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The Prem

Bath (19) 36

Tries: Arundell, De Glanville, Cokanasiga 2, Hennessey Cons: Russell 4 Pens: Russell

Sale (7) 28

Tries: Jibulu, O’Flaherty, Cowan-Dickie, Canakaivata Cons: Ford 4

Joe Cokanasiga scored twice as Bath ended a three-game winless run in all competitions with victory over Sale.

Henry Arundell, Tom de Glanville and Louis Hennessey also got on the scoreboard for the hosts as they took a maximum of five points to go into the international break on a high.

Nathan Jibulu and Tom O’Flaherty crossed for Sale and they were largely outclassed until the final 10 minutes when Luke Cowan-Dickie and Elia Canakaivata added late tries, to ensure the Sharks at least left the Recreation Ground with a point.

The result is the third loss of the campaign for Sale and means they go into the international break eighth, while Bath move up to fourth.

Bath have been hit by a raft of injuries to their backline in the early part of the season and while they are now without Santiago Carreras for the rest of the campaign, De Glanville and Arundell’s return from injuries proved timely.

Arundell needed less than three minutes to bag a try on his first Prem game of the season when he charged through a gap on halfway and used his speed to race into the corner.

Sale then enjoyed their best spell of pressure until the end of the game although were unable to turn frequent entries into Bath’s 22 into more than one try.

Prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour was turned over a few metres out and Joe Carpenter dropped a long pass when he had acres of space ahead, before Jibulu brought them level carrying over from the back of a maul.

De Glanville restored Bath’s lead, as the hosts switched direction across the pitch from a line-out and the full-back dashed through a gap when Tom Roebuck slipped trying to make a tackle.

Cokanasiga added their third with a well-worked team try started when Arundell caught a high ball on halfway, and they whipped it quickly through their backs, and in a two-on-one with De Glanville, Cokanasiga had a simple finish.

The wing had his second and Bath’s bonus-point fourth immediately into the second half, when he jumped to catch Russell’s cross-field kick, side-stepped past Alex Lozowski and stretched over under a tackle.

O’Flaherty replied minutes later at the other end with a superb one-handed dive into the corner as Sale looked for a way back in.

A Russell penalty stretched Bath 15 points clear and Hennessey ran on to a Bernard van der Linde grubber kick a minute after coming on to all-but seal victory.

Yet Sale rallied to end the game on top, with Cowan-Dickie barging through before Canakaivata grabbed another try in the final minute to give Sale a point.

Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Arundell; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Frost, Griffin, Jeanes, Ewels, Hill, Reid, Bayliss.

Replacements: Dunn, Wheeler, Stuart, Opoku-Gyamfi, Richards, Van Der Linde, Hennessey, Coetzee.

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, Marchant, Lozowski, O’Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Smith, Jibulu, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Tshiunza, B. Curry, T. Curry.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, McIntyre, Francis, Burrow, Dugdale, Hanson, Ma’asi-White, Canakaivata.

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe

Michael Carrick’s stay of execution as Manchester United boss may not last long after his team imploded in a 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.

The visitors wasted a string of chances to take the lead at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before Morgan Rogers waltzed through the heart of the United defence to open the scoring on 50 minutes.

Lisandro Martinez then ruined any chance of a revival from Carrick’s men with two quickfire yellow cards, the second of which also conceded a penalty converted by Cole Palmer.

Winless in nine games, their defeat leaves the 20-time English champions still just one point above the relegation zone and in danger of ending the weekend in the bottom three.

Many expected Carrick to be axed following last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.

The former United midfielder was instead given the chance to turn his side’s fortunes around and will lament a lack of ruthlessness during the first half.

Carrick recalled captain Bruno Fernandes after he was left out last weekend in the wake of criticising his manager’s tactics during the 4-1 thrashing at Como in the Champions League.

Fernandes should have marked his return with the opener when he blazed over from Bryan Mbeumo’s inviting cross.

The roles were reversed when Mbeumo could not stretch to meet Fernandes’s delivery at the back post before Amad Diallo was twice denied by Chelsea’s stand-in goalkeeper Mike Penders.

United did finally get the ball in the net when Matheus Cunha turned in Harry Maguire’s header from a corner, but the Brazilian had strayed just offside.

Carrick could not hide his frustration in a half-time interview with broadcasters and his mood soured further with a disastrous start to the second period.

Chelsea’s Rogers credits Carrick for revitalising his career during a spell together at Middlesbrough, but dealt a potentially decisive blow to his former boss.

The England international collected the ball inside the centre circle but was allowed to drive directly towards the United goal before dinking the ball over Senne Lammens.

Martinez also spoke out publicly in recent weeks to criticise United’s lack of spending in the transfer market to bolster Carrick’s squad.

But on this season’s evidence, Martinez is one of those most in need of replacing.

The Argentine international could not cope with Rogers’s strength moments later as he was penalised for hauling back the Chelsea forward.

From the resulting free-kick, Martinez then needlessly crashed into Wesley Fofana with a raised forearm.

After a VAR review, referee Peter Banks awarded a penalty and showed Martinez a second yellow card.

Lammens got hands to Palmer’s spot-kick but still allowed the ball to trickle into the bottom corner.

On a rare start since Xabi Alonso took charge of the Blues, Estevao had a third goal disallowed for offside when he crashed a pass from Palmer into the top corner.

Cries of “sacked in the morning” rained down from the Chelsea fans as their side toyed with United for the final quarter without adding to their lead.

Another big decision awaits the United hierarchy before the massive Champions League clash at home to Roma on Tuesday.

Beaten in two of their three European games so far, United face both the embarrassment and financial shock of an early exit should they fall to another defeat against the Italians at Old Trafford.

New Zealand delivered a statement victory as they thrashed Fiji 78-0 to book their place in the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals.

The Kiwis established a 24-0 lead with four converted tries in the opening 13 minutes as Fiji – who pushed reigning world champions Australia close just under a week ago – had no response on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Fiji conceded eight tries in the first half and five in a fiery second period, during which half-back Brandon Wakeham was sent off along with New Zealand winger Ronaldo Mulitalo.

Centre Casey McLean claimed four tries, Keano Kini scored two and Jahrome Hughes, Dane Gagai, James Fisher-Harris, Mulitalo, Xavier Willison, Briton Nikora and Erin Clark also crossed for Stacey Jones’ team.

“Pretty special and pleased about how we went about our business,” said New Zealand captain Fisher-Harris.

“Fiji are a good team but I thought we played really well. It was a battle of the forwards.”

Fiji’s woes were not confined to the scoreline, with captain Apisai Koroisau suffering a suspected broken jaw and he clashed heads with Joseph Tapine in the eighth minute

Semi Valemei, who impressed with a hat-trick of tries against the Kangaroos, also left the field with a head injury during the first half.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will now face an anxious wait to discover if Mulitalo faces a tournament-ending ban for a high shot on Ronald Philitoga, which prompted a fracas involving Wakeham.

However, in his post-match news conference Kiwis head coach Jones confirmed that star full-back Kalyn Ponga, who broke his arm in the tournament opener against Australia on 15 October, has trained this week and could be involved in their last-four match against either Samoa, Tonga or England.

Samoa and Tonga meet on Sunday and both look set to advance from Pool B & C.

England’s slim hopes rest on the unlikely scenario of Tonga defeating Samoa by more than 46 points.

The losers of the contest between the Pacific Island rivals will take on Australia next.

Kevin Walters’ side maintained their 100% record in their final group match with a comfortable 66-6 success over the Cook Islands in Townsville.

Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic both scored three tries each in a game the Cook Islands briefly led 6-4 when Rua Ngatikaura went over and Valentine Holmes added the extras.

LeBron James scored 20 points, including a late tip-in, to help seal the Philadelphia 76ers’ 98-93 victory over the NBA champions New York Knicks on Friday.

The 76ers notched their second win of the young season over the Knicks after spoiling their championship banner-raising with a victory at Madison Square Garden on opening night.

The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973.

Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings. Quarterfinals will be played December 4-5 and semifinals December 8-9 before the final on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points to lead the Sixers, who took control early against the sloppy Knicks.

They led by 14 in the third quarter and weathered a late Knicks surge.

Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York up 90-89 with 1:32 remaining.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, answered with a basket that put Philadelphia back in front and pushed the lead to 96-91 with a tip-in off a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left.

LeBron’s ‘best game’

James, 41, added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a vintage chase-down block in what 76ers coach Nick Nurse called his best game since joining as a free agent in July.

“I thought he was really good all the way through,” Nurse said. “When we got some downhill stuff, he used his size and knocked them around a little bit for some layups … kind of pushed and organised it.

“He’s been good, but that was his best game, for sure.”

Brunson led New York with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 2-4.

The Dallas Mavericks, fuelled by 35 points from Kyrie Irving and 33 from Cooper Flagg, rallied to hand the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, 116-111.

The Rockets had emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a 51-44 lead, pushing the advantage to as many as 11 before taking an eight-point lead into the final frame.

Irving’s three-pointer with 7:01 remaining put Dallas back in front, and they wouldn’t trail again, the Mavs finding an answer when Houston twice pulled level in the final stretch.

“It felt good,” Irving said. “We came in at halftime, we weren’t proud of our effort. We looked each other in the eye, and we were just like, we’ve got to do better.

“We didn’t bring it in the first half, but the second half we definitely brought it.”

Curry climbs scoring list

Golden State star Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead the Warriors to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a rollercoaster contest in San Francisco.

The Lakers outscored the Warriors 38-15 in the first quarter, the Warriors erasing the 23-point deficit by outscoring Los Angeles 38-15 in the second to knot it 53-53 at halftime.

Luka Doncic scored 37 points for the Lakers. The night’s abiding image was of him crashing to the floor as he was wrong-footed by Curry – who fired over him for a three-pointer.

Curry took his career points tally to 26,674, surpassing Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th on the all-time scoring list.

In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double of 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to propel the Heat to a 145-125 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

In Boston, the Celtics romped to a 125-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Payton Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 26 for the Celtics, who led by as many as 32 points.

Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 26 and Wendell Carter chipped in 20 as the Magic fended off a late challenge to beat the Raptors 121-114 in Toronto.

The Magic drained 18 three-pointers and withstood a career-high 41-point performance from Toronto’s Scottie Barnes.

Detroit shook off a slow start to hand the winless Nets a fifth straight defeat in Brooklyn, where Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, and Ron Holland added 18 off the bench in a 110-94 Pistons victory.

While Sherrock was celebrating, Ireland’s ‘Fierce’ Pearse Mackle, a 21-year-old university student from County Cavan, was left wondering what could have been.

Mackle, who competes on PDC’s Development Tour, was the eighth competitor and failed to hit a match-winning bullseye, instead finding the nine, and his life-changing moment came and went.

He was the only other player, apart from Sherrock, to cause Littler a fright.

For most of the night, Littler cruised through the competition as he went in search of the £501,000, which he had said he would donate to charity.

With former England footballer Gary Lineker hosting and with comedian Lee Mack and television presenter Richard Osman joining Turner as part of the punditry team, this was a night to bring darts to a new audience.

The first challenger was 16-year-old Kasey Smith from Manchester, but Littler showed he was in no mood to mess about, hitting treble 20s against her with his first two darts on his way to an easy win.

Some of Littler’s opponents had never played a competitive game of darts, although everyone was keen to make the most of the experience.

With John McDonald, who retired as the main PDC master of ceremonies after the 2026 World Championship final, announcing the players before their elaborate walk-ons, this was a fun event, although most players came nowhere near beating Littler.

But there were still entertaining moments. Fourteen-year-old Jayden Walker, a year 10 pupil from Dorset, threw off a school blazer and tie to reveal his darts outfit and, as the third-highest ranked player, threatened to cause a huge shock.

But Littler raised his game when he needed to, hitting a maximum 180 followed by a 158 checkout, the highest of the night, to defeat his fellow teenager in only 12 darts.

Taylon Forrester, 18, described himself as a “binman who works with his dad” and he jumped out of a dumpster on his way to the oche.

Other entrants included Zac Spain, a jockey from Melbourne, Australia, Frenchman Theodore Wallich, who dubbed himself the ‘Moustache Kid’, 57-year-old Mark Pooke, another 14-year-old in Makinley Cooper-Johnson and Will Kemp, back playing after a heart attack earlier this year.

But Sherrock, whose participation in the competition had been questioned because of her past achievements in the sport, was the real winner, even if she had been described by Lineker as a “hairdresser from Milton Keynes”.

With Littler on stage for more than two hours, he inevitably tired with his standard dropping and Sherrock was the one to take advantage, winning in a 15-dart leg in match number 15.

Hearn reappeared to present Sherrock with a huge cheque for her life-changing victory to end a surreal night of action.

Quinton Byfield scored at 3:37 of overtime and the Kings beat the Ottawa Senators 6-5 on Thursday night after blowing a four-goal lead in the third period.

Byfield beat goalie Samuel Ersson with a snap shot from the high slot, with Drew Doughty picking up his third assist of the night on the play.

Erik Haula tied it for the Kings (4-6-2) on a first-period power play and Trevor Moore, Mikey Anderson, Joel Armia and Artemi Panarin scored in the second to make it 5-1. Panarin capped the run on a power play after Ottawa’s Hayden Hodgson was tossed for boarding defenseman Brandt Clarke.

Clarke missed the rest of the game because of an upper-body injury.

Ottawa roared back in the third, with Shane Pinto tying it 5-5 with 1:40 left and Ersson off for an extra attacker.

Dylan Cozens scored twice in the period and Drake Batherson also connected. Cozens and Batherson struck in a 33-second span, and Cozens cut it to a goal with 7:26 remaining. Tyler Kleven opened the scoring for Ottawa (8-5-1) in the first period.

Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves for the Kings.

Jonas Johansson stopped 12 of 16 shots before giving way to Ersson in the second. Ersson made 20 saves on 22 shots.

Up next for the Kings: vs. the Buffalo Sabres at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 8 of the NFL season.

All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Last week, Farmer posted an 9-5 (.643) record. Through the first seven weeks of the season, he is 63-44. (.589).

Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, his record against the spread in Week 7 would have been 7-7 (.500). For the season, his record against the spread is 45-62 (.421).

All times are Pacific and TV reflects broadcasts in the Los Angeles area. The 49ers, Giants, Saints and Texans do not play this week.

Stephen Curry scored 44 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points in Wednesday night’s match for Golden State, which won its second straight game after losing its first three contests of the season. Brandon Williams chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points against his former team to lead Minnesota, which dropped its second game in a row after a 3-0 start. Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr each finished with 19 points, and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 17.

The Timberwolves outscored the Warriors 66-55 in the second half but could not complete the comeback attempt. Bones Hyland made a bank shot to trim the deficit to three points in the final seconds, but Curry ended the scoring with two free throws.

The Warriors led 93-81 at the end of the third quarter.

Golden State increased its lead to as many as 24 points midway through the second half. Curry converted a three-point play to give the Warriors a 78-54 lead.

Minnesota closed the third quarter on a 27-15 run to cut the deficit to 12. Hyland came off the bench and made a pair of 3-pointers to help the Timberwolves draw closer.

Golden State led 64-48 at the half.

The Warriors closed the first quarter on a 21-9 run to grab a 30-23 advantage. De’Anthony Melton knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the run, and Lendeborg added a driving layup and a 3-pointer.

Another layup by Lendeborg gave Golden State its first double-digit lead of the game at 48-38 with 6:29 left in the half.

Golden State scored seven of the final nine points of the first half to go ahead by 16. Lendeborg made a 3-pointer and Will Richard and Curry made two free throws apiece.

Simons fuels fourth-quarter flurry as 76ers power past Pacers

Tyrese Maxey led a balanced attack with 27 points, and Anfernee Simons ignited a deficit-erasing, fourth-quarter run, as the Philadelphia 76ers overtook the Indiana Pacers for a 114-109 victory in Indianapolis.

Simons finished with 20 points off the bench, while Joel Embiid had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown 20 points and 10 rebounds and LeBron James had 13 points and 10 assists for the 76ers.

Pascal Siakam totalled 26 points to complement 11 rebounds and Andrew Nembhard chipped in with an 18-point, 14-assist double-double for the Pacers.

In a game that featured a 37-point explosion by the 76ers in the second quarter and two Pacers bursts during a 36-point response in the third period, Philadelphia found itself down 88-75 before dominating the final 12 minutes.

Simons buried a 3-pointer 18 seconds into the fourth quarter and the 76ers didn’t slow down until they had run off 26 of the period’s first 34 points to go up 101-96 with 4:24 to go. He had another 3-pointer in the run, James added one and Embiid contributed a three-point play.

Consecutive hoops by Siakam and Nembhard got the hosts within one with 3:07 to play, and it remained a one-score game into the final 90 seconds until Maxey secured Philadelphia’s fourth win in five games with a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:10.

The 76ers outscored the Pacers 39-21 in the final period.

Indiana had taken its second-half lead with 17-0 and 13-2 third-quarter flurries, the latter helping put the 76ers in a 13-point hole entering the final 12 minutes.

Aaron Nesmith had 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr had 15 and Obi Toppin had 13 for the Pacers, who lost their second straight.

Cavaliers spoil AJ Dybantsa’s Wizards debut

Evan Mobley scored 24 points and Peyton Watson had a season-high 22 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Washington Wizards 121-111, spoiling the NBA debut of top overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa.

Dybantsa had a team-high 19 points in 27 minutes, making 8 of 12 field goal attempts with two rebounds and two assists.

Mobley, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, also grabbed 12 rebounds as Cleveland rallied from a 13-point deficit. Donovan Mitchell posted 19 points and seven assists, and Jarrett Allen had eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.

Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored 18 points for the Wizards, while Kyshawn George had eight points and a career-high 11 assists. Trae Young added 14 points and eight assists, and Bilal Coulibaly made 8 of 9 shots and scored 17 off the bench.

The Cavaliers went in front for the first time since the first quarter at 94-92 on Mobley’s slam to begin the fourth. Dybantsa put Washington back ahead 105-104, but Cleveland scored the next nine points in completing a perfect three-game homestand.

Dybantsa drove the lane two minutes into the third to extend the Wizards’ lead to 76-63, but Cleveland ended the period on a 29-16 run. Mitchell made two free throws to tie it at 92-92 going into the fourth.

Coulibaly scored 14 points without a miss in the first half as Washington carried a 69-59 advantage into the break. Dybantsa had 11 points in 14 minutes and Young had seven points and six assists, while Watson had 16 for the Cavaliers.

Sarr scored 13 points in the first, his season high for a game, as the Wizards built a 42-34 lead. Dybantsa, Mitchell and Mobley all had nine points apiece as the teams combined to make 9 of 13 3-point attempts and go 15 of 16 at the foul line.

Dybantsa attacked the basket on the opening possession, drawing a foul and making two free throws 16 seconds in.

After a 1-1 draw in normal time, Liverpool win 6-5 to edge a narrow win after penalties in last-16 match at Liverpool.

Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 in a dramatic penalty shootout to reach the English League Cup quarterfinals.

In a clash between childhood friends Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso, it was the Liverpool manager who took the bragging rights in the last-16 tie at Anfield on Wednesday.

A 1-1 draw in normal time set the stage for the shoot-out as Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers netted from the spot, only for Cody Gakpo to equalise with a penalty of his own just before half-time.

Chelsea’s Valentin Barco hit the post in the shootout before Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas wasted a chance to win it when he blazed over.

Ryan Gravenberch was denied by Chelsea keeper Mike Penders, but Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Emmanuel Emegha’s kick to keep Liverpool alive.

After Joe Gomez scored for Liverpool, Blues defender Wesley Fofana miscued into the Kop as the hosts advanced.

It was former Liverpool midfielder Alonso’s third defeat in his three visits to Anfield as a manager, following losses with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.

In their debut campaigns at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot both reached the League Cup final, and Iraola is on course to follow in their footsteps with the 10-time winners of the competition.

“We are really happy. Three wins at home in a row is very important. We were struggling at home in the league but now we go against Arsenal on Sunday,” said Iraola, who will face his former club Bournemouth in the last eight.

Alonso added: “Every time you reach the penalties, someone will feel it is harsh to go out of the competition.

“We were showing a good level and this is what it takes to come to these stadiums. The Premier League is the main focus.”

Alonso made just four changes to the Chelsea side that lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham on Saturday, while Iraola made seven changes from Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Brighton on Sunday.

Rogers put Chelsea in front with a 40th-minute penalty after Gravenberch clattered into Moises Caicedo.

But Liverpool were level three minutes later with a penalty of their own as Gakpo converted from the spot following Fofana’s handball.

GSK plc (GSK) reported third-quarter core earnings per share above analyst expectations on Wednesday, as growth in specialty medicines helped offset weakness in vaccines.

The drugmaker reaffirmed its full-year 2026 outlook, while investors continued to assess the growth potential of newer

The opening pair put on 133-run partnership as India chased down 199 to wrap up the five-match T20I series.

An aggressive partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi propelled India to a six-wicket win and a series victory over New Zealand in Wellington.

India sewed up the five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series on Tuesday with two games to spare, chasing down New Zealand’s total of 198 in just 13.2 overs, with Abhishek blasting 113 and Sooryavanshi 45.

The opening pair’s 133-run partnership in just 7.1 overs obliterated the New Zealand bowling attack with one of the most destructive partnerships in T20I history.

Jacob Duffy’s first over went for 26 runs, and the openers never let up.

Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes in his 38-ball knock, receiving a standing ovation when he eventually fell to the bowling of Kyle Jamieson.

By that stage, India had reached 178-2 in just 10 overs.

“The key was pretty simple: Vaibhav and I enjoyed our time,” Abhishek said of their partnership.

“When we were fielding, we saw there was some extra bounce. Vaibhav started off well, and we took the momentum from there.”

Sooryavanshi was promoted to open alongside Abhishek after batting at number three in the second T20I, hitting four fours and four sixes in his 19-ball innings.

“Getting 100 in five overs – I have not seen that before at the international level,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said.

“Credit where it is due, the way they played was exceptional.”

India won the toss for the third time in three matches and again elected to bowl.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh extracted prodigious seam from the pitch, beating the outside edge of New Zealand openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.

Seifert was removed top-edging Singh for two, before Daryl Mitchell joined Allen and combined for an 86-run partnership.

Mitchell was quick to assess the conditions and moved around the crease to counteract the seam movement.

He seized on any short deliveries with powerful strikes to the short square boundaries, hitting five fours and five sixes on his way to 89 from 52 balls.

Allen made 40 from 25 balls before departing, and Mitchell found another powerful partner in Bevon Jacobs, who hit an unbeaten 39 from 23 deliveries.

The fourth T20I is at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday.

LAS VEGAS — What happened in Vegas cannot stay in Vegas.

Not if the Rams want to make a run to the playoffs.

Matthew Stafford must continue to flash his 2025 MVP form. Star receiver Puka Nacua and Rams tight ends must keep carrying a Davante Adams-less receiving corps. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum must build on an impressive combo rushing performance.

And the Rams’ defense must negate potential comebacks.

The Rams displayed all those attributes Sunday in a 35-21 victory over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in a 35-21 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Stafford became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown passes by connecting with tight end Davis Allen for two and with Nacua for another in a victory that improved the Rams’ record to 3-4.

“A good step in the right direction,” coach Sean McVay said.

Williams and Corum each rushed for a touchdown as the Rams bounced back from consecutive defeats by the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals to keep alive their turnaround from their third poor start in three seasons.

For the first time in the Rams’ last five games, the outcome did not come down to the final play.

“I like those,” said Stafford, who ranks fourth all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks. “It’s nice feeling a little bit more comfortable in the fourth quarter.”

It was not a perfect performance — Williams lost a fumble and penalties nullified two Corum touchdown runs.

But that did not matter against a Raiders team that served as a welcome antidote for the injury-depleted Rams.

The Raiders (3-4) went into the game having lost three in a row, and they showed no sign that their struggles against quality opponents will end anytime soon.

Next up for the Rams: The winless Chargers.

After that, trips to Washington (1-4-1) and Arizona (2-5) before a bye.

Rams running back Blake Corum tries to fend off Raiders safety Treydan Stukes during the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Candice Ward / Getty Images)

If the Rams keep playing the way they did Sunday, they could begin to round into a semblance of the team they were projected to be when they opened the season as Super Bowl favorites.

They certainly might be healthier.

Edge rusher Myles Garrett and tight end Terrance Ferguson are eligible to come off injured reserve. Cornerback Trent McDuffie, who sat out the last two games because of a groin injury, could make his way back.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner will be out at least three more games but could possibly return for the matchup against the Green Bay Packers the night before Thanksgiving. Adams also will be back at some point.

In the meantime, McVay needs Stafford to play with the efficiency he showed Sunday.

The 18th-year pro completed 23 of 29 passes for 195 yards. A catchable fourth-quarter pass to tight end Colby Parkinson bounced off Parkinson and into the hands of Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean. Stafford has passed for 14 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.

His second-quarter touchdown pass to Nacua was the 155th since he joined the Rams in 2021, moving him past Roman Gabriel into first on the team’s all-time list. Stafford is also the first player in NFL history to lead two different franchises in touchdown passes; he had 282 with the Detroit Lions.

Nacua was questionable for the game because of a calf injury he suffered during practice. But the fourth-year pro caught eight passes for 68 yards, including his catch-and-run for an 11-yard touchdown.

Williams rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries. Corum gained 93 yards and scored a touchdown in 17 carries. He would have amassed more than 100 yards rushing if a 43-yard touchdown had not been nullified by a penalty.

Rams running back Kyren Williams stiff-arms Raiders cornerback Hezekiah Masses in the second quarter Sunday.

(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

“It feels great being able to have a partner back there like Kyren,” Corum said. “It just makes you want to go harder, seeing him do some of the things that he does on the field.

“You’re just like, ‘All right, it’s my time. Let me go do it.’ And so I feel like we just make each other proud and feed off each other’s energy.”

On a day when the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers lost for the first time, the Rams avoided falling further behind and appeared capable of possibly engineering turnarounds similar to the ones they produced in 2023 and 2024.

The Rams led 14-3 early in the second quarter on Stafford’s touchdown passes to Allen.

A few minutes before halftime, Nacua scored. Williams’ 17-yard touchdown run gave the Rams a comfortable 28-6 lead.

The Raiders threatened in the fourth quarter when Kirk Cousins connected with Tre Tucker for a 37-yard touchdown pass and, after Dean’s interception, found Ashton Jeanty for another.

But Corum sealed the victory with a four-yard touchdown run.

The Rams’ performance was more than enough against the Raiders.

Now they must build on it.

Jose Mourinho has done it again.

The Real Madrid manager celebrated Kylian Mbappe’s late winner at Barcelona on Sunday with a trademark knee slide, as he maintained his midas touch over their bitter rivals.

Mourinho has become just the third Real boss to go six El Clasicos in a row without defeat – 13 years after he last led Los Blancos in this fixture.

Four wins and two draws in his past six matches in charge of Real Madrid against Barcelona put him up there with Miguel Munoz (1962 to 1965) and Vicente del Bosque (2001 to 2003) as Real managers who have gone six in a row without defeat against the old enemy.

It was also just a second victory in eight games against Barcelona for Real, with the return of Mourinho to the fixture haunting the reigning champions

And more importantly for Mourinho, Mbappe’s double in Real’s 2-1 win ended Barcelona’s nine-game unbeaten domestic run with a crucial Clasico victory at the Camp Nou.

A Real defeat would have allowed Barcelona to establish a commanding nine-point advantage but the result has transformed the top of La Liga, bringing Mourinho’s side to within three points of their rivals.

“In my view, Real Madrid do not play to win at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid play to win La Liga,” he said.

“We could win with luck, but we won with calmness and with all merit,” he said. “It’s a very strong group. Everyone works very hard. Everyone was ready to win.

“The credit goes to the players. When you win, the credit goes to the players. But when you lose, the blame falls on you. And that’s why we see coaches being sacked from their positions every week.”

The Portuguese, who returned to Real 13 years after his first stint in charge this summer, has now won six and lost six El Clasicos.

He said: “I’ve learned that I have an extraordinary group, with the quality and mindset to play.

“In midfield, having a mix of talents gives us more than just having two players with similar characteristics. This mix of talents gives us balance when defending and quality when we go on the attack.

“We’ve beaten several teams by four or more goals, but this is Barca, and the players put on a great performance. We need to continue like this and don’t go over the moon after this win.”

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said he didn’t want to give excuses for the defeat but admitted his team lacked fresh legs after a demanding few weeks.

“We missed the freshness,” he said. “It’s not easy for our players. We have to recover well, train well and we have to respond from this defeat.

“In big games, small things are important and they decide the games and today, it wasn’t on our side.

“I can see that today we were not fresh and this is what we have to change.”

French superstar Kylian Mbappe scores brace for Madrid to inflict Barcelona’s first domestic defeat of the campaign.

Kylian Mbappe struck twice to earn Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid a 2-1 El Clasico victory over La Liga leaders Barcelona at Camp Nou, cutting the gap to three points.

French superstar Mbappe opened the scoring before half-time on Sunday and then slotted home late on to inflict Barca’s first domestic defeat of the campaign after Raphinha had equalised for the champions.

Real Madrid remain third, behind Atletico Madrid and Hansi Flick’s Barca, who had won their first nine games before a chastening week.

The Catalans suffered a second straight defeat after losing on Tuesday against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Barca had won six of the seven previous Clasicos since the German arrived but were surprisingly subdued against Mourinho’s side.

“In general we didn’t have a great game, in the first half we weren’t ourselves, there were a lot of things we could have done better,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri told DAZN.

“We wanted to win the Clasico in front of our fans, but the season is very long … a league is not won here.”

Los Blancos, without suspended winger Vinicius Junior, won their fifth straight game across all competitions and are finding their footing under veteran Portuguese coach Mourinho.

After two trophyless seasons Madrid turned back to Mourinho to try and stop Barca’s dominance, and this result will give them hope they are on the right track.

The opening period of the game was cagey, with few opportunities.

Barca defender Pau Cubarsi twice reacted well to shut down Mbappe, while Real Madrid’s Marc Cucurella took a rapid liking for Lamine Yamal’s shirt, constantly grabbing at the 19-year-old winger.

Anthony Gordon, playing in his first Clasico since joining Barcelona from Newcastle, backheeled the ball to Raphinha, who fired narrowly wide as Barca threatened.

The hosts were dealt a setback when young defender Xavi Espart pulled up hurt and needed to be replaced by Alejandro Balde before the half-hour mark.

Andriy Lunin, playing in goal for Madrid after Thibaut Courtois pulled out of the squad with flu, saved at his near post from Gordon before the visitors took the lead.

Mbappe scored his 10th league goal of the season and also his easiest, with Barca’s Gerard Martin clearing a cross straight at the Frenchman, who deflected it into the net.

Barca responded by carving out a glorious chance for an equaliser but teenage sensation Yamal for once miscued in front of goal, firing wide when poised to level.

The game opened up and Yan Diomande came close to doubling Madrid’s lead before half-time, drilling into the side-netting.

Martin redeemed himself early in the second half as he held off Jude Bellingham, who could neither beat the defender nor find a free Mbappe.

Raphinha, who had a quiet first half, pulled Barcelona level just after the hour mark.

Pedri fed the Brazilian, La Liga’s top goalscorer with 13, who fired through Bellingham’s legs and Lunin could not keep the shot out.

The Ukrainian goalkeeper did make a superb save to deny Martin at a corner, as Barcelona flowed forward with the wind finally in their sails.

Yamal bent an effort wide with Lunin at full stretch and Barca substitute Frenkie de Jong had a shot desperately blocked by Dean Huijsen.

There was a sting in the tail for the Catalans though as substitute Gabriel Jesus lost possession and Madrid raced through on goal.

Eduardo Camavinga beat Cubarsi and unselfishly cut the ball back for Mbappe to tuck home his second of the night into an empty net with Joan Garcia drawn out of position.

MILWAUKEE — Sal Frelick tied the score with his first home run in three months, Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2-0 World Series lead by overcoming a four-run deficit for the second time in the postseason.

Tampa Bay, which won the AL pennant by forcing opponents into mistakes, committed one error, made two other misplays that could have been charged as errors and had a runner thrown out at the plate.

Down 4-0 in the first inning, Milwaukee rallied for its seventh comeback win of this postseason. The Brewers also rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Dodgers 6-4 in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep.

After losing Friday’s opener 3-2, the Rays burst ahead against rookie Logan Henderson, but the Brewers started to claw back with two runs in the bottom half against Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen.

David Hamilton cut the deficit to 4-3 with a run-scoring grounder in the fourth and Frelick capped a nine-pitch at-bat against Ian Seymour in the sixth by driving a fastball over the center-field fence.

Frelick had gone 103 plate appearances without a home run since his July 11 drive off Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft and had not gone deep against a lefty pitcher since opening day against Tyler Gilbert of the Chicago White Sox. Frelick sped around the bases in 18.72 seconds, half the time of some theatrical trots this postseason.

Screaming fans at the second game of Milwaukee’s first World Series since 1982 were fired up during the seventh-inning stretch, dancing to the “Beer Barrel Polka” played by Mike Schneider, an accordionist from Clinton, Wis.

Brice Turang doubled against losing pitcher Tyler Wells on the second pitch of the bottom half, advanced on Garrett Mitchell’s flyout to right and scored when Pratt, a 22-year-old who debuted in June, looped a sinker from Kevin Kelly into short right field.

Abner Uribe pitched 1⅓ hitless innings for the win.

Jonny DeLuca doubled off Aaron Ashby starting the ninth, then Victor Mesa Jr. struck out when he couldn’t check his swing. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson’s groundout advanced the runner and Yandy Díaz struck out when he couldn’t check his swing on a full-count pitch.

Ashby has three saves in the postseason while not allowing a run.

Milwaukee won its seventh straight game, becoming the fifth team to twice overcome four-run deficits for victories in a single postseason and the first since Philadelphia in 2022.

Game 3 of the matchup between teams seeking their first title is Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. where the Brewers last played in 2023.

Of the 57 previous teams to take 2-0 World Series leads, 46 claimed the championship.

Tampa Bay took a 4-2 lead in the highest-scoring Series first inning since 1993’s Game 4 as teams combined for seven hits, tying the most in an opening inning.

Still, Milwaukee improved to 13-0 in games started by Henderson, dating to his 2025 debut. He followed Jacob Misiorowski in the Brewers’ rotation, the first time teammates 24 or younger started the first two games of the Series since Cincinnati’s Gary Nolan and Ross Grimsley in 1972.

Henderson started on 11 days’ rest and struggled as the Rays fouled off 13 of 35 pitches in the first. He gave up four runs — three earned — in three innings.

Given an extra day of rest, Rasmussen gave up three runs and six hits over 3⅔ innings in his shortest start since July 9.

Pratt made his fourth error of the postseason at shortstop, the Brewers’ ninth in 10 games, bouncing his throw past first baseman Jake Bauers on a leadoff grounder by Díaz. Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero followed with RBI singles, and Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer.

Jackson Chourio and Bauers started the bottom half with singles and first baseman Jonathan Aranda allowed Contreras’ one-out foul pop to bounce out of his mitt near netting in front of the seats.

With Bauers running on a full-count pitch, Contreras bounced an RBI single to the left of second baseman Richie Palacios, who had taken a step toward the base. Mitchell’s two-out single cut the deficit to 4-2.

Hamilton hit an RBI grounder in the fourth that bounced under Aranda’s legs for an error.

Chourio threw out Hicks from left for the final out of the sixth when third base coach Brady Williams waved the slow-footed catcher to try to score from second on Mesa’s single.

Blum writes for the Associated Press.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Dan Sheehan (capt).

Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Caspar Gabriel, Charlie Tector.

Munster: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Sean O’Brien, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Charlie O’Shea, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Marnus Van der Merwe, Kieran Brookes, Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Michael Ala’alatoa, Sean Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Gordon Wood.

Yellow card: Nankivell (64)

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)

Still a lot of games left.

No one is panicking.

Been in this position before.

Those are affirmations Rams players and coaches have utilized during a season of great expectations mired in major underachievement.

The Rams, who opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite, will arrive in Las Vegas for Sunday’s game against the Raiders with a 2-4 record and a two-game losing streak.

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Gary Klein breaks down what to watch for when the Rams face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road Sunday.

And they will be without several key players counted on to reverse their fortunes.

Star receiver Davante Adams is out — and is expected to be sidelined five to nine more weeks because of a hamstring injury. Star receiver Puka Nacua, who suffered a calf injury this week in practice, will be a game-time decision.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner was placed on injured reserve this week because of a groin injury, joining edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has been sidelined since the season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers following knee surgery. Defensive tackle Poona Ford this week was declared out for the season because of a triceps injury.

Linebacker Nate Landman won’t play against the Raiders because of a concussion, and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is questionable because of a groin injury.

Meantime, the NFC West-rival San Francisco 49ers are 6-0, and the Rams are last in the division.

The Rams and coach Sean McVay have turned around seasons before. In 2023 and 2024 they overcame slow starts to win 10 games and make the playoffs.

“You can’t sit there and go, ‘Because we did X, we’re going to do Y,’ but we obviously know what it takes to win football games,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We can’t sit there and look at the big picture and go, ‘OK, we have X amount of games left. These guys are doing that,’ or whatever.

“That’s not the mindset at all around here.”

The Rams have their own concerns, most notably a receiving corps that will be without Adams and possibly Nacua.

Adams, 33, is a three-time All-Pro and probable future Hall of Famer.

“You’re not going to one-for-one sub in a guy that’s going to be wearing a gold jacket one day, in Davante,” Stafford said. “It’s a team effort.”

It became an even more urgent one Thursday when Nacua was unable to finish practice.

Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, rookie CJ Daniels and Alex Bachman are other receivers on the roster.

“Whether you’re talking about Davante, whether you’re talking about Puka, you don’t ever ask anybody to replace those guys,” McVay said, adding, “I want those players to be their best selves. … It’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up if that’s the situation that we’re dealing with.”

Rams wide receiver Konata Mumpfield catches a pass in front of Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss on Sept. 27.

(Justin Tafoya / Getty Images)

Atwell, Mumpfield and Whittington have combined for only 13 receptions. This could be the first game Daniels will be active.

“We’re all held to a certain standard,” Whittington said. “When you are held to that standard, I think the drop-off shouldn’t be that big. We all have a culture we abide by and everybody displays and embodies that. And I think it will work how it needs to work.”

McVay also could rely more heavily on running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and tight ends Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen.

“It’s not any more pressure to anyone on the team,” Williams said.

With Turner and Ford sidelined, the Rams’ interior defensive front will include Aaron Donald, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton.

Donald, who ended a two-year retirement to rejoin the Rams, is averaging just over 38 snaps a game.

Will that role grow?

“We have a general snap count that he’s always going to have going into the game,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “I don’t think we would go crazily past that, but it’s going to be hard if it’s a tight game and he’s at that number.

“Just like one of those pitchers in the ninth inning, you’re probably going to leave him in for a few extra snaps.”

Said Donald: “If it’s 30 plays, 40 plays, 50 plays, 60 plays, that’s what it’s going to be.”

The Rams have 11 games remaining, including Sunday’s against the Raiders, a home game against the Chargers and road games at Washington and Arizona before their bye week.

“It’s not over,” Donald said. “Is there a sense of urgency? For sure, because we want to win.

“But as far as curling up and panicking like this is the end of the world, it’s not that. We have a lot of ball to play, a lot of games left.”