Virgil van Dijk confirmed official talks have been opened between his representatives and the club over a new contract.

The defender, who joined the Reds from Southampton in January 2018, is one of three key players in the final year of his contract, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah.

He has made 280 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Van Dijk has quickly settled into life under new manager Arne Slot, helping the team to keep five Premier League clean sheets, the most of any team.

He has played every minute in the top-flight this season, and he has made 18 interceptions, with only Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez (19) making more among defenders in the competition.

Following Liverpool's 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, their 10th win of the season, Van Dijk explained negotiations over his Liverpool future had begun.

"I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don't know, we will see what happens in the future," Van Dijk said.

"My very full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else.

"What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have been started up, and we will see. I feel very good, physically, mentally, and I am having fun.

"When it's time to make a decision or whatever, I think you guys [the media] will know it as well. But now, full commitment and focus is on Liverpool and to be successful this season. So we will see."

Luis Enrique is not overlooking the test PSV Eindhoven will bring to the Parc des Princes when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday. 

PSV come into the game with the French champions having yet to win in the Champions League, losing to Juventus before drawing 1-1 with Juventus last time out.

However, Peter Bosz's side come into the contest on the back of a 2-1 league win over AZ Alkmaar, taking them five points clear at the summit of the Eredivisie.

PSV have also scored 29 goals in their first nine league games, conceding just six times as they remain perfect so far, something Luis Enrique was wary of. 

"I think that with the expanded Champions League format there are lots of teams with very high levels," Luis Enrique told reporters. 

"Last season, they were the best team in their country, and they have had an incredible start to the season when you look at the statistics."

Luis Enrique led PSG to a 4-2 win over Strasbourg on Saturday, with Senny Mayulu, Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola and Lee Kang-In on target for the Parisiens. 

But after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in their last Champions League encounter, the PSG boss is expecting a similar challenge to the one his players have just faced.

"They are a top level team without doubt. I think it will be similar to the game against Strasbourg," he said.

"It will be tough for us because of how they play. They play far away from their goal.

"They press well and score goals and the two goals they scored were from high pressing.

"The Dutch teams play very good football and PSV know what to do with the ball."

This will be PSG's first ever European meeting with PSV, with the Parisiens only meeting with a Dutch side coming against Ajax in the 2014-15 group stage, winning one of those games and drawing the other.

After PSV, the Ligue 1 champions will face Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, though he said the team's priority focus was on Eindhoven. 

"The next game is always the most important one because that is the one you can control," the Spaniard said.

"With the new format of the Champions League, every home game is even more important. That also goes for PSV."

But Tuesday's hosts will be confident of a victory, with PSV having picked up just two wins in 18 away major European visits to French clubs (drawn nine, lost seven). 

Premier League football returned after the international break with a bang, with 28 goals scored, five players sent off and two injury-time winners over the weekend.

The action kicked off with a London derby as Tottenham swept aside West Ham, with Leicester City producing a remarkable comeback to beat Southampton before Aston Villa kept pace with the top four with a 3-1 win over Fulham.

Manchester United came from a goal down to beat Brentford, as Everton extended their unbeaten run at the expense of Ipswich Town, while Arsenal were dealt their first defeat of the season away to Bournemouth after William Saliba's dismissal. 

Liverpool remained at the Premier League summit after beating Chelsea in an entertaining affair at Anfield, but Manchester City are hot on their heels, albeit they needed a late John Stones header to edge past Wolves. 

So, after all that, who were the unlucky, and lucky, teams based on the underlying metrics?

Unlucky losers: Newcastle United

Newcastle's poor run of form continued in the Premier League as Danny Welbeck's strike helped Brighton to a 1-0 triumph at St. James' Park. 

However, the Magpies will feel they should have taken at least a point for their efforts, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.02, a number only bettered by Southampton (2.15) and Leicester City (3.21) across the weekend's fixtures. 

Fifteen of Newcastle's attempts also came from inside the box compared to Brighton's eight, while Eddie Howe's side managed 45 touches in the opposition box, with only Man City (85) registering more on matchday eight.

Newcastle managed 21 shots, though only six were on target, with Brighton ultimately being more clinical. The Seagulls accumulated an xG total of 1.12 from their 10 attempts, but also had Bart Verbruggen to thank, with the Dutchman making six saves on the day. 

Lucky winners: Liverpool

Arne Slot continued his excellent start to life as Liverpool head coach with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, though this was arguably his toughest assignment to date. 

While the Reds ended the contest with an xG total of 1.94 compared to Chelsea's 0.99, it was Enzo Maresca's side that posed the bigger questions at Anfield, registering 12 shots, though only two were on Caoimhin Kelleher's goal. 

Jadon Sancho also felt he should have been awarded a penalty for a tangle of legs with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half, with Nicolas Jackson also striking the woodwork before the interval. 

The Blues also managed more shots in the box (nine) compared to Liverpool's seven, as well as registering more touches in the opposition box (26 to Liverpool's 17) and 56 final third entries to the Reds' 54. 

Indeed, Liverpool's non-penalty xG was 1.15, so a 1-1 draw would probably have been a fair result.

Unlucky losers: Fulham 

After pushing Man City all the way before the international break, Fulham returned with another good performance, but fell short once again, this time against Aston Villa.

Morgan Rogers quickly cancelled out Raul Jiminez's opener, though Andreas Pereira fluffed his lines from the penalty spot after a brilliant save from Emiliano Martinez. 

Fulham accumulated an xG total of 1.78 compared to Villa's 1.68, but Ollie Watkins and Issa Diop's unfortunate own-goal sealed the triumph for Unai Emery's side, who are back in Champions League action in midweek. 

Marco Silva's team were left to rue another encounter with squandered opportunities, failing to take any of the four big chances they created, while only four of their 10 attempts at Craven Cottage were on target compared to Villa's five from 14 shots.  

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal will channel the hurt from their first defeat of the Premier League season into their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk. 

The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth on Saturday, with goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert capitalising on William Saliba's first-half sending off. 

Arsenal have now been shown 18 red cards in the Premier League, at least five more than any other side since Arteta's first game in charge back on Boxing Day in 2019.

Saliba's red card was the third the Gunners have been shown in their last eight matches, something Arteta acknowledged ahead of kick-off on Tuesday.

"I think we are already aligned that we cannot continue to play with 10 men," Arteta said.

"That’s fine, it’s easier to say it than get it done because they are very specific moments that adjust that situation, but it’s reacting.

"Defeat is part of the game, part of the sport. It happened in very specific conditions as well.

"Let’s move on, take that pain that we still have in the tummy and use it for tomorrow night."

That defeat against the Cherries saw Arsenal beaten for the first time away from home this calendar year, but they return to the Emirates on Tuesday to face the Ukrainian champions. 

Arsenal haven't lost a home game in the group, or the new league stage in the Champions League, since a 3-2 defeat to Olympiacos in September 2015. 

The Gunners have won eight of the nine matches they have played since (D1), keeping a clean sheet in all of those triumphs. 

And Arteta believes that tomorrow is the perfect platform to recover from their defeat to Bournemouth and kickstart another winning run. 

"Yeah, we have to start tomorrow obviously," Arteta said.

"The desire is there, we want to desperately play these kinds of matches, and we know the atmosphere is going to be terrific tomorrow night, so let’s produce that and earn the right to win the game."

Arteta was also able to provide an update on Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, with both missing the trip to the Vitality Stadium over the weekend. 

"They are closer and both progressing really well. Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and in the training session that we have later on," he said.

Five-time losing finalists, the New York Liberty, can finally call themselves WNBA champions after defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime of a decisive Game 5 on Sunday night in Brooklyn.

Bahamian Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York, which was one of the original franchises in the league.

The win gave the city of New York its first basketball title since 1973, when the Knicks won the NBA championship.

With stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggling offensively, other players stepped up for the Liberty, mainly Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally.

Fiebich, a rookie from Germany, started off overtime with a three-pointer before Nyara Sabally had a steal for a layup to make it 65-60 and bring the sellout crowd to its feet.

Minnesota didn’t score in the extra period until Kayla McBride hit two free throws with 1:51 left.

The Lynx, five-time WNBA Champions, missed all six of their field goal attempts in overtime.

After Ionescu missed a shot with 21 seconds left, her 18th miss in 19 shot attempts, the Lynx had one last chance, but Bridget Carleton missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left.

Stewart, who missed a free throw with 0.8 seconds left in Game 1, hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left to seal the victory.

Jones was named Finals MVP with averages of 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 56 percent shooting throughout the five games.

During Game 5, Jones finished with 17 points, six rebounds and one assist to help the Liberty grab the title.

 

 

South Africa ended an enthralling opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh with a 34-run lead, despite Taijul Islam's five-wicket haul. 

On a day when 16 wickets fell in Mirpur, unbeaten knocks from Kyle Verreynne (18) and Wiaan Mulder (17) had the tourists 140-6 before bad light stopped play six overs short.

Earlier, South Africa ripped through Bangladesh, with Shadman Islam (0), Mominul Haque (four) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (seven) falling inside the first six overs.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy top-scored for Bangladesh with 30 runs, but Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Mulder starred for the Proteas, with each taking three wickets. 

Handed a meagre target of 106, South Africa were rocked by the loss of Aiden Markram (six) after he was bowled out by Hasan Mahmud (1-31) before Taijul entered the fray. 

Taijul took the next five wickets, ending the day with figures of 5-49, bringing up his 200th Test wicket with the dismissal of Ryan Rickelton (27) in the 31st over, but South Africa at least have a lead heading into day two.

Data Debrief: Records tumble

Islam's five-wicket haul saw him become only the second Bangladesh bowler to pick up 200 Test wickets after Shakib Al Hasan, who took 246 during his time with the Tigers. 

It was also Islam's 13th five-for in Test cricket, with the milestone coming in 48 matches. 

Meanwhile, this Test will go into the history books, with 16 the highest number of wickets to have a fallen on day one of a Test held in Bangladesh.

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski fears that quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during their 21-14 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Watson will go through tests to confirm a diagnosis for his injury, which he suffered on Sunday.

But Stefanski did not have a great outlook after the game.

"Obviously, it doesn't look good with the injury," he told ESPN.

"I'll give him a call here in a little but ... disappointed for him. Any of our guys that you lose, you're disappointed because you know much this means to them and how hard they work. It's tough."

Watson's injury was sustained during a non-contact play when his leg hyperextended and he fell to the ground.

It compounds a miserable start to the season for the Browns, who are bottom of the AFC North with a 1-6 record.

Fan frustration was noticeable, with many seeming to cheer Watson's injury after he had been booed during the pregame.

"We don't boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out," said defensive end Myles Garrett said after the game.

"We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall."

Stefanski was in agreement with Garrett.

"I don't think it's ever OK to cheer when someone's injured. I'm sure it's not every person in the building doing that, but that's disappointing," he said.

Meanwhile, it is feared San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL during their 28-18 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

"That's what it looks like, but we don't know for sure," coach Kyle Shanahan told ESPN. "Been wrong before. So, praying that we are [again]."

Further tests will confirm the exact issue and determine whether Aiyuk will miss the rest of the season.

With fitness problems mounting for the 49ers, Deebo Samuel was also announced to be suffering from illness before kick-off but was still expected to play.

He was withdrawn after four snaps with no catches or carries.

"Throat, stomach things, just real fatigued," Shanahan said, on Samuel. "Struggled to breathe, couldn't catch his breath ... he kept trying to fight through it, but once he was struggling with the breathing and everything, we had to shut him down."

Aiyuk's teammates, meanwhile, were vocal in their disappointment at potentially missing the wide receiver for the remainder of the season.

"It sucks," said tight end George Kittle. "I love Brandon Aiyuk, the energy that he brings, what he can do on the football field, routes, catching the ball. He's an incredible football player. You can't really replace, in my opinion, one of the best receivers in the NFL."

Quarterback Brock Purdy echoed Kittle's sentiments.

"What BA does for our offense and who he is and as a teammate and the brother of ours, man, it's sad," he said.

"Wish him nothing but the best and praying for him. So that's my guy. And when he goes down like that, obviously we have other guys that can step up and do their job really well ... we all just got to come together as a group collectively, the receiver unit and all of us."

Lando Norris described the decision to penalise him for a passing move that saw both him and Max Verstappen go off the track as a "momentum killer" in the race for the Formula One Drivers' Championship.

The penalty given to Norris saw him leapfrogged by Verstappen onto the podium positions, with the McLaren driver dropping from third to fourth.

Following the race, the gap between Norris and Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship was 57 points with five to go and 146 points available.

The United States Grand Prix started controversially, with both Norris and Verstappen jostling for position on the first corner in a way that allowed race winner Charles Leclerc to gain ground on the duo.

While Norris admitted he had "driven like a muppet" at that point, an incident with four laps to go was more pertinent.

With Norris attempting an overtake, Verstappen defended the inside and both cars ran off the track with Norris emerging in front. The McLaren driver was penalised for overtaking off the track, although he saw it a different way.

"For me, the thing that is incorrect is what Max did, which is defend his position by going off the track and effectively keeping his position," he told BBC Sport.

"He over-defended and made a mistake and gained from that. I had to go off the track.

"It is impossible for people to know whether I could have made it on the track or couldn't, therefore you cannot steward that kind of thing."

Norris thought that the stewards should have waited to review the incident with both drivers after the race had finished.

"It's just a rash decision," he said. "They don’t hear or understand our points, which they should do after the race. They just want to make a decision at the time so they don’t alter points and podiums and things like that.

"But they don’t hear my point or my team's point or Max's point, which I don't think is the most correct thing. But today it's a penalty and there's not a lot I can do apart from accept that.

"It was a great battle. Max defended very well but he ended up on top and congrats to him."

Despite his magnanimous comments, Norris' frustration was palpable as he claimed that race officials were "just guessing."

He added: "I don’t think that's how stewarding should be done".

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi hailed his team's fighting spirit after Sunday's 1-0 Serie A win over Roma.

Early injuries to Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi threatened to derail Inter's chances on Sunday, but the Serie A champions held firm to secure the points.

Inzaghi was pleased with the team's performance and result, with Lautaro Martinez scoring the only goal of the game in the second half, but could not ignore the setbacks suffered by two key players.

"Calhanoglu wasn't in great shape over the last two days, so with the other two available I would’ve rested him this evening. He is generous and tried to put in the effort, but he felt the adductor pain and stopped before it got worse," Inzaghi told DAZN.

"Roma are a solid side with a lot of good players coming off the bench, so the fact we had to use up two substitutions was a real problem."

The victory lifted Inter to second in the Serie A table, one point behind league leaders Napoli and one point above as yet unbeaten Juventus, who they face in their next league game.

Aside from the injuries, Inzaghi was pleased with how the evening played out.

"Roma are a strong team with quality, so the lads did really well. The first half was balanced, in the second we had two or three opportunities to double our lead and should’ve killed off the game," he said.

Striker Martinez was singled out for praise by his manager after netting his third league goal of the season and 133rd for Inter in all competitions, which put him level with the club's all-time scoring record for a non-Italian.

"He just has to keep doing what he has done with Inter and Argentina. I think he is one of the five best players in the world. He deserves all of this success," Inzaghi said.

Cheryl Reeve lashed out at the officiating after her Minnesota Lynx team lost 67-62 to the New York Liberty in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

The Liberty clinched their first championship with an overtime victory on Sunday.

Yet Reeve, who has won four titles with the Lynx, was left seething after a disputed foul handed New York's Breanna Stewart the chance to restore parity with 5.2 seconds of the game remaining in regulation time.

She did not hold back during her postgame media duties.

"We know we could have done some things, right, but you shouldn't have to overcome to that extent," Reeve said.

"This s*** ain't that hard. Officiating is not that hard.

"Bring it on, because that s*** was stolen from us.

"This is for a championship, for both teams. Let them decide it. What contact is legal should be the same for both teams."

Reeve was not the only big name to criticise the officiating.

LeBron James posted on X: "I'm sorry but that wasn't a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battle-tested game."

Damian Lillard posted on X, too.

"Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the second half boy. Great game," he wrote.

While Reeve and the Lynx will have to accept defeat, the Liberty celebrated a famous moment in their history.

"This is something special right here and I'm trying not to cry," said Stewart, who finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.

"We had some ups and downs. This series was tough but we fought through because we wanted to bring it home to this city and this crowd."

Jonquel Jones top-scored with 17 points and was named the WNBA Finals MVP.

"I could never dream of this," said Jones. "It's the biggest moment and you have to lock in if you want to be a champion. It was all about this and us winning together because we really love each other."

Gavi is thrilled to be back in action for Barcelona after his long-awaited return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The 20-year-old underwent surgery after suffering the injury in Spain's Euro 2024 qualifying win over Georgia last year.

He subsequently missed the rest of the season, along with Spain's triumph at the Euros.

But Gavi made his return to action on Sunday, coming on as a substitute during Barca's 5-1 win over Sevilla in LaLiga, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.

"I'm very happy to be back with the team. I've been dreaming about this moment for many months and I'm grateful to everyone because they've made it so much easier for me," an emotional Gavi told Movistar Plus.

"The worst thing during the lay-off is not playing with my teammates. Seeing the team from the outside is very hard and gives you a different perspective, you learn that you have to enjoy every moment and appreciate things.

"I feel very lucky to be here today, recovered, because this is my life and what I've been doing all my life and I've missed it a lot.

"When you see all the fans and team-mates over there and they show you that they love you and appreciate you, you feel very lucky."

Hansi Flick added: "For him [Gavi] it was a fantastic moment, a fantastic feeling.

"The result was great. It was a perfect day for him and also for us."

Barcelona are top of LaLiga on 27 points, three ahead of Real Madrid in second and seven clear of Atletico Madrid in third.

They will host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday before next weekend's Clasico against Madrid.

"Winning like this is very important for the games to come," Gavi's team-mate Pedri told Movistar Plus.

"Today we had to leave with more than just the three points, we needed that good feeling we got.

"The coach told us that there was going to be spaces at the edge of the box and we took advantage of that."

The Kansas City Chiefs got the better of the San Francisco 49ers once again, only this time without an MVP-like performance from Patrick Mahomes.

Kansas City used a strong running game and another excellent effort on defence to keep its perfect 2024 record intact with Sunday's 28-18 win over the 49ers, the first meeting between the teams since the Chiefs' overtime victory in Super Bowl LVIII back in February. 

Kareem Hunt had two of four Kansas City rushing touchdowns and the Chiefs amassed a season-high 184 yards on the ground to move to 6-0 and record their 12th straight victory when including play-off games. The two-time defending NFL champions have not lost since a 20-14 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day.

The Chiefs offset Mahomes' two interceptions and a 154-yard passing day from the three-time Super Bowl MVP by picking off Brock Purdy three times, including twice in the second half, to help them pull away in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco dropped to 3-4 and was dealt with another significant injury to a key player when wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk exited in the second quarter with a right knee injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said afterward the team believes Aiyuk sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament that would end his season.

Purdy did rush for two touchdowns but was held to 212 yards on 17-of-31 passing. George Kittle recorded six catches for 92 yards in the loss.

Touchdown runs of one and six yards from Hunt in the second quarter staked the Chiefs to a 14-6 half-time lead, though Deommodore Lenoir's interception of Mahomes and 33-yard return set up Purdy's 1-yard touchdown plunge early in the third quarter that trimmed the margin to two points. 49ers kicker Anders Carlson missed the extra point.

San Francisco's next two drives ended in Purdy interceptions, however, and the Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the fourth quarter to separate. Mahomes had the first with a 1-yard run, while Mecole Hardman scored on an 18-yard jet sweep with 3:09 left to put the game out of reach.

 

Lions hand Vikings first loss on late field goal

The Minnesota Vikings were the NFL's only other unbeaten team entering Week 7, but their five-game winning streak to start the season came to an end when Detroit's Jake Bates made a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to give the Lions a hard-earned 31-29 victory.

Minnesota overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit to take a 29-28 lead with 5:50 remaining on linebacker Ivan Pace's 36-yard touchdown return of a fumble by Lions running back David Montgomery. The Vikings could not convert the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt, however, as Sam Darnold's pass intended for Jordan Addison landed off the mark.

That misfire would prove costly for Minnesota (5-1). Detroit's defence forced a three-and-out on the Vikings' next possession, and the Lions marched 44 yards in eight plays after getting the ball back with 2:32 left to play to set up Bates' winning kick. 

The Lions owned a 21-10 advantage at half-time on the strength of two Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown runs, including a 45-yard scamper early in the second quarter. Their lead was 28-17 following Jared Goff's second touchdown pass of the day, a 21-yard strike to Kalif Raymond with 5:43 left in the third quarter.

Goff completed 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards and no interceptions in the fourth straight win for Detroit (5-1). The veteran became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record a passer rating of 140 or more in three consecutive games.

Gibbs finished with 116 rushing yards on 15 attempts, while Amon-Ra St. Brown caught Goff's first touchdown pass and recorded 112 yards on eight receptions.

Aaron Jones had a 34-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for Minnesota and ended with 93 yards on 14 carries. Justin Jefferson led the Vikings with 81 receiving yards on seven catches and had a 25-yard touchdown grab from Darnold in the third quarter.

 

Wilson's solid Pittsburgh debut helps send Jets to fourth straight loss

Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in his long-awaited first game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who extended the New York Jets' struggles by pulling away for a 37-15 victory.

After missing the season's first six games with a lingering calf injury, Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards with touchdown connections to George Pickens and Van Jefferson to help Pittsburgh (5-2) move a half-game up on the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North.

New York (2-5), meanwhile, dropped three games behind the first-place Buffalo Bills in the AFC East after dropping its fourth straight game during what's been a turbulent season for the expected contenders. The Jets are now 0-2 since firing head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and replacing him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

While Wilson had a productive Pittsburgh debut, Davante Adams had a quiet one in his first appearance since being acquired by the Jets from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in the week. The accomplished receiver and former Green Bay Packers team-mate of Aaron Rodgers was held to 30 yards on three catches.

Rodgers was intercepted twice by Beanie Bishop as the Jets failed to hold on to a 15-6 second-quarter lead. The Steelers scored the game's final 31 points and outscored New York by a 24-0 margin in the second half.

Bishop's first interception ignited the rally, with the turnover leading to Wilson's 11-yard touchdown pass to Pickens that pulled Pittsburgh within 15-13 at half-time.

The rookie cornerback came through again midway through the third quarter, as he snared a deep pass that fell out of the hands of New York's Garrett Wilson and returned the pick 41 yards to the Jets' 1-yard line. Wilson scored on a quarterback sneak on the following play to give the Steelers a 23-15 advantage.

Pickens finished with 111 yards on five catches for Pittsburgh, which also received 102 rushing yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown from Najee Harris.

Breece Hall had a rushing touchdown for New York and led the Jets with 103 receiving yards on six catches. Rodgers finished 24 of 39 for 276 yards with one touchdown in addition to the two picks. 

 

Commanders crush Panthers despite star rookie Daniels' departure

The Washington Commanders lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a rib injury in the first quarter, though Marcus Mariota stepped in capably for the rookie sensation and helped the NFC East leaders to a 40-7 rout of the Carolina Panthers.

Mariota completed 18 of 23 attempts for 205 yards with touchdown passes to Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott as Washington (5-2) rolled to its most lopsided win since 2015 despite Daniels exiting after just one drive. The 2024 No. 2 overall pick is scheduled for further testing Monday, and Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said after the game he had yet to receive an update on the injury.

Washington also received a 67-yard interception return touchdown from edge rusher Dante Fowler in the first quarter and four field goals from Austin Seibert for the game. Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for a team-high 71 yards with a touchdown on 12 carries, while Terry McLaurin had 98 receiving yards on six catches for the Commanders.

Fowler's pick was one of two by the Washington defence against Andy Dalton, who managed just 93 yards on 11-of-16 passing before being relieved late by 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.

Chuba Hubbard had 52 rushing yards for Carolina (1-6) and scored the Panthers' lone touchdown with a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter, after the Commanders had built an overwhelming 37-0 lead after three periods.

 

Barkley burns former team for 176 yards as Eagles cruise past Giants

Saquon Barkley's return to MetLife Stadium was a memorable one, as the first-year Philadelphia Eagle piled up 176 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead his new team to a 28-3 victory over the New York Giants.

Facing the Giants for the first time since leaving New York to sign a three-year, $37.5 million contract with Philadelphia in the offseason, Barkley registered the second-highest single-game rushing total of his seven-year career. He spent the first six of those seasons with the Giants and ranks fourth in team history with 5,211 rushing yards.

Philadelphia (4-2) also received a dominant effort on defence en route to its second straight win, as the unit racked up eight sacks and held New York (2-5) to 119 total yards.

Daniel Jones took seven of those sacks and mustered just 99 yards on 14-of-21 passing before being pulled after three quarters in favour of backup Drew Lock.

Barkley ripped off a 55-yard run in the second quarter and later finished that drive with a 3-yard touchdown to break a scoreless tie with 8:58 left before half-time. 

The Eagles extended the lead to 14-0 less than five minutes later when Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown with a well-thrown deep ball on 4th-and-3 for a 41-yard touchdown.

Hurts added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs in the second half and finished with 114 passing yards while completing 10 of 14 attempts. Brown led all receivers with 89 yards on five catches.

 

Newcomer McManus boots winning field goal as Packers edge Texans

Brandon McManus capped his Green Bay debut with a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give the Green Bay Packers a 24-22 win over the Houston Texans in a clash of teams off to strong starts.

After the AFC South-leading Texans took a 22-21 lead on Ka'imi Fairbarin's 35-yard field goal with 1:44 left, Jordan Love drove the Packers into range for McManus' kick that put an end to a three-game winning streak for Houston (5-2).

McManus signed with the Packers on Wednesday, more than four months after being released by Washington following allegations he sexually assaulted two flight attendants while traveling to London last season while then with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The NFL announced last month it found no evidence the veteran kicker violated its personal conduct policy.

Love shook off two first-half interceptions to throw for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the third straight win for Green Bay (5-2). The young quarterback delivered scoring strikes to Tucker Kraft and Dontayvion WIcks in the second quarter, then later found Josh Jacobs for an 8-yard touchdown that put the Packers up 21-19 in the third quarter.

Jacobs rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries in addition to his touchdown catch, while Romeo Doubs compiled eight catches for 94 yards for Green Bay.

Houston received 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Joe Mixon but got an off day from C.J. Stroud. The 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was held to 86 yards on 10-of-21 passing while being sacked four times by a Green Bay defence that yielded just 197 total yards.

 

 

Tommy Edman drove in four runs with a homer and a double as the Los Angeles Dodgers captured their 25th National League pennant with Sunday's 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.

Will Smith added a two-run homer to help set up a World Series clash between two of baseball's most storied franchises in the Dodgers and the American League champion New York Yankees. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will take place Friday in Los Angeles. 

The Dodgers and Yankees will be meeting for the 12th time in a World Series, the most frequent matchup of any two teams in the event's history, though they last opposed one another in 1981.

This World Series will also pit this season's likely MVP winners against one another in Los Angeles' Shohei Ohtani and the Yankees' Aaron Judge. It will be the first World Series appearance for both star sluggers.

Ohtani finished 2 for 4 with a run-scoring single and two runs scored in Sunday's clincher, in which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used seven pitchers in a bullpen game. 

Ben Casparius received the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Michael Kopech, who walked two batters in the first inning and gave up the game's first run when Pete Alonso drove in Francisco Lindor with an infield single.

The Dodgers countered with two runs in their half of the first, with both Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez reaching on singles off Mets starter Sean Manaea before Edman knocked in each with a double.

Los Angeles knocked Manaea out during a third inning in which they scored four times to increase their lead to 6-1.

Edman followed Hernandez's single with a two-run homer to start the big inning. Manaea then walked Max Muncy, who later crossed the plate on Smith's homer off Phil Maton to further extend the margin.

Manaea, who beat Los Angeles in Dodger Stadium in Game 2, was tagged for five runs on six hits in two-plus innings of work.

The Mets did close the gap in the fourth on Mark Vientos' two-run homer that cut the lead to 6-3, but Ohtani plated Smith with a single in the sixth to put Los Angeles ahead by four runs.

After the Mets scored once in the seventh to get back within three, the Dodgers put the game away with a three-run eighth.

Mookie Betts doubled in the first of those runs before Hernandez brought in Ohtani with a sacrifice fly for a 9-4 advantage. Edman later reached on a fielder's choice before coming home on Enrique Hernandez's single.

The New York Liberty captured their first WNBA championship in franchise history by outlasting the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime of Sunday's decisive Game 5 of the league FInals.

After Breanna Stewart made two free throws with 5.2 seconds left in regulation to force extra time, the Liberty held the Lynx without a field goal during the additional five-minute period to claim the title that had eluded one of the WNBA's charter teams for the first 27 seasons of its existence.

New York had reached the Finals five times previously and was ousted in four games by the Las Vegas Aces in last year's championship round.

The Liberty, who finished the regular season with a league-best 32-8 record, did manage to prevail in this winner-take-all showdown despite the shooting struggles of its top two stars, Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.

Ionescu missed 18 of 19 field goal attempts while limited to five points, while Stewart went 4 of 15 on a night New York misfired on 21 of its 23 shots from 3-point range.

Stewart did pull down 15 rebounds while finishing with 13 points, however, and the Liberty got a big lift from Jonquel Jones as the All-Star center posted 17 points and six rebounds while being named WNBA Finals MVP.

Second-seeded Minnesota, seeking to become the first team to win five WNBA titles, got 22 points from Napheesa Collier and 21 from Kayla McBride. The Lynx failed to hold onto a 12-point second-quarter lead, however, and went 0 of 6 from the field in overtime to come up just short in their bid for a first championship since 2017.

Minnesota owned a 60-58 lead entering the final minute of regulation after Collier capped a 6-0 run with consecutive baskets. The Lynx came up empty on their next two possessions, though, before Stewart was fouled by Alanna Smith and knocked down both free throws to tie the contest.

After McBride missed a would-be game-winning 3-pointer just before the buzzer, the Liberty scored the first five points of overtime and never trailed thereafter.

Leonie Fiebich began extra time with a 3-pointer to put New York ahead, and Nyara Sabally later stole McBride's errant pass before converting a layup that extended the lead to 65-60 with 3:14 to go.

 

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