Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte is "confident" Son Heung-min will be able to feature for South Korea at the World Cup in Qatar.

The forward suffered a fractured eye socket during Spurs' 2-1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League in midweek, sparking concerns about his availability for the upcoming tournament.

It was then confirmed that Son would undergo surgery on his injury and he missed Sunday's defeat to Liverpool, with Conte confirming ahead of the match he would not play for Spurs again before the season breaks for the World Cup.

However, Conte had an encouraging update for Son's availability for the tournament in Qatar as he believes he will represent his nation.

"With Sonny, I sent him a message after the surgery," he said after the loss to Liverpool.

"Sonny was really, really disappointed with this situation but I hope for him to recover very well and to play in the World Cup because I was a player and I know the importance of the World Cup.

"I'm confident that he can come back quickly and play in the World Cup. He's not in hospital now, he's home."

The World Cup gets underway on November 20, but Son has a further four days recovery before South Korea begin their campaign in Group H against Uruguay.

Philippe Coutinho's hopes of representing Brazil at the World Cup are in doubt after the Aston Villa man suffered a quadriceps injury in training.

Coutinho was a surprise absentee from the matchday squad as Unai Emery's Villa beat Manchester United 3-1 in the Spaniard's first game at the helm on Sunday.

The former Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich creator has failed to score in 12 Premier League appearances this season – although six of those outings have come as a substitute.

The 30-year-old's poor form saw him miss out on Tite's squad when Brazil beat Tunisia and Ghana in September, though he has won five of his 68 senior caps for the Selecao this calendar year.

However, Coutinho's chances of travelling to Qatar appear to be slim after Emery ruled him out of Villa's upcoming trips to United in the EFL Cup and Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.

"Coutinho is injured," Emery said. "I don't know how long it will be, but today he couldn't play and he's not going to play until after the break. 

"It's a muscular injury. He's not going to play on Thursday or Sunday because he's out for longer."

Coutinho was omitted from Brazil's squad for their home World Cup campaign in 2014, but was a regular during the side's run to the quarter-finals in Russia four years later, scoring against Switzerland and Costa Rica.

Brazil are considered among the favourites to win the tournament, and face Serbia in their Group G opener on November 24 at the Lusail Stadium.

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool's win at Tottenham means last season's Premier League runners-up are back in business after ending their away-day woes.

Mohamed Salah's first-half double put Liverpool on the way to a 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Harry Kane's clinical riposte just a consolation in the end.

It was a first league away win of the season for the Reds, who had taken a measly two points from their previous five games away from Anfield.

Salah was the star of the show and has been directly involved in 19 goals in 20 games for Liverpool across all competitions this season, scoring 14 goals and adding five assists.

He has only surpassed that once with Liverpool and that came last season, when he remarkably had 28 goal involvements after 20 games.

Now Salah is looking sharp again, after searching for his usual high level earlier in the season, and Klopp's team have back-to-back wins after their midweek Champions League victory over Serie A front-runners Napoli, with the manager seeing grounds for optimism.

"We played an extremely good first half, and in the second half we put a proper shift in," Klopp told Sky Sports.

"We just kept fighting with big passion in the second half. In the first half we were the clear better side, and we scored two wonderful goals, but in the end it was long ago that we won an away game in the Premier League, so I don't really know how to feel in this moment. It was relief after the final whistle."

Liverpool had last won on their travels in the Premier League back on May 17 when they got the better of Southampton during a nip-and-tuck title scrap with Manchester City.

This time around, Liverpool are nowhere near the summit, this result moving them level on points with Fulham and Crystal Palace in mid-table, not their usual company at this stage of a season.

"You need to learn winning as well again after a while," said Klopp, "and that's how everything starts, with massive resilience, really going for it, blocking balls, putting your foot in, putting your head in, using the goalie."

Liverpool's German boss said his players' body language was "outstanding", even when they conceded what he described as "an unnecessary goal" as Kane tucked away a pass from substitute Dejan Kulusevski in the 70th minute.

"You have to get through this, and we got through, and it's absolutely great," Klopp said. "It is a big moment. It was really massive today.

"It's really big for us and that's how it felt."

Tottenham's defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday was "unfair", their coach Antonio Conte claimed.

A first-half brace from Mohamed Salah put Jurgen Klopp's side in control, with Spurs' attacking play limited in the opening 45 minutes, although Ivan Perisic did hit the frame of the goal.

The hosts possessed a greater threat in the second period, and Perisic was again denied by the woodwork before Harry Kane found the net in a sixth consecutive home league game – a Tottenham first in the Premier League era.

However, Spurs could not find an equaliser, and the 2-1 loss leaves them without a win in 10 league meetings with Liverpool.

That sequence matches Tottenham's worst in this fixture, but Conte felt the scoreline was not a fair reflection of this encounter.

"It is difficult to explain the defeat tonight," he told Sky Sports. "We deserved much more, but also after the first half, in the dressing room, I was happy with the desire and what we did.

"We put a lot of pressure on Liverpool and were 2-0 down, but we didn't know why. In the second half, we played really well.

"Their goalkeeper made good saves, and we hit the post and the crossbar. I think the result is unfair.

"It is difficult to explain this type of game. For sure, the performance was good. We are managing a situation with many, many injuries, and we need to find new solutions.

"This type of performance against a team like Liverpool gives me satisfaction as it shows the hard work works."

Spurs' loss leaves them in fourth, just three points clear of Manchester United, who have a game in hand in fifth.

The latest Liverpool revival starts here. Those mighty Reds have pulled level on points with Fulham.

Still, you have to start somewhere, and Tottenham are usually ripe for the picking when Liverpool are in town, with Eric Dier this time taking it upon himself to roll out the red carpet and wave Mohamed Salah into the spotlight.

It's nine goals in eight games now for Salah, none of them penalties, and if Liverpool collectively are still far short of where Jurgen Klopp would want them, then at least the manager need not worry about his star forward.

A 2-1 win at Tottenham came as little surprise in many regards, since it means the north London side remain winless in their last 10 Premier League games against Liverpool, drawing three of those and losing seven.

Salah was on the scoresheet the last time Liverpool lost to Tottenham in the league, getting the consolation in a 4-1 humbling at Wembley – Spurs' then temporary home – in October 2017.

That was in the early stages of his first season with Liverpool, and Salah has barely stopped scoring since, though a shaky run of games early this season raised red flags about his form.

Fresh from signing a long-term deal in the close season, and recently turning 30, Liverpool are counting on Salah to remain lethal in front of goal.

Their success under Klopp, that Tottenham can only envy, has come thanks to a host of factors, but Salah's goals have been front and centre.

He was not sure in midweek that he had been awarded Liverpool's opening goal against Napoli, with Darwin Nunez's header having been close to crossing the line before it was nudged out to Salah.

But Salah was in the right place and was given that one, and there was no doubting his claims to Liverpool's two goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the visitors finally picked up a first away league win of the season.

The first was another from the Nunez-Salah collection, their partnership blossoming now, with the Uruguayan finding the Egyptian with a short, smart pass in the penalty area and the finish to the bottom-right corner was exemplary.

Desperate defending from Dier presented Salah with the chance to double Liverpool's lead, with the England international looking to nod Alisson's long kick back to Hugo Lloris but getting it all wrong.

Salah's footwork, running at pace onto the loose ball, was magnificent, and the chipped finish over the France goalkeeper was immaculate.

But what of Dier? Can he be trusted to avoid such blunders by Gareth Southgate at the World Cup? That is a third error leading to a shot committed by Dier in all competitions this season. Only one player from Europe's top leagues has had more: Liverpool's Joe Gomez (4).

Two of those mistakes from Dier have led to goals, and only one Premier League player has made as many errors already in 2022-23 that have proved quite so costly. The trouble for Spurs is that player is Lloris, also with two goal-costing errors.

This was the first time Tottenham had hosted Liverpool while above them in the table since that October 2017 win, and you have to wonder how long Spurs will stay ahead of Sunday's visitors.

They remain fourth for now, seven points adrift of a Liverpool side who have a game in hand on them, and they got what proved to be a classy consolation when Harry Kane rifled home a smart finish from substitute Dejan Kulusevski's pass in the 70th minute.

Kane spoke after the game of there being "tension" in the stands, and admitted Tottenham had been "punished" by Liverpool before building any momentum. The hosts hit the goal frame twice through Ivan Perisic, but Salah also had a glorious second-half chance, squandering the opportunity to seal a hat-trick when he fired straight at Lloris from a handy central position.

He has seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Spurs now, but it probably should have been eight.

Antonio Conte's Tottenham team selection had looked conservative, with injuries biting but attacking ambition seemingly in short supply. Kulusevski proved a threat on his return from injury, ripe to be used regularly in the coming weeks if there was not the inconvenience of a World Cup on the near horizon.

Kane's fine goal would have cheered Southgate, while Dier's clumsy error does him no favours ahead of the Qatar 2022 squad selection.

Kane became the first player to score in six consecutive home games for Spurs in the Premier League, but he was fighting a lone battle at times. Like Salah, Kane's class remains unquestionable.

Yet a Tottenham side who have lost three of their last four in the league are in need of a revival. Liverpool's wins over Napoli and now Spurs suggest Klopp's team might be in the early throes of one, but then you remember they lost to Leeds United at Anfield barely a week ago.

After the World Cup, these two sides must resolve their personality crises. More fits, starts and false dawns will mean the mid-table likes of Fulham might not be so easily shaken off.

Harry Kane bemoaned the "story of our season" after Tottenham suffered defeat to Liverpool following another slow start.

Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having taken a two-goal lead in at half-time, the third Premier League game in a row in which Spurs have been trailing at the break, and the fourth in a row where they have been 2-0 down at some stage.

Mohamed Salah's first-half brace was enough for Jurgen Klopp's men despite Kane's goal in 70th minute, and the Spurs striker was not happy with his team giving themselves another mountain to climb.

"It's been the story of our season so far, for sure," Kane told Sky Sports after the game. "We haven't been playing well enough in first halves and got punished.

"It was a fairly tight game for the first 20 minutes, they obviously got their goal... then the mistake [from Eric Dier] for the second goal has really hurt us in a big game."

Spurs were booed off by their own fans at half-time, and Kane insisted it was up to the players to not allow themselves to be affected.

"There's moments where there's tension around the stadium when someone maybe gives the ball away," he said. "But to be a big team and big players you have to be able to handle that and not let it affect you for the rest of the game.

"Our home support has been incredible, you saw them in the second half there really pushing us on. Of course there's going to be times when people make mistakes and I think that's the time people need to be behind us, but you have to be able to handle that as a player."

Kane became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home appearances in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (13) has scored more goals in home games than Kane (six) in the competition this season.

The England captain was largely tasked with leading the attack on Sunday in the absence of injured pair Richarlison and Son Heung-min, though Dejan Kulusevski returned from his own lay-off to come on in the 68th minute, providing the assist for Kane just moments later.

"We've got players playing in different positions, we've been unfortunate with injuries in the attacking part of our team," Kane added. "But it was great to see Dejan back for 30 minutes, he's been a fantastic player for us.

"Whoever plays we still feel like we can create chances and we did that second half... big moments in big games are what makes the difference and we didn't do well enough on those today."

The World Cup break may be just around the corner, but there remains plenty of life in the Premier League campaign, as another action-packed Sunday showed.

The day was book-ended by two heavyweight clashes, with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal moving back to the top of the table by beating Chelsea in a tense London derby in the early kick-off.

Later on, Liverpool finally clinched their first away win of the Premier League campaign as Mohamed Salah tormented Tottenham.

Elsewhere, Unai Emery made a memorable start to his Aston Villa reign and Newcastle United went third by tearing Southampton apart on the south coast.

Here, Stats Perform looks through the best facts of the day.

Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool: Salah ends Red's dismal away run

Liverpool had failed to win an away Premier League game this season (D2 L3), and needed a result as the prospect of slipping 13 points behind Spurs loomed.

Jurgen Klopp's side may have struggled, but Salah's recent form has been imperious, and he handed the visitors a strong start by drilling home an 11th-minute opener.

Salah then capitalised on Eric Dier's error to double Liverpool's lead, and he has now contributed to 19 goals in 20 games for Liverpool this season (14 goals, five assists). Only last season (28) has the Egyptian recorded more goal involvements in his first 20 appearances of a campaign for the Reds.

Meanwhile, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the 24th different away venue Salah has scored at for Liverpool in the Premier League – only Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen (both 25) have bettered that tally for the Reds.

Harry Kane ensured a nervy finish when he became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home Premier League appearances after the break, but Liverpool held firm to claim a huge win. 

Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal: Gabriel earns Gunners another statement win

Sunday's first game saw Arsenal return to the summit with a 1-0 victory against Chelsea, becoming the first team to win 10 away games against the Blues in the competition, and just the second to win on three successive trips to Stamford Bridge (after Blackburn Rovers from 1993-94 to 1995-96).

Gabriel Magalhaes got a touch on Bukayo Saka's corner to decide a hard-fought game – all nine of his league goals for Arsenal have come from corners, and no Premier League player has scored more goals from such situations since he arrived in the division in 2020.

Chelsea looked disjointed throughout, managing just five shots as they slipped to back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since December 2020 (under Frank Lampard).

Arsenal, however, look like the real deal. Having beaten Tottenham and Liverpool last month, the Gunners have won three consecutive league games against 'big six' opponents for the first time since April 2012. 

It was a miserable reunion with his former side for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had just eight touches before being taken off by Graham Potter just after the hour.

Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United: Emery makes flying start

At Villa Park, all eyes were on Emery as the Spaniard made his Premier League return just under three years after being sacked by Arsenal, and he could hardly have wished for a better start.

Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne put Villa 2-0 up within 11 minutes – the earliest point at which United have trailed by two goals in a Premier League game since October 2018 against Newcastle (10th minute).

Jacob Ramsey's own goal dragged United back into contention before he atoned by making the points safe for Villa, ensuring Emery became just the fourth coach to win his first Premier League game in charge of a team when facing the Red Devils.

On an eventful day for Ramsey, he became the fourth player in Premier League history to record a goal, an assist and an own goal in the same game, after Kevin Davies, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale.

United have now lost nine away league games in 2022 – their most in a calendar year since 1989 (12).

Southampton 1-4 Newcastle United: Miggy on the mark again as Magpies cruise

Eddie Howe's Newcastle have arguably been the story of the Premier League season to date, and they continued their stunning form by thrashing Southampton 4-1 at St Mary's.

Newcastle have now scored four or more goals four times in their last seven Premier League games, as often as they did in their previous 226 outings in the competition.

Miguel Almiron opened the scoring, becoming the eighth different player to net in four consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle, and only the second non-Englishman to do so after Papiss Cisse.

Chris Wood and Joe Willock also got on the scoresheet before Bruno Guimaraes bent a 25-yard effort into the bottom-right corner, scoring his eighth goal in 28 league games for the Magpies, having netted just three times in 56 Ligue 1 outings for former club Lyon.

The result piled more pressure on Ralph Hasenhuttl, with Southampton now winless in their last 14 Premier League games against teams starting the day inside the top four (D5 L9).

Mohamed Salah hopes a great week for Liverpool can kick-start their Premier League season after he scored both goals in a 2-1 win at Tottenham.

The Reds finally claimed a first top-flight away win of the campaign at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, moving into eighth place.

Salah continued his magnificent goalscoring run with a first-half double, making it nine goals in eight matches for the Egypt forward.

He rounded off a brilliant move to open the scoring after taking a pass from the lively Darwin Nunez and then capitalised on a mistake from Eric Dier to take his goal tally for the season to 14.

Spurs looked like a different side as they dominated the second half and Harry Kane pulled a goal back with a clinical finish, but Jurgen Klopp's men held on for three precious points.

Liverpool beat Napoli 2-0 in the Champions League in midweek following shock Premier League defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

Salah is optimistic they can kick on following a long-awaited Premier League victory on the road. 

He told Sky Sports: "I think we played quite good and managed to score two goals. In the second half, we could've scored but were unlucky.

"We did well to get the three points. It is always a tough opponent. I'm focused on making a difference and managed to do so today.

"We managed to strike back a few times in the season, have played some good games against City and against Napoli. Hopefully that can give us more confidence to win more games."

Spurs slipped down a place to fourth after Newcastle United moved above them with a 4-1 win at Southampton.

England boss Eddie Jones said his team were "not good enough" and captain Owen Farrell raised discipline worries after a surprising 30-29 defeat to Argentina at Twickenham.

In front of an 80,000 full house, the home side were edged out by the Pumas, getting their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a rocky start.

Head coach Jones said England were left "chasing our tail" after letting a half-time lead slip away.

"We made silly mistakes, but I like the way the team went about it. We didn't finish well, there was that lack of cohesion," Jones said on Amazon Prime Video.

"It's not good enough – we realise it's not good enough. We kept making fundamental mistakes."

As Argentina celebrated a first win against England since 2009 and a first at Twickenham since 2006, the defeated hosts set about working out what went wrong.

They allowed Emiliano Boffelli and Santiago Carreras to cross for second-half tries, with Boffelli finishing with 25 points in all thanks to his strong kicking performance.

Farrell said England must show a response, with matches against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to come this month.

"We've got a long way to go this autumn and need to make sure we don't drop any confidence because of this," Farrell said.

On a boggy surface, England failed to cope as well as their visitors, and Farrell said: "We kind of let the pressure off a lot of the times. We played the game we thought we needed. It's a wet, wet pitch and both teams didn't really move the ball that well.

"We weren't at our best, definitely not, and that's what were here to do, to get the best out of ourselves.

"We'll have a good look. There were some good bits, and it felt like it was coming. I just think a bit of discipline and errors of not quite being on the same page at times cost us that extra bit of momentum, what it takes to get in front and stay in front."

Boffelli said Michael Cheika's victorious team would enjoy their big moment.

He said: "I'm very happy, we are very happy. Tomorrow we will think about Wales, that follows. We spoke about how we must try to stay close in the score."

Speaking about the influence of Australian coach Cheika, who guided Argentina to wins over Australia and New Zealand in this year's Rugby Championship, Boffelli said: "Everyone knows Michael Cheika as a coach, and it's very important for us.

"He has experience in international rugby and he is confident in us, and that's good. I'm very happy with that, but the team did a good day."

Alphonso Davies will be fit to represent Canada at the World Cup despite sustaining a hamstring strain in Bayern Munich's win at Hertha Berlin, the Bundesliga giants have confirmed.

Davies was forced off in the 64th minute of Bayern's 3-2 victory at the Olympiastadion on Saturday, sparking fears he could miss Canada's first World Cup appearance since 1986.

The left-back was seen clutching his right hamstring as he walked gingerly from the field, and head coach Julian Nagelsmann initially did little to ease fears over his condition.

Speaking after Bayern's win, Nagelsmann revealed Davies was suspected to have suffered "at least one fibre tear" and said a more accurate diagnosis would be available on Sunday.

However, Bayern have now revealed Davies should return for Canada's trip to Qatar, though he will miss his club's upcoming Bundesliga games against Werder Bremen and Schalke.

A statement on Bayern's website read: "FC Bayern will be without Alphonso Davies for the two remaining Bundesliga games prior to the winter break. 

"The 22-year-old full-back suffered a hamstring strain in the 3-2 win at Hertha BSC on Saturday. The diagnosis was confirmed by the German record champions' medical unit. 

"The Canada international's participation in the World Cup in Qatar is not at risk."

Canada will face Belgium in their Group F opener on November 23 before taking on Croatia and Morocco.

Mohamed Salah scored a first-half double as Liverpool ended their wait for a first Premier League away win of the season with a 2-1 victory at Tottenham.

Salah gave the Reds a deserved early lead and capitalised on a terrible mistake from Eric Dier to double their advantage, taking his goal tally for the season to 14 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Spurs burst into life in the second half and Harry Kane's 13th goal of the campaign halved the deficit, but they are down a spot in fourth place after suffering back-to-back home defeats in the top flight.

This was a first Premier League win in three Premier League matches for Liverpool after being stunned by Nottingham and Forest and Leeds United, moving them into eighth spot.

The Reds started with vigour and Darwin Nunez forced an excellent save from Hugo Lloris before the lively Uruguay striker curled a shot wide of the far post.

Nunez showed great awareness for a brilliantly worked opening goal 11 minutes in, picking out Salah in the box and the prolific forward rounded off a slick move by taking a touch to control the ball before slotting into the bottom-left corner with his left foot.

Ivan Perisic nodded against the post when Alisson failed to deal with a whipped Harry Kane cross, but Liverpool were gifted a second goal by Dier five minutes before the break.

The defender tried to head a long ball back to Lloris but presented Salah with the opportunity to race clear and dink over the Spurs keeper with a clinical finish.

Spurs made a blistering start to the second half after they were booed off at the break and Perisic rattled the crossbar when Ryan Sessegnon pulled the ball back for the Croatia international.

Salah passed up a great opportunity to complete his hat-trick when he shot straight at Lloris and Kane got Spurs back in it with just over 20 minutes to go.

The fit-again Dejan Kulusevski played the England captain in with a clever pass and he fired into the far corner with his right foot from inside the box to give Spurs hope.

Tottenham continued to dominate but Liverpool held on for a long-awaited Premier League win on the road.

Kevin Durant is interested in becoming part of the Washington Commanders' new ownership group after Dan and Tanya Snyder announced they were considering a sale of the franchise.

On Wednesday, the Commanders released a statement confirming the owners had hired BofA Securities to explore a potential sale.

The decision comes amid an NFL investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct from Dan Snyder, who is also being probed by attorney generals in Washington, D.C. and Virginia over alleged financial improprieties.

Reports have credited Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, as well as musician and producer Jay-Z, with an interest in making a joint bid for the team, and Durant wants to be involved.

Two-time NBA champion Durant, who grew up in the D.C. area, told ESPN: "In a perfect world, I would be a part of it.

"I would love to do it. I would love to give a little bit of my money to be a part of the Commanders, but we'll see. Hopefully it's somebody nice. I heard Bezos and Jay-Z, but you never know.

"I don't have a lot of money, though. I don't have that much money to say, 'Look, man, let me get a piece of the team.'

"I'm sure it would have to work out some way, somehow. I would love to, obviously, but to be honest, I doubt that it'll happen. It's a five or six-billion-dollar team."

Dan Snyder brought the Washington franchise in 1999, and while Durant is surprised to see him exploring an exit, the Brooklyn Nets star is excited about the team's future. 

"How long has he had it now, 20-something years? He's probably the only owner I've known, since I've been alive, for the Redskins or Commanders," Durant added. 

"It's definitely shocking to see him put them up because it's his baby. NFL teams are precious, they're important.

"That's going to be a team that everybody [wants]. Everybody wants to be a part of the league. It's one of the most lucrative teams in sports, so I'm sure there's going to be a lot of bidders.

"Our market is incredible. There's a lot of support in D.C., a lot of money in D.C. to be made. I feel like we drafted well the last couple of years, we got some foundation pieces that can help you win football games moving forward. 

"I know we've had some losing seasons, but it's starting to come around for us. I'm excited as a fan. 

"I'm excited about the sale. I'm excited to see who they bring in and who they sell the team to, and to see how we move forward with it." 

Holger Rune stunned Novak Djokovic to win the Paris Masters title as the teenager confirmed his ascendancy into the tennis elite.

The 19-year-old defeated Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-5, fending off the six-time champion at the indoor event to earn a place in the top 10 for the first time, becoming the first Danish man to reach such heights.

Rune becomes the first player since the ATP rankings were launched in 1973 to have beaten five top-10 players in the same tournament, other than at the season-ending ATP Finals.

His scalps on the route to his maiden Masters 1000 final included Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz – who retired when trailing in their quarter-final – and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Now Rune can add last year's Paris champion Djokovic to that list, defeating the 21-time grand slam winner who had described his young opponent as the future of tennis on the eve of the final.

Rune becomes the youngest Paris Masters champion since an 18-year-old Boris Becker triumphed in 1986, and he did it the hard way too, coming from behind after Djokovic made the stronger start.

Djokovic broke Rune's serve in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and take an early grip, soon seeing out the opening set.

Yet Rune charged 3-0 ahead in the second and grew in confidence. There was even a Djokovic-like raised fist after getting the better of his illustrious rival in one thrilling rally

Djokovic roared ahead in the decider, but not intimidated by the occasion, Rune struck back to recover the early break. 

Rune then broke to lead 6-5, as his Serbian opponent became erratic.

Nobody beats Djokovic without a fight though, and the 21-time grand slam winner had six chances to break back in the next game.

Rune survived them all and clinched victory on his second match point when Djokovic, who had been chasing a record-extending 39th ATP 1000 title, netted on the half-volley.

Addressing Rune in an on-court interview, Djokovic said: "You absolutely deserve this victory. What an amazing week you had.

"I'm not happy that you beat me, but on the other hand I'm happy for you because I like your personality, I think you're a very dedicated guy that loves tennis and puts a lot of hours into hard work.

"It's paying off for you, and I'm sure the future is bright for you and your team, so congratulations."

Rune, who is working with Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, said: "This must be my favourite tournament now, I really enjoyed my time here."