LONDON: Sadio Mane tormented Chelsea as the Liverpool forward struck twice after sparking Andreas Christensen’s dismissal in the champions’ 2-0 win, while Son Heung-min scored four as Tottenham crushed Southampton 5-2 on Sunday.
Mane was involved in the turning point at Stamford Bridge as the first clash between Premier League title contenders this season swung Liverpool’s way.
In first half stoppage-time, Jordan Henderson picked out Mane’s run behind Christensen and the Denmark defender responded by rugby-tackling the Senegal star to the ground.
Referee Paul Tierney initially booked Christensen, but VAR told him to consult the pitchside monitor and he changed his decision to a red card.
Mane grabbed his first goal of the season in the 50th minute as he met Roberto Firmino’s cross with a thumping header after eluding Reece James’ slack marking.
Mane was gifted his second goal as Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made a hash of trying to play out from the back, allowing the Liverpool forward to intercept and slot into the empty net.
It was the latest costly blunder from Kepa, who was dropped twice by Chelsea manager Frank Lampard last season despite his status as the world’s most expensive keeper.
Lampard will be relieved that Chelsea are reportedly close to signing Rennes’ Senegal international Edouard Mendy as he looks to replace Kepa.
“It was a clear mistake and Kepa accepted that,” Lampard said.
Thiago Alcantara made his Liverpool debut at half-time after his move from Bayern Munich, but the Spain midfielder conceded a 74th minute penalty with a foul on Timo Werner.
Alisson Becker came to Thiago’s rescue as he saved Jorginho’s spot-kick.
After their chaotic 4-3 win over Leeds on the opening weekend, this was a return to the kind of dominant display Liverpool produced so often en route to their first English title for 30 years last season.
“Chelsea were the dominant side without goals but then a massive game-changer which was good for us,” Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said.
“After the red card, the second half is a different game. We kept the ball rolling, let them run, scored the goals. Everybody had a hand in the result.”
While Chelsea have spent £200 million ($258 million) on new signings in a bid to close the gap on the champions, Liverpool remain streets ahead of the Blues at present.
“The red card changes the face of the game. I think it could be given or not,” Lampard said.
At St. Mary’s, Jose Mourinho hailed Son and Harry Kane after the pair destroyed Southampton.
Just 24 hours after Tottenham signed Gareth Bale, Son delivered a virtuoso display that showed Mourinho’s side already have plenty of firepower.
Bale has returned to Tottenham on a season-long loan from Real Madrid seven years after he left the north London club.
Danny Ings put Southampton ahead in the first half, but Son equalized before the break and scored three more in the second half, with each of his goals coming from Kane assists.
Kane, who hit the back of the net twice in the first half only to have them ruled out for offside, capped a swaggering display with his second goal of the season.
“Son was on fire and for me Harry Kane was the man of the match, what he did for the team,” said Mourinho, whose side had lost their league opener against Everton.
“With him dropping back and connecting the game between the lines for Sonny to attack, the space they created was a problem they couldn’t resolve.”
Neal Maupay’s quick-fire double inspired Brighton’s 3-0 win against Newcastle as the Seagulls claimed their first Premier League victory of the season.
Graham Potter’s side raced into a two-goal lead after just seven minutes at St. James’ Park thanks to the brace from French striker Maupay.
Aaron Connolly grabbed the third for Brighton, who had Yves Bissouma sent off after his raised boot caught Jamal Lewis in the face.
Liverpool’s Mane sinks 10-man Chelsea, Son hits four in Spurs rout
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Liverpool’s Mane sinks 10-man Chelsea, Son hits four in Spurs rout
- Sadio Mane scored twice as Liverpool exploited Chelsea’s frailties to win 2-0
- Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen was sent off at the end of the first half for hauling down Mane
Doncic triple-double leads Mavs over Warriors in record-shattering duel
- The Mavericks and Warriors combined for an NBA single-game record of 48 made three-pointers, breaking the old mark by four
- Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics over league-worst Washington 112-98
SAN FRANCISCO: Luka Doncic reeled off a triple-double with 45 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to spark the Dallas Mavericks over Golden State 143-133 in a record-shattering NBA matchup on Sunday.
The Mavericks and Warriors combined for an NBA single-game record of 48 made three-pointers, breaking the old mark by four, with Golden State sinking 27-of-54 shots from beyond the arc and Dallas hitting 21-of-41 three-point attempts.
“No team could miss. They had 18 threes at halftime and we were still up, which is insane,” Doncic said. “Felt like nobody could miss. It was a fun game. Lot of makes. But it was a physical game too.”
Doncic made 16-of-23 shots from the floor, including 6-of-11 three-pointers, and the 25-year-old Slovenian guard added three steals and two blocked shots to his ninth career 40-point triple-double.
“The guy never ceases to amaze me,” said teammate Klay Thompson. “He never rushes, plays at his own pace. Had 45 points easy as pie he made it look like.”
It was the three-point sharpshooting that made the contest historic, crushing the old mark for combined three-pointers in an NBA game of 44 set in February 2023 by Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers, and matched two nights ago by Phoenix and Utah.
The Mavericks, who won for the eighth time in nine starts, and Warriors combined for a one-half NBA record of 30 three-pointers in the first half, which ended with Dallas ahead 81-74.
Dallas made 12-of-25 from three-point range in the first two quarters while the Warriors matched another NBA record with 18 three-pointers in a half, making them on 32 attempts.
That set the stage for ex-Warrior Thompson to sink the record-breaking 45th combined three-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the fourth quarter off an assist from Doncic.
“I’ve had a great history of shooting the ball well here so I try to tap into that every time I come back,” Thompson said.
Thompson had a season-high 29 points, 12 in the last quarter, and sank 9-of-14 shots from the floor and 7-of-11 from three-point range against a club with which he won four NBA titles.
“Legendary stuff. Now it’s time to do some legendary stuff in Dallas,” he said. “I truly believe in this team. We have all the ingredients to do something special.”
The NBA record for three-pointers by one team in a game is 29, set by Milwaukee in December of 2020 and matched by Boston two months ago.
Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics over league-worst Washington 112-98, but an injury to Kristaps Porzingis dimmed the joy of a road victory.
Porzingis, a 29-year-old Latvian center who missed the first month of the season following left ankle surgery, played only 11 minutes before leaving for good with right heel pain in the second quarter.
Porzingis has played in only seven games this season, averaging 20.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.
The Wizards fell to 3-21 while Boston improved to 21-5, second-best in the NBA to Cleveland (22-4).
At Orlando, the New York Knicks delivered the first home loss of the season to the Magic as Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 22 rebounds in a 100-91 victory.
Mikal Bridges had 17 points for the Knicks, who improved to 16-10, while reserve Mo Wagner had 32 to lead Orlando (17-11), which fell to 10-1 at home.
At San Antonio, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards scored 26 points to lead the Timberwolves over the host Spurs 106-92.
French star Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points and added 12 rebounds and five assists.
Host Phoenix got 28 points from Devin Booker plus 20 from Kevin Durant to power the Suns over Portland 116-109.
At Indianapolis, Pascal Siakam scored 22 points to lead the Indiana Pacers over New Orleans 119-104.
The Pacers obtained reserve center Thomas Bryant from Miami earlier Sunday in a deal that sent the Heat the rights to swap second-round picks in the 2031 NBA Draft.
Another deal Sunday sent German guard Dennis Schroder from Brooklyn to the Golden State Warriors for forward De’Anthony Melton.
American swimmer Gretchen Walsh adds to her record collection at world short course championships
- Organizers said a record total of 30 world records were set at the championships
- The 25-meter pool is half the length of an Olympic pool
BUDAPEST: American swimmer Gretchen Walsh set her 10th world record at the world short course championships with gold in the 50-meter freestyle final before adding an 11th as part of the winning US team in the women’s 4x100 medley relay on Sunday.
Walsh finished the 50 free at Budapest’s Duna Arena in 22.83 seconds — .22 ahead of fellow American Kate Douglass in second.
Walsh later extended her world record total to 11 — nine individual and two in relays — when the US, comprised of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Walsh and Douglass, won the relay in 3 minutes, 40.41 seconds. That started with Smith’s backstroke lead-off leg of 54.02 seconds, also a world record.
Smith also had a world record time of 1:58:04 to win the women’s 200 backstroke final, and her compatriot Luke Hobson took gold in the men’s 200 free with 1:38.61, also a world record.
Organizers said a record total of 30 world records were set at the championships.
A world record was also set in the men’s 4x100 medley relay by Miron Lifintsev, Kirill Prigoda, Andrei Minakov and Egor Kornev, competing as neutral athletes, in 3:18.68.
The 25-meter pool is half the length of an Olympic pool.
Jens Odgaard scores for Bologna to end Fiorentina’s winning run in Italian league
- Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest
BOLOGNA, Italy: Bologna striker Jens Odgaard scored Sunday in a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina, ending the Florence-based club’s eight-match winning run in the Italian league.
The Danish player broke the deadlock near the hour-mark at the end of a fine collective move.
Fiorentina were seeking a ninth consecutive Serie A victory that would have seen them break the club record set in 1960.
After a balanced first half, Bologna were the better side after the interval and had several occasions to score — including Santiago Castro hitting the post — before they eventually broke the deadlock when Odgaard made the most of a loose ball in the box to score his third league goal.
Bologna moved up to seventh place in the standings.
Fiorentina remained in fourth place, level on points with third-place Inter Milan. League leaders Atalanta have a two-point lead over Napoli.
Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino did not attend the match after his mother passed away, leaving assistant coach Stefano Citterio in charge.
Genoa spoils anniversary night at Milan
Facing a combative Genoa team, Milan’s wasteful forward could not break the deadlock in a 0-0 draw.
Alvaro Morata came close in the 79th minute when he hit the crossbar. It was not enough to please a frustrated crowd and players were jeered at the final whistle.
With one match in hand, Milan are lagging 14 points behind Atalanta.
The game was preceded by a ceremony marking the club’s 125th anniversary that brought together former Milan greats, including Franco Baresi, Marco van Basten and Filippo Inzaghi.
Genoa are in 13th place and remains unbeaten under new coach Patrick Vieira.
First win for Como since September
Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest.
Gabrielloni, who came in with 10 minutes left to play, scored his first Serie A goal three minutes into stoppage time. Gabrielloni then turned provider for Paz, who sealed the win four minutes later.
It was Como’s first league victory since Sept. 29. With its third win this season, it moved to 16th place with 15 points.
Verona secures much-needed win
Hellas Verona players gave coach Paolo Zanetti some respite with a 3-2 win at Parma.
The result, with goals from Diego Coppola, Amin Sarr and Daniel Mosquera, snapped a four-match losing streak for the injury-hit team.
Simon Sohm scored a brace but it was not enough for Parma. Verona moved one point away from the relegation zone.
Also, Lecce defeated Monza 2-1.
UCLA duo Knapp and Tavatanakit deliver late birdies and win Grant Thornton Invitational
- Knapp and Tavatanakit each collected $500,000 from the $4 million purse
- Jeeno Thitikul, who won the LPGA finale at Tiburon last month for the $4 million prize, holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole as she and Tom Kim shot 64 to finish alone in second
NAPLES, Florida: Patty Tavatanakit holed a 25-foot birdie putt and Jake Knapp gave them the lead on the next hole with a tough pitch to set up birdie as the UCLA duo combined for a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a one-shot victory in the Grant Thornton Invitational.
They won on their respective tours on the same day this year — Knapp at the Mexico Open, Tavatanakit at the Honda LPGA Thailand — and were equally impressive as a team, especially down the stretch at Tiburon Golf Club.
Jeeno Thitikul, who won the LPGA finale at Tiburon last month for the $4 million prize, holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole as she and Tom Kim shot 64 to finish alone in second.
Akshay Bhatia and Jennifer Kupcho made a mess of the 18th hole for their lone bogey in the modified fourballs format and finished third.
The final hour could have gone to any four teams — the Canadian tandem of Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson shot 62 and were briefly tied for the lead, though running out of holes.
Knapp and Tavatanakit, who started with a two-shot lead, fell behind for the first time all day when Bhatia holed a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th.
The format had each player hit tee shots, switch balls for the next shot and then complete the hole. Knapp’s tee shot on the par-3 16th climbed onto the green, and Tavatanakit poured in the left-to-right breaking putt for birdie to tie the lead.
“I putted well this week,” Tavatanakit said. “Everything has been fun. The chemistry has been really good.”
Both were out of position off the tee at the easy 17th, with Knapp in the water. Taking the tee shot of Tavatanakit, he hit from the native area to short of the green into a slight swale. His pitch settled 3 feet away for birdie and a one-shot lead over Bhatia and Kupcho.
Ahead on the 18th, Bhatia’s approach came up woefully short and into the water. Kupcho missed her approach to the right, and her putt ran down a slope about 10 feet by. Bhatia tried to play twice from the water. Kupcho badly missed her par putt.
That gave the UCLA tandem a two-shot lead, and a simple par — both missed birdie putts they didn’t need from about 10 feet — put them at 27-under 189. Each collected $500,000 from the $4 million purse.
Kim and Thitikul finished birdie-birdie for second place, worth $280,000 to each.
Three talking points from the Premier League
- Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil after a fourth straight defeat
LONDON: Manchester City slumped to a scarcely credible eighth defeat in 11 games on Sunday — this time against Manchester United — leaving Pep Guardiola flummoxed but handing Ruben Amorim a huge boost.
With the spotlight off them, Chelsea moved just two points behind long-time Premier League leaders Liverpool, with a 2-1 win against Brentford.
Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil after a fourth straight defeat while Southampton axed Russell Martin following a 5-0 hammering by Tottenham.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.
It is difficult to argue that City are now experiencing a full-blown crisis.
Guardiola signed a new two-year contract last month at a point when City had lost four in a row, saying he did not feel he could leave the club at a difficult time.
Now he is facing questions as to how — and when — he can stop the rot after a painful 2-1 defeat to United, who had won just one of their first four league games under Amorim.
Guardiola provided a harsh self-assessment after the defeat, which came courtesy of a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 88th minute and an Amad Diallo winner two minutes later.
“I’m the manager and I’m not good enough, simple as that,” he said.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva was even harsher, comparing City’s collapse in the final minutes to an under-15s team.
City have matches coming up that look winnable on paper — against Aston Villa, Everton and Leicester — but with every defeat the scale of Guardiola’s task looks more daunting.
Earlier this month Liverpool had a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League — now it is down to just two.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have won their past five games to close the gap on the Reds, who still have a match in hand.
Liverpool showed impressive strength of character to twice come from behind for a 2-2 draw against Fulham on Saturday despite playing the bulk of the game with 10 men.
But their momentum has slowed, with the Fulham result following a 3-3 draw last week against Newcastle.
Free-scoring Chelsea have taken full advantage, climbing above London rivals Arsenal, runners-up in the past two campaigns, to stake their claim as Liverpool’s main challengers.
The Blues finished last season strongly under former manager Mauricio Pochettino but few expected Maresca to master his brief so quickly.
The Chelsea boss is eager to say they are not in the title race but the table suggests otherwise.
Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin paid the price for their clubs’ Premier League struggles.
Martin’s sacking was announced shortly after a sobering defeat to Spurs, who scored all five goals at St. Mary’s in the first half on Sunday.
Wolves suffered a damaging 2-1 loss to relegation rivals Ipswich at Molineux on Saturday, after which O’Neil said he was struggling to help his team cope with the “real basic stuff.”
Wolves, second from bottom of the table, are five points from safety.
But their plight is not as perilous as that of Southampton, who are staring at an immediate return to the Championship.
Martin departs having taken just five points from 16 games, leaving Southampton nine points adrift of safety.
