The Philadelphia Eagles advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history after a dominant NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, who were hampered by injuries to Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson.

A big 31-7 victory was never really in doubt as the luckless 49ers dealt with yet more injury misfortune in the biggest game of their season.

Already without quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, surprise rookie star Purdy – the final pick in the 2022 draft – left the game at the end of the team's opening drive after a Haason Reddick strip sack saw his right elbow injured.

Johnson unconvincingly came in for Purdy, only to be ruled out after his head hit the ground and he was checked for a concussion. Purdy returned but was clearly limited, seemingly unable to throw the ball as the 49ers' season ended in frustrating fashion.

Miles Sanders had wandered straight up the middle for the opening touchdown, but the 49ers then kept the Eagles in check following Purdy's injury and levelled the game via a remarkable 23-yard Christian McCaffrey TD as he ran through a series of tackles.

The contrast of those two scores epitomised the game for these two teams, however, and Sanders again found a gap to restore the Eagles' lead.

Boston Scott ran in another and, with Purdy repeatedly handing the ball off to a stifled 49er rushing offense, Jalen Hurts also forced his way into the endzone to build an unassailable lead.

Early chaos benefits Eagles

No team scored more points on their opening offensive possessions in the regular season than the Eagles, but the drive that led to Sanders' early TD set in motion a manic first quarter. It included a 29-yard pass for a fourth down conversion that replays showed Devonta Smith appeared to drop. That was not spotted until after play resumed.

The 49ers had already seen Fred Warner take a trip to the blue tent, and Purdy's injury was not their last of the quarter as Nick Bosa was wiped out on the sideline. Meanwhile, Johnson came in for Purdy and was likewise promptly run over by the relentless Reddick.

An unforgettable quarter ended with the Eagles claiming – unsuccessfully – a punt had hit an overhead wire. The 49ers started the second quarter with the ball, their fourth-string QB and a 7-0 deficit.

Running to the Super Bowl

The 49ers paid the price both for their injuries and a sequence of understandably frustrated penalties, but there was also a complete mismatch in the run game.

While this should have been a close call between the Eagles' most successful run offense and the 49ers' second-most successful run defense, four TDs on the ground saw Philly set a single-season record across the regular season and postseason, improving to 39 rushing scores for the year.

The NBA referees' official Twitter account apologised for a "gut-wrenching" mistake after a decisive last-minute officiating error cost the Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics.

With the score tied at 105-105, LeBron James was smacked on his shooting arm at the rim by Jayson Tatum as the Lakers star went for glory with under five seconds remaining on the clock.

The four-time MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP would fall short with his attempted drive before the Celtics snatched a 125-121 triumph in overtime.

James, Anthony Davis and the entire Lakers bench erupted at the last-gasp call, with Patrick Beverley issued a technical foul after bringing over a camera to referee Eric Lewis to review the decision.

Davis said Los Angeles were "cheated", while James expressed confusion at the clear error and the NBA referees took to social media to apologise on Sunday.

"Like everyone else, referees make mistakes. We made one at the end of last night's game and that is gut-wrenching for us," the official account wrote.

"This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be."

The apology may prove little consolation for James, whose 41 points on Saturday in Boston proved in vain.

Defeat saw the Lakers fall to 23-27, sitting 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference ahead of four road games in the coming week.

Los Angeles will look to bounce back at the Brooklyn Nets on Monday without James and Davis after the Lakers confirmed the pair would be absent on the first night of their back-to-back.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers' game at the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

James is dealing with left ankle soreness, while Davis has a right foot stress injury, the team confirmed the day before the game.

Both men played in Saturday's overtime loss to the Boston Celtics, in which James scored 41 points.

For James, his absence in Brooklyn may well mean a historic NBA moment comes in front of a home crowd in Los Angeles.

The four-time MVP now has 38,271 career regular season points, putting him just 116 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record.

Averaging 30.2 points per game this season, James would only require four more games to pass Abdul-Jabbar at his current rate of scoring.

The Lakers have four games in this coming week – all on the road.

After that, the Lakers return to Staples Center on February 7 to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game in which James will likely be targeting the record.

Anthony Gordon penned an emotional message to the Everton fans after leaving his boyhood club for Newcastle United in a £45milion transfer on Sunday.

In his post, hours after joining Newcastle, the England Under-21 winger acknowledged many Toffees supporters will not forgive him.

Gordon played a key part in Everton achieving Premier League survival last season, but he failed to live up to those standards as the team struggled again this term.

Having been linked with moves to Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham at the start of the campaign, Gordon came in for particular abuse from sections of the Everton support.

Social media footage showed Gordon's car being held up outside Goodison Park following a recent home defeat to relegation rivals Southampton.

Gordon has now secured an exit to high-flying Newcastle and is excited about his "next chapter", but a message on his Twitter page paid tribute to Everton staff, team-mates and fans.

"I came to this club at the age of 11, and not only did it give me a place to play football, but it gave me a second family," he wrote.

"The club has shaped me into the footballer and more importantly the person I am today. It has given me everything I could have asked for and more."

He added: "Last year felt so surreal because all of my childhood dreams were becoming reality. I wish I could relive some of [those] days, but I'll settle for the memories, which will last a lifetime for me.

"To the fans, you gave me some of the best nights of my life. You made me a better player. I have always thrived off your energy, and you always made me run harder and faster.

"There [have] been some difficult moments this year, but I never took any of it personally; stick by the team because they need you."

Gordon, who said he would "miss everyone deeply", continued: "I love this club and I always have from the day I joined, but the time has come for me to leave.

"I know many won't understand, but the next chapter awaits. I will always wish the best for this club and always be watching on.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you and good luck."

Real Madrid missed the chance to move back to within three points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona after being held to a goalless draw by unlikely title challengers Real Sociedad.

Carlo Ancelotti's side dominated for large parts but drew a blank at Santiago Bernabeu just three days after downing rivals Atletico Madrid in Thursday's Copa del Rey quarter-final.

Goalkeeper Alex Remiro starred with numerous fine stops amid a somewhat one-sided encounter, with Madrid unable to break the impressive resistance of Imanol Alguacil's team.

The stalemate left Los Blancos trailing fierce rivals Barca by five points, with third-placed La Real three behind Ancelotti's men after Sunday's clash.

Chances were plentiful amid a frantic and free-flowing opening between two in-form sides.

A stretching Alexander Sorloth could not reach Aihen Munoz's pinpoint left-wing cross with the goal gaping, while Vinicius Junior and Asier Illarramendi went close at either end.

Remiro repelled a fizzing Toni Kroos drive and Dani Ceballos curled just wide as Madrid failed to find deserved reward for an enterprising first half.

Vinicius saw another low strike denied by Remiro's feet and Thibaut Courtois thwarted a precise Takefusa Kubo attempt after the interval.

Remiro stood tall to parry from Vinicius when one-on-one with a save that proved pivotal as La Real held on for a precious point.

What does it mean? Los Blancos dominance goes unrewarded

Madrid extended their unbeaten LaLiga run to seven games against La Real but leaving this fixture without three points may feel like an opportunity missed for Ancelotti.

Los Blancos have already secured Supercopa de Espana success and remain in the hunt for the Copa and Champions League, but chances like this in the league cannot go begging if they are to catch Barca.

However, nothing should be taken away from the impressive La Real, who continue to prove they can compete with Madrid and Barca amid a fine season under Alguacil.

Lively Vinicius blunted by Remiro

Vinicius continues to deliver for Ancelotti and Madrid this season, producing another energetic display in this game – albeit without just reward.

The Brazil winger was denied on three occasions by the resolute Remiro – who made seven saves, the most he has produced in LaLiga this term – and created two chances.

Super Sorloth run ends

Norway international Erling Haaland has repeatedly hit the headlines with Manchester City, but international team-mate Sorloth has been almost as impressive in recent weeks.

The striker was aiming to become just the third La Real player this century to score in six straight LaLiga games – after Darko Kovacevic (in 2002) and Aleksander Isak (in 2021) – but failed to threaten Madrid.

What's next?

Madrid host top-four chasers Valencia on Thursday, with La Real at home to Real Valladolid three days later.

Folarin Balogun stunned Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes with a last-gasp equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw for Reims.

Neymar opened the scoring early in the second half to give Christophe Galtier's home side the lead, but substitute Marco Verratti was sent off soon afterwards.

PSG continued to have the better chances but could not extend their lead, though the 10 men still looked set to grind out a valuable win to return to winning ways on Ligue 1 duty.

Balogun had other ideas though, latching onto Kamory Doumbia's throughball to slot past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the sixth minute of stoppage time and stun the home crowd.

All it lacked was a Hollywood ending, but Ryan Reynolds described Wrexham's 3-3 draw against Sheffield United in the FA Cup fourth round as "one of the most exciting things I've EVER seen".

Wrexham, the Welsh side who compete in the fifth tier of the English league system, were moments away from toppling a Sheffield United side who are closing in on promotion to the Premier League.

Paul Mullin's 27th goal of the season had put Wrexham 3-2 ahead in the 86th minute, with their visitors to the Racecourse Ground by then down to 10 men after Daniel Jebbison was sent off.

Movie star Reynolds, co-owner of the club who have been the subject of a major documentary series during his two years at the helm, was getting ready to celebrate a huge moment in Wrexham's history.

But Sheffield United had not read the script and rode roughshod over the fairy tale ending when John Egan scored in stoppage time to earn a draw, meaning the teams will go to a replay at Bramall Lane.

Rob McElhenney, the actor, writer and producer who also bought into Wrexham, was not there to witness the high drama first hand, but Deadpool main man Reynolds could be seen holding his phone out to the raucous atmosphere with the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia star on the other end of the line.

It was a game that was shown live on the BBC, with National League leaders Wrexham showing why they could well be back in the Football League next season.

Reynolds wrote on Twitter: "When @RMcElhenney and I got into this it all felt so impossible. But impossible is @Wrexham_AFC's favourite colour.

"That was one of the most exciting things I've EVER seen. Thank you each and every Wrexham supporter who came out and aimed your heart at that pitch tonight."

Reynolds posted a picture of himself with Premier League record scorer Alan Shearer and Manchester United and Wales legend Mark Hughes, who were working as pundits at the game.

Shearer replied to Reynolds' post, writing: "Thank you for your hospitality today!!! What an incredible atmosphere and game. A living breathing screaming nightmare!!!!"

The Miami Dolphins have agreed to terms with former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio to take over as the team's new defensive coordinator.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday that Fangio will become the league's highest-paid coordinator as part of a three-year contract that includes a fourth-year team option.

Fangio was out of the NFL this season after being fired by Denver following the 2021 campaign. He went 19-30 with no playoff appearances in three seasons leading the Broncos.

That was Fangio's first NFL head coaching job after breaking into the league as linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints in 1986.

Miami went 9-8 this season under first-year head coach Mike McDaniel and returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 campaign before losing 34-31 to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.

The Dolphins finished 18th in the NFL with 337.8 yards allowed per game and 24th in scoring defense, giving up an average of 23.5 points.

Henry Slade has withdrawn from the England squad for their Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4.

New head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed his 36-man selection for the Calcutta Cup on Sunday, with Slade left out after suffering a hip injury in Exeter Chief's European Champions Cup game against Castres last week.

Jamie George has overcome a head injury to make the squad, as has Anthony Watson (leg) after he featured for Leicester Tigers against Northampton Saints on Saturday.

After confirming the squad, Borthwick said: "This is a very important week for us as we prepare for our first game against Scotland.

"We know that Scotland are an excellent side with a great coaching team led by Gregor Townsend. They're a settled squad who have been together a long time and have dominated this fixture in recent seasons.

"They will be coming to Twickenham full of confidence.

"We know we have a lot of work to do. The team trained very hard last week and are ready to go again this week. We can't wait to run out at Twickenham again in front of our incredible supporters."

It was also confirmed that Slade and vice-captain Courtney Lawes will continue rehab work within the camp during the week.

England squad to face Scotland

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis

Backs: Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Dan Kelly, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs

India's stand-in captain Hardik Pandya lamented a "shocker" of a pitch at Ekana Stadium and called for better surfaces after a slender T20I victory over New Zealand.

The hosts edged past the Black Caps with one ball remaining in Lucknow, winning by six wickets in a low-scoring thriller to level the three-match T20I series.

New Zealand only managed 99-8 from their 20-over allocation on a difficult wicket but made India wait until the final over for victory as Suryakumar Yadav saw his side over the line with a vital 26 not out.

Pandya, captaining in the absence of white-ball veteran Rohit Sharma, was alongside Suryakumar at the end unbeaten on 15 but expressed his disappointment with the surface at home.

"I always believed we will finish the game," Pandya said. "It went quite deep, but that is how it is. In these kinds of games, it is important to not panic.

"Rather than taking risks, we rotated the strike. Having said that, this is a shocker of a pitch. We need to make sure we have better pitches. Even 120 would have been a winning total here.

"We kept to our plans, we made sure they did not rotate the strike, and the wickets kept falling. Dew didn't play much of a role because if you see they were able to spin the ball more than us.

"It was a shocker of a wicket. The ball was flying for even the fast bowlers."

The in-form Suryakumar continues to rise his stock within white-ball cricket, though his 31-ball 26 was a far cry from his usual flamboyance and aggressive shot-making.

Having blasted 112 and 51 in his two previous T20I appearances against Sri Lanka earlier in January, Suryakumar acknowledged an alternate approach was required on Sunday.

"A different version of [Suryakumar] today," he said after receiving the Player of the Match award. "Adapting to the situation was very important. After losing [Washington Sundar], I had to make sure I batted until the end.

"[Sundar's run out] was my mistake, I didn't see where the ball went. Of course, it was a challenging wicket, but you have to be able to adapt.

"We just needed one hit in the end, and it was very important to calm ourselves down.

"Before I got the winning runs, Hardik came up to me and told me you will hit the winning runs this ball. That gave me a lot of confidence."

With an ODI series victory already secured, India will look for a white-ball double over New Zealand in Wednesday's T20I decider in Ahmedabad.

Novak Djokovic has been tipped by Nick Kyrgios to win at least 28 grand slams and become the most successful singles player in tennis history.

The prediction came after 35-year-old Djokovic reached 22 major triumphs on Sunday by landing the Australian Open title for a 10th time.

He now holds a share of the men's singles record with Rafael Nadal, but Djokovic made it clear after his latest big-stage success that he feels capable of collecting many more top-tier trophies.

Kyrgios is ostensibly a rival and was beaten by the Serbian in last year's Wimbledon final, but the Australian has also become one of Djokovic's greatest admirers.

In the wake of Djokovic beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Melbourne Park final, Kyrgios posted on Twitter: "Haha I told you. We created a monster. Well done @DjokerNole [Djokovic].

"Sat on my couch and enjoyed the entire show. He will get to 28 slams easy."

Kyrgios was also impressed by Djokovic emerging post-match in a jacket emblazoned with '22', a reminder of when Roger Federer had '15' on his top after winning Wimbledon in 2009 to take the outright lead in the men's grand slam race.

Federer burst past Pete Sampras, who had previously held the record for the most men's singles majors, but Djokovic and Nadal have since overtaken the Swiss, who retired last September after 20 slam successes.

The French Open in May and June could see an almighty tussle for the title as 14-time Roland Garros champion Nadal hunts another victory in Paris, while Djokovic bids to dethrone him and go to 23 singles slams, the same number as Serena Williams won.

Australian Margaret Court won more singles majors than anybody, with 24, but Kyrgios sees Djokovic soon overhauling that number.

Looking at his sartorial choice, Kyrgios saluted Djokovic's audacity, writing: "The jacket with 22 on it is elite energy, haha I love it…. NEED MORE."

Massimiliano Allegri said Juventus "never had a first half like" their poor showing against Monza on Sunday.

The Bianconeri went in 2-0 down to the visitors at the break and were unable to turn it around in the second-half as Raffaele Palladino's men completed a league double over them.

Goals from Patrick Ciurria and Dany Mota were enough for Monza to secure a 2-0 win at Allianz Stadium, following their 1-0 win against Juve earlier in the season in Palladino's first game in charge.

Monza became only the second team ever to win both their first two games against Juventus in Serie A, after Inter in 1930.

Speaking to the media after the defeat, Allegri said: "I'm angry, we can't concede goals like that. We've never had a first half like today.

"We have to think about working on the field... we need to examine our conscience and start playing with intent again."

It was the latest setback for Juve after being hit with a 15-point deduction in Serie A related to previous transfer dealings, and Allegri was left in no doubt how much work there is to do to rescue their season.

"Reality says that we have 23 points, so we still have to win many more," he said. "This is reality, and if we don't look at it, we'll get hurt. 

"We are all responsible for the performance... In [our last] three games [in the league] we won just one point and conceded 10 goals.

"We facilitated the Monza goals, they came out with disarming ease. You can't allow them to get into the defence like we did. They got through us too easily.

"We didn't have any reactions... The last few performances were not up to par, when you lose you have to lose in another way, [though] there was a different attitude in the second half."

India thrillingly came out on top with one ball remaining to level their three-match T20I series with New Zealand after a remarkably tight second match on Sunday.

The hosts won by six wickets at Ekana Stadium but only just managed to reach the low target set by New Zealand during what seemed a poor innings that saw them finish on 99-8.

It was the first time the Black Caps had failed to reach 100 runs in a T20I against India, though it was not as bad as it first seemed on a difficult pitch.

Finn Allen's (11) reverse sweep attempt from Yuzvendra Chahal's (1-4) delivery saw him knock the ball on to himself and then the stumps for India's breakthrough, and Devon Conway (11) soon followed when caught behind by Ishan Kishan off Washington Sundar (1-17).

Glenn Phillips (5) was the third to fall victim to a botched reverse sweep, and Daryl Mitchell (8) also failed to reach double digits, with that pair removed either side of Mark Chapman (14) being run out.

Michael Bracewell (14) and Mitchell Santner (19 not out) formed one of only two stands to yield 20 runs, before New Zealand's innings petered out with only five in the final over.

India's response was not emphatic – they also failed to register a single six.

Shubman Gill (11) gave Allen an easy catch with a top edge off Bracewell (1-13) for an early boost, before Kishan (19) was run out and Rahul Tripathi (13) was caught at deep midwicket.

Suryakumar Yadav (26 not out) – aided ably by captain Hardik Pandya (15 not out) – ultimately dragged India over the line, getting just enough power on the penultimate ball to reach the boundary and take India to 101-4.

Suryakumar decisive when it counts

Having managed at least 47 runs in each of his previous three T20Is, Suryakumar is not used to struggling to amass significant totals.

Much like everyone else on Sunday, he could not quite find momentum with his 26 coming off 31 balls, but the fact he had the nous to be the only batter to break the 20-runs barrier should not be overlooked.

New Zealand bowlers give them a fighting chance

The batsmen should not take too much blame – pretty much all of them from both sides struggled on a wicket that Hardik criticised afterwards – but the Black Caps bowlers had plenty of work to do here.

The wickets did not tumble with quite the same regularity as when they were in bat, but with the ball they ensured the match remained tight – the fact they took it to the final over is commendable in itself.

A defiant Diego Simeone declared "there is no greater motivation" than playing for Atletico Madrid after his side boosted their LaLiga top-four hopes with a narrow victory at Osasuna.

Head coach Simeone cast doubt over his future before the 1-0 win over Osasuna, suggesting how Atletico finish the season will dictate whether he stays in Madrid.

With Atletico out of Europe and eliminated from the Copa del Rey in midweek by Real Madrid, Saul Niguez's second-half strike at Osasuna may have somewhat eased the mounting pressure on the Colchoneros boss.

Simeone acknowledged the blow of Thursday's defeat to fierce rivals Madrid, but he says his players should need little inspiration to finish the season strong.

He said: "We have a way of thinking and the club has a way of living. Do not lower your shoulders, always go forward and get up in adverse situations. 

"We will focus on the league. There is no greater motivation than playing for Atletico. 

"We are out of the Copa and out of Europe, but we play for Atletico, and for Atletico you have to play until the last game."

Victory over Osasuna moved Atletico three points clear of Villarreal and Real Betis in fifth and sixth respectively, having played a game more, while Simeone's side trail Real Sociedad – who play Madrid on Sunday – by four.

Simeone's visitors were largely indebted to some fine goalkeeping from Jan Oblak before a calm 74th-minute finish from substitute Saul.

The Spain international has had to wait for his chance after the World Cup, but Simeone believes Saul, who Valencia are reportedly interested in signing on loan, is beginning to find form.

"He has been working very well since the return of the World Cup, with good consistency," the coach said. "He is becoming more and more identified with the patterns that we are looking for. 

"It's a pity that we couldn't increase the score after with the counter-attack situations we had, because Osasuna, at home, are very strong, and the last minutes were difficult."

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