The Houston Texans are still over a month away from picking their quarterback of the future, but they are continuing to build around him.

On Monday, the Texans added a starting tight end to their roster, signing Dalton Schultz to a one-year deal worth up to $9million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Schultz did not have the market he might have anticipated after his contract with the Dallas Cowboys expired, but he will have the chance to cash in next offseason if he can thrive in Houston playing with the quarterback whom the Texans will almost certainly select with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Last season, Schultz finished with 577 receiving yards and five touchdowns, having racked up 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.

His 13 receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons rank fifth among tight ends.

Houston also added to their backfield, signing former Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary.

Singletary is unlikely to be the starter following the emergence of Dameon Pierce, who had 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground as a rookie.

Also arriving on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports, Singletary gives the Texans versatile depth at running back.

He has produced over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, he finished with 819 yards rushing and five touchdowns, as well as 280 yards receiving and a further touchdown through the air.

Singletary has 2,197 scrimmage yards since 2021, putting him 20th among running backs across that span.

The Brooklyn Nets will attempt to arrest their slide in the Eastern Conference when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Brooklyn and the Cavs square off twice in New York this week, the second meeting coming on Thursday.

And the Nets head into the first game of the doubleheader on the back of a three-game losing streak.

The Nets, sixth in the East, are now 39-32, just two games in the loss column ahead of the Miami Heat at 39-34.

As such, they are at risk of slipping into the play-in tournament places, and the Nets understand they must get better at rebounding if they are to return to winning ways.

The Nets are last in total rebounds in home games and were outrebounded 40-33 by the Denver Nuggets in Sunday's loss to the Western Conference leaders.

Cleveland represent formidable opposition, with the Cavs sitting at 45-28, fourth in the East. They have won seven of their last 10 games.

But this is a matchup in which the Nets may actually have an edge on the boards to help them end their losing run.

PIVOTAL PLAYERS

Brooklyn Nets – Mikal Bridges

Bridges has quickly become the Nets' talisman having been acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, and he has been one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA in March.

He is averaging 27.1 points per game this month, putting him 10th in league. No other Brooklyn player is averaging 20.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Jarrett Allen

The player who will bear much of the responsibility for ensuring the Nets continue to struggle on the boards is a former Brooklyn player.

Cavs center Allen has thrived on the glass this season, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, the 11th-most in the NBA.

KEY BATTLE – Can Nets win the rebound challenge?

After their struggles on the boards against the Nuggets, head coach Jacque Vaughn was asked about how the Nets need to go about improving their rebounding.

"We have to accept it, it's truth, it's staring us in the face," he said. "The scouting report says try to go to offensive rebound versus the Nets, and we have to understand that and really do a diligent job of trying to do it together. We can't do it with two people or three people.

"We're trying to be systematic in how we embrace this problem, but I just want our guys to embrace it and realise that it is really a big difference from us being a pretty good defensive team, and that challenge we have to take on, and we have to win it. We have to win that challenge."

Winning that challenge may be easier against the Cavs who, despite Allen's prowess on the glass, are 25th in the NBA in rebounds per game with 41.4, just 1.2 more than the Nets.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Nets were victorious over the Cavs in their previous meeting in Cleveland on December 26 and have won five of the last six games between the teams.

The Carolina Panthers have signed Adam Thielen to a three-year deal as they look to prepare a strong offense for their expected number one pick quarterback.

Thielen spent 10 years with his hometown team, the Minnesota Vikings, before being released in early March.

The 32-year-old was voted to two Pro Bowls in his time with Minnesota and was an All-Pro Second Team selection in 2017.

Starting all 17 games last season, Thielen finished with 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns, though he was not used as often towards the end of the campaign, making just seven catches in the Vikings' final four games.

He had previously expressed a desire to play his entire career with the Vikings, but their offense has shifted towards younger players like T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn to support All-Pro Justin Jefferson.

Overall, Thielen recorded 534 catches for 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns in 135 appearances for Minnesota.

The Panthers will get the number one pick in the NFL Draft after trading wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears, with Thielen providing plenty of experience in his place, which should aid whichever young starting quarterback they presumably acquire in late April.

It continues a busy time for Carolina, who have also recently added running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst and backup quarterback Andy Dalton.

Nikola Jokic recorded his 28th triple-double of the season as the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets rediscovered some form with a 108-102 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

The Nuggets had lost five of their past six games, but improved to 48-24 with the triumph, maintaining a sizeable buffer at the top of the West from the second-placed Sacramento Kings (43-27).

Serbian center Jokic starred with 22 points on nine-of-12 shooting with 17 rebounds and 10 assists, while Michael Porter scored a team-high 28 points with five-of-nine three-point attempts.

Jamal Murray added 25 points, nailing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc, and he posted 20 of his haul in the opening quarter as Denver got a fast start to lead 33-21 at the first break.

The Nuggets were coasting to victory with a 91-71 lead at three-quarter time before the Nets rallied in the fourth, with Porter settling the game with one of his five triples.

The defeat dents Brooklyn's aspirations to claim a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference, falling to 39-32, marginally ahead of the seventh-placed Miami Heat (39-34).

Mikal Bridges top scored for the home side with 23 points on eight-of-18 shooting from the field, while Nic Claxton chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds.

Giannis records triple-double in Bucks win

The Milwaukee Bucks stormed past the Toronto Raptors 118-111 on a 29-16 fourth-quarter charge as Giannis Antetokounmpo brought up his 33d career triple-double.

Antetokounmpo finished with 22 points on 100 per cent shooting from the field with 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while Brook Lopez added a team-high 26 points with Khris Middleton scoring 20.

Lopez scored 17 of his 26 points in the final period, including the first eight of the quarter, with the Bucks going on a game-changing 15-2 run. The NBA-best Bucks are now 51-20.

SGA leads OKC past Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alezander scored 40 points, came up clutch down the stretch and garnered M-V-P chants as the Oklahoma City Thunder boosted their play-in hopes with a 124-120 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Gilgeous-Thunder hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to hold off the Suns, who had Devin Booker score 46 points, including 30 in the second half, having led 69-57 at half-time. Chris Paul scored 14 points with 13 assists.

OKC (35-36) have four wins from their past five games to stay in the play-in hunt, thanks in large part to Gilgeous-Alexander's perfect 11-of-11 free throws in the second half, while Luguentz Dort added 20 points.

Elena Rybakina is targeting consistency and staying fit over becoming world number one, for now.

Rybakina defeated world number two Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (13-11) 6-4 on Sunday to clinch the Indian Wells Open title.

It brought up a fourth singles title of her career, her maiden WTA 1000 trophy and her first success since winning Wimbledon last year.

Rybakina overcame Iga Swiatek in the last four, making her the first player since Garbine Muguruza at the 2017 Western & Southern Open to beat the world number one and two in the semi-finals and final of a single tournament.

The Kazakh will rise to world number seven after her success in the Californian desert, but when asked if the top of the rankings was her next target, Rybakina told Amazon Prime: "I'll try but first of all I just want to have the consistency, the most important thing is to stay healthy because it's still the beginning of the year.

"If I continue like this I have all the chance to be higher in the top 10, we'll see how it's going to go."

She added: "It feels amazing. I didn't expect two sets, I thought it would be a three-set battle. It wasn't easy, it was a bit windy, I lost the two games, I was getting nervous, but I managed to sort it out."

The two games Rybakina referred to came in the second set, when she went from 5-2 up to 5-4 before regaining her composure.

Rybakina had also come out on top in an almighty tussle in the first-set tie-break, with Sabalenka unable to then rediscover her best form during the second set.

Sunday's success marked Rybakina's first victory over Sabalenka – who she lost to in the final of this season's Australian Open – in five attempts.

Though Sabalenka is not planning on losing another one, as the Belarusian comically interjected during Rybakina's post-match on-court interview.

"I'll make sure it was the last one," Sabalenka quipped after Rybakina had explained "it was the first time it went my way" in a meeting with the 24-year-old.

"It's been always a pleasure to play against you and always the toughest battle," Rybakina continued.

"Hopefully I'll be back next year to defend this result."

Sabalenka was courteous in defeat, saying: "First of all Elena I want to congratulate you and your team on another amazing week. Hopefully we'll play in many more finals, hopefully next time it'll go to me!"

However, she was already focusing on putting the defeat behind her, with the Miami Open next up.

"For me it's quite easy. I think it's gonna stay in my head until tomorrow, and tomorrow we are flying to Miami and I will forget this one," she told reporters.

"The thing is helping me to stay focused and to keep winning is just to focus on myself and focus on the game and focus on things what I have to do on court to keep winning.

"This one was tough, especially in the finals, it's always tough to lose. You're one step to the trophy and you lose it. This one is really tough. But she's a great player."

The last five WTA titles at Indian Wells have now been won by players yet to turn 24, while Rybakina became the 25th female player to win the title.

It all came down to this. El Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday was Real Madrid's final realistic hope of reigniting LaLiga's title race, but Franck Kessie's dramatic late winner puts Barcelona practically out of sight.

While Barca coach Xavi had been keen to downplay the idea of this contest being in any way "definitive", only going as far as suggesting victory would be a "strong blow", it's difficult to imagine him actually believing those comments now.

Kessie's neat strike secured Barca a thrilling 2-1 win and their celebrations said it all. This was no standard Clasico victory – it was a win that should bury Madrid's title hopes once and for all, putting the Blaugrana a massive 12 points clear with as many games to go.

Were it any other team then perhaps Madrid might still retain a modicum of belief, but this is a Barca side that have only conceded five LaLiga goals all season to teams not named 'Real Madrid'.

What hope do they really have of Barca dropping at least 12 points? After all, no team has ever even overturned a nine-point lead at this stage in a season, let alone a 12-point deficit.

Yet it had all started so well.

It was particularly fitting to see the opening goal involve the two men routinely identified as the key battle in Clasicos these days.

Vinicius Junior has become a talismanic figure for Madrid, while Ronald Araujo has developed into one of the most dependable and formidable defenders in Europe.

Their tussles are now something of a feature in El Clasico, and this instalment produced a major early flashpoint.

Vinicius was allowed to run with the ball in the Barca box, and although he initially moved away from goal, he then jinked right towards the byline, his clipped left-footed cross hitting the head of Araujo and glancing past the helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

While fortuitous, it was a swift reminder of the danger posed by Madrid's Brazilian winger after Barca had begun the game with a flourish.

The game's other Brazilian winger looked Barca's best bet to get on the scoresheet. A brilliant header – pushed away by Thibaut Courtois – a few moments before Araujo's own goal was Raphinha's first involvement.

He then produced a series of crosses before the half-hour mark, causing plenty of problems in the Madrid defence as Raphinha looked to test their suitability against an aerial bombardment.

Vintage Barca? Perhaps not, but there were signs of encouragement at least, with Andreas Christensen heading one such delivery agonisingly wide.

Raphinha's new-found influence and confidence was clear to see, and he then looked to take matters into his own hands as he shook off Nacho Fernandez and forced Courtois into a fingertip save.

So, just as it was unsurprising to see Vinicius instigate the opener, Raphinha playing a part in the equaliser was similarly predictable.

Well, sort of. Initially he drew cackles of derision from Madrid fans and simultaneous groans of bewilderment from the Barca supporters as his air shot saw a glorious chance go begging. But a few seconds later, on the stroke of half-time, it was his effort that was blocked right to Sergi Roberto, who coolly slotted out of Courtois' reach – 1.1.

It was a goal that seemingly restored real poise to Barca at the start of the second half, with Madrid initially looking even less of a threat than before the interval.

Part of Los Blancos' problem appeared to stem from a lack of invention. Everything went through Vinicius, and he was – for a while – the only Madrid player who looked likely to worry Barca.

As lively as he was, their dependency on him made Madrid largely one-dimensional, and unfortunately for them Vinicius couldn't do it all on his own.

For a moment that looked irrelevant. Substitute Marco Asensio stroked into the bottom-left corner in the 81st minute after meeting Dani Carvajal's pass. Suddenly Madrid's title challenge was reignited, only for those hopes to be brutally extinguished by a VAR check – Asensio was fractionally offside.

The sheer gut-wrenching disappointment sweeping across the visiting team was almost tangible. They'd gone from bedlam to broken in a matter of seconds, and what followed was a further, and surely fatal, body-blow.

Kessie finished from Alejandro Balde's cut-back to essentially leave Madrid needing two goals in stoppage time to salvage any semblance of hope.

That was beyond them.

Madrid will now have to carry on pretending to believe the near-impossible is plausible. In reality, it's game over.

Jose Mourinho's taunts about Lazio's European shortcomings fired up the Biancocelesti ahead of Sunday's derby win over Roma, said defender Alessio Romagnoli.

Mattia Zaccagni scored the only goal of a bad-tempered meeting between Italy's capital clubs, with Roma reduced to 10 men after Roger Ibanez picked up two bookings within the first 32 minutes.

Tempers also flared at full-time as Bryan Cristante and Adam Marusic were shown red cards, while the win moved Lazio five points clear of Roma in the battle for a top-four Serie A finish.

Ahead of the game, Mourinho mocked Lazio's Europa Conference League exit against AZ Alkmaar during a rant about teams dropping into lower-level European competitions, saying: "They won't have a third competition to play in."

Speaking after Lazio completed their first Serie A double over Roma since 2011-12, former Giallorossi man Romagnoli could not resist aiming a jibe back at Mourinho.

"We were already very energised before this match, his quotes hyped us up even more," he said. "There won't be a third derby for them."

The result makes Mourinho – who served his final game of a two-match touchline ban – the first Roma boss to lose consecutive Serie A meetings with Lazio since Luis Enrique in 2011 and 2012.

Mourinho's opposite number Maurizio Sarri was less confrontational, telling reporters: "Let Mourinho do it, he's like that.

"I often like him. There is nothing for him to answer. We won the derby, we are very happy, and we don't want to cause controversy.

"The red card helped us, but the data shows we had the game in hand before that. I've played in all the most important stadiums in the world and I've always slept the night before, yesterday I struggled.

"It's a unique emotion, I'm happy for the fans. Today the stadium was a spectacle. I'm happy with the points but more for the supporters."

Asked whether Mourinho's absence from the touchline impacted the game, Sarri said: "We [coaches] are more important before the game than during. You find yourself among 70,000 people screaming, and the only one who hears you is the one passing by."

There have been 38 red cards shown in 58 Rome derbies in Serie A's three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994-95) – more than in any other fixture in the competition during that span.

Though the teams share their Stadio Olimpico home, Lazio are now unbeaten in their last six 'home' games against Roma (W4 D2), winning in each of the last six derbies in which Roma have had a player sent off.

Franck Kessie scored a dramatic late winner as Barcelona took a significant step towards LaLiga glory with a 2-1 Clasico victory over Real Madrid on Sunday.

Blaugrana midfielder Kessie stroked home in the 92nd minute at Camp Nou to send Xavi's side 12 points clear of Madrid, who thought they had won it earlier when Marco Asensio saw an 81st-minute strike ruled out.

A somewhat comical Ronald Araujo own goal had offered Madrid an early lead before Sergi Roberto restored parity in the 45th minute.

Kessie's late intervention, placing past Thibaut Courtois, arrived after Asensio's finish was ruled out for offside as Barca closed on the title with 12 league games left to play.

Courtois produced impressive stops to thwart Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha but Madrid struck first after nine minutes.

Araujo inexplicably headed into his own net at the near post when attempting to defend Vinicius Junior's hopeful left-wing centre.

Courtois kept a Barca response at bay, denying Andreas Christensen's inventive flick and a fizzing Raphinha drive, although Xavi's men finally fought back on the stroke of half-time.

A desperate Eder Militao block against Raphinha saw the ball fall to Sergi Roberto, who fired into the bottom-right corner after a slight deflection wrong-footed Courtois.

Another deflected effort almost undid Madrid again after the interval, though Lewandowski's attempt off Eduardo Camavinga whistled wide to Courtois' left.

Asensio thought he had snatched victory when turning home Dani Carvajal's right-wing cross, only for a VAR review to adjudge the substitute offside.

More late drama was to follow when Kessie coolly finished into the bottom-right corner from Alejandro Balde's low centre as Barca edged closer towards a first top-flight crown since 2019.

Filip Kostic scored the winner as Juventus made it six victories from their past seven Serie A matches with a 1-0 triumph over Inter at San Siro on Sunday.

The Bianconeri started the game four places below their hosts, but Kostic struck in the first half to send them on their way to completing the league double over Inter for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

Simone Inzaghi's side mustered just three shots on target as Juve's backline saw out the win with relative ease.

Inter's patchy form continues, with a third defeat in four Serie A games seeing their Champions League hopes suffer yet another blow as Massimiliano Allegri's men move within nine points of the Nerazzurri.

After Wojciech Szczesny twice denied Nicolo Barella early on, Kostic brilliantly put Juve ahead with 23 minutes played.

The Serbia international received the ball from Adrien Rabiot before rifling into the bottom right corner, with a lengthy VAR review for a suspected handball in the build-up eventually finding no wrongdoing. 

Romelu Lukaku spurned a chance to equalise when he headed wide before the break, before Dusan Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli both tested Andre Onana early into the second half as Juve looked to build their advantage.

Allegri introduced Federico Chiesa off the bench, and the substitute nearly made it 2-0 when his powerful run ended with him curling just wide.

Inter pressed for a leveller late on, but Juve's resilient defence stood firm to see out the remaining minutes for another clean sheet and make it eight wins from 12 in Serie A since the turn of the year.

Gianluigi Donnarumma warned Paris Saint-Germain the Ligue 1 title race is "not done yet" following their 2-0 loss to Rennes.

PSG were booed off by the Parc des Princes crowd as goals from Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo inflicted a first home league defeat in just under two years, and turned up the pressure on head coach Christophe Galtier.

The Ligue 1 leaders are missing several key players through injury, including long-term absentee Neymar, as well as defenders Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos.

Nevertheless, Donnarumma insists it is no excuse after a seventh defeat of 2023 - and second in three matches following their Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.

And despite their nine-point lead at the Ligue 1 summit, the goalkeeper has urged his team-mates to up their game.

"It was a difficult game. We were missing a lot of players, but we are not looking for excuses. In this type of match, we have to do better, we have to win - especially for all the fans who support us, who are always behind us.

"When we return, we will have to do everything to find our best level. We have to approach the matches better. We have to do better in terms of character and intensity.

"We have quality, but we have to improve on these points. I'm not happy that we've suffered so many defeats, but we have to look ahead and do everything we can to improve.

"We want to win as many points as possible. We need to win the championship, it's not something easy, and it's not done yet. We have to put our heads back in the right place because the championship is not over."

Christophe Galtier knows Paris Saint-Germain's hierarchy will "reflect" on his future after Sunday's dire defeat to Rennes, though he believes their display can be explained by a lengthy injury list.

PSG were booed off at half-time and full-time by a furious home crowd as Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo netted either side of the interval in a routine win for Rennes.

PSG's defeat was their first on home soil in Ligue 1 since April 2021, when Galtier led former club Lille to a 1-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes before beating the Parisians to the title.

While Galtier looks likely to win his second domestic title this term, he has attracted criticism since overseeing a meek Champions League exit against Bayern Munich earlier this month.

Galtier knows PSG's latest humiliation will do nothing to quell speculation regarding his position, telling reporters: "I came for this project for two years, but we speculate on my future. 

"My only obsession is to be champion. This match will perhaps cause my management to reflect, but we have to put things in context. 

"This match should not call everything into question. There are no excuses but there are reasons. There are 10 matches left, we are ahead in Ligue 1. 

"Losses always upset us. Afterwards, everyone has their reading of the game. You have yours and I have mine.

"In the current context, with so many absences – though it is not an excuse – we knew that we would have defensive fluctuations."

As well as long-term absentee Neymar, PSG were without defenders Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos for Sunday's defeat, forcing Galtier to start inexperienced duo El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Timothee Pembele.

Given PSG's selection crisis, Galtier believes criticism of his team's attitude is unjustified, adding: "The players gave everything compared to what they had in their legs. 

"You get the feeling that the players didn't give their all, but that's not how I feel. 

"When a player walks into the locker room and knows that eight players are missing, and he sees young guys he has only seen once or twice before... 

"My players were invested, after going 2-0 down to a team like Rennes, there may be a little resignation. There is a lot of fatigue. These are not excuses, just contextual elements."

PSG have now lost four of their seven Ligue 1 games this season against teams currently in the top five (W2 D1), including two against Rennes (also 1-0 in January).

Rennes are also just the third team to complete a Ligue 1 double over PSG since the club's 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, after Nancy in 2011-12 and Monaco in 2020-21.

Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United secured an FA Cup semi-final place with a 3-1 win over nine-man Fulham, who spectacularly fell apart at Old Trafford.

The Cottagers appeared well on course for a first last-four appearance since 2002 when Aleksandar Mitrovic put them in front five minutes after the break.

But their hopes collapsed as the tie descended into chaos when Chris Kavanagh's decision to award the hosts a penalty 18 minutes from time resulted in Willian and Mitrovic being sent off.

United capitalised on their numerical advantage as they completed a turnaround with Fernandes netting twice and Marcel Sabitzer also on target.

Bayern Munich missed the chance to return to the top of the Bundesliga after they were sunk by two VAR-assisted penalties in a 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

Joshua Kimmich's first-half strike had given the champions the lead at BayArena, putting them back on course for the summit heading into the international break.

But a pair of spot-kicks in the second half from Exequiel Palacios instead sealed a deserved comeback for the hosts, who often looked more threatening.

It means Julian Nagelsmann's side lie second behind Borussia Dortmund heading into the pair's table-topping Klassiker at the start of April.

Having been leapfrogged by their rivals on Saturday, Bayern knew they needed a result on the road to retake top spot.

After withstanding early Leverkusen pressure, they set about finding it amid torrential rain, with Kimmich drilling a close-range finish home in the 22nd minute, aided by a kind deflection.

For the rest of the first half, however, it was Bayern who appeared to be more on the back foot, Leverkusen creating a flurry of chances, led by Moussa Diaby.

The hosts remained on top following the restart and were rewarded with a penalty after Benjamin Pavard stepped on Amine Adli's heel.

Palacios converted powerfully to equalise in the 55th minute and stepped up again 18 minutes later when Adli was caught once more by Dayot Upamecano.

The Argentinian again made no mistake to put Leverkusen into a worthy lead, and from there they clung on for a crucial victory that dealt Bayern's title defence a serious blow.

Ajax head coach John Heitinga rued more frustrations in a disappointing season after Feyenoord came from behind to strike a significant Eredivisie title blow.

Arne Slot's side moved six points clear at the Dutch top-flight summit after Lutsharel Geertruida scored an 86th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over second-placed Ajax on Sunday.

It marked the first time since August 2014 that Ajax lost an Eredivisie game they had led at half-time, after Edson Alvarez and Dusan Tadic goals had sent the hosts in leading 2-1 at the interval.

With only the top two qualifying for the Champions League, Heitinga – in charge until the end of the season following Alfred Schreuder's sacking in January – acknowledged Ajax are struggling with AZ and PSV in hot pursuit.

"Let's be clear: this is not the season Ajax wants it to be," said former defender Heitinga, as quoted by De Telegraaf.

"I have been asked to help this club. When I started we were fifth and then we won seven league games in a row. 

"And we probably would have won here too if [Mohammed] Kudus scored in the final phase. But unfortunately, he didn't. We are really going to do everything we can to finish this season as high as possible."

Stats Perform's predictor, which calculates the probability of a team's league finish based on numerous data, suggests Feyenoord have a 92.6 per cent chance of winning the league after a late win over Ajax.

Those title hopes were boosted by Geertruida's header, which was Feyenoord's latest winner in De Klassieker since November 1969 when Theo van Duivenbode scored in the 87th minute.

Feyenoord coach Slot said his side can dare to dream of a first championship since 2017 and just a second this century.

"We are in very good shape," he said. "I dare say that we are competing for the championship. And that we are in a fantastic position too.

"We had a great victory here. We know how much effort it takes to win every time. There is nothing wrong with that; we like to do that.

"I saw a physical performance today that also appeals to the imagination. If we can keep delivering and no one gets injured, then we are in really good shape."

Slot's men were somewhat fortunate in the first half, though, as Quilindschy Hartman escaped a second caution in quick succession from referee Danny Makkelie.

The defender was promptly removed in the 25th minute for Marcos Lopez, with the game finely poised at 1-1 after Alvarez cancelled out Santiago Gimenez's early opener.

"He got away with it, the referee could have given yellow again," Slot told ESPN. "Although you also have to analyse that first yellow card. Three violations preceded that. 

"Everyone understands that you don't enjoy playing football anymore if you have committed an offence that could have been your second yellow card. 

"Then you can no longer play against Kudus, a man who is so incredibly good in terms of individual class."

Paris Saint-Germain slumped to a dismal 2-0 defeat against Rennes in Ligue 1, with Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo netting to amplify the pressure on Christophe Galtier.

PSG were booed off at half-time by the Parc des Princes crowd after Toko Ekambi broke in behind to hand Rennes a surprise lead, following a series of misses from Kylian Mbappe.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the disjointed leaders, with former PSG forward Kalimuendo converting Lesley Ugochukwu's cross to provoke more fury from the home fans.

PSG's four-game winning run in Ligue 1 ended with a whimper as Rennes stood firm, and Galtier's under-fire side could see their lead at the summit reduced to seven points when Marseille visit Reims later on Sunday.

Mbappe endured a miserable first half for PSG, seeing a one-on-one finish disallowed for offside 22 minutes in before squandering three good opportunities.

Having drilled one left-footed effort narrowly wide, Mbappe was twice released in behind by measured throughballs from Lionel Messi, only for Steve Mandanda to deny him with firm saves.

Mbappe's misses were punished on the stroke of half-time as Rennes scored against the run of play – Toko Ekambi latching onto a simple ball over the top to fire into the bottom-left corner. 

PSG found themselves 2-0 down within three minutes of the restart, Kalimuendo side-footing home after Marco Verratti's giveaway allowed Ugochukwu to break down the left.

Toko Ekambi and Kalimuendo almost claimed braces as Rennes continued to press – the latter denied by a one-on-one save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Verratti forced a flying save from Mandanda late on, but that was as close as PSG went.