it would be a penalty."

While Klopp was angered by the officiating, he did not excuse his team from criticism, saying: "We have to point at ourselves. In the end, you don't lose a game if you do everything right. We did, for sure, not everything right.

"We are very critical of ourselves, and rightly so tonight. There were moments where we could have changed the game."

Darwin Nunez missed a golden opportunity to give Liverpool an early lead, rounding David Raya only to be denied by Ben Mee's goal-line block. No player has missed more big chances in the Premier League this season than Nunez's 15.

Klopp lamented his side's wastefulness in front of goal, adding: "We concede the first goal when we should already be 2-0 up, with super chances from Darwin and from Kostas [Tsimikas]. Darwin Nunez doesn't expect Ben Mee sliding there.

"In the next situation, they play a ball behind the line and we are not there, that's a massive point for criticism."

Sebastien Haller has his sights set on a comeback after training with Borussia Dortmund for the first time since undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.

The Ivory Coast striker joined Dortmund from Ajax ahead of this season, but he is yet to feature for the Bundesliga giants after discovering a malignant tumour during pre-season testing in July.

Haller subsequently underwent two surgeries and chemotherapy, with Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke professing his hope the striker could return after the mid-season break.

Dortmund returned to training for the first time after the World Cup on Monday, and an update on the club's website revealed Haller was present as the squad underwent fitness testing, though he will be "carefully introduced".

Haller later posted on Twitter to outline his hopes for 2023, writing: "Happy New Year everyone! It starts very well for me because it is synonymous with returning to the field! 2022 was not the easiest year, but it prepared me to take up all the new challenges that 2023 will offer me.

"Looking forward to seeing you all again."

Haller finished as the Eredivisie's top goalscorer last season, netting 21 times in 31 appearances as Ajax won their third consecutive title.

Dortmund sit sixth in a congested Bundesliga table ahead of the league's resumption later this month.

Tom Brady will not be rested for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' final regular season game, with Todd Bowles vowing to field his starters.

Tampa Bay locked up the NFC South with a Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Raymond Jones Stadium, securing a top-four berth for the playoffs.

With nothing but a winning record to play for in Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons, however, there had been questions as to whether the Bucs would choose to protect key players in an effective dead rubber.

Brady stated after victory he wanted to play against Atlanta, and now Bowles has revealed he intends to put his strongest line-up out rather than go the safe route.

"We can get better at a lot of things, so right now I'm planning on playing them," he said on Monday. "We'll see as the week goes forward.

"But we can get better at a lot of things that we need to work on, and we don't need to take our foot off the gas.

"You've got to weigh the pluses and minuses to that. So we'll see how the week goes, and we'll try to make some arrangements or corrections if we need to make them, and we'll go from there."

An 8-8 record this season means that a win against the Falcons can help the Bucs avoid the ignominy of a losing campaign heading into the postseason.

Bowles – who celebrated a second division title in a row with milk and cookies – is aware a third straight win will help the Bucs peak at the right time

"It'll boost morale," he added. "Winning helps, period, whether it's playoffs or regular season. You want to win every game you play.

"Obviously we had some tough ones we lost, we had some tough ones we won.

"But winning the last two the way we did, obviously that builds morale more, and you want to go in on a high note."

Art McNally, the first NFL official to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 97.

McNally spent 23 years as the NFL's director of officiating and was responsible for introducing the instant replay review process and formal training for officials.

He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year and known as "the father of modern officiating", died of natural causes on Sunday, his family confirmed.

"Art McNally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. 

"Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

"But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way."

The list of things that have not gone entirely to plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is pretty extensive.

From offensive line injuries to an inconsistent pass rush and the questionable decision-making of head coach Todd Bowles in his first year in the job, the Buccaneers have had to deal with both misfortune and a host of self-inflicted problems.

Yet the most bemusing issue in what can at best be described as an up-and-down season for Tom Brady following his about-face on his initial offseason decision to retire has been his lack of a rapport with Mike Evans.

Sideline frustration between Brady and Evans has been a common theme for Tampa Bay in 2022, with the latter's struggles seeing him go 11 games without scoring a receiving touchdown.

That frustration was alleviated emphatically on Sunday as Evans exploded for a hat-trick of touchdowns in helping the Buccaneers overturn a 21-10 deficit against the Carolina Panthers and clinch the NFC South with a 30-24 victory at Raymond James Stadium.

Evans caught deep shots of 63, 57 and 30 yards from Brady as he destroyed an injury-hit Panthers secondary.

He created a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted, on eight of his 12 targets in a performance that saw him rack up 207 receiving yards. Evans averaged 17.25 burn yards per target, trailing only Christian Watson and Davante Adams among wideouts with at least five targets in Week 17 as of Sunday.

It was belated reward for a season in which Evans, despite consistently appearing out of sync with Brady, he has excelled at getting open. Indeed, heading into Week 17, Evans led the NFL in combined open percentage (56.47) in matchups against man and zone coverage (min. 100 matchups).

His first deep touchdown reception saw Evans surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the season. It is his ninth successive 1,000-yard campaign, tying Tim Brown for the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Only San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice (11) can claim to have more consecutive four-figure receiving seasons.

Evans' own record for the most successive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career was also extended, but more important than his individual milestones is the confidence his treble could give both him and Brady as they prepare for the postseason.

The Buccaneers have had precious little on which to rely on the offensive side of the ball, save for their performance when going no-huddle and Brady's ability to lead comebacks in the fourth quarter.

Brady has a career-high five game-winning drives this season and four fourth-quarter comebacks, a tally that is one shy of his career-high in that respect.

But the rekindling of Brady's connection with Evans gives Tampa Bay something to lean on, a route to explosive plays that will be all the more critical in the postseason.

A narrow win over the Panthers won't do much to change perceptions that the Bucs are a team well short of being able to compete for a Super Bowl. However, Brady and Evans connecting consistently downfield improves the odds of them at least doing damage in the playoffs, especially in a possible first-round matchup with a volatile and vulnerable Dallas Cowboys secondary.

It's likely to be the final year of the Brady-Evans partnership in Tampa, one that has resulted in 32 touchdowns since the quarterback left the New England Patriots to head to the Buccaneers.

Though it remains a long shot that Brady's expected swansong with the Bucs will result in a second title in three seasons, his farewell may be extended a few weeks longer than many anticipated if he and Evans can deliver a few more demonstrations of the rapport that had previously made this offense so devastating.