Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did not have a positive outlook when questioned about Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice's respective injuries following their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

Saka was taken off in the 81st minute, having earlier received treatment on a problem with his leg, while Rice left the pitch 10 minutes earlier having been playing with a broken toe.

While their injuries represent a problem for Arteta, both Saka and Rice were included in the England squad to face Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

It could be a blow for England interim manager Lee Carsley, with Arteta doubtful they will be able to contribute.

"It doesn't look good because for two players of that importance to say they want to come off is unusual," Arteta told reporters after the match. "I don't expect them to be fit [for the international break] because if not, they don't come off."

Saka has already missed two games for Arsenal this season, having picked up an injury during the previous international break. The Gunners have had to deal with numerous injuries to key players, including that of Martin Odegaard, who made his first start for the club since August on Sunday.

"What I'm praying for is that after the international break, we have the team fully physically equipped, that they are available and that they are fit because it's been a nightmare for eight weeks," he added.

"Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only with the ones that are not able to play but with the ones who are able to play."

Michael Malone is running out of superlatives for Nikola Jokic, who the Denver Nuggets coach labelled "the best player in the world".

Jokic posted a triple-double of 37 points, 15 assists and 18 rebounds as the Nuggets claimed a 122-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. He is the first player in NBA history to finish with that stat line.

The Nuggets needed a last-gasp mid-range jumper from Michael Porter Jr. to clinch their fifth straight win, though Jokic's performance rightly stole the show.

It was Jokic's fourth straight triple-double. The Serbian is averaging 29.7 points per game this season, the fourth-highest PPG average in the NBA, while his 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game are league-highs.

Speaking to the press after the game, Malone quipped: I would assume that after tonight's performance, he'll only be fifth in the MVP voting.

"He just needs to do more for us, because clearly what he’s been doing hasn't been noticed by anyone on the outside of this Rocky Mountain empire.

"But, 37-15-18, three steels, the minutes that he played – 38 is a good number, I'm happy about that, we kept him under 40.

"On a serious note, just incredible. We're all running out of words, adjectives and ways to describe his greatness and his impact.

"The simple way to say it is he’s the best player in the world. That's the best way to say it, in my opinion."

Jokic has won the NBA's MVP award in three of the past four seasons.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, have now lost four of their last six games.

Kyrie Irving top-scored with 43 points, while Luka Doncic added 24, but it was not enough for Dallas to get back on track following a defeat to the Phoenix Suns.

Antonio Conte was frustrated that VAR did not reverse a penalty decision against Napoli as they played out a 1-1 draw with Inter on Sunday.

Hakan Calhanoglu failed to convert the spot kick in question late in the game, with the Turkish international having equalised for the hosts after Scott McTominay's opener.

Despite the decision not affecting the result in the end, Conte criticised VAR for not overruling the referee's decision to penalise Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for a foul on Denzel Dumfries. 

"Can they [VAR] only intervene when it suits them? A decision from the referee like this can transform a match and VAR cannot do anything about it," Conte told DAZN.

"Either VAR is there to correct errors or it is not. If there is an error, it has to intervene. It really angers me, but it does to all coaches. It has to intervene if there is a mistake.

"If there is VAR, it must be used to correct errors or show the referee situations that he did not see. If it's a clear error, and it was, then why should [referee Maurizio] Mariani be allowed to just do that."

Despite his frustration with refereeing decisions, Conte was satisfied with his team's performance, as they held strong against a spirited second-half display from the Italian champions.

"I said that we would not come here to just be sparring partners against the strongest squad in Serie A, so it was important for us to face them with strength, character, accepting duels all over the field," he said.

"On that score, I am very satisfied. It was not easy to play here. We all know that we are making improvements and working hard, otherwise, you don't come to San Siro twice and also against Juventus without defeat.

"The lads are proving themselves, though, of course, we could've done much, much more in terms of quality today. There were too many errors, a lot of technical errors, but I am sure there will be further improvements."

Napoli's point ensured they stayed top of Serie A heading into the international break, moving them to 26 points in what is shaping up to be a tight title race. Conte's side sit one point clear of Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter and Lazio.

The final international break of 2024 is here, and we can safely say the Premier League is starting to take shape.

Opta's supercomputer now has Liverpool, who are five points clear at the top following their win over Aston Villa on Saturday, as the favourites to go on and win the title.

Manchester City lost a fourth straight game in all competitions as they went down 2-1 at Brighton, while Chelsea and Arsenal are third and fourth respectively after sharing the points.

When assessing the underlying metrics, it looks like Sunday's draw at Stamford Bridge was a fair result, but that was not the case across the board this weekend.

Here, we pick out the lucky winners and unlucky losers from matchday 11.

Lucky winners: Manchester United

Manchester United are now under new management, with Ruben Amorim officially starting as head coach on Monday. But interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy ensured he went out with a high as the Red Devils beat Leicester City 3-0 on Sunday.

However, it is fair to say United were rather fortunate to net three times at Old Trafford, with the data suggesting they did not even create chances worthy of one goal, never mind three.

United's expected goals (xG) was 0.69, the third-lowest total in the league this weekend and behind Leicester's 0.77.

Bruno Fernandes scored one and set up another on his 250th appearance for the club, either side of Victor Kristiansen's own goal, but from 13 shots, United, who had only 17 touches in Leicester's box, really did not create much in the way of quality opportunities.

Indeed, their attacking quality instead told, with Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho finishing well. At the other end, Leicester failed to make their moments count, despite hitting the target with five of their six shots.

Spare a thought for Erik ten Hag, given when he was in charge, United's attack was underperforming. Now Amorim just needs to pick up where Van Nistelrooy left off...

Unlucky losers: Manchester City

Man City are suddenly the crisis club, having lost four straight games for the first time since August 2006. Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has lost four games in a row in all competitions for the very first time in his managerial career.

Erling Haaland also lost a Premier League match in which he scored a goal for the very first time, having put City ahead before Joao Pedro and Matt O'Riley clinched the points for Brighton.

Brighton finished with 2.29 xG, so they did deserve to score at least twice. However, City can still consider themselves unfortunate, given their 2.22 xG was the third-highest of any team across the weekend.

Their post-shot expected goals on target (xGoT) also rose to 2.98, showing that Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was on fine form.

City also created five big chances, missing four of them, and hit the woodwork once. That being said, they conceded eight big chances, with Brighton letting them off for six of those, so it was not a good day at the office for Guardiola.

Unlucky losers: Bournemouth

If Man City were unfortunate, then the team to have created the highest xG (2.61) this past weekend – Bournemouth – can consider themselves hard done by.

Andoni Iraola claimed his team were worthy of the three points against Brentford, despite the Cherries losing 3-2, and the underlying metrics suggest the Spaniard was fair in his assessment.

Only Tottenham (35 in their loss against Ipswich Town) had more touches in the opponent's box than Bournemouth's 34 at the Gtech Community Stadium, but Iraola's side were made to pay for some dismal finishing.

Their xGoT dropped to 1.68, while Brentford's rose from 1.48 xG to 1.84 xGoT – essentially, the level of finishing from Brentford's players increased the likelihood they would score, while Bournemouth's finishing was below what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances they had. That is further backed up by the fact the Cherries only got three of their 15 attempts on target.

Simone Inzaghi was proud of Inter's second-half performance but believes they should have come away with all three points from their 1-1 draw with Napoli. 

Hakan Calhanoglu scored with a stunning strike to cancel out Scott McTominay's opener for Napoli, but missed a penalty for the first time in eight years.

He had previously never missed a penalty in Serie A, netting 17 in a row before Sunday.

"I congratulated the team, if there was one side that should've won, then it was Inter. The second half was dominated by us," Inzaghi told DAZN.

"We went behind on a set play situation where we should've done better, but we kept our heads and did not allow Napoli practically anything.

"We hit the woodwork twice, missed a penalty, so I don’t know what more we could've done."

While Inter dominated the second half, the strike duo of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram were largely kept quiet.

Martinez managed just two shots, worth 0.24 expected goals (xG), hitting the target with neither, while Thuram did not manage a single attempt, though Inzaghi was still impressed by their displays.

"They worked hard for the team and kept us solid," Inzaghi said.

"As a coach, I have to leave the result aside and focus on the performance, which was excellent against a quality opponent."

With nearly a third of the Serie A season completed, the title race is shaping up to be tight with Napoli leading the way on 26 points. Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter and Lazio, meanwhile, are all on 25.

"I said this would be a very balanced campaign and that is proving to be true, but I saw a wonderful Inter tonight," Inzaghi said.

"We could probably have made more of our chances, but let us not forget the strength of the side we were facing." 

Hansi Flick did not offer any excuses after Barcelona's poor performance in their shock 1-0 defeat away to Real Sociedad on Sunday evening.

Sheraldo Becker scored the only goal for the hosts in the first half, with Barca offering little while searching for a comeback. 

The defeat ended Barcelona's run of seven straight victories in all competitions, although they remain six points ahead of Real Madrid – who have a game in hand – at the top of LaLiga.

"Today was not our day," Flick told a press conference.

"I think we have to accept this result because they played decisively. It's clear, there are no excuses. We didn't create enough chances.

"We started well with the ball, I was happy, but then we started to suffer and their goal came. We also made some bad decisions and that's something we have to live with."

Barcelona had scored in every game they had played in all competitions this season until Sunday, although they did not even manage a shot on target at the Reale Arena.

It is just the second time they have failed to do so since at least the 2003-04 season, after a match against Malaga in September 2014.

Real Sociedad arguably could have won by a wider margin after creating 14 chances and generating 1.85 expected goals (xG). The Barcelona defence made plenty of errors, which was something that concerned Flick.

"The responsibility for the defeat is ours. We could and should have played much better," Flick said.

"We haven't held possession of the ball the way we wanted and suffered. But the games we have played before have been fantastic, and I appreciate what the team has done so far this season.

"We tried until the last second, united, and I told the team that. But today we weren't strong enough to deserve a better result."

Head coach Michel hailed Girona's resilience after they earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Getafe on Sunday, despite riding their luck at times. 

Getafe were the better side for much of the contest but Yangel Herrera's towering header in the first half was enough to seal victory for Girona, who were missing 12 first-team players due to injuries.

The visitors only had three shots in total, hitting the target twice, as they accumulated just 0.19 expected goals (xG). While Getafe registered 0.61 xG, they failed to test goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, allowing Girona to clinch the win with a more clinical performance. 

"Today's performance was not our best, obviously, and everyone could see that, but you have to appreciate how the boys defended," Michel told DAZN.

"God knows how many crosses they attempted, they had eight shots, and we kept most off the target. That's great defending. With the only real chance we created in the game, it was a goal. We knew it was going to be difficult.

"They are a team that presses well, they have done it to all teams and that's why they were undefeated at home. We've been very competitive, as you need to be to win here."

Girona earned back-to-back league wins for the first time in more than two months, and sit 10th in LaLiga going into the international break. It was also an important win for them, having suffered a 4-0 defeat to PSV in the Champions League earlier last week.

Michel said he is hoping the two-week rest they will have in the international break will help them get some of their key players back from injury, such as Abel Ruiz, Arnaut Danjuma, Viktor Tsygankov or Yaser Asprilla, among others.

"That's our reality and that's why those were three very, very valuable points. The way the team is at the moment, we need to rest and get some of the boys back," Michel said.

"I think after the international break we're going to have, I hope, fingers crossed, more players available, and today it was very important to get a positive result."

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that starting center Chet Holmgren will be sidelined from eight-to-10 weeks with a pelvic fracture he sustained in Sunday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

Holmgren has been diagnosed with a right iliac wing fracture as the result of a hard fall the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up took while contesting a shot during the first quarter of the Thunder's 127-116 loss to Golden State.

The 2022 No. 2 overall pick played a big role in the 8-1 start Oklahoma City took into Sunday's contest. Holmgren entered the game averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds while shooting 40 per cent from 3-point range, and his 2.6 blocks per game currently ranks third in the NBA.

Oklahoma City was already without another of its top big men for the foreseeable future, as center Isaiah Hartenstein is expected to be sidelined into December after fracturing his left hand during the pre-season.

Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87 million contract with the Thunder during the offseason, the largest deal in franchise history, after averaging 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Knicks in 2023-24 and helping New York win 50 games while reaching the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Holmgren missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a Lisfranc fracture in his foot, but came back to put together a strong debut campaign for a Thunder team that went 57-25 and earned the Western Conference's No. 1 seed in 2023-24.

The 7-footer averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while playing in all 82 games to finish second behind San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama in NBA Rookie of the Year voting. 

Stephen Curry scored a season-high 36 points and the Golden State Warriors held off a late comeback attempt from the Oklahoma City Thunder to come away with a 127-116 win in Sunday's clash between two of the Western Conference's top teams so far this season.

Curry had seven of the Warriors' 21 makes from 3-point range to help Golden State improve to 8-2, tied with the Thunder and Phoenix Suns for the West's best record. The Warriors also received 20 points off the bench from Jonathan Kuminga and 19 points and 10 rebounds from De'Anthony Melton.

Oklahoma City lost for the second time in three games following a 7-0 start after trailing by as many as 30 points in the third quarter and losing starting centre Chet Holmgren in the first. The 7-footer did not return after injuring his right hip following a hard fall just over five minutes into the contest.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 24 points but was held to 6-of-17 shooting. Jalen Williams went 9 of 15 from the field while recording 20 points.

The Warriors trailed 33-26 after one quarter but took control in the second, using a 10-2 run to open up a 58-49 lead with less than two minutes before half-time. Kuminga tallied 12 points in the second quarter as Golden State went into the break owning a 65-58 advantage.

Curry then took over in the third quarter, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Golden State outscored the Thunder by a 42-21 margin for the frame to take a commanding 107-79 lead into the fourth.

The Thunder made a late bid by putting together an 18-4 spurt that cut a 20-point deficit down to 114-108 with under five minutes to go. Kuminga answered with an alley-oop dunk on the next possession, however, before Curry's 3-pointer with 3:23 remaining helped put an end to the threat.

Kings halt Suns' seven-game win streak with overtime victory

DeMar DeRozan poured in a season-high 34 points, including eight in overtime, as the Sacramento Kings put an end to the ailing Phoenix Suns' seven-game winning streak by rallying for a 127-118 victory.

De'Aaron Fox also had eight of his 21 points in extra time to help Sacramento to its sixth win in eight games following an 0-2 start. Fox added 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Domantas Sabonis contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds and Keegan Murray compiled 14 points and 14 boards for the Kings.

In their first outing since Kevin Durant sustained a strained calf that's expected to sideline the perennial All-Star for around two weeks, the Suns played much of Sunday's game without another key starter after centre Jusuf Nurkic sat out the second half and overtime due to lingering soreness in his ankle. 

Tyus Jones did step up in Durant's absence by scoring 22 points to complement the Suns' two other superstars, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. Beal finished with 28 points and eight rebounds and Booker recorded 23 points and 12 assists. Jones finished 6 of 10 from beyond the 3-point line.

Phoenix looked on the way to another win after taking a 92-81 lead on Booker's jumper with 8:58 left in regulation. The Suns held a seven-point advantage with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Murray's 3-pointer ignited a 7-1 Sacramento run that brought the Kings within 105-104 with two minutes to go.

Murray tipped in DeRozan's missed shot with four seconds left in regulation to give the Kings a 111-110 edge, but was called for a foul on the ensuing in-bounds play to allow Booker to make the tying free throw and force overtime.

DeRozan then took control during the extra period, scoring the first eight points of a 10-1 spurt early in OT as Sacramento opened up a 121-114 lead with 2 1/2 minutes to go.

The Kings were up by 11 points early in the third quarter before Phoenix put forth a 9-0 run to pull within 66-64 with 7:47 remaining in the period. 

Porter's late basket lifts streaking Nuggets over Mavericks

Michael Porter Jr. hit a tie-breaking jumper with 6.5 seconds remaining to give the Denver Nuggets a fifth straight win with Sunday's 122-120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Nuggets scored the game's final four points after Dallas' Kyrie Irving snapped a 118-118 deadlock by banking in a shot with 1:39 to go.

Nikola Jokić tipped in his own missed shot in the final minute, however, to pull Denver back even. After Irving misfired on a 3-point try on the other end, Porter drove the lane and got a 14-footer to fall before Irving again couldn't connect on a 3-point attempt just prior to the final buzzer.

Irving had made his first six shots from beyond the arc prior to those two late misses, part of a 43-point performance in which the eight-time All-Star went 17 of 22 from the field.

Denver countered with a dominant 37-point, 18-point, 15-rebound effort out of Jokic, the two-time NBA MVP's fourth consecutive triple-double. Porter finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and the Nuggets also received 18 points and six assists from Jamal Murray.

Dallas was dealt a second straight defeat despite Irving's huge night and the presence of Luka Dončić, who played through a groin strain that had him questionable coming into the contest and recorded 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in 41 minutes.

The Kansas City Chiefs incredibly remained unbeaten by blocking a 35-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the game to hold off the Denver Broncos 16-14 on Sunday. 

Two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City went ahead on Harrison Butker's 20-yard field goal with 5:57 left, but Denver put together a drive that brought the Broncos down to the Chiefs' 17-yard line with one second remaining.

The Chiefs then blocked Will Lutz’s field-goal attempt to hang on and win their 15th straight game, including the play-offs, dating back to Week 17 of last season. The streak is the longest in the NFL since the Green Bay Packers won 19 straight spanning the 2010 and 2011 seasons. 

Kansas City (9-0) trailed 14-3 before Patrick Mahomes threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 1:44 to go in the first half to pull the Chiefs within four points.

Butker’s second and third field goals of the game were the only points either team scored in the second half.

Mahomes finished with 266 yards on 28-of-42 passing, while Kelce recorded eight catches for 64 yards.

Bo Nix completed 22 of 30 attempts for 215 yards with touchdown passes to Devaughn Vele and Courtland Sutton for Denver (5-5), which has lost two straight since winning five times in a six-game stretch. 

Lions rally past Texans despite five Goff interceptions

Jake Bates kicked two long field goals, including a 52-yarder as time expired, as the rolling Detroit Lions overcame five Jared Goff interceptions in a stunning 26-23 comeback win over the Houston Texans.

Down 23-7 at half-time in this interconference clash of division leaders, Detroit scored 19 unanswered points over the final two quarters to extend its winning streak to seven games in improbable fashion. The Lions are the first team to win a game in which their quarterback was picked off five times since the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Arizona Cardinals in 2012.

Goff did deliver a pair of touchdown passes, a 20-yarder to Sam LaPorta in the second quarter and a 9-yard strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 11:38 left that brought Detroit within 23-20. The Lions tied it 6 1/2 minutes later when Bates knocked home a career-long 58-yard field goal.

Detroit, which is 8-1 for the first time since 1954, began its rally with the first of two second-half picks of C.J. Stroud, which set up David Montgomery's 3-yard touchdown run that trimmed Houston's lead to 23-13 after the Lions failed on the ensuing 2-point try.

Stroud did throw a 15-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie late in the second quarter that sent Houston (6-4) into the break up 23-7. The Texans also got three first-half field goals from Ka'imi Fairbairn and an 8-yard touchdown run from Joe Mixon in the first quarter, a score that came shortly after the Texans got their first of three first-half interceptions of Goff.

Fairbairn missed a 58-yard try with the game tied at 20-20 with under two minutes to go, however, and Goff's 11-yard completion to St. Brown on third down shortly after put the Lions in range for Bates' winning kick.

Metchie finished with 74 yards on five catches in the loss, the Texans' second straight and third in four games.

Wilson's late touchdown pass to Williams puts Steelers over Commanders

Mike Williams made an immediate impact in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut, as the wide receiver hauled in a go-ahead 32-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson with 2:22 remaining to lift his new team to a 28-27 win over the Washington Commanders.

Williams, acquired in a trade with the New York Jets on Tuesday, caught the last of three touchdown passes from Wilson that helped the Steelers rally from a 24-14 third-quarter deficit. The veteran quarterback also had first-half scoring strikes to Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens, who finished with 91 yards on five receptions.

Pittsburgh (7-2), now a half-game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North, also got another big effort from its defence to extend its winning streak to four games - including all three Wilson has started since he returned from a calf injury that sidelined him six games. 

The Steelers held Washington (7-3) to a season-low 242 total yards and came up with a crucial late stop when Damontae Kazae tackled tight end Zach Ertz just short of the first-down marker on a 4th-and-9 catch with 1:18 left to play.

Washington had a three-game win streak halted despite two first-half rushing touchdowns from Austin Ekeler and another from Jeremy McNichols that put the Commanders up 24-14 early in the third quarter. The Steelers countered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by Najee Harris' 1-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to three points midway through the period.

Jayden Daniels had a fifth straight game without an interception, but the Commanders' star rookie quarterback went without a touchdown pass while completing just half of his 34 attempts for 202 yards. Most of that total went to Terry McLaurin, who registered 113 yards on five catches. 

Eagles dominate decimated Cowboys to take NFC East lead

The surging Philadelphia Eagles passed the Commanders for first place in the NFC East with a lopsided 34-6 victory over the injury-plagued Dallas Cowboys, a win sparked by Jalen Hurts' four total touchdowns.

Hurts rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more in a game Philadelphia (7-2) controlled from start to finish en route to a fifth consecutive win. The star quarterback ended with 202 yards and an interception on 14-of-20 passing while accounting for 56 of the Eagles' 187 rushing yards.

Playing its first game since quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury expected to end his season, Dallas (3-6) managed a mere 146 total yards while committing five giveaways to lose its fourth straight overall and drop to 0-4 at home this season. 

Cooper Rush started in Prescott's place but produced a measly 45 yards while completing 13 of 23 attempts before being replaced in the fourth quarter. Trey Lance took over for Rush and was 4 of 6 for 21 yards with an interception.

Hurts had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a score set up by Rush's fumble deep in Dallas territory, and a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert late in the second to send the Eagles into half-time with a 14-6 lead.

Philadelphia then dominated the final two quarters, outscoring the Cowboys 20-0 in the second half. The Eagles' final two touchdowns - a 5-yard pass from Hurts to Johnny Wilson and an 8-yard touchdown run by the quarterback - both came in the third quarter.

Saints end seven-game skid in Rizzi's debut

After losing their final seven games under Dennis Allen, the New Orleans Saints are now 1-0 under interim head coach Darren Rizzi after coming through with a surprising 20-17 victory over the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons.

Derek Carr threw two second-quarter touchdown passes to Marques Valdes-Scantling and New Orleans (3-7) got a couple of key late stops on defence to prevail in its first game since firing Allen on Monday and promoting Rizzi from special teams coach to take over.

Valdes-Scantling, signed by the Saints on Oct. 22 after being released by the Buffalo Bills, had a 40-yard touchdown catch to give the Saints a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter and finished with 109 yards on three receptions. Carr went 16 of 25 for 269 yards with no interceptions and New Orleans also received 109 yards from scrimmage from Alvin Kamara.

Atlanta (6-4) lost for just the second time in its last seven games by failing to capitalise on several scoring chances. Kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goals and quarterback Kirk Cousins was intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu with 1:59 left to end another drive in New Orleans territory.

The loss overshadowed an impressive day for Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The 2023 first-round pick ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that brought Atlanta within 20-17.

Drake London had 97 yards on eight catches for Atlanta, while Darnell Mooney added 96 yards on five receptions. Cousins finished with 306 yards on 23-of-38 passing. 

Murray dazzles as Cardinals crush Jets to stay hot

Kyler Murray accounted for three touchdowns in a near-perfect performance that propelled the Arizona Cardinals to a fourth straight win, a 31-6 rout of the disappointing New York Jets.

Murray set a franchise record with 17 consecutive completions while going 22 of 24 for 266 yards with a touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. The playmaking quarterback added two more touchdowns on the ground to keep Arizona (6-4) ahead of second-place San Francisco in the NFC West race. The 49ers kept pace with a 23-20 win at Tampa Bay on Jake Moody's 44-yard field goal as time expired.

The Cardinals' defence did its part as well by limiting the Jets to 207 total yards and sacking Aaron Rodgers three times. Rodgers managed just 151 passing yards despite completing 22 of 35 throws.

Murray and James Conner each had 1-yard touchdown runs to stake Arizona to a 14-3 lead through one quarter. Murray's 9-yard touchdown pass to Harrison extended the margin to 21-6 in the second, and the Cardinals closed out the first half with Chad Ryland's 37-yard field goal for an 18-point advantage.

New York (3-7) also couldn't get anything going in the second half while being dealt another unwanted result in a season that began with high expectations. The Jets have now lost six of seven and are 1-4 since firing head coach Robert Saleh last month and replacing him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Murray closed out the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Conner led the Cardinals with 80 receiving yards on five catches, while Trey Benson recorded 62 rushing yards on 10 carries in the win.

After almost a month out of action, Jannik Sinner was delighted to shake off his rustiness with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur at the ATP Finals.

Playing on home soil in Turin, the Italian reeled off a 6-3 6-4 victory over De Minaur in 85 minutes, making a winning start to his bid to escape the Ilie Nastase Group, also containing Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.

It was Sinner's first match since he won the Shanghai Masters on October 13, but he overcame some early nerves to showcase his impressive power from the baseline.

Asked about the impact of his long wait between matches, Sinner said: "Considering that, I'm very happy. 

"I started off with some unforced errors. He was playing great in the beginning of the match, so I just tried to stay there mentally, knowing that hopefully at some point my tennis would arrive. It arrived quite early, and I started to return very well.

"My serve, for sure I have to improve if I want to win the next match. Against Taylor, today he played really well. Hopefully this can give me confidence for the next one."

Data Debrief: The man for the big stage

Sinner's victory over ninth-ranked De Minaur is his 13th against a top-10 player in ATP events this calendar year, having also done so in 2023.

He is just the fifth player aged 23 or under to reach that mark in back-to-back seasons since 1973, after legendary quartet Bjorn Borg (1977-79), Ivan Lendl (1980-82), Pete Sampras (1993-94) and Rafael Nadal (2008-09)

Ruben Amorim enjoyed a triumphant Sporting CP farewell ahead of his move to Manchester United, then declared it was the right time for him to think of his own career.

Amorim will officially take charge of the Red Devils on Monday, with Ruud van Nistelrooy having led the team as interim coach since Erik ten Hag was sacked last month.

His glittering spell with Sporting ended with a 4-2 victory at Braga on Sunday, their 11th win in as many Primeira Liga matches this campaign.

Speaking to reporters at his post-match press conference, Amorim said: "It's difficult to summarise everything at this point. It was an incredible adventure. 

"I always seemed to have all the certainties, but at some stages I had many doubts, so I insist that none of this was achieved alone. I arrived in a complicated period. I am the one who says thank you to the Sporting fans. 

"I did what I could, I made some mistakes, showed some stubbornness, but I was always thinking about what was best for the team. 

"This time, it was the only time I thought of myself, but I had to. I felt that it was my time and my path. When I felt this, I had to leave, because I have to be full-time."

Amorim's first match in charge of United will be at Ipswich Town in the Premier League on November 24, with his first Old Trafford outing coming against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League four days later.