Ruben Amorim expressed his “love” for Mason Mount as he prepares to take charge of his first match as Manchester United head coach.

Mount has been hampered by injury during his spell at United, having started just seven matches for the club in the league and contributing only one goal.

Yet he accrued 27 goals, 22 assists and created 227 chances during 129 appearances while at Chelsea. He will hope the arrival of his new boss will help him to recapture such form.

Amorim arrived in Manchester on 11 November and, having had time to familiarise himself with a new squad during the international break, is excited at what Mount can bring to the Red Devils.

“Mason Mount… I have to tell you I love that kid. You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad. This is the most important thing,” he said at a press conference.

“He played in this system, so it’s perfect for him. I have two positions for Mount, so he should be very happy!”

The English midfielder was once seen as one of England’s most exciting talents, having impressed in the capital, but has floundered in his limited performances at United, with just 10 chances created in 17 matches.

But Erik ten Hag’s departure could signal a reversal of fortunes for United and Mount.

Following an unbeaten run under interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, Amorim will take the helm in the Premier League for the first time against Ipswich Town on Sunday.

Jason Kidd hailed the character of his Dallas Mavericks team after their gutsy win over the Denver Nuggets.

The Mavericks overcame Luka Doncic's absence, and a triple-double from returning Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, to win 123-120 in Friday's NBA Cup game.

It also marked the third consecutive game the Mavericks have had seven players hit double figures. 

The Mavericks appeared to be running away with a dominant win after leading by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, only for the Nuggets to swiftly respond. 

They struck a fierce 28-9 run in an eight-minute span to bring the game within single digits going into the final quarter, but the Mavericks held on for a fourth straight win.

"We were here 10 days ago, we learned from that situation, we kept our composure. This group stayed together," Kidd said.  

"On the defensive end we made stops and on the offensive end we made some big plays.

"We didn't finish the game 10 days ago. But the guys stepped up. Defensively, we did what we had to do. A lot of small things that we cleaned up from the last time we were here.

"This is a character game for us. Again without Luka, on the road, we were just in this situation in Oklahoma City. The games are too close for us to make mistakes late.

"This team has a lot of character, a lot of trust and we're becoming a team - it's still early in the season, we've had some injuries, but it's about the next man up and those guys are stepping up."

Dallas (9-7) improved to 2-1 in West Group C to keep their hopes of being one of eight teams to advance to the knockout round. The Mavericks trail the Golden State Warriors, who improved to 3-0 in Group Play after Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

It was also a night to remember for Naji Marshall, who scored a career-high 26 points off the bench. 

After scoring 15 points in the second half of Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans, Marshall scored 16 points in the first half on Friday.

Marshall had only two 15-point halves in his career prior to accomplishing the feat in consecutive halves, with Kidd showering praise for his recent displays. 

"Just the trust. Marshall was playing extremely well for us. With the game on the line, he makes a floater with one second left on the shot clock," Kidd said. 

"The confidence the guys have in him on the offensive end and defensive end [helps]."

George Russell "put it all on the table" to surge to a surprise pole position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with an impressive qualifying display. 

After Mercedes had topped all three practice sessions on Friday, Russell was able to convert his team's electric practice pace into a fourth career pole. 

The Briton finished 0.098 seconds ahead of the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, while Alpine's Pierre Gasly built on his podium at Interlagos last time out by finishing third, with Charles Leclerc starting in fourth. 

While it was Russell’s out-going Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton who swept Thursday’s free practice sessions, the seven-time world champion could only manage 10th. 

Asked if pole was expected coming into the weekend, Russell replied: “Honestly, absolutely not. It feels incredible to be back on pole.

“We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what happened before then.

"I'm just so happy, and we've got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend, because it was a real surprise!”

"Ultimately, you’ve got to put it on the table sometimes. I felt confident in myself – I knew if I did a clean lap, it would be enough to secure a front row, so to get pole position is incredible," Russell said. 

"Ultimately, we’ve had a few good qualifying recently – we need to convert that into a win now."

Max Verstappen will share the third row of the grid with his sole remaining opponent for the title, Lando Norris, after qualifying fifth. 

The Dutchman knows that he must finish ahead of the Briton's McLaren to claim a fourth consecutive world title, putting him level with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.

However, Verstappen believes that Red Bull are "just a bit too slow" after struggling for one-lap performance throughout the course of the weekend's action. 

"We have been struggling to get the tyres to work over a lap, and we are slow on the straights as well, especially in qualifying," Verstappen said. 

"You can see our rear wing, it’s trimmed down quite a lot, around the DRS flap, so when we open DRS we don’t get the gains like others do, so that makes it a bit more complicated around here.

“But that’s our own fault. We know that, that's a compromise we have, but nevertheless, I tried to do the best I could.

"It was quite close for P3, little details that could have been a bit better maybe, but overall I'm happy with the laps, was not much more in it."

Ange Postecoglou relishes the opportunity to challenge Pep Guardiola’s Premier League dominance after he signed a contract extension with Manchester City.

It was announced by City on Thursday that Guardiola will stay at the club until 2027 after agreeing a new two-year deal, taking his time at the Etihad to over a decade. 

Under Guardiola (since 2016-17), City have lost more Premier League games (six) and conceded more goals (22) against Spurs than they have against any other opponent in the top-flight. 

It is perhaps unsurprising then that, despite the City boss having lifted the Premier League trophy in six of the last seven seasons, Postecoglou was happy his competitor was remaining at the helm.

"I look at it the other way, imagine you knock him off? That would be something, eh?,"Postecoglou began.

"And I'm at the stage of my life where I'd rather have a chance of knocking him off than missing that opportunity. In the right way, obviously. 

"I think when greatness is around, you want to be around it. Hopefully it challenges you to be like that as well.”

Postecoglou is preparing to travel to face City in the league on Saturday during Guardiola’s worst run of form of his career.

City have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions. The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).

It could present the perfect opportunity for the Australian boss to start his ascent on Guardiola’s dominance, though he will have to face demons of his own as his side have won just two of their last 11 Premier League away games (D2 L7).

"I love the fact that there is a massive target out there that can seem insurmountable. It does for me anyway, raises my level, gets me going,” he added.

"I love the challenge of that and I never see that as a bad thing."

The Philadelphia 76ers revealed Joel Embiid missed their victory over the Brooklyn Nets with a knee injury, while the star centre will also be absent from this Sunday's clash with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Philadelphia ended a five-game losing streak with a 113-98 win at Wells Fargo Center, but did so without the services of Embiid.

The centre was not initially listed on the franchise's injury report ahead of the game, but was later added for left knee injury management, having been ruled out 30 minutes before tip-off.

"He was dealing with some swelling in his knee today, got to the arena and was ruled out," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. "They're going to treat it all weekend, so he'll be out for Sunday as well.

"He had some swelling from the last game. It's something we knew we were going to be dealing with going into the season. They do what they can do to remove that swelling, but it just didn't feel good enough to go.

"We were pretty well aware of that not too much longer after [my pre-match] press conference that he wasn't going to be able to go tonight.

"Then, they obviously looked at it again during the game and half-time, and decided that they needed to treat it this weekend, and go from there.

"Hopefully, on Monday, we'll give you an update on where we're at and, hopefully, he'll be in good shape."

In Embiid's absence, rookie guard Jared McCain stepped up to produce another impressive performance with 30 points, passing the 20-mark for a seventh successive game.

The 20-year-old was heard saying "I'm rookie of the year!" after shooting one of his six three-pointers during the final quarter.

"I did say that," he said after the game. "It was pretty clear. It's one of my goals for the season, obviously, but it was just that competitiveness coming out of me.

"I respect every other rookie in this league, but obviously, I'm a believer in myself."

Ruben Amorim insisted "I will do my thing, my way" at Manchester United rather than concerning himself with where his predecessors went wrong.

The 39-year-old will be on the touchline for his first game as United head coach on Sunday as they face Ipswich Town, taking over from caretaker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Amorim was confirmed as the new head coach at Old Trafford at the start of November after Erik ten Hag was sacked following a poor run of results.

The former Sporting CP boss will not look to the past for answers, however, as he looks to turn the fortunes of United around.

"I will not try to find out the right thing to do or try to find out what was missing with Erik ten Hag, with Jose Mourinho, with Louis van Gaal," Amorim told Sky Sports.

"I will not try that because I think it's a waste of time. They chose me because they saw something and I do something in a clear way.

"I really don't know what the [other managers] missed here but I know I will do my thing, my way and try to find out what is missing in my way of seeing football."

Ten Hag guided United to two trophies but struggled to maintain form across all competitions as they fell to a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the Premier League.

It adds to the persistent struggles of the club since the departure of Alex Ferguson as, despite their illustrious history, United have failed to win a league title since 2013. But Amorim believes he can deliver success.

"We will have really hard moments but, in the end, I truly believe that we are going to succeed," he said.

"The first impression is that it's so big, with a lot of departments. I came from a big club in a small country. Here is a different world.

"You have a lot to do. You are not just a coach. You have to be something more.

"So it's a little bit different, but I think I'm prepared for that. And it's Manchester United. It doesn't matter the last years."

Amorim enjoyed great success at Sporting, winning two league titles.

He took charge of 231 games in all competitions, the most in the club's history, and won 164 of those matches, losing just 33 times, with his 71% win percentage also a club record-high mark. His team scored 510 goals, averaging 2.2 per game.

After a successful four-game stint for interim boss Russ van Nistelrooy, Amorim officially took over at Old Trafford on November 11.

He is, however, understanding that fans may still be wary of the future, given what has come before.

"I know that at this moment our fans are with mixed feelings - 'I want to be excited, but I have been here so I'm a little bit afraid. It's the same story all the time. I can be disappointed,’" said Amorim.

"So what I can say is that I'm really excited. I'm not afraid to show it. But I have a clear idea that this will take time.

"Don't confuse my happiness with naivety. It's not the same thing. I'm really happy.

"I know what to do. But I have an idea that we are going to suffer a little bit before improving in the way that you should improve."

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul's unbroken century partnership put India in complete control of their first Test against Australia on day two in Perth. 

Jaiswal (90 not out) and Rahul (62 not out) left India 172-0 at stumps, extending their advantage to 218 runs after the hosts were bowled out for 104. 

Australia resumed on 67-7 but were only able to add 37 runs to their overnight total, with Jasprit Bumrah completing a five-for with the dismissals of Pat Cummins (three) and Alex Carey (21) early on. 

Nathan Lyon followed shortly after, but Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood added 25 from 110 before Starc edged India debutant Harshit Rana (3-48) behind to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

After a tentative start to India's chase, Jaiswal and Rahul eventually found their groove, though the former was fortunate to see his attempted drive dropped by Usman Khawaja at second slip when on 51.

Following a first day that saw 17 wickets fall, India's openers were rarely troubled as they cruised through the remainder of the session to give the tourists a comfortable lead. 

Data Debrief: Trouble in Paradise

Only four Tests have been played at the Optus Stadium in Perth and all have been won by Australia, but they face a huge task of maintaining that perfect record.

The hosts' total of 104 runs was also their fourth-lowest score against India in Tests and ninth-lowest at home since 1900.

And while Jaiswal and Rahul will receive plaudits for their showing with the bat, Bumrah starred with the ball. He struck with his opening delivery of the day and has now claimed his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests and ninth outside Asia – the latter stat seeing him equal Kapil Dev's record for India.

Luis Enrique believes that despite Paris Saint-Germain's unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season, it is not enough to turn their fortunes around in the Champions League. 

PSG cruised to a 3-0 win over Toulouse on Friday, maintaining their six point advantage over Monaco at the top of the standings. 

The Parisiens have 32 points from their 12 league matches. Over the last 70 years, only under Thomas Tuchel have they had more at this stage (36 in 2018-19).

PSG have also scored a division-high 36 goals, netting three or more times in nine of their 12 matches this season, as many as in their last 24 last term.

However, that form has failed to transpire in the Champions League. Luis Enrique's side sit 25th in the new 36-team league after taking four points from their four games. 

And with a daunting trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich up next, the PSG boss said his side's good run in the league will not be enough to win the competition. 

"I think that we have numbers in Ligue 1 that are in line with our quality and in the Champions League we are far from our level. It's not logical," Luis Enrique said. 

"It is clear that we have to improve our effectiveness, there is no doubt about it. 

"A competition like the Champions League is different, is short, fewer games, it does not reward regularity, it rewards being good at the right moments.

"However, I think it's important to go into a Champions League match having won. It's not that it's decisive, but it's more positive," the coach added.

Friday's victory was sealed with goals from Joao Neves, Beraldo and Vitinha, sealing a sixth consecutive Ligue 1 triumph at the Parc des Princes. 

Neves has now been involved in eight league goals this season (two goals, six assists), having only recorded five goal contributions in 50 appearances for Benfica. 

The Portugal international also won more duels (nine) than any other PSG player against Toulouse, with Luis Enrique showering praise on the 20-year-old. 

"Joao played the first half as a pivot, which is his usual position. In the second half we made more use of his ability to bring the ball out from the back in a more delayed position. I think he was very good," Luis Enrique said. 

"Clearly when a midfielder scores the goal and it's something we insist on, well it seems to bring out his game more. I'm more satisfied. In the second half I liked him."

Vincent Kompany quipped it was "typical Harry Kane" after the England captain netted his 50th Bundesliga goal in Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Augsburg.

Kane scored all of Bayern's goals in Friday's victory, as Kompany's side went, at least temporarily, eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

In the process, Kane netted his 50th goal in the competition, reaching the milestone in just 43 appearances, smashing the previous record of 50 set by Erling Haaland during his time at Borussia Dortmund.

Two of Kane's goals came from the penalty spot, before he rounded off his hat-trick in the 95th minute with a deft header after he had exquisitely controlled Leon Goretzka's lobbed pass.

"It was typical Harry Kane," Kompany said. "He had situations in the first half where he could maybe have done better.

"But a player like him can score at any moment, he went on to score three."

Joshua Kimmich hailed Kane's composure from the penalty spot.

"I've never seen him miss one," Kimmich said.

"In general we have complete faith in him and he repays that faith. To take and score a penalty like that is a real quality. It's always regarded as easy from the outside but it's quite extraordinary."

Ten of Kane's 50 Bundesliga goals have come from penalties, while 32 of them have been with his right foot, nine with his left and nine with his head.

Kane is also the quickest Bayern player to hit 50 league goals for the club, surpassing Robert Lewandowski's previous record of 64 games by a staggering 21 matches.

The 31-year-old has netted every 75 minutes on average.

"We said at half-time we should just keep going and create chances," Kane told reporters.

"Thankfully we got the penalty and from there the game opened up.

"We have a big week ahead with PSG in the Champions League, then Dortmund, then [Bayer] Leverkusen in the cup.

"We're in a good moment, we're feeling good and should just keep the momentum up."

Bayern's dominance was reflected in the match stats, with Kompany's team having 33 shots to Augsburg's two, getting 14 of them on target, and accumulating 3.77 expected goals (xG) while giving up just 0.1 at the other end.

But Kompany says there is much more to come.

"It's normal for it not to be easy – after all it's a Bundesliga game," he said.

"We had 33 attempts at goal and very often found ourselves inside their box. But we remained patient and continued to show that we wanted to score goals.

"When you're in the penalty area as often as we were, it's normal that there will be a penalty given at some point.

"I'm never satisfied because I want us to always be improving. I know how important the win was tonight, and I can really appreciate it."

Tallon Griekspoor produced a thrilling comeback to help the Netherlands reach the Davis Cup final for the very first time after they downed Germany 2-0 in Malaga. 

After losing the opening set to Jan-Lennard Struff, Griekspoor held his nerve to emerge a 4-6 (4-7) 7-5 6-4 victor on an enthralling day of action on Friday. 

Earlier in the day, Botic van de Zandschulp, who beat Rafael Nadal in the final match of the Spaniard's career on Tuesday, put the Dutch 1-0 up with a win over Daniel Altmaier. 

The world number 80 needed 10 match points to wrap up a tense 6-4 6-7 (12-14) 6-3 victory, after Altmaier saved five break points in a second set tie-break.

Griekspoor then stopped the best-of-three tie from going to the deciding doubles, rallying back with a fine display, though Struff let two crucial break points slip in the eighth game of the second set.

“We have been talking about this [moment] for two or three years,” said Griekspoor.

“We came here all the time with unbelievably tough draws, but we believed in ourselves so much. We always felt like this was possible.

"To do it now feels unbelievable. I am so happy for the team, and for Holland.

“I just tried to focus on my own game. I felt like he was playing unbelievable tennis, I didn’t do much wrong in the first set.

"I’m super proud of myself, super proud of the effort and very happy to get the win in the end.”

The Netherlands await either reigning Davis Cup champions Italy or Australia, who face off in the other semi-final on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Dutch delight

After reaching the semi-final stage for only the second time this century, the Netherlands produced arguably their finest display of the tournament against Germany. 

It meant that after 185 ties played at the event across a 104-year timeframe, they had finally reached the showpiece match at the tournament for the first time. 

But their victory was made possible by Griekspoor, who converted both his break points, while fittingly sealing his encounter with his 25th ace of the contest. 

The Dallas Mavericks withstood blowing a big lead and a triple-double by Nikola Jokić in the reigning NBA MVP's return to the court to come through with a hard-earned 123-120 road win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Dallas also overcame the absence of superstar Luka Dončić, out with a sprained wrist, to extend its winning streak to four games. Naji Marshall provided the Mavs their biggest lift by recording a career-high 26 points off the bench on 11-of-15 shooting, while P.J. Washington made an impact as well with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Jokic was back after missing three games due to a personal matter and racked up 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists while helping Denver take a late lead in a game it trailed by 24 points in the third quarter.

The Nuggets charged back to grab a 113-108 advantage with three minutes left, but Dallas put forth a late rally of its own to move back ahead.

Washington scored five straight points to pull the Mavericks even, and Quentin Grimes hit two free throws before Washington struck again with a layup that put Dallas up 117-113 with 49.7 seconds to go.

Denver closed the gap to a point on two occasions in the final minute, but couldn't regain the lead and was dealt a third loss in four games. Washington's two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining gave Dallas a 123-120 edge before the Nuggets turned the ball over in the last stages.

Kyrie Irving scored 13 of his 19 points during a big second quarter that helped the Mavericks build a 73-53 half-time lead after outscoring the Nuggets by a 40-22 margin for the period.

Dallas led by 19 points just over four minutes into the second half before the Nuggets reversed momentum with an 18-2 run, capped by Jokic's short jumper with 3:29 left in the third quarter, to close within 83-80.

The Mavericks moved to 2-1 in the West's Group C bracket with Friday's win, while the Nuggets fell to 1-2 in group play. 

Hobbled 76ers rally past Nets to end losing streak

Jared McCain scored 30 points and helped spark a second-half comeback that carried the injury-plagued Philadelphia 76ers to a needed 113-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Playing without ailing stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, Philadelphia still managed to stop a five-game losing streak and rally from a nine-point third-quarter deficit behind McCain and Tyrese Maxey. McCain had 14 fourth-quarter points and 21 in the second half, while Maxey tallied 16 of his 26 points after half-time in his second game back from a strained hamstring.

The duo went a combined 15 of 24 from the field over the final two quarters to lead the 76ers to just their third win in 15 games this season.

Embiid and George are both dealing with knee injuries and will also miss Sunday's game against George's former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brooklyn lost for the sixth time in eight games despite a season-high 37 points from Cameron Johnson, who tied a career best with nine made 3-pointers in 13 attempts. 

The Nets trailed 53-50 at half-time but hit four 3-pointers during a 14-0 run that gave them a 64–55 lead three minutes into the third quarter.

Philadelphia answered shortly afterward with an 18-4 spurt, with Maxey scoring seven points during the surge, to take a 77-72 advantage later in the period.

The Nets fought back and went back ahead when Johnson's 3-pointer gave them a 90-89 edge with 7:25 left, but the 76ers responded with a 16-4 run to take the lead for good. Maxey had nine points during the flurry, with McCain adding seven.

Both teams are now 1-2 in the NBA Cup's East Group A bracket.

Warriors become first team to reach NBA Cup knockout stage

Andrew Wiggins' season-high 30 points helped the Golden State Warriors clinch a spot in the NBA Cup's knockout round by holding on for a 112-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Owners of the Western Conference's best record at 12-3, the Warriors moved to 3-0 in the NBA Cup's West Group C bracket to become the first team of this year's in-season tournament to advance to the knockout stage.

Stephen Curry contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to Golden State's fifth win in its last six games overall.

New Orleans lost for the fourth straight time and fell to 4-13 while continuing to deal with injuries to several key players. Trey Murphy paced the depleted Pelicans with a season-high 24 points, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl posted 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

Despite their short-handed roster, the Pelicans held a 63-62 lead at half-time behind Murphy's 15 points and trailed by just one point early in the fourth quarter before the Warriors began to assume control.

Golden State briefly pulled away via a 12-3 run, capped by back-to-back baskets by Trayce Jackson-Davis, to claim a 99-89 advantage with under 6 1/2 minutes left.

The Pelicans would not go away, however, as Murphy ended an 8-2 spurt with a 3-pointer that cut the Warriors' lead to 110-108 with 14 seconds remaining.

Murphy misfired on another 3-point try in the final seconds, however, before Golden State's Draymond Green sealed the outcome by hitting two of four late free throws.