Rafael Leao was likened to Thierry Henry by Milan head coach Stefano Pioli after firing his side to a slender victory against Sampdoria.

The Portugal international scored the only goal of the game eight minutes into Sunday's clash at San Siro to send Milan top of Serie A.

Leao controlled a pass from Mike Maignan – the first Milan keeper to assist a league goal since Dida in 2006 – powered past Bartosz Bereszynski and coolly converted.

He now has 10 goals for the season in all competitions, making him the Rossoneri's joint-leading goalscorer alongside Olivier Giroud.

That is already three goals more than Leao managed in 39 appearances last season, and four more than in his first season at San Siro in 2019-20.

Of those 10 goals this season, seven have been scored in Serie A and four of them have been the opening goal of the match.

Pioli has been pleased with Leao's development and is confident there is more to come from the 22-year-old striker.

"I believe he can always do better, he must not be satisfied," Pioli said at his post-match news conference. "He has the qualities to reach the top of Europe and the world.

"He reminds me of Henry, but it is true that Rafa must be himself. Leao is an extraordinary player, but he mustn't rest on his laurels."

Milan took full advantage of Inter's 1-1 draw with Napoli on Saturday to leapfrog both sides into top spot with their win over Sampdoria.

The Rossoneri are two points in front of Napoli and one better off than Inter, who have a game in hand to play.

Pioli's side have gained 55 points from their opening 25 matches – in the era of three points for a win, they have had so many only in 2003-04 (64).

But while his side occupy top spot in a tight battle for the Scudetto, Pioli insisted he is not yet thinking about ending Milan's 11-year wait for a league title.

"Our goal does not change," he said. "We printed last year's standings at the beginning of the season and our goal is to improve on the 79 points collected last season.

"We had a perfect week and I'm happy for the guys who really gave everything, playing with intensity and determination, which allowed us to achieve these results. 

"We also know that the championship is still long: let's concentrate as we have always done to better prepare for the next match to get the best out of it."

Milan may be flying high in Serie A and through to the Coppa Italia semi-finals, but not every player is in the good books of supporters.

Franck Kessie appeared to be targeted by the club's ultras on Sunday amid suggestions he is not planning to sign a new contract, with his current one set to expire in July.

A banner was unfurled at San Siro that read: "Those who love Milan show it with facts; cordial goodbyes to those who are dissatisfied."

Kessie was also booed by some supporters during the warm-ups, which Pioli was not pleased with.

"I heard it. I don't think it's the right thing because we need everyone. The past teaches us it is the attitudes and behaviours of the players that make the difference," he said. 

"When I train, I don't care if he has renewed or if it's about to expire. I know these players and I see them, I see how they behave. 

"As long as they have the right attitudes, I will put them on the pitch. The Milan fans have a great heart and a great passion and are giving us great support."

Ryan Fox recovered from a shaky start to the final round to seal a wire-to-wire victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

The 35-year-old led by six shots heading into Sunday's action at Al Hamra Golf Club but saw that cut to just two at one point.

However, Fox managed to hold his nerve and carded a final-round three-under-par 69 for 22-under overall, enough to finish five shots ahead of Ross Fisher in second.

The victory is Fox's second on the European Tour, and his first in a 72-hole format, having previously triumphed in a Super 6 tournament in Perth three years ago.

Ranked 211th in the world, the New Zealander led the way from start to finish and was glad to have avoided what at one point looked like being a remarkable collapse.

"Relief is the main emotion," Fox said. "It was a bit of a struggle today. Sleeping on a six shot lead, I did not sleep well last night. 

"A couple of guys came at me early and I had that nervous feeling inside my stomach all day, but I'm happy with how I played. I hit some great shots coming down the stretch."

Fox parred the first three holes but somehow missed from just two feet to bogey the par-three fourth – a first indication that nerves were perhaps beginning to creep in.

He responded with a birdie only for another bogey to follow at the sixth, allowing Justin Harding, Robert MacIntyre and Pablo Larrazabal to close the gap significantly.

Larrazabal was within two shots when rolling in a 25-foot putt at the 11th, though Fox soon got his act together and ended strongly with three birdies on the back nine.

"I just kept plugging away and there were a few big momentum putts on the back nine," Fox said. 

"There was one on the 10th for par and then that birdie putt on 12 which kind of kicked-started everything. 

"I got away with the tee shot there, but thankfully the hole got in the way with my putt. It looked good all the way and it just gave me that bit more of a buffer."

Larrazabal fell away to finish on 69 for the day, seeing the Spaniard end in a tie for third with Zander Lombard, with Fisher in second after birdying four of his first eight holes.

Rafael Leao's early goal proved the difference as Milan beat Sampdoria 1-0 at San Siro on Sunday to climb to the top of Serie A.

Saturday's 1-1 draw between Inter and Napoli provided Milan with the opportunity to leapfrog both sides and they did exactly that without ever being at their best against Samp.

Leao calmly converted inside eight minutes after being assisted by keeper Mike Maignan and that was enough for the hosts, who have now won three in a row in all competitions.

Milan are two points clear of third-place Napoli and one point better off than reigning champions Inter, who still have a game in hand to play.

Milan had collected just one point from their past two home matches but started brightly and took the lead early on through Leao's 10th goal of the campaign.

The Portugal international controlled a long pass from Maignan, drove away from Bartosz Bereszynski into the opposition box and coolly fired away from Wladimiro Falcone.

Falcone produced a fine one-handed save to keep out a powerful Junior Messias drive and the Milan midfielder flashed another attempt narrowly wide the other side of half-time.

Sampdoria had a brief moment on top but the big chances continued to fall Milan's way, with Olivier Giroud twice being denied by the visiting keeper from a volley and a header.

The visitors never truly looked like finding a leveller, though, with Stefano Pioli's side seeing out the job to climb to the summit.

What does it mean? Tight at the top

After following up a late 2-1 comeback win over Inter with a 4-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final victory against Lazio in midweek, this latest result caps a fine week for Milan.

The Rossoneri will end a gameweek top of Serie A for only the second time this season in what is by some distance the tightest title race in Europe's top five leagues.

As for relegation-threatened Sampdoria, this was their 67th Serie A defeat to Milan – only against Inter (70) have they lost more games in the competition.

Route-one Rossoneri

Leao profited from Maignan's quick thinking to release the ball early for Milan's early breakthrough goal.

Maignan is the eighth goalkeeper to assist a goal in Europe's top five leagues this term, and the first Milan shot-stopper to do so in Serie A since Dida against Ascoli in 2006.

Giroud awakening

Milan's in-form striker had scored braces in back-to-back matches heading into this contest but simply could not find a way past man-of-the-match Falcone.

Giroud had five shots in total with an expected goals (xG) return of 0.40 without finding the net, compared to one shot and one goal for Leao, who had an xG of 0.33.

What's next?

Milan travel to Serie A's bottom side Salernitana next Saturday, while Sampdoria host Empoli the same day.

Australia held on for victory in the second T20I against Sri Lanka despite the tourists forcing a super over with a thrilling run chase.

Having won the opener – also in Sydney – by 20 runs, Sunday's match looked to be in Australia's control after they posted 164-6 after batting first.

Captain Aaron Finch (25) and 48 from Josh Inglis carried the hosts to 112-4 before late flurries from Marcus Stoinis (19) and Matthew Wade, who hit 13 off just four deliveries.

After Danushka Gunathilaka thumped a Josh Hazlewood ball straight to the waiting Ben McDermott, Inglis leapt to his left to catch a drive from Avishka Fernando in the third over, and Sri Lankan hopes looked forlorn indeed when Pat Cummins skittled Charith Asalanka for a duck.

Yet Pathum Nissanka maintained composure to build Sri Lanka's score. He smashed 73 off only 53 balls, including nine boundaries, while captain Dasun Shanaka added 34 from 19 deliveries before being run out by a brilliant Steve Smith throw.

It was Stoinis who eventually ended Nissanka's stand, his full toss swung towards deep square where Cummins claimed a fine catch, but Maheesh Theekshana promptly hit a six from the next ball despite Smith nearly concussing himself in a desperate attempt to save it.

In an extraordinary finish, Dushmantha Chameera then thumped another full toss from Stoinis straight down the ground for four to force the eliminator, for which Hazlewood was chosen for the Australia attack.

It proved a wise choice. Sri Lanka managed 5-1, with Dinesh Chandimal run out by Glenn Maxwell, allowing Stoinis to settle the contest with consecutive fours.

Unlucky Sri Lanka can take heart

Sri Lanka have now lost seven T20I matches in a row against Australia and have only one win from 15 in the format when playing outside Asia.

They are unlikely to get much closer to victory than this. Needing 46 off the final 18 balls, they managed 45, while fortune was against them when Chameera's final strike fell just short of a six after a wide had not been called on the penultimate delivery.

Hazlewood shines in super over

Nissanka kept Sri Lanka's hopes alive, but Hazlewood ended them clinically in the super over with some expert deliveries.

"I just kept a nice clear mind," said Hazlewood, who finished with figures of 3-22. "[I] had a chat with Finchy and came up with a plan of what I wanted to do. The confidence is high at the moment and [it is] nice to execute."

Klay Thompson shot a season-best 33 points, marking a major milestone in his recovery from long-term injury, as the Golden State Warriors narrowly edged the Los Angeles Lakers 117-115 on Saturday.

Thompson has been slowly building up his game time since returning from consecutive ACL and Achilles injuries that left him on the shelf for two and a half years, and recently bumped it up to 30 minutes per game, which allowed him to top score against the Lakers.

The 32-year-old shot five-of-nine from beyond the arc, with Stephen Curry (24 points, five rebounds, eight assists) taking a backseat. LeBron James managed 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers.

"After not feeling that feeling for a few years, don't take a 30-ball lightly in this league," Thompson said after the win at Chase Center.

"I know that is always in me, but these things happen naturally. If I can play to do that every fourth quarter, I would. It's the flow of the game. Great things happen with time.

"It was really inspiring for myself. There were so many long days in this building, so many long days doing those tedious things. That is something that I wasn't used to prior due to my ability to play nightly. Now that I am able to do that, it inspires me to keep going.

"I am not satisfied. It felt really freaking good, though."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was effusive in his praise of Thompson after the victory that takes his team to 42-15 for the season.

"[He was] phenomenal," Kerr said. "Just took one game at a time when we desperately needed him. With our offense kind of struggling to [find] a groove, and he got hot and took over the game."

Curry – who uncharacteristically managed just one three-pointer from eight attempts on the night – was also impressed with Thompson's efforts, saying: "It's still early in his comeback, but every night is a step in the right direction. To have that energy, that confidence in himself, nothing else matters in that moment."

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was relieved to come through the "noise" surrounding James Harden after his blockbuster trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers signed up Harden and Paul Millsap this week from the Nets, sending Seth Curry, reserve center Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons and two first-round picks the other way.

Harden had last January forced his way out of the Houston Rockets to move to Brooklyn and team up with Durant and Kyrie Irving, but the Nets' 'Big Three' played just 365 minutes together across 16 games in the regular season and playoffs.

Although the Nets went 13-3 in that time, Harden and Irving were each absent for three games of the seven-game series against eventual champions the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2020-21 postseason.

Injury problems have persisted this season, while Irving has missed 10 games due to not having had the COVID-19 vaccination, and the Nets were on a 10-game skid when the Harden trade went through.

Durant insists Harden does not owe an explanation after growing "unhappy" in Brooklyn.

"James doesn't have to explain anything to anybody," he said before Saturday's 115-111 loss to the Miami Heat. "He's his own man. He makes his decisions on his career by himself. He doesn't owe anybody an explanation, and I wasn't looking for one.

"I'm just glad that we got this thing done and now we're able to move forward and get some of this noise away, and I'm sure he would feel the same way. But from around our team and around our group, there's noise about what may happen. So I'm glad we can push through that.

"I think once a person gets to that decision of 'I'm unhappy,' I think he's gone through a lot of steps to get there. So, no matter what I say or try to convince someone - I'm not saying I did this, but this is just my theory on this - no matter what I say or do to try to convince someone to change their mood from being unhappy to happy, I think that's when I'm pretty late to the party.

"He's made his decision. I'm sure people make their decision before they get to that mode of being unhappy. I didn't have any conversations with James up until then. I thought everything was solid. I don't do any convincing. I'm sure you make those choices and decisions on your own as an individual. Me as a friend, I just have to accept it."

Harden saw his new team move to 34-22 with an impressive 103-93 defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Joel Embiid continued his MVP form with a triple-double, making a minimum of 25 points for the 31st game in a row, and he believes Harden's arrival will only help him perform better.

"He's going to make the game easy for all of us, especially me," said Embiid. "I don't get a lot of easy shots. I have to work for most of them. I hope he's going to make my game easier."

Kyrie Irving is holding out hope that New York City's vaccination mandate will eventually get overturned enabling him to play home games for the struggling Brooklyn Nets.

Irving scored 29 points, including 20 in the final quarter, as the Nets suffered their 11th straight defeat on Saturday, going down 115-111 to the Miami Heat.

The point guard will be unavailable for the Nets' next three games, as they are all at home at the Barclays Center where he cannot play due to his vaccination status.

"I still wish I could be out there at home," Irving told reporters after the game.

"Some people say it's as simple as, 'hey, go get this, go get the shot.' No, it's not as simple as that for me in my life, but ultimately still praying for a better outcome."

The defeat means the Nets slip perilously close to going below .500 with a 29-27 record.

Brooklyn also traded out James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers this week, while star forward Kevin Durant is still out injured. The Harden trade did mean the Nets landed Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond.

Irving said he felt no guilt for being unable to play home games as the Nets continued to slide.

"There's no guilt that I feel," Irving said. "I'm the only player that has to deal with this in New York City because I play there.

"If I was anywhere else in another city then it probably wouldn't be the same circumstances. But because I'm there, we have [mayor] Eric Adams, we have the New York mandate, we have things going on that are real-life circumstances that are not just affecting me. So you ask me these questions, I don't feel guilt.

"I'm just living my life as best I can just like everybody else that missed these last two years. I didn't have a plan in place while all this was going on, didn't know.

"The NBA and the NBPA made it very clear that there would be things that I would be able to do to work around this. And that's off the table. So you tell me if I'm just alone out here or do I have support from everybody else that's dealing with the same thing?"

Israel Adesanya has retained his UFC middleweight title after defeating Australian Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision in their re-match at UFC 271 on Saturday.

The Nigerian, who boasts an imposing 23-1 record, triumphed 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 to remain undefeated in the middleweight decision which he has dominated.

Adesanya had defeated Whittaker in a second-round knockout at UFC 243 in 2019 but the Australian put up a much better fight this time around with new tactics.

Whittaker took down Adesanya several times throughout the bout, also the champion found an edge by landing punches and kicks to his opponents' face, legs and ribs.

Adesanya started the better, before Whittaker took him down in the second round, landing several punches to the face, but the champion managed to escape his hold and respond with a few blows.

Whittaker again took down Adesanya in the fourth round, attempting to lock in a choke as he rode his back, but he managed to break free.

The Australian continued to try take down Adesanya whose ability to escape was critical to holding his victory, along with his attacking punches and kicks.

"I knew he was going to bring everything because last time I took everything away from him," Adesanya said after the bout. "I'm the big dog in this yard so he couldn’t take me down at all."

Whittaker felt like he had done enough to claim victory and admitted he was surprised by the judges' decision yet gracious in defeat.

"I was surprised with the decision," Whittaker said. "I started off rocky in that first round. I felt like I had it after that. It is what it is.

"I'm happy I fought my heart out. I'm gutted, I thought I did enough, I thought I took that."

Adesanya's next opponent may be third-ranked Jared Cannonier (15-5) who knocked out Derek Brunson in the second round of their middleweight bout earlier on Saturday. Cannonier said after the fight that he wants a chance against Adesanya.

Tuivasa knocks out KO king Lewis

In the co-main event, Tai Tuivasa claimed victory over Derrick Lewis with a second-round knockout in the heavyweight division.

Tuivasa extended his run of wins by knockout to five, responding after being taken down twice in the first round by landing a decisive elbow to Lewis' face.

“That’s the king of knockouts,” Tuivasa said afte the bout. “But like I said, I’m young... and I’m taking over now.”

The Australian moves into contention for a title shot against Francis Ngannou.

The Philadelphia 76ers made a statement as Joel Embiid piled on a 40-point triple-double as they won 103-93 over the Cleveland Cavaliers without new acquisition James Harden on Saturday.

Embiid scored 40 points with 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Sixers, who improve to 34-22. It was only Embiid's fourth career triple-double.

The Cameroonian center's points haul included a highlight-reel dunk, a one-handed throw-down over Jarrett Allen late in the first half.

Embiid also made four of five three-pointers, going at 50 per cent from the field, while he added three steals in an outstanding game as they wait on Harden to be cleared medically to debut.

Klay hits season-high

Klay Thompson scored a season-high 33 points, marking a major milestone in his recovery from long-term injury, as the Golden State Warriors won 117-115 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson shot five-of-nine from beyond the arc, with Stephen Curry (24 points, five rebounds, eight assists) taking a backseat. LeBron James had 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers.

The Chicago Bulls, sitting second in the Eastern Conference, overcame a sluggish start as DeMar DeRozan scored 38 points with six rebounds and five assists, while Nikola Vucevic added 31 points and 15 rebounds in a 106-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Doncic scored 45 points with 15 rebounds and eight rebounds in a losing cause as the Dallas Mavericks went down 99-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers, while the table-topping Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight with a 132-105 win over the Orlando Magic led by Devin Booker's 26 points and Chris Paul's 15 assists.

Nets slump to 11th straight loss

Kyrie Irving led a late Brooklyn Nets charge that fell short as they went down 115-111 to the Miami Heat. Irving scored 29 points, including 20 in the final quarter, with five rebounds and five assists as the Nets slumped to their 11th straight defeat. Bam Adebayo had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat who have won five in a row.

The top two seeds Casper Ruud and Diego Schwartzman will face off in the Argentina Open final after the latter won two matches on Saturday to progress at his home event.

The Argentine world number 14 had to overcome countryman Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 2-6 5-7 earlier on Saturday after their quarter-final had been interrupted by rain on Friday evening.

The match was tied at 1-1 in the third set when rain intervened, with Schwartzman triumphing when play resumed to earn a semi-final date with third seed Lorenzo Sonego.

Schwartzman would later beat Sonego 7-5 3-6 6-2 in almost three hours on a busy day for the 2020 French Open semi-finalist.

World number eight Ruud progressed with a routine 6-3 6-3 victory over Argentine sixth seed Federico Delbonis.

At the Dallas Open semi-finals, Reilly Opelka and John Isner broke the record for the longest tiebreaker on the ATP Tour since 1990.

Second seed Opelka triumphed over fellow American Isner but it was not easy, winning 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (24-22).

Opelka sent down 39-21 aces across the match, earning a spot in the final against fourth seed Jenson Brooksby who beat Marcos Giron 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5).

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hinted at hope of a resolution on Mohamed Salah's contract situation, stating that players can reach their peak in their mid-30s.

Salah, who turns 30 in June, has 18 months remaining on his current Liverpool contract but talks ongoing on a new deal.

The Egypt international has reiterated he wants to remain at Liverpool although there has been reports that his representatives want a bumper deal worth around £300,000-a-week.

Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have been reluctant in the past to offer lucrative deals to players well into their 30s in the past but the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner is showing no signs of slowing up.

"One or two years ago the first three players of the Ballon d'Or, apart from Salah who is slightly younger, were all 34 or older," Klopp told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash with Burnley.

"Lewandowski is 33, then Messi and Ronaldo [are] 34 and 37 and if you are lucky enough to get through a career without major injuries you can play long.

"There is no peak mid-20s. The massive advantage of early 30s, mid-30s is the player can see things in the right way having learned in his career.

"He can use that and he can be an even better player than he was a few years before and that is the plan with all of them. There is no age roof.

"For clubs it is different, they think 'we won't sign a 33-year-old because we cannot sell him any more' but if the player is already in then it is outstanding to have him around because they have experience, desire and quality."

Salah is the youngest of Liverpool's star attacking trio, alongside 30-year-old Roberto Firmino and Sadio mane, who turns 30 in April.

Sam Ryder admitted he is still coming down off the adrenaline after his exhilarating hole in one on the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open on Saturday.

Ryder, who had endured a difficult round which included four bogeys and a double bogey, landed the ace, ushering in wild scenes of celebration from the packed onlooking crowd.

Play had to be halted for 15 minutes as debris was cleared off the course after the crowd splashed drinks and threw beer cans in the air in a raucous celebration of a rare feat.

The 32-year-old American became the first player to hit a hole in one on the 16th at Scottsdale since Francesco Molinari in 2015. Ryder is also the 10th player to achieve the feat.

“Still kind of coming down off the adrenaline,” Ryder told reporters, “But, yeah, it was pretty crazy.

"It's got to be number one. Nothing compares to that... it was a blur. I can't describe it."

Ryder hit a 124-yard tee shot which spun left and into the cup for the ace, re-living it afterwards.

"[Chris Kirk] hit a really good shot in the middle of the green, so I kind of got a little bit of feel off of what it was playing," Ryder explained. "It was just one of those things I was talking to my caddie, and it just ended up being a perfect 54 degree wedge.

"The club - everything always plays a little shorter in there, adrenaline or whatever it is, it's just, it always plays shorter. I just told him, 'it's just got to be that, doesn't it?' And he's like, 'that's all I ever thought'.

"We just talked through it a little bit and I was looking just out to the right and wanted to come down around his ball and maybe it was an accidental one-yard pull or something. It didn't look like it was moving too fast on the camera when I saw it, but in the air it just looked perfect."

Despite the hole in one, Ryder is eight strokes off the pace, sitting at six-under-overall ahead of the final day on Sunday.