What the papers say

Conor Gallagher, 23, could be used to raise funds for new arrivals at Chelsea in January. The Daily Mail reports the club are willing to consider offers for the England midfielder with Brentford striker Ivan Toney, 27, and Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, 24, among the potential targets.

Brentford are looking for a new striker, regardless of whether Toney stays, according to The Daily Telegraph. USA international Brandon Vazquez, 25, who is at FC Cincinnati, is among the players in their sights.

Manchester United are open to offers on a string of internationals, according to The Guardian. England winger Jadon Sancho, 23, France striker Anthony Martial, 28, and defender Raphael Varane, 30, Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 31, and Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek, 26, could all be allowed to leave Old Trafford in January.

David Moyes retains the confidence of West Ham says The Daily Telegraph. The 60-year-old manager saw his side lose 5-0 at Fulham on Monday.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Mason Holgate: Everton want to recall the defender, 27, from his loan spell at Southampton due a shortage of playing time, reports The Sun.

Reuell Walters: Clubs in the Premier League and Europe are watching the English defender, 18, but Arsenal have held talks to keep him according to the Evening Standard.

Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Ross Colton all had goals within a span of just over four minutes in the third period to rally the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-5 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday.

Rantanen scored with 6:29 left to play to tie the game, then earned his second assist of the night when MacKinnon recorded the eventual winning goal on a breakaway with 4:30 remaining.

Colton started Colorado's comeback by knocking in a rebound with 8:40 left that cut the Flames' lead to 5-4.

Calgary had gone ahead on late second-period goals from Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich, with the latter prompting Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar to replace goaltender Alexandar Georgiev after the second intermission.

Ivan Prosvetov stopped all 11 shots he faced in relief of Georgiev, who allowed five goals on 22 shots.

Former Colorado center Nazem Kadri put Calgary ahead in the first period before the Avalanche's Tomas Tatar tied it later in the frame. Colorado then took a 2-1 lead when Cale Makar scored on a power play 1:43 into the second.

Goals by Andrew Mangiapane and Blake Coleman sent the Flames back in front, but Ben Meyers scored off a feed from Andrew Cogliano with 5:03 left in the second to briefly draw the Avalanche even at 3-3.

Colorado snapped a two-game losing streak, while Calgary has now lost four of five. Dan Vladar finished with 31 saves for the Flames. 

Islanders blow late, recover to defeat Maple Leafs in overtime

Bo Horvat scored 46 seconds into overtime as the New York Islanders recovered from blowing a late lead to come through with a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime when Morgan Rielly scored with seven seconds remaining in regulation. Horvat sent a feed from Mathew Barzal past Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov early in the extra session, however, to give New York its third consecutive win.

Rielly's goal did enable Toronto to extend its point streak to six games, a stretch in which it's gone 4-0-2. The Islanders are now 5-0-1 over their past six.

The Islanders took a 3-1 lead early in the second period on Kyle Palmieri's goal, but John Tavares scored on a redirection 7:43 into the frame to cut the Leafs' deficit to one.

Tavares, the former Islanders' captain, later recorded his 1,000th career point on Rielly's game-tying goal.

Auston Matthews' 19th goal of the season, a power-play score 5:50 into the contest, gave Toronto an early 1-0 edge before the Islanders forged ahead later in the period on goals from Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas. 

Noah Dobson finished with three assists for New York, while Ilya Sorokin made 14 of his 37 saves in the third period and had two more in overtime.

Samsonov stopped 25 shots for Toronto.

Benn hits assist milestone as Stars down short-handed Red Wings

Miro Heiskanen had two goals and an assist to lead the way as the Dallas Stars rolled to a 6-3 victory over the depleted Detroit Red Wings. 

The Stars scored twice in all three periods, including four straight goals between the first and second, to get back on track after losing three of their four previous games. Esa Lindell and Jason Robertson each delivered a goal and an assist to support a 27-save effort from Jake Oettinger.

Jamie Benn assisted on Heiskanen's first goal, the 500th of the Dallas captain's career.

Detroit was dealt a third consecutive loss while playing without both captain Dylan Larkin and forward David Perron. Larkin is out with an upper-body injury he sustained from a cross-check by Ottawa's Mathieu Joseph in Saturday's loss to the Senators, while Perron began serving a six-game suspension for cross-checking Ottawa's Artem Zub in retaliation.

The Red Wings did take a 1-0 lead when Daniel Sprong scored 5:20 in, but goals by Heiskanen and Lindell later in the first period put Dallas ahead. Robertson and Matt Duchene then scored 2:14 apart in the second to extend the Stars' advantage to 4-1.

Jonatan Berggren quickly answered Duchene's goal to trim Detroit's deficit, and the Red Wings cut the lead to 4-3 when Joe Veleno scored on a power play with 6:39 remaining.

Joe Pavelski countered with a power-play goal 30 seconds after Veleno's strike, however, before Heiskanen sealed the win with an empty-netter inside the final minute.

James Reimer stopped 29 of 34 shots for Detroit.

Anthony Joshua retained his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles with a ninth-round stoppage of Kubrat Pulev in London on this day in 2020.

In the ring for the first time in 12 months after reclaiming his belts from Andy Ruiz Jr, rustiness was one of many potential problems for Joshua but he proved too strong for Pulev.

The Bulgarian showed admirable durability to get off the deck three times, but eventually slumped to defeat following a lethal left-right combination from Joshua, who improved to 24-1.

“I started this game in 2013, I have been chasing all the belts, I’ve been dealing with mandatories, so of course I want a challenge,” Joshua told the fans inside Wembley’s SSE Arena.

“For me I stuck to what I know best: boxing, looking at where I am going to put my shots and putting them together. When they are successful, they are successful, but like I said it is less talk, more action.”

Joshua’s uppercut did the most damage to Pulev and on more than one occasion made him topple like the blocks of the Jenga game he had spent much of his time playing at Matchroom’s bio-secure bubble at the Hilton Hotel in the build-up to the fight.

Pulev hit the deck twice in the third round and again in the ninth before Joshua landed the knockout punch with a slick combination.

It was Joshua’s 22nd knockout from 25 bouts, but there was also an added maturity to his display in London.

He could have gone for the kill and overcommitted in the middle rounds after an explosive third, but stayed patient and eventually his chance came with Pulev barely able to register a legitimate punch in the contest.

After the fight, all the chat was about the prospect of a ‘Battle of Britain’ against WBC title holder Tyson Fury as, not for the first or last time, both camps talked of their desire to make the fight happen, although no such bout has yet been staged.

The Tennessee Titans scored two late touchdowns as they shocked the AFC East-leading Miami Dolphins 28-27.

Rookie quarterback Will Levis found DeAndre Hopkins from three yards and, after a two-point conversion, steered his team into position for Derrick Henry to tie the game with a six-yard run – Nick Folk adding the decisive extra point.

Henry had grabbed the Titans’ opening touchdown in the second quarter, responding to Zach Sieler’s interception return as the Titans largely shut down the Miami offence.

A pair of touchdown runs from Raheem Mostert put the Dolphins 27-13 up inside the final five minutes before Levis, who threw for a career-high 327 yards, led the Titans rally.

The Dolphins remain two games clear of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East and one game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the best record in the conference.

A 37-yard field goal as time ran out from Randy Bullock earned the New York Giants a 24-22 win over the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers had taken the lead with just 93 seconds remaining when Jordan Love found Malik Heath in the end zone from six yards, but they failed with the two-point conversion and Tommy DeVito’s 32-yard pass to Wan’Dale Robinson gave Bullock the chance to win the game.

The defeat leaves the Packers 6-7 alongside four other teams in the race for the third wildcard spot in the NFC.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have confirmed the signing of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani on a mammoth 10-year contract.

The reigning American League MVP’s agent Nez Balelo revealed the record-breaking 700million dollar (£558m) deal on Saturday before Ohtani posted on his Instagram account about his short move from the Los Angeles Angels.

“We congratulate him on his historic contract with our storied franchise,” said Mark Walter, chairman of the Dodgers and their owners Guggenheim Baseball, in a statement confirming the move on Monday.

“Shohei is a once-in-a-generation talent and one of the most exciting professional athletes in the world.”

He continued: “Our players, staff, management and ownership look forward to working together with Shohei to help the Dodgers continue to add, improve and strive for excellence on the field.

“Together with Shohei, we will work to help grown the number and breadth of people around the world who enjoy the excitement of Major League Baseball.”

Ohtani, 29, thanked Dodgers fans for welcoming him to the team.

“I can say, 100 %, that you, the Dodger organisation and I share the same goal – to bring World Series parades to the streets of Los Angeles.”

Reports in US media say Ohtani will receive around two million dollars (£1.6m) a year throughout his contract with the balance in instalments of 68m dollars a year (£54.1m) for the following 10 years to provide the club with greater flexibility in payroll restrictions.

Former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have similar deferred deals with the Dodgers.

Ohtani is unusual in that he plays as a pitcher and a hitter, becoming regarded as one of the best in the game on both sides of the ball since his Angels debut in 2018.

He won his second American League MVP award in 2023, despite an elbow injury which curtailed his season and will prevent him from pitching in 2024.

Pitcher Joe Kelly, who re-signed with the Dodgers on Monday, is switching to number 99 to allow Ohtani to retain his 17 jersey.

The previous record contract in MLB was the 426.5m (£340m) the Angels paid to outfielder Mike Trout as part of a 12-year deal in 2019.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 10-year 450m (£359m) extension, agreed in September, was the previous highest in US sports.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho saluted Australian striker Kusini Yengi after he helped fire the south coast side to a six-point lead at the top of the League One table as they beat second-placed Bolton 2-0.

Conor Shaughnessy was also on target as Pompey recorded a statement victory at Fratton Park.

Mousinho said: “It was a great result. We were a constant threat going forward.

“I can’t remember our goalkeeper having to deal with anything in the second half. I thought we were comfortable and pushed well.

“We had opportunity after opportunity and were perhaps a bit sloppy in the final third, but when we did get it right, we scored.

“Kusini’s performance against (Ricardo) Santos, who is one of the best centre-halves in the league, was terrific.

“We wanted him to lead the line, and he handled it superbly. He was pressing Santos and the goalkeeper, and we did at the back end of the game wonder if we needed to freshen things up a bit.

“But he showed how fit he is. It was his second league start, and his first here. It was a battle that I thought the referee handled pretty well.

“We’ll savour the moment, then turn the focus to the next game.”

In a fiercely-contested first half, Bolton should have taken the lead after 28 minutes. A powerful header by Jon Dadi Bodvarsson was brilliantly pushed away by Will Norris, and from six yards out and with an open goal, Dion Charles somehow fired the rebound wide.

Pompey then had the ball cleared off the line as Yengi’s shot was partly blocked by goalkeeper Nathan Baxter and Gethin Jones hooked it away.

Right on half-time a corner kick by Jack Sparkes was met by Shaughnessy to glance his header into the net.

Pompey controlled the second half and deserved their second goal a minute from time as Yengi hammered home from six yards from a Gavin Whyte cross.

Bolton boss Ian Evatt said: “I think that in the first half we managed to wrestle control of the game but misses like the one from Dion seemed to affect the flow of our game.

“It’s always frustrating when conceding right on half-time. I thought there was a clear foul leading up to the corner and I can’t understand why it’s not given.

“The second half, they put us on our toes and we couldn’t deal with it. We lost faith and belief, we rocked and wobbled, and it was very disappointing. That’s not what we are about. We are so much better than that.

“They made it very difficult for us and basically dominated on everything. I don’t think they outplayed us, but they outfought us. We’ve let ourselves down but the players have always responded when they have to. We’ve lost the game playing their way, not ours.”

Justin Jefferson was hospitalised after taking a hard hit Sunday, but the Minnesota Vikings are hopeful the star wide receiver will be ready for their next game.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Monday that Jefferson is considered day to day with a chest injury.

He also added he had "a good chance" to play in Saturday's road game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jefferson's injury occurred in the second quarter of the Vikings' 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders when he was blasted by safety Marcus Epps while hauling in a 15-yard catch. He was taken to a hospital, where X-rays confirmed there was no internal damage and he was able to travel home with the team from Las Vegas.

The 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year appeared in just 13 plays against the Raiders in his first game since October 8 after he missed the previous seven contests with a hamstring injury.

He had just two receptions for 27 yards before exiting, and has 38 catches for 598 yards with three touchdowns in six games this season.

In 2022, he put together one of the best seasons by a receiver in NFL history, finishing with league highs of 128 catches and 1,809 receiving yards, along with eight TD receptions.

A first-round draft pick in 2020, Jefferson is a three-time Pro Bowler and had never missed a game in his career prior to Week 6 of this season.

While Jefferson might be back on the field this weekend, it's uncertain who will be throwing him passes.

O'Connell said the team is still deciding on the quarterback position and will make an announcement later this week.

Joshua Dobbs was benched against the Raiders after completing 10-of-23 passes for 63 yards while being sacked five times. Backup Nick Mullens then was 9-of-13 passing for 83 yards and led the Vikings to their only points.

Minnesota managed just 231 yards of offence but improved to 7-6 and is in control of the No. 6 seed in the NFC play-off picture.

Carlo Ancelotti says he is not planning major player rotation for Tuesday’s final Champions League group game against Union Berlin in Germany.

Real have already won their group and reached the last 16 following five successive victories.

They are the only team in the tournament with a 100 per cent record, but, even though it is an emphatic case of job done, manager Ancelotti does not envisage wholesale changes.

Real drew 1-1 at Real Betis on Saturday and Ancelotti said: “We need to evaluate how the players that played against Betis recover, then we will choose the best possible starting XI.

“If there are some tired players who don’t recover very well, they will rest, but we don’t think about a big rotation with a lot of players resting.

“We will rotate some players if we see any risk, if the players are tired. The ones who played and don’t have any fatigue will be no problem at all.

“Our main goal was to finish top of the group, so we want to put in a good performance and close out the group stage on a high.

Ancelotti has confirmed that Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in goal, but a lengthy list of injury absentees includes keeper Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga.

“This is a very special competition,” Ancelotti added at his pre-match press conference in Berlin.

“Real Madrid are always favourites to win this competition whatever happens in the group stage.

“It is always difficult to win it, but we have the quality to fight for it until the end.”

Whether in-form England star Jude Bellingham, who has scored 16 goals in the Champions League and LaLiga this season, is rested or not remains to be seen.

But his stunning impact since moving to Real is not lost on his team-mates, least of all midfielder Lucas Vazquez.

“What a player. We are thrilled to have him here,” Vazquez told Real Madrid’s official website.

“The kind of player he is was clear from day one. He helps the team with his goals and works as hard as anyone.

“He is really enjoying Real Madrid, and I hope he can keep up his form and continue helping Madrid in every facet of the game.

“The team is on a great run, it’s been a strong start to the season. The aim is to finish with a 100 per cent record, so we will try and put on a good display and win the game.

“This season, despite all the injuries we’ve had, the team has not faltered from its winning mentality.

“Whoever plays, the team remains the same and that reflects very well on the group we have here.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been accused of “disrespect” by the player whose dreams of facing the world number one were dashed at the Scottish Open in Edinburgh on Monday.

The seven-time world champion withdrew from the event citing medical reasons just hours before he was scheduled to face 19-year-old Liam Graham in a first round match.

Graham criticised the timing of O’Sullivan’s decision, telling the Daily Record: “It’s disrespectful, it’s not right.

“A lot of people took time off work to come and watch today and it’s disappointing.

“It’s not surprising given the things he does. I found out when I got to the venue this morning. I didn’t have much prior warning – I think he pulled out very late.”

O’Sullivan, who won his record-extending eighth UK title in York earlier this month, has now withdrawn from five of eight ranking tournaments this season, not including the Snooker Shootout.

Last month, he pulled out from the Champion of Champions event in Bolton due to “mentally feeling a bit drained and stressed”.

It comes amid a time of tension between the player and World Snooker Tour chiefs over his desire to have the freedom to play in lucrative exhibitions in China.

In the wake of his final win over Ding Junhui in York, O’Sullivan insisted officials “seem to want me to hand my resignation in” – a claim flatly denied by WST.

Graham, who is in his first year as a professional, added: “At the end of the day I want to play the best players in the world and I was really looking forward to it.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told Emile Smith Rowe to use his latest injury setback as fuel to return to action better than ever.

Smith Rowe has been sidelined with a knee injury and has not featured since a 5-0 win over Sheffield United on October 28.

The England international is back among the squad and has travelled to the Netherlands for Arsenal’s Champions League group-stage dead rubber at PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.

Both sides have already qualified for the last 16 and the Gunners are also assured of advancing in top-spot.

It remains to be seen what role, if any, Smith Rowe will fulfil on Tuesday but, asked if Smith Rowe needs to start again following another injury lay-off as he aims to keep fit for a prolonged period, Arteta replied:: “I think what he’s been through is part of the experience that 90 per cent of footballers have to go through.

“Difficulties, injuries, setbacks and different types of performances now. That’s all in his bag now. If he can use that in a powerful way he’ll be a much better player.

“The way he’s done his rehab, I haven’t seen him do it before like how he’s done it this time. You see the way his team-mates reacted to his comeback which is really positive as well.

“The moment we can give him chances, the better we’re going to be.”

While Arteta admits the job of qualifying for the knockout stages is “technically done” he insists he and his players have a “duty” to try and win every game.

Smith Rowe may have travelled but his England colleague and fellow academy graduate Bukayo Saka has stayed behind.

“He is fine,” Arteta told reporters during Monday’s pre-match media conference.

“With a few of them we decided to have another day recovery just 48 hours before and he has played a lot of minutes so it wasn’t worth exposing him.

“We have five or six big injuries so we are already a bit thin.

“I don’t know in another context what I would have done but I also want everyone together with the mentality to win. I want to see that in their tummies tomorrow.”

Among the next group of players progressing through Arsenal’s Hale End set-up, Reuell Walters, Ethan Nwaneri and Lino Sousa have all been taken to the Netherlands by Arteta.

Asked if it has become harder to blood youngsters while challenging for honours, the Spaniard replied: “It gets harder and harder. So the talent has to be really good.

“(They are) three big prospects. We want to keep developing players from our system.

“They deserve to be here. There are circumstances that have brought them here. We will try to give them the opportunity if we can in the right moment.”

Thomas Tuchel has warned Manchester United there will be no let-up as already-qualified Bayern Munich attempt to extinguish the Old Trafford giants’ European hopes.

The perennial Bundesliga champions opened Group A with a 4-3 home win against the Red Devils and went on to seal progress to the Champions League knockout phase with two matches to spare.

Bayern are among the favourites to win a competition that United will be out of on Tuesday unless they seal a home win while Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw in the other final group game.

Erik ten Hag’s men would be guaranteed of at least Europa League football if they win a match that Tuchel says his side will approach with full focus despite wrapping up top spot.

“I understand that some people thought that against Copenhagen it looked like we weren’t throwing everything into it,” the Bayern boss said, referring to the 0-0 home draw a fortnight ago.

“But when you sign for Bayern or United, you sign to give 100 per cent every day.

“When you wear the Bayern Munich jersey, you behave like champions, there’s no other way.

“We have high expectations, even if we are always under pressure. United will give everything tomorrow to get through.

“But we expect a top performance from us. I hope we can match United’s enthusiasm and energy, which I’m sure they’ll bring to the game.”

United are not only desperate to stay in Europe but also determined to atone for Saturday’s shocking 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, which saw Ten Hag’s inconsistent side booed off the field.

“They’re always a dangerous team, they have a certain aura about them,” said Tuchel of United as Bayern look to maintain their competition record unbeaten 39-match run in the group stage.

“It’s part of the club’s DNA that they can survive difficult moments. They have ups and downs in their game, but they’ve conceded a lot of goals recently.

“In strong moments, you can see what they’re really capable of. The stadium creates special moments. It will be a big challenge for us.”

Bayern are looking to bounce back from a shocking loss of their own, having lost 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon.

It was their first Bundesliga defeat of the season and third in all competitions – losses they bounced back from with 4-0 away victories on both occasions.

Bayern sharpshooter Harry Kane admitted their performance against Frankfurt “wasn’t good enough” and said the group was fully focused on showing the “right reaction” at Old Trafford.

The England captain has hit the ground running and scored 22 goals since joining from Tottenham during a summer he was strongly linked to long-term admirers United.

“Every fan wants Harry to play in their team,” former Chelsea boss Tuchel said. “We’re very proud we were able to sign Harry.

“He’s a great character and a great role model, a terrific player. He scores a lot of goals and will be very happy to play here tomorrow.

“It’s a great story that we were able to bring the England captain, your centre forward, to Germany.”

New York Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson will undergo surgery on his left ankle and be re-evaluated in 8-to-10 weeks, the team announced on Monday.

The 2018 second-round draft pick sustained the injury in Friday’s 133-123 loss at Boston and will now likely be sidelined through the All-Star break.

Mitchell leads the NBA with 5.3 offensive rebounds per game, ranks 11th in total rebounding (10.3), is tied for 14th in steals (1.52) and sits 20th in blocked shots (1.29).

He’s a big reason why the Knicks (12-9) are ranked third in the NBA with 108.7 points allowed per game and sixth with an average of 44.6 points allowed in the paint.