Bronny James made his college debut for Southern California on Sunday night, five months after the son of NBA superstar LeBron James suffered a cardiac arrest.

James, 19, was found to have a congenital heart defect after a cardiac arrest during a workout in on July 20, but was recently cleared by doctors to participate in full-contact practice.

He made his first appearance for the Trojans on Sunday, collecting four points, three rebounds and two assists, although he was unable to prevent an 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State.

After the game, James thanked the Mayo Clinic where he was treated, USC coach Andy Enfield, as well as friends, family and team-mates for helping him get on to the court.

“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything,” the teenager said. “Mayo Clinic, everything they helped me with. My parents, siblings who supported me through this hard time in my life.

“I just want to give appreciation to everyone that’s helped me through this – also my coach, my team-mates, all my other coaches that have been with me since the start. I just want to say I’m thankful for them.”

 

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was in the arena to watch Bronny play, and afterwards posted on social media: “Can’t even tell y’all how EMOTIONAL today was for me! I’m literally drained and all I can say is @bronny you’re simply INCREDIBLE!!

“Damn the wins and loses that will occur. You’ve already won the ultimate goal/championship and that’s LIFE!!! Proud of you kid and today you’ve given me more life! Thank you and I love you”

Twickenham will host the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final, with Sunderland’s Stadium of Light chosen as the venue for the opening fixture.

World Rugby and Rugby Football Union made the announcement on Monday morning, after it had been confirmed in August which eight stadiums would be used for the tournament.

The Red Roses will open the World Cup at the 48,707-seater Stadium of Light on August 22 before the 16-team competition concludes at Twickenham on September 27.

Twickenham hosting the final opens up the opportunity for a new world-record crowd for a women’s international to be set after the stadium welcomed 58,498 spectators for England’s victory over France earlier this year.

“Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 will be a generational moment for rugby,” World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said.

“The biggest, most accessible and most widely-viewed, its unstoppable momentum will reach, engage and inspire new audiences in ways that rugby events have not done before.

“The selection of Sunderland for the opening match underscores that mission. We want this to be a sports event that everyone is talking about, that everyone wants to be a part of and one that inspires young people to be a part of.”

Eddie Howe has vowed to turnaround Newcastle’s poor away form after defeat at Tottenham, but backed his injury-hit team to bounce back in Wednesday’s Champions League clash with AC Milan.

Howe was able to welcome back Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson into his matchday squad on Sunday, although remained without 10 first-teamers for the 4-1 loss in north London.

It made it five defeats in eight away Premier League matches this season, but there is little time for Newcastle to lick their wounds with a must-win clash against AC Milan in midweek.

Magpies chief Howe acknowledged: “It is up to us to find the answers to that. Yeah, I can’t defend it, I can’t defend it so I won’t.

“We will have to (lift ourselves for Wednesday).

“Football is a game decided on big moments and we haven’t been right in those big moments in the last two matches.

“Previous to that, we have been and I think our away form will turn because we’re a very good team, but we need to continue with our good home form because it’s the bedrock of what we’ve been doing. We don’t want anything to affect that.”

Howe has played the same 10 outfield players in each of the last five matches and defended his decision to name an unchanged team after Thursday’s loss at Everton.

He was able to introduce Longstaff (foot) and Wilson (thigh) for the final 30 minutes of the defeat to Tottenham and admitted he is hopeful of getting more players back in the coming weeks.

 

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“If I make changes, I want to make changes that benefit the team. Everyone I picked wanted to play, felt able to play and had no issues, but of course I understand the backlog and fatigue that can build,” Howe added.

“We can’t afford any more injuries to the players we have fit. We need more players back so hopefully that will be the case over the next few weeks.”

England forward Wilson did survive a poor challenge by Spurs defender Cristian Romero on the 80-minute mark, but Howe side-stepped talk of whether it could have been a red card.

Howe admitted: “I only saw it live. I don’t want to see players sent off, unless it is dangerous.

“It looked high and looked reckless and I am very pleased Callum seemed to not be affected by it.”

While Newcastle were left to reflect on back-to-back defeats, Tottenham toasted a first victory in six matches.

There could be more disruption on the horizon though with managerless Swansea expected to step up their pursuit of Ange Postecoglou’s number two Chris Davies this week.

But Postecoglou insisted: “Ah mate, I have not thought about that, not for an instance. I doubt Chris has as well.

“We will deal with that when the time comes. This is the Premier League and if you’re not in it 100 per cent, if you slip a little bit, you will pay a price and our focus has firmly been on a strong performance and getting a result.”

Calvin Pickard made 26 saves to earn his first NHL victory in nearly two years, and the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 decision over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

Connor McDavid and Evander Kane each had a goal and an assist to help Pickard to his first win since Jan. 28, 2022, while with the Detroit Red Wings. The 31-year-old journeyman goaltender spent last season in the minors before being called up by the Oilers in November.

Edmonton is 9-3-0 since Kris Knoublach replaced Jay Woodcroft as head coach last month. The Oilers fired Woodcroft on Nov. 12 following a 3-9-1 start.

Pickard stopped all 12 shots he faced through the first two periods as Edmonton built a 2-0 lead on Derek Ryan's first-period goal and a power-play tally from Evan Bouchard in the second, the defenseman's third goal in two games.

McDavid stretched the margin to 3-0 when he scored off a feed from Kane 4:23 into the third period. Jesper Bratt answered for New Jersey 30 seconds later, but Pickard protected the two-goal margin until Kane's empty-net score with 3:08 left.

Akira Schmid stopped 26 of 29 shots for the Devils, who had won three straight and six of seven coming in.

 

Gustavsson posts shutout as Wild extend Kraken's slide

The Seattle Kraken, meanwhile, have now lost eight consecutive games after a 3-0 defeat to the Minnesota Wild behind Filip Gustavsson's 24 saves.

Minnesota got goals from Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi and Joel Eriksson Ek to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 5-2-0 since John Hynes replaced Dean Evason as head coach on Nov. 27.

Boldy put the Wild ahead 7:14 into the first period and Minnesota maintained a 1-0 lead until Rossi scored with 7:26 left in the third. Gustavsson then finished off his second shutout of the season, which Eriksson Ek capped with an empty-net goal with 3.9 seconds remaining.

Joey Daccord stopped 23 of 25 shots for the Kraken. Seattle is now 0-6-2 since Nov. 24.

 

Quick beats former team, helps Rangers to win over Kings

Jonathan Quick came up with 25 saves to defeat his former team and help the New York Rangers get back on track with a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

The veteran goaltender improved to 8-0-1 this season by winning his first-ever matchup against the Kings, the team Quick spent 16 seasons with until being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in March. The 37-year-old is the franchise's all-time leader with 370 wins and was part of two Stanley Cup champion teams.

Jonny Brodzinski had a goal and an assist and Vincent Trocheck added three assists as the Rangers ended their first two-game losing streak of the season.

The Kings, meanwhile, have now dropped back-to-back away games after setting an NHL record with an 11-game road winning streak to start the season. Los Angeles was coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday.

After a scoreless first period, the Rangers moved ahead on goals by Mika Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey in the second.

Phillip Danault's power-play goal 6:37 into the third brought Los Angeles within 2-1, but Brodzinski converted a power-play chance less than five minutes later before Will Cuylle's goal with 4:36 remaining put the Rangers up 4-1. 

Pheonix Copley finished with 23 saves for the Kings.

 

The Dallas Cowboys drew even with the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the NFC East as they beat their divisional rivals 33-13.

Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns as the Cowboys won for a fifth successive game and the Eagles lost consecutive matches for the first time in more than two years.

Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys, extending his NFL record at the start of his career to 30 successful kicks.

The Eagles failed to muster an offensive touchdown, Jalen Carter claiming their only six-pointer after Fletcher Cox sacked Prescott.

The San Francisco 49ers moved to the brink of back-to-back NFC West titles as they beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-16 for their fifth straight win.

Deebo Samuel caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score as the 49ers moved to 10-3, four games clear of the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams with four games remaining.

The stumbling Kansas City Chiefs lost for the fourth time in six games as they went down 20-17 at home to the Buffalo Bills.

Josh Allen threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, running for another before the Bills secured victory with a Tyler Bass field with just under two minutes remaining.

The Super Bowl champions thought they had regained the lead when a throw from tight end Travis Kelce sent Kadarius Toney in from 49 yards, but an offside flag ruled out the score.

The Denver Broncos are the Chiefs’ unlikely challengers for the AFC West crown, moving to within one game with a 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns as the Broncos made it six wins in their last seven games.

His opposite number Justin Herbert left with a finger injury after being sacked four times.

The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders came within two minutes of the first scoreless game in regulation time for 80 years.

Greg Joseph’s field goal with one minute 57 left on the clock gave the Vikings a 3-0 win, the lowest-scoring match for 16 years.

Tylan Wallace returned an overtime punt for a touchdown to secure the Baltimore Ravens a stunning 37-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Ravens became the first AFC team to 10 wins as Wallace returned the punt 76 yards for the game-winning score.

Baltimore had retaken the lead in a roller-coaster clash with one minute 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter through Lamar Jackson’s third touchdown pass of the game.

The Rams forced overtime with a Lucas Havrisik field goal, but Baltimore prevailed to move above the Miami Dolphins, who play on Monday night, in the race for the top seed in the play-offs.

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a second successive defeat as Joe Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to a 31-27 home win.

Veteran Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP in 2013 with the Ravens, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on his second appearance for the Browns.

Cleveland remained two games behind Baltimore in the AFC North while the Cincinnati Bengals are just a game further back after quarterback Jake Browning shone in a 34-14 success against the Indianapolis Colts.

Back-up Browning, who has stepped in for the injured Joe Burrow, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score to earn his side a second successive victory.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went top of the NFC South with a 29-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Baker Mayfield led a 12-play, 75-yard drive, which ended with him finding Cade Otton in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left.

Both teams sit on 6-7 in the division, as do the third-placed New Orleans Saints after they ended a three-match losing run by beating the struggling Carolina Panthers 28-6.

The New York Jets ended a five-match losing run by beating the Houston Texans 30-6.

Much-maligned Jets quarterback Zach Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie of the year frontrunner CJ Stroud completed just 10 throws for 91 yards for the play-off chasing Texans before leaving the game with a head injury.

DJ Moore had both a receiving and a rushing touchdown – the first of his career – as the Chicago Bears stunned NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 28-13.

The Dallas Cowboys drew even with the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the NFC East as they beat their divisional rivals 33-13.

Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns as the Cowboys won for a fifth successive game and the Eagles lost consecutive matches for the first time in more than two years.

Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys, extending his NFL record at the start of his career to 30 successful kicks.

The Eagles failed to muster an offensive touchdown, Jalen Carter claiming their only six-pointer after Fletcher Cox sacked Prescott.

The San Francisco 49ers moved to the brink of back-to-back NFC West titles as they beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-16 for their fifth straight win.

Deebo Samuel caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score as the 49ers moved to 10-3, four games clear of the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams with four games remaining.

The stumbling Kansas City Chiefs lost for the fourth time in six games as they went down 20-17 at home to the Buffalo Bills.

Josh Allen threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, running for another before the Bills secured victory with a Tyler Bass field with just under two minutes remaining.

The Super Bowl champions thought they had regained the lead when a throw from tight end Travis Kelce sent Kadarius Toney in from 49 yards, but an offside flag ruled out the score.

The Denver Broncos are the Chiefs’ unlikely challengers for the AFC West crown, moving to within one game with a 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns as the Broncos made it six wins in their last seven games.

His opposite number Justin Herbert left with a finger injury after being sacked four times.

The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders came within two minutes of the first scoreless game in regulation time for 80 years.

Greg Joseph’s field goal with one minute 57 left on the clock gave the Vikings a 3-0 win, the lowest-scoring match for 16 years.

Tylan Wallace returned an overtime punt for a touchdown to secure the Baltimore Ravens a stunning 37-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Ravens became the first AFC team to 10 wins as Wallace returned the punt 76 yards for the game-winning score.

Baltimore had retaken the lead in a roller-coaster clash with one minute 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter through Lamar Jackson’s third touchdown pass of the game.

The Rams forced overtime with a Lucas Havrisik field goal, but Baltimore prevailed to move above the Miami Dolphins, who play on Monday night, in the race for the top seed in the play-offs.

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a second successive defeat as Joe Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to a 31-27 home win.

Veteran Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP in 2013 with the Ravens, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on his second appearance for the Browns.

Cleveland remained two games behind Baltimore in the AFC North while the Cincinnati Bengals are just a game further back after quarterback Jake Browning shone in a 34-14 success against the Indianapolis Colts.

Back-up Browning, who has stepped in for the injured Joe Burrow, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score to earn his side a second successive victory.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went top of the NFC South with a 29-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Baker Mayfield led a 12-play, 75-yard drive, which ended with him finding Cade Otton in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left.

Both teams sit on 6-7 in the division, as do the third-placed New Orleans Saints after they ended a three-match losing run by beating the struggling Carolina Panthers 28-6.

The New York Jets ended a five-match losing run by beating the Houston Texans 30-6.

Much-maligned Jets quarterback Zach Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie of the year frontrunner CJ Stroud completed just 10 throws for 91 yards for the play-off chasing Texans before leaving the game with a head injury.

DJ Moore had both a receiving and a rushing touchdown – the first of his career – as the Chicago Bears stunned NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 28-13.

The Houston Texans' 30-6 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday came at a cost, as C.J. Stroud left with a concussion.

The rookie quarterback exited with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter when he was hit by Quinnen Williams and his head slammed to the turf hard.

Stroud has entered the NFL's concussion protocol and his status for Houston's game against the Tennessee Titans next Sunday is uncertain.

"We'll see how he progresses throughout the week," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.

 

Stroud, the No. 2 pick of this year's draft, came into Week 14 leading the league in passing yards with 3,540 but struggled mightily against a stingy Jets defense. He completed 10-of-23 passes for a season-low 91 yards while being sacked four times.

The Texans finished with a season-worst 135 total yards and converted just 1 of 12 third-down attempts in losing for the second time in three weeks following a three-game winning streak.

Davis Mills replaced Stroud and would likely get the start against the Titans if Stroud isn't cleared.

Girona moved back to the top of LaLiga as they shocked Catalan rivals Barcelona with a 4-2 win at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

With Real Madrid having only been able to draw at Real Betis on Saturday, Michel’s well-drilled side made the most of their opportunity with a brilliant display after taking an early lead through Artem Dovbyk.

Although Robert Lewandowski soon headed in an equaliser, left-back Miguel Gutierrez fired the visitors back in front before half-time and substitute Valery added a late third.

Ilkay Gundogan pulled one back for Barca in stoppage time, but Cristhian Stuani knocked in Girona’s fourth to seal a memorable victory.

Following a 13th league win of a superb campaign so far, Girona sit two points clear of Real Madrid, while Barcelona drop seven points off the pace.

After a lively start, it was Girona who went ahead following a swift counter attack in the 12th minute.

Viktor Tsygankov timed his run down the right perfectly to stay onside before crossing for fellow Ukrainian Dovbyk to knock the ball in off the far post.

Barcelona produced a swift response as Raphinha brought a smart save from Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga before Lewandowski headed in an equaliser from a corner in the 19th minute.

Despite all of Barcelona’s possession, Girona remained a threat on the break with Miguel Gutierrez flashing a drive across goal and just wide of the far post.

Joao Cancelo weaved into the left side of the Girona penalty area, but Gazzaniga stood up to make a block at the near post.

Full-back Gutierrez flashed another low shot just wide before he fired Girona back in front – five minutes before the break – with a fierce 18-yard drive after surging forwards down the left.

Barcelona started the second half on the front foot as Frenkie De Jong – who moved alongside Johan Cruyff’s total of 139 league appearances for the Blaugrana – and Gundogan both tested Gazzaniga with low drives from the edge of the penalty area.

Germany midfielder Gundogan then cut a shot across goal and just wide as the hosts continued to search for an equaliser.

Girona, though, stunned the home fans once again by scoring a third with 10 minutes left.

This time it was move direct with Stuani nodding down a long drop kick from Gazzaniga into the path of fellow substitute Valery, who got to the ball ahead of Jules Kounde at the edge of the area to slot past Inaki Pena.

Savio had a chance to add a fourth, but smashed his shot straight at Barcelona goalkeeper Pena, the ball striking him in the face from point-blank range.

Gundogan pulled one back for Barca in stoppage time before Lewandowski headed wide and Stuani then knocked in Girona’s fourth at the far post following a free-kick into the box.

Tylan Wallace returned an overtime punt for a touchdown to secure the Baltimore Ravens a stunning 37-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL.

The Ravens went top of the AFC standings with their 10th win of the season after Wallace returned the punt 76 yards for the game-winning score.

Baltimore had retaken the lead in a roller-coaster clash with one minute 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter through Lamar Jackson’s third touchdown pass of the game.

The Rams forced overtime with a Lucas Havrisik field goal, but Baltimore prevailed to move above the Miami Dolphins, who play on Monday night.

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a second successive defeat as Joe Flacco led Cleveland Browns to a 31-27 home win.

Veteran Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP in 2013 with the Ravens, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on his second appearance for the Browns.

Cleveland remained two games behind Baltimore in the AFC North, while the Cincinnati Bengals are just a game further back after quarterback Jake Browning shone in a 34-14 success against the Indianapolis Colts.

Back-up Browning, who has stepped in for the injured Joe Burrow, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed in for another score to earn his side a second successive victory.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went top of the NFC South with a 29-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Baker Mayfield led a 12-play, 75-yard drive which ended with him finding Cade Otton in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left.

Both teams sit on a record of 6-7 in the NFC South, as do the third-placed New Orleans Saints after they ended a three-match losing run by beating the struggling Carolina Panthers 28-6.

The New York Jets ended a five-match losing run by beating the Houston Texans 30-6.

Much-maligned Jets quarterback Zach Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie of the year frontrunner CJ Stroud completed just 10 throws for 91 yards for the play-off chasing Texans before leaving the game with a head injury.

DJ Moore had both a receiving and a rushing touchdown – the first of his career – as the Chicago Bears stunned NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 28-13.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has said the idea of the club sacking boss Erik ten Hag is “absolute nonsense”.

United suffered their 11th defeat of the season in all competitions, and seventh in the Premier League, on Saturday as they crashed to a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth.

Neville says there is “no way” Ten Hag should be sacked this term and pointed the finger at United’s owners the Glazer family.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said of Ten Hag: “I fear for him generally, not really just because of this week (when United play Bayern Munich and Liverpool). Just more generally around the way in which a cycle is repeating itself again.

“I hope that somehow Erik ten Hag can turn it around this season and that ultimately he can improve what’s happening at the moment – or else he will be in trouble, it’s just inevitable. We’ve seen it with (previous United managers) Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer), Jose (Mourinho) and Louis van Gaal.

“There’s no way they should change him this season, this idea of sacking him is absolute nonsense. I wouldn’t be in favour of that.

“The lack of leadership and structure above him…I know people say you can’t blame the Glazers – yeah you can. You can because 10 years of failure, of miserable recruitment comes down to the fact they have not got a sporting director, a proper head of recruitment in place.

“That is why this happens. Ultimately managers look above them and think ‘I haven’t got anyone there to help me so I might as well just try and do it myself’.

“This is all down to the leadership. If it happened once, fair enough, if it happened twice you would ask a question, but this is five times, five times in 10 years.”

It is expected that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of 25 per cent stake at the Old Trafford club will be announced soon, with him acquiring significant control over footballing operations.

Neville added: “He has got to come in and sort this out, and you wonder how he is going to be able to pull it out of it, that’s the concern I have.

“What we need is a change of structure at the top, that will hopefully happen in the next few weeks, hopefully that will change the way in which the sporting project is looked at because you can’t come in and leave everything as is.

“And maybe, with some leadership and structure around the club, Manchester United could have some sort of ability to cope with the other clubs who recruit a lot better and do business a lot better.”

British 14-year-old Hannah Klugman cemented her status as one of the most exciting prospects in the sport by winning the prestigious Orange Bowl title in Florida.

The historic under-18 tournament ranks alongside the grand slams as one of the biggest events in the junior game, with recent winners including grand slam champions Coco Gauff, Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin.

Klugman defeated top seed Laura Samsonova in the quarter-finals and fourth seed Iva Jovic in the last four before a 6-3 6-3 success against American Tyra Grant in the final on Sunday.

She is the first British player to win the main girls’ title having finished runner-up in the under-14 tournament last year.

Klugman said: “It’s an amazing feeling. I played 14s last year and made the final. I was really gutted I didn’t get the win, and obviously to get the win at under-18s, I’m still just 14, it’s incredible. This is still just part of the journey, a little step, but it’s nice.

“I was walking past the poster with all the great players (who have won). I saw Coco Gauff. It’s good that I can be on that board. It doesn’t mean anything in the big picture but hopefully I can make it.”

The success caps a brilliant season for the schoolgirl, who reached her first junior grand slam quarter-final at the US Open as well as finishing runner-up in the girls’ doubles at Wimbledon with compatriot Isabelle Lacy.

Klugman, from Wimbledon, has also already started to make her mark in the women’s game, elevating her ranking inside the top 700.

Having seen Grant peg her back from 3-0 down in the second set, Klugman again showed her maturity to turn things back in her favour, finishing with a run of three games in a row.

“I’ve been so strong on court,” she said. “I was a match point down in one of my matches and also stepping up on those big points. I think I’m really taking on the shots, being aggressive. But for sure it’s my mentality, staying calm out there.”

Richarlison fired Tottenham to a first win since October 27 with a brace to inspire a 4-1 victory over Newcastle.

Spurs were Premier League leaders at the beginning of November, but had endured a barren run since after a succession of injuries and failed to win any of their last five matches despite taking the lead in each fixture.

It was a different story this time with Ange Postecoglou’s team selection paying dividends with the recalled Richarlison scoring twice after Destiny Udogie had broke the deadlock in the 26th minute.

Son Heung-min set up two of those goals after being moved back to the left wing and grabbed his 10th goal of the campaign with five minutes left from the penalty spot before Joelinton hit a stoppage-time consolation for Eddie Howe’s side.

Richarlison had one shot blocked and another deflected wide inside five minutes before Newcastle almost took the lead in the ninth minute.

Not long after Bruno Guimaraes had rifled over from 22 yards, Anthony Gordon broke the hosts’ offside trap, but Spurs defender Ben Davies got the faintest of touches to his cross and it was enough to put off Alexander Isak at the back post.

Postecoglou’s side regrouped after as Cristian Romero’s header was cleared off the line, while Son and Brennan Johnson fizzed dangerous balls across the face of goal shortly before the breakthrough.

Udogie passed out to Son on the left wing and the Spurs captain worked a yard of space to cross in for the defender to slot home from close range for his first goal for the club.

It was nothing new Tottenham taking the lead, having done so in 10 matches in a row now, but getting the second goal had been more difficult of late.

Newcastle threatened through Joelinton before the second goal arrived for Spurs in the 38th minute and it was all about Richarlison.

He won possession back on the halfway line before Tottenham moved the ball quickly out to Son, who again got the better of former team-mate Kieran Trippier to tee up the Tottenham number nine to sweep home.

It was only Richarlison’s sixth goal since his £60million transfer from Everton last year, but crucially gave Postecoglou’s team a two-goal cushion and it could have been 3-0 moments later.

Pape Sarr robbed Joelinton of possession and passed into Johnson, who fizzed an effort from 22 yards that skimmed the outside of the far post.

Newcastle came out with improved intent after the break, but their spirit was broken on the hour mark.

Pedro Porro was the architect with a wonderful crossfield pass into Richarlison, who got enough of a touch to bring the ball into his path and slide under Martin Dubravka for his second goal.

The shackles were firmly off now and Johnson side-footed against the inside of the post before Son flashed a volley across goal, which sparked a change by Howe with Callum Wilson introduced.

There was still time for more from Postecoglou’s men when Son was sent through and despite a heavy touch, he got beyond Dubravka and won a spot-kick which he converted.

Newcastle had the final say on proceedings when Joelinton slotted home in the first minute of stoppage time after Wilson’s assist, but Spurs returned to winning ways in style.

Granada’s LaLiga match against Athletic Bilbao was abandoned following the death of a home fan at the Estadio Nuevo los Carmenes.

The visitors went ahead through an early goal from Inaki Williams, before the game was stopped after around 15 minutes after officials were alerted to a problem in the stands.

As the person received ongoing medical treatment, the players were eventually taken off the field.

LaLiga later confirmed the supporter had died and the match would be rescheduled.

“Granada CF vs. Athletic Club de Bilbao has been suspended following the tragic death of a fan at the Estadio Nuevo los Cármenes,” a league statement read.

“Our condolences go out to their family and friends, as well as to all Granada CF fans. A rescheduled date and time for the match will be announced in the near future.”

A statement from Granada added: “We want to send our most sincere condolences to the family and friends, as well as to the entire Granada family.”

Athletic Bilbao said in a statement: “LaLiga and the two clubs have agreed to call off the match due to the death of a fan at Los Carmenes.

“Athletic Club expresses its deepest condolences. Our thoughts are with the person’s family and loved ones.”

In Sunday’s other early kick-off, Atletico Madrid beat Almeria 2-1 thanks to first-half goals from Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa for an eighth successive home league win this season.

Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea need more transfer window surgery in January to lift them out of the malaise which has left them 12th in the table and well adrift of Champions League qualification.

A 2-0 loss at Everton was their seventh Premier League defeat of the season and bridging the 14-point gap to Manchester City in fourth looks near-impossible for a side short of goals and consistency.

Chelsea have spent over £1billion in the last three transfer windows but many of those preceded Pochettino’s summer arrival and he wants his own players in to help kick-start his Stamford Bridge rejuvenation.

“This was a game to win. It’s a problem we need to check. We need to talk and to try and improve in the next transfer market,” he said.

“We are dealing with this. After five months, or the first half of the season, we need to check and that’s the reality. If we are not aggressive enough (on the pitch) maybe we need to do something.”

Asked specifically about the coming window he added: “Some movement. That’s a thing to analyse with the sporting director and the owner and see what we can do to change the dynamic and improve the second half of the season.

“Our reality now is mid-table and if we want to go up we have to push ourselves. When the transfer window opens (we will) see what we can do.

“I’m not saying I’m going to ask for more players or less players but it is to see if perception matches reality.

“If perception here (indicating one point on a line) and reality is here (indicating another point) then we are missing something in the middle. Sometimes it’s good, a reality check.

“It is a new project, a new team with too many circumstances against us. That’s the reality, too many problems and circumstances from the beginning of the season.

“It’s not as easy to build something new, that is why it is about being strong in that we assess and be clever and take decisions to try to improve in the second part of the season, to be more competitive and get the results a club like Chelsea deserves.”

Pochettino’s side had 72 per cent possession and had 16 shots but only four on target compared to Everton’s five on target from nine.

Despite their territorial dominance the visitors never really looked like troubling Jordan Pickford and goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and substitute Lewis Dobbin, his first in the Premier League, gave Everton a third win in just over a week.

“We need to score if we want to win a game and be in a different position in the table because we played well and dominated the game against a difficult team in Everton and were much better than them but in the end you need to score,” added Pochettino, who lost full-backs Reece James and Marc Cucurella and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to injury.

Everton boss Sean Dyche did not disagree with Pochettino’s assessment but revelled in the way his side kept them at arm’s length and then took opportunities when they came.

He said: “They are a very good team, without a shadow of doubt. Better in some ways. They kept the ball, they have technically-good players, have spent a fortune on players and he’s a top manager so I wouldn’t dispute his opinion.

“To find another way of winning against a side like Chelsea is very pleasing and under all that is a very firm mentality that is growing all the time.”

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