Norwich’s slump continued as they fell to a painful 3-1 defeat at the hands of 10-man Blackburn at Carrow Road.
The Canaries have now lost eight times in 10 games in all competitions, slipping to 17th in the Championship, and there were calls for head coach David Wagner to go during another below-par showing.
Blackburn scored twice in the opening 15 minutes through Tyrhys Dolan and Sammie Szmodics to take control, and a second from Szmodics early in the second half ended the game as a contest, even through Rovers’ Scott Wharton was sent off shortly afterwards.
Norwich got one back in injury time through Gabriel Sara, but it was no more than a consolation for the struggling hosts.
The Canaries were well off the pace in the early stages and were duly punished as the visitors scored two well-taken goals.
At times a slick Rovers side were able to play their way through a nervous looking City backline at will and it was no surprise when they took the lead after eight minutes with a goal of classic simplicity.
Joe Rankin-Costello found himself in some space on the right and slid the ball infield to Dolan who burst into the box before producing an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.
It got worse for the hosts in the 15th minute when Rovers added a second. Their defence was again caught square as Andrew Moran put Szmodics in and the striker buried an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner to make it two.
There were chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ from the Norwich fans when that one went in, with head coach Wagner already under pressure after his side’s poor run of form.
The Canaries did improve as the half wore on, and Ui Jo Hwang and Marcelino Nunez both got decent efforts of target before Onel Hernandez fired just wide from the edge of the area after being fed by Jack Stacey.
But overall it was still a poor first-half showing, and the second started in similar fashion for the Canaries as they shipped another soft goal four minutes after the restart.
This time Dolan had all the time in the world to clip a ball out to an unmarked Moran on the right and crossed low for Szmodics to tap in at the far post, with the Rovers top scorer getting the benefit of a tight offside call.
Norwich desperately needed a boost at that point and got one a few minutes later when Wharton was red-carded after bringing down Hernandez as the Cuban raced through on goal, although the subsequent free-kick from Nunez was comfortably gathered by Leopold Wahlstedt.
Wagner made a quadruple substitution on the hour mark in an attempt to change the course of the game and one of them, Christian Fassnacht, brought an excellent reaction save out of the Rovers keeper with a powerful back-post header.
Norwich were now firmly on the front foot, with Nunez blasting just wide and Sara seeing a goal-bound shot well blocked and they finally reduced the arrears in the second minute of injury time.
Wahlstedt could only parry a low cross from Przemyslaw Placheta and it fell nicely for Sara to side-foot home from just outside the six-yard box.
Queens Gamble is in line to continue her hurdles education when making her first start for Harry Derham at Newbury on Thursday.
The five-year-old was an early fancy for the 2023 Champion Bumper after impressively winning a pair of Cheltenham bumpers when previously trained by Oliver Sherwood.
She suffered a narrow reversal at the hands of Fergal O’Brien’s subsequent Aintree scorer Dysart Enos in her Cheltenham Festival tune-up at Market Rasen and although struggling to land a blow on rain-softened ground at the Festival itself, she remains of real potential as she seeks further experience over timber.
With Sherwood having bowed out from his illustrious training career, Queens Gamble now finds himself in the care of Lambourn-based Derham, with chestnut’s former handler working alongside as the young trainer’s assistant.
Derham is keen to get a run into the talented mare before her first key assignment of the year in the Listed Play Coral “Racing-Super-Series” For Free Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury in early December.
He said: “She obviously did very well in her bumpers and it is very kind of Alex Frost and Ed Galvin and their families to send her to me and we hope that she progresses over hurdles this season.
“She will be entered for Newbury and we would like to go there, but I don’t think her owners or any of us would like to run her on bottomless ground and that would be something to consider.
“She’s ready to start her season now, so if we can go to Newbury that would be great and if not then we will find a suitable alternative quite soon.
“Her first big target is at Newbury during the Winter Carnival on December 2, the mares’ Listed novice hurdle, so we would love to get a run into her before then if we can.
“She’s obviously got to go and do it over hurdles and I’m confident she will. I don’t want to plan too far in advance but she’s looked very good in her bumpers and I’ve no reason to believe she won’t do well over hurdles.”
Queens Gamble was given an early introduction to hurdles at Warwick in May and although the manner of victory was far from emphatic, her training team feel there is a lot more to come.
Derham continued: “She won at Warwick and I think everyone was a little underwhelmed that day, but Oliver and the team there just felt she wasn’t quite at her best and won despite that.
“Obviously I’ve only known her since the beginning of this season and Oliver’s team seem to think she is a lot stronger this year. I’m certainly very pleased with what I can see and really looking forward to her.”
Although keen to take his time with an operator who could easily become the fledgling handler’s stable star, a return to the Cheltenham Festival for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle could be on the cards for the spring if Queens Gamble progresses as expected throughout the season.
“That would be a big target this season if she keeps improving,” added Derham.
“Her bumper form would make her a live contender for a race like that and her schooling this autumn has been really good.
“So I do have that in the back of my mind and I don’t want to over-race her this winter with the thought that if she keeps improving and we can get her to the spring in good form, then that would be lovely.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe revealed his side’s hard-fought 1-0 win against Arsenal came at a price with Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy both sustaining injuries.
Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half winner halted Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League start to the season after a triple VAR check.
But Howe faces an anxious wait to learn the full extent of Burn’s back injury, while Murphy will have surgery after popping the same shoulder he dislocated last month and now faces three months out.
Howe, already without eight senior players through injury, said: “Two injuries that I don’t think you can do a lot about. Dan jumps for a ball, lands on his back and he’s in a lot of pain at the moment.
“So that looks worrying for us. Jacob – he knew there was a chance he could do his shoulder again, but he was prepared to take the risk.
“Unfortunately we lost him and we will lose him now to an operation, so a difficult moment, but the players just responded superbly.”
Newcastle extended their unbeaten league run to seven games and closed the gap on the title-chasing Gunners to four points after edging a tetchy, physical encounter of few chances.
“The players, the group have been unbelievable,” Howe said. “They’ve really stepped up. We’re in a difficult moment, we’ve got a lot of injuries.
“We’re playing in a lot of competitions, a lot of football, but the players are committed to everything and I can’t praise them enough.
“Again, we had to step up in a really difficult game against a top opponent. We’re stretched with injuries, losing players within the game again.
“We’ll have to see how Dan’s injury is. Dan’s been magnificent for us, we desperately don’t want to lose him, he gives us so much in different ways. Let’s see how feels.”
Howe admitted the decision to send second-half substitute Murphy into the fray had been a risk the player and medical team had been prepared to take.
When asked how long his rehabilitation would be, Howe added: “Off the top of my head I’m not sure, but it will probably be three months I think.”
Furious Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said VAR Andy Madley’s decision to award Gordon’s goal was “an absolute disgrace”.
In his post-match rant, the 41-year-old Spaniard said he was “embarrassed” by the standard of the Premier League’s officiating.
Madley’s four-minute check looked at whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock crossed for the winner, whether Joelinton had fouled Gabriel and if Gordon had been offside.
Arteta was delighted with his players’ performance, adding: “I have to praise them. It’s not in their hands, it’s not in their control. I have to praise the players the way they played here.
“How much they limited Newcastle and how much we tried, it’s incredible. The way we competed against this team, because they are a top team.
“So to get out of the game like this, I feel sick. That’s how I feel, sick to be part of this.”
White Birch skips an option at Kempton on Monday but connections have high hopes there are plenty of nice prizes for him to win next season.
Third in the Derby to Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, his only disappointing effort was in the Irish equivalent when he was hampered by an injured rival.
After that he went close at Leopardstown in a Group Three behind Adelaide River and he was entered in the Listed Floodlit Stakes at Kempton.
However, he is now finished for the season but all the major middle distance races will be on his radar next term.
George Murphy, assistant trainer and son of trainer John, said: “We decided he wouldn’t travel and that looks like the end for this year.
“He stays in training and we’re really looking forward to him. It’s easy to put a line through the Irish Derby and other than that, he ran some massive races.
“We’re really looking forward to next year, when he should be able to compete in a lot of nice races and do very well.
“Something like the Tattersalls Gold Cup will be an option, there are lots of races we can aim at so we’ll sit down and make a plan over the winter.”
England’s hopes of defending their World Cup title officially ended at the hands of Australia in Ahmedabad, a sixth defeat from seven games for Jos Buttler’s deposed champions.
Here, the PA news agency addresses some of the key questions around their troubled time in India.
When can they call it a day and come home?
Incredibly, given the protracted nature of their downfall, England still have two games to play before they can finally draw the curtain on this regrettable chapter. They face the Netherlands on Wednesday in Pune and Pakistan in Kolkata on November 11. Only then can they get a long-awaited flight back to familiar shores.
What is left to play for?
Traditional sporting cliches dictate that England are playing for pride or, failing that, ‘the shirt’. But things are a little more concrete than that. They are currently rooted to bottom spot in the table and need to somehow climb to eighth place to book their place in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Seen as a mini World Cup and an important staging post in the four-year ODI cycle, they cannot afford to miss out.
Is this the end of the World Cup-winning class of 2019?
In total eight of that triumphant squad survived to defend their achievement and it has seemed a stretch too far. Captain Eoin Morgan felt his forces fading and retired last year, while Jason Roy was axed at the eleventh hour. Both now seem preferable fates to what has played out over the past month. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root have both stated that they do not plan to go anywhere but may yet conclude that 2027 is too distant a target. Ben Stokes seems certain to return to ODI retirement, Moeen Ali is the oldest member of the squad at 36 while Mark Wood and Chris Woakes may be better used in other formats. Adil Rashid does not play Test cricket and is still needed, but change is coming fast.
Are jobs on the line?
Jos Buttler has cut an increasingly forlorn figure as he fronts up to every fresh defeat with the same glassy-eyed stare, but he is keen to continue as captain. The support from his team-mates appears genuine and with the likely churn of personnel it is not easy to identify an obvious successor. Work on that should begin soon, though. As for head coach Matthew Mott, the terrain looks trickier. Despite being in charge for last year’s T20 World Cup win in his native Australia he is a relative newcomer and has less credit in the bank with England. His position was undermined somewhat by Morgan’s comments about an ‘unsettled’ dressing room but making him the fall guy at this stage would not reflect well on those who appointed him and odds are that he will get the chance to show he can oversee a refresh of the set-up.
What is next for the limited-overs team?
The comically congested international schedule waits for no-one. As such, England’s selectors are currently putting together their next squads for a white-ball tour of the West Indies in December. Expect plenty of fresh faces for the ODI leg, which should represent the first building blocks of England’s revamp, but a more familiar looking T20 group. England will be defending their T20 crown next summer in the Caribbean and USA and some of those who fell short this time are likely to have a shot at redemption. Stokes, meanwhile, is heading for surgery on his left knee as he focuses on his role as Test captain.
Warren Gatland has underlined the importance of patience as he nurtures a new generation of Wales international players.
Welsh rugby bid farewell to three of its biggest names – Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny – in a tribute game that saw Wales beat Principality Stadium opponents the Barbarians 49-26.
Fly-half Dan Biggar stepped down after the Rugby World Cup, meaning that Wales boss Gatland has lost more than 500 caps-worth of experience this year, with scrum-half Rhys Webb also exiting international rugby.
Influential backs Liam Williams and Gareth Anscombe, meanwhile, will be unavailable for the Six Nations this season as they embark on new club careers in Japan.
But fresh faces have already emerged – players like captain Jac Morgan, Sam Costelow, Dewi Lake, Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza, who all have a World Cup in the locker.
And there are others who did not make Gatland’s squad cut for France who could be banging on his door sooner rather than later.
“We are pretty excited about some of the youngsters coming through,” Gatland said.
“You have got to be patient with them, you have got to go through a little bit of pain.
“Probably some of the symmetry between the (Welsh) regions and us hasn’t been the same.
“Unfortunately, we have probably used the national team almost as a pathway (in) that we have developed those players through playing international rugby almost out of necessity because we’ve had a weakness in some positions.
“Then, because they end up playing international rugby and doing well, they then go back and they start for their regions. We have sometimes got that wrong.
“It is just making sure we work together as the regions and the national team in terms of where we have got holes and developing players.
“I have long been an advocate of foreign players. I think they are good for the game, especially here in Wales.
“But I’ve always said we need to get world-class foreign players, and if we need to pay a lot of money for them then we should do that.
“Unfortunately, what we’ve tended to do is get middle-of-the-road journeymen who are 27 or 28, or even older, who have tended to stop the development of some of the youngsters. For the regions and for us, we need to get that right.
“We know the financial situation. We all go through some pain as a national set-up, but now is the right time to do that and then think, what could the picture look like in a couple of years?”
A year that started with Wales being riddled by off-field issues that unquestionably contributed to a dismal Six Nations campaign, ended through five wins out of six and a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance.
The next World Cup cycle, culminating in Australia 2027, is now under way, and centre George North will be part of that conversation moving forward.
North, who has played in four World Cups, will be 35 if he makes the squad for Down Under, but he has already indicated that he has no current plans to follow some of his former team-mates into Test retirement.
Gatland added: “He and I have had a good chat and he wants to continue being available at the moment.
“He has been playing for a long time – since he was 18 – but he does have that experience and leadership, and he brings a voice to us.
“He is probably more important for us in the short-term, and then it is whether he makes that decision on whether he can keep going on through another cycle.
“Next World Cup, he will be 35. Whether he can get that far or not, if he is going to try and do that I am comfortable with that. It is just making sure we keep talking.”
Newcastle have condemned the racist abuse sent to Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock on social media following Saturday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal.
Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half winner ended the Gunners’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Willock revealed the abuse he had been sent on Instagram and urged the platform to find those responsible.
“Newcastle United strongly condemns racist abuse sent to Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock via social media following Saturday’s victory over Arsenal,” a Newcastle statement read.
“Our message is clear. There is no room for racism in football or society.
“We are providing support to Bruno and Joe and will work with relevant authorities and social media platforms to identify those responsible so that they can be held to account.”
Micky Hazard will applaud former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino when he returns with Chelsea and hopes “class and dignity” will be shown by the club’s supporters.
Pochettino will come back to Spurs for the first time since his 2019 dismissal on Monday night, but could be greeted with boos due to a fanbase split over his decision to join bitter rivals Chelsea despite a memorable five years in N17.
The climax of Pochettino’s tenure was a remarkable run to the Champions League final, while he also masterminded two ultimately unsuccessful title challenges.
Ex-midfielder Hazard has walked in Pochettino’s shoes after he left boyhood club Spurs in 1985 to move to Stamford Bridge, but remembers his return 12 months later where he scored twice in a 3-1 win for Chelsea.
“When I went back, I would like to think I got applause and cheers because the fans respected the job I did for them,” 1984 UEFA Cup winner Hazard told the PA news agency.
“They also respected I had a job to do because I was at another club and it was no slur on Spurs that I scored two goals. And it almost felt like it was two own goals because Spurs is my team.
“When Pochettino comes back and while the rivalry is that much greater nowadays, I think it is important as a fanbase we rise above it.
“We can show dignity and class by welcoming him back – not giving him a guard of honour as Ange (Postecoglou) says but when his name is read out, to give him a round of applause as acknowledgement and recognition of what he achieved.
“Then we go out and try to win the game and Poch is the enemy then, but ultimately we have to respect the job he did. I for one will certainly give him a round of applause when his name is read out.”
Pundits had expected Pochettino to hit the ground running at Chelsea and Tottenham to struggle without record scorer Harry Kane.
The opposite has occurred, with Postecoglou embarking on a superb 10-game unbeaten start to the Premier League season, and Hazard lauded the impact of summer signing James Maddison.
He added: “Look, anyone that loses a player of the stature and quality of Harry Kane is not going to be a better side because of it, but what Ange has managed to do is introduce a style where the players enjoy playing to that style.
“Of course James Maddison has come in and been the hub of the team with the creativity. That’s something we haven’t had for a while, that instinctive, creative, flair player that can unlock tight defences, play telling passes and score the odd goal, so he has been a revelation.
“It has been a real pleasure for me to see and he has ignited quality elsewhere in the team as well, which is brilliant.
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“It feels like the players have all been given the freedom of expression within the framework of what Ange wants. There are smiley, happy faces on the pitch and we’re playing smiley, happy football, so they both go hand-in-hand and for me it is a joy to watch.”
While Hazard acknowledged there are “bigger tests” to come for Spurs, they pale into insignificance compared to the challenge his family has faced in recent times.
Hazard’s nephew Jay took his own life in 2019 but through the darkest of periods Hazard’s sister Michelle joined forces with her brother to set up Legend on the Bench charity.
It aims to raise funds to put benches in parks across the UK with telephone numbers on to help with suicide prevention and the first bench in memory of Jay, which will have the numbers of mental health helplines lit up, will be installed on February 28 in Sawbridgeworth.
The next fundraising event will occur at Fishers Green Car Park on November 18 with a 10-kilometre trek.
“We set the charity up in memory of Jay and we decided to go down the path of fundraising to help people in similar situations because we had no idea Jay was about to do it. He never spoke to anybody,” Hazard reflected.
“We named it Legend on the Bench and people sometimes think we mean like former players, but no, it is the name of the telephone numbers because they are the people who are the legends, the people that people will ring and who will save them.
“And the message is talk. There is always someone there to listen or to talk to, so if you are sitting there in your moment of need, just give those numbers a call and someone will be ready to talk to and possibly we save a life.”
Erik ten Hag lauded Harry Maguire’s performance against Fulham after Manchester United’s dramatic 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.
United kept a clean sheet and stole victory courtesy of Bruno Fernandes’ added-time winner.
Maguire’s resurgence in form has seen him start in United’s last four league games at centre-back.
And Ten Hag said: “He was playing a massive game and so it was a very good performance.
“He showed leadership and in and out of possession he was very good so we are very pleased with Harry’s performance.”
Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund, who United signed for a reported £64million in the summer, and Antony failed to get off the mark for the league season after a lethargic attacking performance at Craven Cottage.
And Ten Hag admitted he expects his forward players to do better on a day where they were fortunate to take three points.
He added: “Yes, it is clear, we expect it from them (to do better) because we think they are capable and we are confident that they will do it.
“If they keep working, stay composed and keep the confidence then it will come.”
The Dutch manager praised captain Fernandes’ performance.
“You can see with the way that he (Fernandes) is pressing, with the way that he is counter-pressing in games and the way he recovers,” he said.
“So he is absolutely the example and he’s taking the responsibility all the time on and off the field and he’s taken the responsibility by scoring important goals.”
Fulham came close in the second half through Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha but United keeper Andre Onana made two good saves to deny the hosts.
Marco Silva felt his side were the better team in the second half and believes Fulham should have found the back of the net.
Silva said: “It is clear we were the better team on the pitch in the second half.
“We created more chances, we arrived in dangerous areas so many times. I think the chances we did create are chances that was enough to probably score.
“Onana made some good saves but against United to create what we did, we should have scored. It’s a tough one to take.”
James Forrest is determined to continue chipping in with goals for Celtic after scoring in the Scottish top flight for a 15th consecutive season.
The 32-year-old winger first netted on his Hoops debut against Motherwell near the end of the 2009/10 campaign, shortly after Neil Lennon had taken over from Tony Mowbray.
Having kept up his run of scoring through each campaign under Lennon, Ronny Deila, the first spell of Brendan Rodgers, the second stint of Lennon and Ange Postecoglou, Forrest headed in his first goal of Rodgers’ second spell in charge to seal Saturday’s 3-0 win over 10-man Ross County in Dingwall.
“I think it’s only my fourth header but maybe one of the easier ones,” he said. “I’ve had a few chances lately and not managed to take them, so I didn’t think it was easy when it was coming across.
“It’s amazing to reach another milestone. I think you appreciate these things even more when you get older. Still playing here and trying to contributing is what I have got to keep doing.
“I’d like to keep it going. It’s hard to look too far in advance when the club has such a strong squad and is always signing good players every season.
“I still really enjoy it and getting milestones like this make it all worthwhile. Hopefully there’s more to come.”
One-club man Forrest has found playing time harder to come by for Celtic in recent seasons but he remains contracted to his boyhood team until 2025. He is comfortable with his role as a more peripheral player within the squad.
“It’s been this way since I came through,” he said of the competition to get in the team. “Every year we are signing attackers, so it’s no different now.
“Obviously I’m getting older but the manager came in and I had a good pre-season.
“I want to contribute when I get the chance. A few of the other lads have come in recently and taken their chances when the manager’s rotated it, so that’s good.”
Celtic’s victory, which also included goals from David Turnbull and Luis Palma, extended their lead at the top of the cinch Premiership to eight points, albeit having played a game more than nearest challengers Rangers.
The Hoops’ next match is away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday as they bid to add to their solitary point so far and keep alive their fading hopes of progressing in Europe beyond Christmas.
“It will be difficult but the boys can take confidence from the home game (a 2-2 draw with Atletico),” said Forrest. “We went toe to toe with them. It will be a tough game but we can take confidence from some good performances this season.”
Ross County boss Malky Mackay was heartened that his side did not capitulate and suffer an embarrassing loss after having James Brown sent off just eight minutes in.
The 10-man Staggies held firm until first-half stoppage time and then managed to keep their deficit at 1-0 until the 78th minute.
“Going down to 10 men against Celtic, it becomes dangerous because you can be hurt just through naturally the way the game can go – nothing to do with our players, just through the fact tiredness kicks in and they’re playing like the Red Arrows in terms of their movement.
“Near the end of the game, three or four can become six or seven and teams have fallen to that. You saw it a couple of years ago with Dundee United at 9-0. That can really damage clubs and managers.
“If they’re playing well and you have 10 and your tactics are wrong and you’re not playing well, it can be eight or nine so the fact we were structured, organised, tough, resilient and didn’t let it get to that will stand us in good stead. It’s not Celtic and Rangers my fight is against.”
Jeremy Doku claims it is easy to shine in a team as good as Manchester City.
The Belgian winger was the standout performer as the champions thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 to return to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.
Doku opened the scoring and then had a hand in the next four goals as the Cherries were overwhelmed in a one-sided encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
It continued the positive impression the 21-year-old has made since his £55.4million move from Rennes, but Doku himself was modest about his output.
“I’m very proud but in this team it is so easy because there is a lot of movement,” Doku said.
“Everybody is top and when you play with top players it is easy to find the right pass, to find the right time to do something.
“Honestly, I knew when I had to go, I found the right balance and I think that was the most important.
“It was a good performance from me, from the team, so I’m very happy.”
Doku’s opener on the half-hour was the first of three City goals in a seven-minute purple patch.
He teed up the second for Bernardo Silva and then had another shot deflected in off Manuel Akanji.
Substitute Phil Foden – on for the injured Erling Haaland – was the next to benefit from Doku’s work before he played in Silva for his second. Nathan Ake also got on the scoresheet for City late on.
Luis Sinisterra scored a Bournemouth consolation, but the only cause for concern for City was the loss of Haaland at half-time with an ankle problem that will be assessed ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter against Young Boys.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola felt the scoreline was harsh on his side, but conceded his side had little answer to the brilliance of Doku.
He said: “We suffered with him in one-against-one situations because he has all options – go outside, go inside and finish, go outside and cut back.
“I think he was the one making the difference, I would say, in most of the chances.”
Bournemouth also have an injury concern after midfielder Alex Scott was forced off with a different knee injury to the one which delayed the start of his season until last month.
The Boston Celtics improved their unbeaten start to eight games courtesy of a 124-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite trailing by 12 points at half-time, the Nets were able to draw back within one possession halfway through the fourth quarter.
But the Celtics were able to steady the ship late, lifted by double-doubles from Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.
Cam Thomas top-scored for Brooklyn with 27, as the Nets dropped to three wins and three losses on the season.
A 31-point effort from Kevin Durant was not enough for the Phoenix Suns to topple the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr combined for 51 points as the Sixers held on for a 112-100 victory – their fourth in a row.
Phoenix missed injured starters Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, with Durant the only Sun to score more than 13 points.
The Orlando Magic continued their surprise start to the season with a dominant 120-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Franz Wagner led the way for Orlando with 26 points, followed closely by Paolo Banchero with 25.
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Indiana Pacers 125-124 to snap a three-game losing streak.
Indiana had the chance to send the game into overtime late, but Buddy Hield missed a potential game-tying free throw.
Nikola Jokic finished one assist shy of a triple-double as he led the Denver Nuggets to a 123-101 demolition of the Chicago Bulls.
There were also big wins for the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sam Burgess ended his brief stint in rugby union eight years ago when he left Bath to rejoin the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Burgess became a dual-code player after leaving the Souths and signing for Bath in 2014, making his debut for the Premiership team in November the same year.
Burgess was selected for England ahead of their home 2015 World Cup campaign, which ended in Stuart Lancaster’s side failing to make it past the group stage of the competition for the first time.
But on November 5, after 12 months as a union player, Burgess confirmed he would be returning to the NRL with the Souths on a three-year contract.
“I want to thank everyone at England and Bath for some great memories over the last 12 months,” he said.
“I must thank Bath especially for granting my release to return home to my family, who I have missed more than I could have imagined.
“I am also extremely excited to be joining back up with South Sydney. I cannot wait to get back into the Rabbitohs’ culture, full of great people and passionate members and supporters.
“I had a wonderful time in England and learnt a lot about the game of rugby union as both a back and a forward, and I have definitely developed as an all-round player and athlete after that.”
Burgess stayed with the Rabbitohs until his retirement from rugby in 2019.
He subsequently joined the coaching staff at the Australian club before signing a contract as head coach of Warrington in August.
Mark Stone scored a pair of short-handed goals and added two assists as the Vegas Golden Knights rolled to a 7-0 rout of the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday to continue their blazing start.
Jack Eichel and William Karlsson had two goals apiece and Adin Hill turned aside 41 shots for his sixth career shutout to help Vegas improve to an NHL-best 11-0-1.
The Golden Knights are tied with two other teams for the seventh-longest point streak to open a season.
Karlsson extended his point streak to nine games to tie four other players for the longest in team history.
Colorado has lost three of four – all by shutouts on the road – since opening the season with six straight wins.
Red Wings hand Bruins 1st regulation loss
David Perron had the go-ahead tally during a three-goal third period and the Detroit Red Wings rallied for a 5-4 victory to send the Boston Bruins to their first regulation loss of the season.
Boston took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but Dylan Larkin tied it at 6:50 and Perron put Detroit ahead to stay just over two minutes later.
Andrew Copp extended the lead at 10:34 and Davis Pastrnak’s power-play goal with 5:49 left closed the scoring.
Perron finished with a goal and two assists as the Red Wings won for the third time in four games.
The Bruins had won a franchise-record 12 straight regular-season road games dating to last season before the loss.
Matthews notches another hat trick in loss
Auston Matthews scored three times for the third time this season, but Alex Tuch’s two goals lifted the Buffalo Sabres to a 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Matthews raised his NHL-leading goal total to 11 with his 10th career hat trick and third in 11 games this season.
JJ Peterka scored one goal and set up another for Buffalo, which has won three of four.
Mitch Marner had a goal and three assists as the Maple Leafs dropped their fourth straight (0-2-2).
Toronto’s William Nylander had an assist to extend his franchise-record point streak to open a season to 11 games.
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