Enzo Maresca said Cole Palmer's display against Newcastle United is the reason "fans pay to watch" after the Blues talisman led them back into the Premier League top four. 

Palmer struck the winner 75 seconds into the second half after Nicolas Jackson saw his goal cancelled out by Alexander Isak. 

The England international played a huge role in the opener too, producing a sweeping long-range pass into the path of Pedro Neto, who squared for Jackson to finish. 

Palmer has now registered a division-high 12 goal involvements this season (seven goals, five assists), overtaking Erling Haaland (11) on Sunday. 

"It is the reason why people pay, they want to see that kind of player. We are very happy to have him," Maresca said. 

Chelsea have now won 10 of their 14 Premier League games since the beginning of May (D2 L2), with only Manchester City (35) winning more points in the competition in this period.

However, the Blues had to overcome some nervy moments at Stamford Bridge, with Isak twice going close in the second half but unable to test Robert Sanchez. 

Chelsea will welcome the Magpies back to the capital in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, and Maresca wants to see an improvement from his players. 

"I am always concerned. We can attack better and defend better. We started three months ago so I am very happy where we are now," Maresca continued.

"The important thing is the feeling is good. We play nine games already. I am not looking at the table at the moment. If you do that sometimes you can be confused.

"The players are understanding every day what we are working for. The fans can enjoy and dream.

"Us as a club and as players, we need to understand there are many things we can do better."

For Newcastle, meanwhile, they have now failed to win in their last five games in the Premier League. Their last joint longest winless streak was from 21st January 2023 to 4th March 2023.

"I think you go through all types of cycles as a manager," Howe said on whether his side's current form is emotionally draining.

"You understand the difficult moments and you just have to ride through them knowing you'll come back again.

"The attitude of the players gives me the most heart and that's the most important thing."

With Anthony Gordon missing with a groin injury, Newcastle lacked a clinical threat in the final third, with only three of their 11 shots on target during the game, something the Magpies boss alluded to in his post-match assessment.

"I think it's just the final bit in both boxes where we didn't defend the two moments well enough and I felt we had enough positive actions to score more," Howe continued. 

"Hopefully the goal will go a long way to ridding ourselves of that. No one can change it but us and we'll continue to attack games and attack teams."

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario admitted his side lacked fight following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The north London side conceded the eventual winner in the 31st minute as Jean-Philippe Mateta fired past Vicario at the back post.

It was a lacklustre showing upfront from the visitors, too, as they managed only three shots on target throughout the match, resulting in an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.72.

Vicario was candid about the lack of hunger from his side, as their total of 11 shots in the game marked their lowest total in a single match in the Premier League this season.

"They fight and I think we lacked that today. We are disappointed because we have to fight. We play good football but maybe sometimes we lack the desire to fight. They show a real desire to fight for something,” he told Sky Sports.

"I just want to focus on us and what we didn't do as a team. I think we lacked a bit of energy and to be better than them. We have to take this personally and it has to hurt us a lot. Football gives us an opportunity again and we have to be ready for the cup."

Tottenham were without captain Son Heung-Min, who is also their joint-top scorer this season (three) with a total of five goal contributions.

"He is the captain but we have a big squad and we have to deal with that. We have to be able to win games without Son. We lacked in something, not in football, but attitude and fight," added Vicario on his captain’s absence.

The result represented only the second win for Palace across their last 19 Premier League games against Tottenham (D2 L15), though both victories in that time have come at Selhurst Park while keeping a clean sheet.

Yet Ange Postecoglou’s side now have two defeats in their last three games and have failed to win any of their four away London derby matches in the Premier League in 2024 (D1 L3).

"It was one of those games with a lot of stoppages and battles and they ended up winning a lot of them and coming out on top. There was a lot of disruption and it was hard to get any fluency. They did better than us,” Postecoglou told BBC Match of the Day.

"It turned into a game they were thriving on and we should have dealt with it better. It was a poor goal to concede, it had nothing to do with playing out from the back. That can happen.

"I'd be very surprised if they were happy right now. Why would I be happy? If I'm unhappy then they'll be unhappy. If you're suggesting that our fans weren't happy with today then that's a fair assessment."

Bayern Munich swept aside VfL Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to head back to the top of the Bundesliga.

Vincent Kompany's team were beaten 4-1 by Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, but bounced back in style at Vonovia Ruhrstadion.

Michael Olise put them ahead with a fantastic free-kick in the 16th minute, with in-form Jamal Musiala heading home a second soon after.

Apart from an early chance that was cleared off the line by Kim Min-Jae, Bochum were no match for Bayern's power and the visitors struck three more times after the break.

Harry Kane grabbed a customary goal before Leroy Sane got in on the act and Kingsley Coman rounded off the victory.

Bayern are on 20 points, ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig on goal difference.

Champions Bayer Leverkusen are in third place on 15. Bochum remain anchored in last place with one point from eight games. 

Data Debrief: Goals galore

Bayern have now scored 29 league goals this season, the joint-highest tally after eight games of a Bundesliga campaign.

Only the Bavarians themselves have previously scored as many goals at this stage of a top-flight campaign, also doing so in 2021-22 and 1976-77.

Bayern ended the game with 19 shots, getting 10 of those on target, and having amassed 2.33 expected goals (xG) to Bochum's 0.56.

Jarrod Bowen scored a stoppage-time winner from the penalty spot as West Ham recorded a 2-1 Premier League victory over Manchester United, piling more pressure on Erik ten Hag.

Casemiro had cancelled out Crysencio Summerville’s 74th-minute opener as the game burst into life late on, but Bowen's penalty in the 92nd minute – contentiously awarded for Matthijs de Ligt's tackle on Danny Ings – settled the contest.

Alejandro Garnacho had rattled the crossbar as early as the second minute, while Diogo Dalot somehow blazed over when presented with an open goal half an hour later.

United were denied by the woodwork again in the 40th minute when Christian Eriksen’s corner was glanced onto the bar by Hammers midfielder Edson Alvarez, but it was West Ham who made the breakthrough in the second half.

Summerville tapped home in the 74th minute to punish United's wastefulness, but Casemiro nodded the equaliser from close range seven minutes later.

However, Bowen’s late penalty handed Julen Lopetegui's side a much-needed win and saw them leapfrog their opponents into 13th place.

Jean-Philippe Mateta made the difference as Crystal Palace beat Tottenham 1-0 to claim their first Premier League win of the season.

Coming off the back of three straight defeats, the pressure was on Oliver Glasner, and his team delivered the goods for their fans at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Their winner came in the 31st minute when Mateta latched onto Eberechi Eze’s clever flick and drilled in from close range.

Brennan Johnson had the best chance for the visitors when his shot struck the post before seeing the rebound cleared off the line by Trevor Chalobah.

But Palace looked most likely to get the game’s second goal, and Eze saw one ruled out for offside while Adam Wharton was thwarted by Guglielmo Vicario.

The Eagles were not made to pay for failing to add a second, however, as they claimed a morale-boosting result that takes them up to 17th, while Tottenham are eighth after two defeats from their last three league matches.

Data debrief: Spurs out of ideas in attack

Tottenham attempted just 11 shots in this game, their lowest total in a single match in the Premier League this season.

Of those 11 shots, they managed just three on target as the visitors managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.72.

It sees Crystal Palace have beat them for the first time in the Premier League since September 2021, a run of 5 games without a win.

Cole Palmer led Chelsea back into the Premier League’s top four, with his seventh top-flight goal of the season seeing the Blues edge out Newcastle United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer, who saw an early strike disallowed for offside, was integral to both of Chelsea’s goals on Sunday, playing a stunning pass in the build-up to Nicolas Jackson’s 18th-minute opener.

Alexander Isak drew the visitors level with his first goal since returning from a toe injury, tucking home from a cross by former Chelsea youngster Lewis Hall.

But Palmer got his name on the scoresheet early in the second half, with his effort squeezing in at Nick Pope’s near post, with Newcastle unable to find a response.

Chelsea’s triumph moved them, at least temporarily, into fourth spot, five points ahead of 12th-placed Newcastle.

Data Debrief: Palmer the difference, but Neto and Jackson impress

While Palmer will receive plaudits for his contribution to Chelsea’s victory, it was also an impressive outing for Neto, who was one of the Blues’ most potent attacking threat.

The Portugal international ended the contest with more chances created (three) than any other Chelsea player, while also recording the joint-most shots on target (two alongside Noni Madueke) for the hosts.

But Jackson also continued his fine scoring form, with his strike now seeing him involved in 14 goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances (10 goals, four assists).

Jackson’s opener also saw him become the fifth-quickest player to reach 20 goals in the top-flight for Chelsea, reaching that tally in 44 games, one fewer than Hernan Crespo.

Nikola Jokic suggested a novel way to try and get the Denver Nuggets firing after a stuttering start to the NBA season continued against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Superstar Jokic put up a hugely impressive 41 points but was unable to help the Nuggets to victory as the Clippers ran out 109-104 victors at the Ball Arena on Saturday.

It means the Nuggets have started the season 0-2 and Jokic was asked what the team could do differently to get things going.

He jokingly replied: "Party every time when we go out."

Jokic would later follow up with a more substantive answer, though, saying: "I really don't know, my friend. 

"We just want to win. We just want to win one game and uh, hopefully, we can do that on this road.

"I think we're really struggling to score. We scored 104 points. In today's NBA, I think that’s not a really good number. Last game, we scored 89 [actually 87]. I don't even know."

The Nuggets will attempt to get on the win column when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

Marc Casado praised Barcelona’s daring high line following a resounding 4-0 Clasico victory against Real Madrid in LaLiga.

The win put an end to Madrid’s aspirations of a record unbeaten run in the league as they were unable to equal Barcelona’s streak of 43 games without loss between 2017 and 2018.

Instead, the Santiago Bernabeu witnessed a finessed Hansi Flick offside trap as the hosts were caught offside a whopping eight times in the first half, representing their joint most on record (since 2003-04) in a single LaLiga match, equalling their tally against Celta Vigo in March 2013. 

They were ultimately caught out 12 times in total, and Barcelona midfielder Casado, who bagged an assist, was enamoured by his side's defensive display.

"It's incredible, to have the b**** to have the defensive line this high," he said in the mixed zone.

"We've been doing it all season, the defensive work of this team is spectacular. It's incredible and at the moment it's working for us."

His delight was unsurprising. Barcelona managed to nullify the Real Madrid threat with forward Kylian Mbappe caught offside eight times through the duration of the match.

It is the most by any player in a single game in Europe's top five leagues since Karim Benzema against Eibar in November 2018.

Barcelona were firing at the other end too, as Robert Lewandowski bagged a brace before Lamine Yamal and Raphinha doubled their margin of victory late on.

It means Barcelona now have 10 wins in 11 games so far this season under Flick, leaving them six points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who came through the ranks at Barcelona, has been impressed by the turnaround in form since the coach's off-season arrival.

"I'm super happy now, I am a proper Culer. We suffered a lot towards the end of last season, it was a tough time," he told Barca's official media channels.

"Flick came in and just told us how much we had to believe in ourselves, on a personal level and on a collective level."

Both Casado and Pena came through La Masia, which remains a key source of talent for the Catalan giants.

"We know that this club always brings out very good players from the academy, I don't know how it happens but it always comes out. The work at La Masia is spectacular and that's why we arrive so prepared for the elite," Casado added.

Lewis Hamilton admits he has become accustomed to trailing Mercedes team-mate George Russell after struggling in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Hamilton qualified in sixth for Sunday's race, one place behind Russell despite the latter reverting to an older floor for his W15 car following a crash in Friday's practice.

The seven-time drivers' champion trailed his team-mate by almost three tenths of a second and has now only beaten him in qualifying five times in 20 races this year.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 following the conclusion of qualifying, which saw Carlos Sainz snatch pole position ahead of title contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, Hamilton admitted he had struggled all year.

"I'm losing all the time, that's why I've been so bad in qualifying all year," Hamilton, who sits sixth in the drivers' championship standings, said. 

"It's a normal thing and I'm used to it. We have done everything. We worked so hard in the background, like everyone does, to get the car in a nice place.

"It was feeling good in final practice, so we were like, 'let's not touch anything or do anything'. All we changed was the rear wing and it's just a drastic difference.

"Every time I get to qualifying, the car is completely different. I can't pinpoint why, but it is what it is." 

Mercedes had switched to an older iteration of their car floor after both drivers struggled at last week's United States Grand Prix, with Russell now on an even older edition following his crash in second practice.

"Maybe George is more comfortable on the older package," Hamilton said. "I don't know, we'll see. We'll get a good reading of which is best."

Kevin Durant was hailed as a generational talent by Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer after becoming the eighth player to reach 29,000 career NBA points.

Durant scored 31 points as the Suns recorded their second victory in three games on Saturday, beating the Dallas Mavericks 114-102.

That made him just the eighth player in league history to score 29,000 points, after LeBron James, the NBA's scoring leader with 40,543 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain.

Addressing the 36-year-old's landmark after the game, Budenholzer said: "What a tribute to a great, generational talent. I feel incredibly lucky to be around him every day."

Durant now has 29,010 total points through his 17 seasons in the league with the Seattle Supersonics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix.

He has averaged over 20 points in each of his campaigns in the league, but he said the credit must go to those who have put him in a position to score points.

"I've got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid," Durant said. 

"Team-mates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew up plays for me."

Zheng Qinwen was delighted to atone for her 2022 Tokyo Open final defeat as she overcame Sofia Kenin to capture the title on Sunday.

Zheng won her third WTA title of the year by beating wild-card entrant Kenin 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in one hour and 52 minutes in the Japanese capital.

The Chinese number one, who won gold at the Paris Olympic Games and successfully defended her Palermo title during the clay-court season, was featuring in her second Tokyo final after finishing as runner-up to Liudmila Samsonova two years ago.

Speaking after her victory, Zheng said: "I really appreciate that I'm able to fight through and be the champion in Tokyo. 

"This is the one I wanted to get when I was 19 years old. I fought so hard, but I didn't, I lost in the final. So this year, I'm just really happy."

Zheng will now look to continue her momentum when she makes her WTA Finals debut in Riyadh next week, but she knows the competition in Saudi Arabia will be fierce. 

"All the players are really tough to beat," Zheng said. "From the first match, I'll need to be focused. It's the first time for me in the WTA Finals. I am so motivated but let’s see what's going to happen."

Data Debrief: Zheng flying in Asia

Zheng now boasts a 28-4 record since the end of Wimbledon, and her form through the Asian Swing has been nothing short of magnificent.

She went 12-2 through the Asian events, and her career win-loss record in Tokyo now stands at 8-1.

LeBron James shrugged off the suggestion that the Los Angeles Lakers are a team built for him after his superb fourth-quarter showing against the Sacramento Kings.

James scored 16 points and laid on an assist in an awesome run at the start of the fourth quarter, as the Lakers sank 21 unanswered points en route to a 131-127 victory on Saturday.

The Lakers have won their opening three games of the season, with James finishing with a game-high 32 points.

But the 39-year-old, who is playing in his 22nd NBA campaign, stressed it was a team effort that got the Lakers over the line.

"Listen, I could do that at 22, but at almost 40, I don't need to be doing it for four quarters," said James, who also added 14 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double.

"I have the luxury of having an MVP-calibre player next to me in Anthony Davis.

"[Austin Reaves] can get it going in bunches. [D'Angelo Russell] can catch fire. Rui [Hachimura] has been consistent, and he can get going and score in bunches, as well.

"This team is not built for me to have 16-point quarters through all four quarters. That's not how it's constructed and nor should it be. We're a team, and we all play together."

Lakers coach JJ Redick was blown away by what he saw from James.

"What can you say? We've all been very fortunate to watch his greatness for so long, and the fact that he's able to keep doing it – it's actually insane," Redick said.

For James' brilliant display, it was Davis grabbed the crucial points in the closing stages, sinking a three-pointer before nailing a free-throw in the final minute.

"We encourage him, coaches encourage him, we as his teammates encourage him to shoot that 3 ball," James said of Davis.

"Probably the biggest shot of the night is him making that 3, so it made it easy on me."

Davis has now put up three straight 30-point games to start the season, tying with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant in a franchise record.

Carlos Sainz celebrated a near-perfect qualifying session as the Spaniard now aims to win from pole at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Sainz was the quickest through qualifying on Saturday, and will start ahead of reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen.

Lando Norris rounded out the top three, with Sainz's Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc – who won in dominant fashion in Austin last week – fourth on the grid.

It marks the sixth time Sainz, who is leaving Ferrari at the end of the season with Lewis Hamilton coming in as his replacement, has taken pole.

He said: "I'm very happy and [had] a great couple of laps.

"A lot of times around Mexico you always have a feeling that you can not put a lap together and it's extremely difficult with how much sliding there is, but today my two laps of Q3 were pretty much identical and almost perfect.

"I'm very happy because it's not normally the case around Mexico with how tricky it is."

Ferrari are third in the Constructors' Championship, with 496 points, eight behind Red Bull and 48 off pace-setters McLaren.

Sainz added: "It [the Constructors' Championship] is our number one priority. Especially if you win the race, those extra seven, eight points that you can win is important for the team in the Constructors'.

"I will be looking forward to getting that P1 into Turn One and hopefully our race pace will be good enough to win it."

Verstappen heads into Sunday 57 points clear of Norris in the driver standings, with just five races remaining.

"[The pressure] was quite a lot," said Verstappen. "I think [the circuit] is probably one of the hardest tracks to get right.

"Street circuits are difficult, but this one as well, as there is low downforce, it's very easy to have a lock-up or a slide, so it's one of the tricky ones on the calendar."

Three of the last four winners of the Mexican Grand Prix have come from third on the grid, meaning there is plenty of hope for Norris.

"I'm pretty happy with third honestly, I feel like I got to the limit of the car quite quickly which made us look good," he said.

"I struggled to get more out of it in the final two laps, Carlos and Max did good laps, especially Carlos who has been quick all weekend.

"No one has done proper long runs on the tyres that we are going to be on tomorrow so there are question marks for all of us. Ferrari have been very good in qualifying and long run pace over the last couple of races. It's going to be tough but we're in a good position so I'm looking forward to it."

Hansi Flick is loving his time at Barcelona as he celebrated a resounding 4-0 success over Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Flick's side ran out convincing victors at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice in quick succession before Lamine Yamal and Raphinha sealed the result.

Barca snapped a four-game losing streak against their fiercest rivals, while they also ended Madrid's hopes of matching their LaLiga-record unbeaten run of 43 games, which was set under Ernesto Valverde in 2018.

The Blaugrana's win came on the back of a 4-1 thrashing of Flick's former club Bayern Munich, and the ex-Germany coach is enjoying life at Barca.

"I'm delighted to be working at Barcelona and to live in Barcelona," he said after collecting his 10th LaLiga win from 11 games this season.

"It's a fantastic job, I'm very happy.

"We have played a fantastic game and I am so proud.

 

"We pressed better with and without the ball [in the second half]. We had more possession and that's why the game changed."

Barca's high line was a key factor in their victory, with Madrid caught offside eight times in the first half alone, with Kylian Mbappe in particular struggling to stay on the right side of the defence.

"The defensive effort was key," Flick added.

"We have trained a lot on how to defend with a high line and on how we want to press on the ball. It's also important not to leave spaces when you play Real Madrid because they have incredible players.

"I think we are doing well. We are sticking to our idea and right now we are fluid and we want to move forward."

Lewandowski has now scored 10 goals in 16 meetings with Madrid in all competitions, while he has already netted 14 times in LaLiga this term.

"We are very happy, very happy. To win here like this is a great victory," Lewandowski told DAZN.

"The season is long, but this victory can help us with a lot more, with confidence and football. So far we haven't won anything, but the important thing is that we have a clear idea, we know where we want to go on."

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