Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on target again as Barcelona scored an important 1-0 victory over top-four rivals Real Sociedad in LaLiga on Thursday.
A close-range header in the first half was Aubameyang's 11th goal in his past 14 games for Barca – as many as he scored in his 34 prior outings in all competitions.
It proved to be enough to end La Real's seven-game unbeaten league run at Reale Arena, with Alexander Isak and Alexander Sorloth wasting the opportunities that came their way.
Barca moved up to second while La Real were left six points adrift of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid with five games to play, casting doubt on their credentials for achieving Champions League qualification.
La Real conceded their first goal at home in eight league matches in the 11th minute. Gavi kept the ball alive after Ousmane Dembele hit the post and picked out Ferran Torres, who lifted a cross for Aubameyang to nod home.
Frenkie de Jong, Torres and Aubameyang all narrowly missed the target before Isak miscued when presented with a glorious chance to equalise on the stroke of half-time.
Barca were again let off the hook within two minutes of the restart when Sorloth blazed over from inside the six-yard box after a wonderful delivery from Adnan Januzaj.
There was a brief interruption due to objects being thrown in the direction of Gerard Pique from the stands, with the centre-back the subject of their ire after controversial audio clips of him negotiating a deal to move the Supercopa de Espana to Saudi Arabia were released.
Pique played on after appearing to request a substitution in the first half but Barca lost Ronald Araujo to a knee injury in the 55th minute.
Sorloth and Januzaj were kept at bay by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Gavi missed a chance to put the game to bed, but Xavi's team were able to hold on for an important three points.
What does it mean? Barca back on track
Barca followed Europa League elimination at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt with a loss to Cadiz last weekend, but they got back to winning ways in San Sebastian.
The Blaugrana are now undefeated in 12 LaLiga matches against La Real, while coach Imanol Alguacil has now faced them eight times without recording a win – he has not overseen more games without winning against any other opponent in the competition.
De Jong pulls the strings
Barca's best moments came when they attacked at pace, and De Jong was key to ensuring they moved the ball quickly. No one on the pitch had more than his three key passes, while he also had the joint-most attempts on goal for the Blaugrana.
One mix-up proves costly
Joseba Zaldua and Mikel Merino were well-positioned to clear the ball after Dembele hit the post, but they hesitated and Gavi nipped in and fed Torres for the assist on the only goal of the game.
What's next?
Barca entertain Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, with La Real not in action until a meeting with the same side a week later.
Chet Holmgren has declared for the 2022 NBA Draft but insists he is more concerned by finding a "good fit" than being the first man off the board.
Gonzaga freshman Holmgren confirmed to ESPN on Thursday he would be entering the draft.
"After a season where we accomplished a lot of great things as both a team and an individual, I feel like I'm in a position to be able to chase my lifelong dream to play in the NBA," he said.
And the seven-foot center is among the favourites to be taken as the first overall pick.
Holmgren averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks for the Bulldogs this season, shooting a superb 60.7 per cent from the floor and 39.0 per cent from three.
But the number one selection is not the 19-year-old's primary concern.
"I understand basketball is a business and going number one doesn't mean nearly as much as finding a good fit and the right situation," Holmgren added in the same ESPN interview.
"At the end of the day, I'm hoping for whatever is best for me and my future, and if that's at number one, then that's great."
The overarching narrative surrounding the 2022 NFL Draft class is well established. It's not a star-studded class, but it's a deep class.
And nowhere is this draft deeper than at edge rusher.
NFL teams place a premium on players who can get after the quarterback, but this year they may not have to spend a premium pick to land such a prospect who can make an immediate difference at the highest level.
Like quarterbacks, top pass rushers get pushed up the board, but some teams may be content to wait until day two of this year's draft to boost their front seven, safe in the knowledge that there will still be a host of talented edge players available.
By its very nature, the draft is a subjective exercise, but a look at the pressure numbers for the top edge rushers in this class provides an idea of how they should be stacked as opening night in Las Vegas draws ever closer.
The sure thing
He may not end up as the first overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson has the most compelling case as the most complete and the most 'pro-ready' edge rusher in the draft.
Hutchinson has the flexibility to bend around the edge but can also win with his bull rush and has the quickness to successfully attack the inside shoulder of opposing offensive tackles.
Boasting a well-refined repertoire off pass rush moves, including the cross-chop, two-hand swipe, rip, club and swim, Hutchinson's pressure rate of 30.8 per cent in 2021 was topped only by UAB sleeper Alex Wright (31.3 per cent). Similarly, Wright (18.7 per cent) was the sole player to top Hutchinson's run disruption rate of 17.9 per cent.
Yet while Wright recorded 11.5 sacks in three seasons at a Group of Five school, Hutchinson had 14 in the 2021 campaign alone as he helped Michigan come within touching distance of the mountaintop – the Wolverines losing in the College Football Playoff semi-finals.
He also demonstrated considerable prowess against the run, registering double-digit tackles for loss in 2019 (10) and 2021 (16.5).
Beating a man on 72 of his 85 pressures in 2021, Hutchinson has an array of tools by which to defeat pass protection and will enter the league as a high-floor, day-one contributor.
Should the Jags choose to go in a different direction, the team that land him may be sending thank you cards to Jacksonville for years to come.
Debate club
At the start of last season, it would have been tough to find much debate around Oregon star Kayvon Thibodeaux, a prospect almost universally seen as a future top-five pick.
Now there are questions over whether he will even go in the top 10.
Any potential fall down the board will not be down to his ability to generate pressure, which he did on 24.5 per cent of his pass-rush snaps in 2021, beating a pass protector on 44 of his 49 pressures.
Instead, doubts around Thibodeaux seem to be tied to a perceived lack of effort and concerns over his love of the game, a reflection of the archaic way in which the league often views prospects who have the temerity to have outside interests away from the field.
Any such worries over his other interests should certainly not overshadow Thibodeaux's consistently outstanding performances, which have seen him create pressure through his excellent first step and ability to translate speed to power.
Indeed, Thibodeaux can generate an exceptional bull rush but can also bend around the edge and has the quickness to win to create disruption up the middle, his tremendous physical traits supplemented by a well-stocked repertoire of pass-rush moves.
With 35.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks in three seasons, Thibodeaux has the production, the athleticism and the tape of a sure-fire top-five prospect. More bemusing than talk of him falling down the draft is the hype around the player who could well go number one overall.
Georgia's Travon Walker has the God-given athletic gifts over which teams salivate, running the 40 at the Combine in 4.51 seconds at 272 pounds, yet he does not have the production to back it up, with his tape from an extremely successful collegiate career with the Bulldogs leaving more questions than answers.
Deployed primarily as a run defender and often asked on passing downs to either drop into coverage or open up rushing lanes for blitzing linebackers, Walker had only 9.5 sacks in college.
That six of those came in 2021 could be seen as a sign of progress. However, with Walker posting a pressure rate of just 12 per cent and beating his man on only 16 of his 31 pressures, he clearly still has a long way to go as a pass rusher.
Between his obvious explosiveness and the power he has in his hands, Walker is, in essence, an exciting project for the right defensive line coach to mould. However, the presence of more proven higher-floor pass rushers at the top of the draft makes the prospect of the Jaguars putting the burden of rapidly developing him on their staff a needless risk for Jacksonville.
Destined for day one
If the Jags are determined to hitch their wagon to a former Georgia star with only one season of college production, they would be better served by choosing Jermaine Johnson II to be that player.
Johnson transferred from Georgia to Florida State and thrived on a poor Seminoles team in 2021, racking up 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss.
A force against the run in his lone season in Tallahassee, Johnson's pressure rate of 16.8 does not paint the picture of an elite edge prospect.
However, only Hutchinson had more adjusted sacks (18) than Johnson's 17, a two-hand swipe move and a spin move helping him beat a pass protector on 40 of his 50 pressures. If he can become more consistent in pairing his explosiveness with leverage and use his flexibility to turn the corner more regularly, Johnson has a chance to emerge as the cream of this year's edge rush crop.
Penn State's Arnold Ebiketie is another transfer who made the most of his change of scenery, excelling in his single year with the Nittany Lions after switching from Temple, using his long arms to superb effect as he posted a pressure rate of 21.1 per cent, his success in getting into the pads of opposing pass protectors allowing him to record 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.
Ebiketie is still building his pass rush weaponry but blends leverage, speed and power to win with his bull rush. Able to win to the inside and around the edge, the arrow is pointing up for Ebiketie and there will be no shortage of teams ready to try to keep him on that trajectory in the pros.
Explosiveness and power are the calling cards of Purdue's George Karlaftis, who, after playing only two games in 2020, had a pressure rate of 21.9 per cent last season.
Only Hutchinson and Wright beat a pass protector more often than Karlaftis (47), and the former Boilermaker figures to soon be testing the anchor of tackles around the league after consistently putting Big Ten competition on skates.
Each of that trio are likely to come off the board on night one. That same honour probably won't be afforded to South Carolina's Kingsley Enagbare or Drake Jackson of USC, though both had top-five pressure rates in 2021.
Enagbare (24.6) has an array of moves to rival Hutchinson and a bull rush akin to that of Karlaftis when he puts it all together, but a lack of speed and flexibility to turn the corner may force him to wait until day two. Jackson (24.2) was third in adjusted sack rate (6.7 per cent) and flashed dominance with his first step and dip to get around the edge, but a failure to truly take over games at the Pac-12 level will likely mean his celebrations will have to wait until the Friday of draft week.
The injury gamble
Hutchinson's former Michigan team-mate David Ojabo would almost certainly be in the first-round mix had he not suffered an Achilles injury during his pro day.
Due to that piece of misfortune, teams must now decide whether they are willing to take a risk on a player who may not be healthy enough to contribute significantly as a rookie.
Agreeing to that gamble will mean putting faith in Ojabo's long-term potential, which is undoubted.
Nigerian-born Ojabo moved to the United States from Scotland in 2017 and originally played basketball before turning his attention to American football.
Still relatively inexperienced, Ojabo has enticing room to grow but at the same time demonstrated impressive polish as he broke out in 2021 with 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
With a pressure rate of 21.3 per cent and the highest adjusted sack rate in the class at 7.6 per cent, Ojabo can get the better of pass blockers through a number of avenues.
He has the speed to get around the edge, has developed an excellent spin move and possesses a rip move with which he has also found success.
For a player who came to the sport late, Ojabo has also demonstrated impressive awareness of the importance of playing half a man when rushing the passer.
Encouragingly refined but still boasting untapped potential, there is obvious risk in taking Ojabo, but depending on the progress of his recovery, he could quickly make an impact as a designated pass rusher on third down.
Novak Djokovic again overcame the challenge of a fellow home favourite to advance to the semi-finals at the Serbia Open on Thursday.
The world number one had battled from a set down against Laslo Djere 24 hours earlier and was once more made to work hard for his win versus Miomir Kecmanovic.
The seventh seed took the opener without facing a break point and led early in the second set too.
But Kecmanovic could not hold off Djokovic, who recovered to win 4-6 6-3 6-3 and reach the last four for the fourth time in five campaigns in Belgrade.
After two victories in two nights against Serbians for the two-time winner, Djokovic is on a 10-0 run in matches with his compatriots and 27-4 all-time.
The 20-time grand slam champion also has a 36-6 record in Serbia and has particularly enjoyed the "strange" opportunity to face his countrymen in front of a home crowd.
"It's a very strange feeling, sharing the court with your compatriots," he said. "Obviously the crowd was phenomenal for both players in yesterday's match and today's.
"They're very rare occasions when I'm able to play at home and experience this atmosphere, so I'm trying to enjoy every single moment."
Djokovic is the last Serbian remaining in the tournament, though, and takes on third seed Karen Khachanov – a winner against Thiago Monteiro – in the semis.
There remain two quarter-finals to play on Friday, as Andrey Rublev faces Taro Daniel while Fabio Fognini welcomes the challenge of Oscar Otte.
Meanwhile, there were only two matches completed at the Barcelona Open due to rain, but Ilya Ivashka ensured fans were rewarded for their patience as he took Stefanos Tsitsipas the distance.
Ivashka eventually went down 6-1 4-6 6-2 to the top seed in a heavily delayed second-round contest.
David de Gea is "very excited" to work under Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman was confirmed as Manchester United's new manager on Thursday.
Ten Hag will arrive from Ajax at the end of the season and take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick on a three-year contract with an option to extend for another year.
The 52-year-old is on course to win a third Eredivisie title with Ajax this season and has been lauded for his possession-based style.
He guided Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018-19 and won two KNVB Bekers, though he was unable to make it a third last Sunday when his side were beaten 2-1 by PSV in the final.
De Gea is pleased to finally have clarity over United's managerial future and hopes they can focus on getting their push for a place in the Premier League's top four back on track.
"Very excited the club has made the decision so now we all know," De Gea told United's official website.
"We know what he has done for Ajax, he has nearly been in a Champions League final, he won titles and he develops players, so I’m very excited.
"I think he plays very good football. Now we have to be very focused on the last games but we are excited to know who is coming. But now let's focus on Arsenal and fight until the end to be in the top four.
"It's good to know and for sure he is already watching the games and thinking about what he can do to improve the team, so that's very good for us. I'm looking forward to working under him.
"Of course, now the focus on Arsenal, it's a final [for us], we have to take the three points, [otherwise] the top four is done. Let's be focused and win the game."
Billie Jean King has spoken out against the ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed at Wimbledon this year as a result of the war in Ukraine.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced on Wednesday that players from the two nations would not be eligible for the grand slam, with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) stating it would implement the same rule across all its upcoming tournaments.
Upon announcing its decision, the AELTC cited a responsibility "to limit Russia's global influence through the strongest means possible".
The blanket ban rules the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka out of contention, and that is something King is against.
She posted on Twitter: "The decision of the LTA and AELTC regarding Russian and Belarusian players at this year's tournament was a difficult and complex undertaking, and I appreciate the challenges and pressures they are facing.
"One of the guiding principles of the founding of the WTA was that any girl in the world, if she was good enough, would have a place to compete.
"I stood by that in 1973 and I stand by that today. I cannot support the banning of individual athletes from any tournament, simply because of their nationality.
"Tennis is stronger when we stand together, and our continue support of the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, which provides meaningful financial support and resources to Ukraine, needs to be our focus."
The ATP and WTA criticised the AELTC's decision, while Martina Navratilova and Novak Djokovic have also voiced their opposition.
In a statement published on Thursday, the Belarusian Tennis Federation (BTF) said it was seeking legal advice.
"The Belarusian Tennis Federation categorically condemns the decision taken by the organisers of Wimbledon to suspend Belarusian and Russian tennis players. Such destructive actions in no way contribute to the resolution of conflicts, but only incite hatred and intolerance on a national basis," read the release.
"Throughout the history of tennis, armed conflicts have occurred in the world – in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Yugoslavia and other countries – but not until now have tournament organisers suspended athletes from the United States, Great Britain and other countries.
"Illegal decisions of international tennis organizations in relation to our athletes undermines the reputation of these organisations.
"Consultations of the BTF leadership with international law firms on sports law are ongoing and a strategy is being developed that is aimed at protecting Belarusian tennis players around the world."
Illinois junior Kofi Cockburn announced on Thursday that he is declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.
The 22-year-old Cockburn was born in Kingston, Jamaica, before moving to New York in 2014. He played his high school basketball at Christ the King Regional High School in New York before transferring to renowned basketball school Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season where he was teammates with current NBA players Cole Anthony of the Orlando Magic and Cameron Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets.
The 7-foot centre averaged 20.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.0 block on 59.3 per cent shooting in 28 games during his junior season with the Fighting Illini.
Cockburn was the only player in college basketball to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds this past season. The consensus first-team All-American helped lead Illinois to a Big Ten Championship, which it shared with Wisconsin.
Cockburn, who tested the waters prior to the 2020 and 2021 NBA Drafts before ultimately withdrawing both times to continue playing at Illinois, told ESPN his decision is final this time.
"I'm 100 per cent in now. I'm not going back to college. I'm signing with agent Todd Ramasar. I've tested the waters enough, I'm 100 per cent dedicated to going all the way," he said.
The 2022 NBA Draft will take place on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
MS Dhoni was the final-over hero as Chennai Super Kings kept Mumbai Indians waiting for a first Indian Premier League win with a dramatic three-wicket victory.
CSK needed 17 off the last over from Jaydev Unadkat in the battle of the bottom two to win only their second match and Dhoni delivered, hitting the four he needed off the last ball to leave the Indians shellshocked.
Mukesh Choudhary (3-19) dismissed Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan for first-over ducks after Mumbai were put in by Ravindra Jadeja at a raucous DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, but they recovered to 155-7.
Teenager Tilak Varma top scored with 51 not out off 43 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav (32) and debutant Hrithik Shokeen (25) also chipped in.
CSK dropped four catches, including Varma being given a life by Dwayne Bravo when he had scored only two, in a sloppy display in the field following such a great start.
All-rounder Bravo took 2-36 before Unadkat added a brisk unbeaten 19 and Daniel Sams dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad with the first ball of the run chase.
Sams (4-30) also saw the back of Mitchell Santner, Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu, with Mumbai favourites when Chennai were 106-6 in the 16th over following Jadeja's departure for only three.
Dwaine Pretorius made 22 and the ice-cool Dhoni stepped up when CSK needed him, making 28 not out off 13 balls to leave the Indians rooted to the bottom of the table after losing all seven games.
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Choudhary gives CSK dream start
Left-arm seamer Choudhary rocked Mumbai by removing both openers in the first over, with Rohit taken by Santner at mid-on off the second ball and Kishan losing his off stump.
Dewald Brevis became Choudhary's third victim off the final ball of the third over, reducing the Indians to 32-3.
CSK's fielding did not match the standard of their early bowling, captain Jadeja guilty of two of their dropped catches as they let Mumbai off the hook to an extent.
Dhoni still leading by example
He may have handed the captaincy over to Jadeja, but Dhoni showed he will always be a leader as he steered the holders home.
They needed 28 off two overs and 16 from deliveries after Unadkat trapped Pretorius leg before.
Step forward the 40-year-old Dhoni, who clattered the left-armer for a straight six and struck the next ball for four, then scampered through for two before dispatching the last delivery into the leg side for a match-winning boundary.
Potential first overall pick Paolo Banchero has declared for the 2022 NBA Draft after a superb season for Duke under Mike Krzyzewski.
Banchero is considered one of the top prospects in the coming draft class after averaging 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds across 39 games in a single season with the Blue Devils.
In the final season of coach Krzyzewski's 42-year Duke career, Banchero played a key role in the team's ACC regular season championship triumph, as well as their run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Duke's season was ended by rivals North Carolina, but Banchero had 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in that losing effort.
Now, he will take those talents to the NBA, announcing his entry to the draft in a video message that included words of thanks for his team-mates, fans and 'Coach K'.
"To Coach K, it was an honour to be a part of your final season," the forward said. "Thank you for pushing me every single day and expecting nothing but the best out of me.
Banchero added: "It has always been a dream of mine to play at Duke, and it has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA.
"Duke has prepared me for that on and off the court. I'm excited to announce that I'll be entering my name in the 2022 NBA Draft.
"It has been a great journey and I'm blessed to be a part of 'The Brotherhood' for life."
Krzyzewski expects Banchero to have an impact among the pros, saying: "Paolo had a truly incredible season and is absolutely ready to attack the next phase of his playing career.
"He put up remarkable numbers and won awards, but he always put the team first. Paolo is a great leader in that regard and someone all of our players admired, even though he was just a freshman.
"He is so dynamic, explosive and versatile – a model player in today's NBA game.
"He did whatever we asked at a very high level. I loved having him and his family in our program and wish him all the best as his professional career begins."
Cheshire Police have carried out a search of Harry Maguire's house after the Manchester United captain received a bomb threat.
Police conducted a sweep of the England centre-back's property, where he lives with his fiancee and two children, on Thursday after he was reportedly threatened via email.
A spokesman for Maguire said: "In the last 24 hours, Harry has received a serious threat to his family home. He has reported this to the police who are now looking into the matter.
"The safety of his family and those around him is obviously Harry's number one priority.
"He will continue to prepare for this weekend's fixture [at Arsenal on Saturday] as normal and we will not be commenting in any further detail at this time."
Maguire was targeted in a week that saw the Red Devils suffer a 4-0 Premier League thrashing at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool on Thursday.
The 29-year-old defender has endured a difficult season and was booed by England fans during a friendly win over Ivory Coast last month.
United on Thursday confirmed Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag will take over as their new manager at the end of the season.
Erling Haaland's talents in attack make him "an absolute weapon" for Borussia Dortmund, says boss Marco Rose, favourably comparing the forward to Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.
The two Bundesliga heavyweights meet this weekend in the latest edition of Der Klassiker, with Julian Nagelsmann's side able to claim the title against their biggest rivals with victory.
Much of the result will likely hinge on the performances of two of European football's most talismanic strikers, in Poland star Lewandowski and Norway forward Haaland.
The latter looks set to play out his final few games for the Black and Yellow over the coming weeks, and is widely expected to seal a major move during the close-season to a European rival with Manchester City heavily tipped to win the race for his signature.
But his contributions have been invaluable for Dortmund and head coach Rose, who hailed his prowess when speaking about him and Lewandowski ahead of their encounter.
"They have different strengths," he stated. "Lewandowski serves all facets with more experience and drops a lot.
"He's in a good position in the box too though. His first contact is world class.
"[But] Erling has also made progress this season. In the transition game, he is an absolute weapon.
"His header game has also gotten much better. When the ball comes into the box, both know exactly where the goal is."
Dortmund's last Bundesliga Klassiker victory came back in 2018, when they defeated Bayern 3-2 on home soil under Lucien Favre.
Rose knows it is due time that his side rise to the occasion in the Bundesliga's biggest fixture, and that the merit of the occasion drives them on to deliver.
"It's a classic," Rose added. "It's also about reputation. A win in Munich is always good. We don't want to just defend.
"Bayern can become champions on Saturday and will perform accordingly. We want to prevent that.
"We played a good game last Saturday, we need that performance at an even higher level and consistently over 90 minutes."
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus could now face sanctions from UEFA after precautionary measures against such punishments were lifted by a Madrid court.
Madrid, Barca and Juve are the three clubs still committed to the European Super League project, which was launched last year and sought to break away from UEFA's Champions League.
Nine other clubs, including six from the Premier League, backed out of the competition soon after it was announced amid fan pressure.
UEFA was initially prevented from sanctioning those involved, but these measures have now been lifted by judge Sofia Gil Garcia of Madrid's Mercantile Court No. 17.
"It is up to these disciplinary bodies and to the independent arbitrators of the CAS to decide on the possible sanctions against the clubs," the court said via a statement reported in French publication L'Equipe.
A UEFA spokesperson said: "UEFA has today received the order of the Madrid court, lifting the precautionary measures in their entirety.
"UEFA welcomes this decision and is considering its implications. UEFA will not be making any further comment for the time being."
Alex Ovechkin became just the third player to score 50 goals in nine different NHL seasons after adding two for the Washington Capitals in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky were the only players to previously reach that mark in nine separate campaigns.
"Obviously, it's pretty good company," Ovechkin said afterwards.
And the Capitals great took another record outright in the process, as the oldest player to score 50 goals in a season.
Ovechkin is 36, surpassing John Bucyk, who was aged 35 years and 327 days at the end of his 51-goal season in 1970-71.
It was special, too, for Ovechkin to achieve the feat at T-Mobile Arena, where he and the Capitals clinched the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018.
"Obviously, there's lots of great memories, locker room, everything, hotel," he said. "It's going stay here forever... yeah, pretty fun moments."
Ovechkin now has 780 career goals, still trailing Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801).
Cristiano Ronaldo has thanked the Liverpool and Manchester United fans who came together to pay tribute to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on Tuesday.
Ronaldo missed United's 4-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool at Anfield after the loss of his newborn son.
But supporters of both teams made clear United's number seven was in their thoughts with applause after seven minutes.
The Liverpool fans also broke into a chorus of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.
And in his first Instagram post since confirming his son's death, Ronaldo shared a clip of that moment alongside a message.
"One world... One sport... One global family... Thanks, Anfield," he wrote.
"Me and my family will never forget this moment of respect and compassion."
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