The Atlanta Braves clinched their sixth straight NL East title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 behind Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 17th win and Austin Riley’s two-run homer

Real Madrid hopes Jude Bellingham will be fully fit when he faces his first “clasico” match at Barcelona on Saturday

Mets reliever Drew Smith ejected for sticky stuff violation.

What the papers say Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos, 21, has emerged as a major target for Manchester United. The Daily Mirror reports the Old Trafford club have held talks with Benfica over a deal worth up to £100million, including add-ons. The Red Devils are also poised to join the race for England midfielder Declan Rice, 24, according to The Sun. United are ready to join Arsenal and Chelsea in the hunt for Rice, who impressed in their narrow 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday. The Hammers are eyeing a move for Fulham boss Marco Silva if they part ways with David Moyes, according to the Daily Mail. The 45-year-old has a £6million release clause in his contract. Chelsea are keen to make Portugal forward Joao Felix’s loan from Atletico Madrid permanent. According to the Standard they are willing to offer striker Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng, 33, and defender Marc Cucurella, 24, as part of a deal for the 23-year-old. Social media round-up Players to watch Viktor Gyokeres: West Ham are keen on a move for the 24-year-old Sweden forward from Coventry, reports the Daily Mirror. N’Golo Kante: The France midfielder, 32, could be persuaded to stay at Chelsea if Mauricio Pochettino is appointed as manager.

Ja'Marr Chase made a catch while holding a mouthguard.

Mikel Arteta made a point of praising the officials and VAR as 10-man Arsenal beat Burnley to move level with Premier League leaders Manchester City, Fabio Vieira was sent off late on for a high challenge on Josh Brownhill, who had earlier cancelled out a brave Leandro Trossard opener. But Arsenal had already secured the points by the time Vieira was dismissed, William Saliba heading them back in front before Oleksandr Zinchenko secured the points with an acrobatic volley. Arteta could yet face a Football Association charge after he criticised the officials during a 1-0 loss at Newcastle last week, having been asked to provide his observations having called the winning goal “embarrassing” and a “disgrace. Here, though, he was keen to play to the gallery and made sure he hammered home his praise of the referees. “With the red card… yes, VAR was right, he said. “The referee was right. Really good decision, really positive from Mikel to speak about that! Good decision.” He later added to talkSPORT: “Please ask me about VAR because today it was good. “I hope that I’m on TV saying the referees are so good and I’m completely with them and being very constructive.” Trossard was the difference-maker for the Gunners, the Belgium international once again starting as the central striker and breaking the deadlock with a close-range finish that saw him clatter into Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford and the post. He recovered to lay on the corner from which Saliba scored and it was another Trossard set-piece that led to Zinchenko’s fine scissor-kick. “I think he connects everybody. He’s so intelligent,” Arteta said of Trossard. “I think he moves in ways that attracts people that generates spaces and options for people. “Today he did that really good because it was so difficult and the spaces were so small to attack. He gave us a lot of threat and possibilities to connect and find spaces for us. “He put your body on the line if it’s necessary, and that was it. It’s the 1,000th goal at the Emirates – a beautiful number. “I’m very happy with him. I think every time you ask him to play whether it’s wide or as a nine, it flows and he has a real threat. So I’m really happy with him.” Burnley could end the weekend bottom of the table after a 10th defeat in 12 league games since their return to the top flight. But manager Vincent Kompany believes the Clarets continue to show resilience in their battle against the drop. “We were solid first half. To concede the way we conceded is avoidable. It’s football. Good teams are there for a reason,” he said. “Our team is as hard working as you like and resilient as you like. The club is filled with good, hard-working people. In the games we’re not expecting to have their level but we want to give ourselves a chance. This team wants to embrace this challenge.”

Major League Baseball has overreacted following the benches clearing incident during Game 5 of the ALCS. Bryan Abreu has been suspended for two games.

Monday's football transfer rumours, with updates on Luka Modric, Alphonso Davies, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Ramsdale & more.

Damian Lillard understands he has a reputation for being an elite offensive player but not a particularly strong defender

The Dallas Cowboys could sign an Ezekiel Elliott replacement in former Browns and Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt.Hunt surprisingly remains a free agent despite being a former Pro Bowler in Kansas City and compliment to Nick Chubb in Cleveland. While Hunt's history of domestic violence coul...

Declan Rice went to the World Cup surrounded by England team-mates who had won the biggest prizes in the game – now he is a £105million player who insists he is not fazed by the price tag having lifted European silverware and instantly taken to Champions League football. The 24-year-old admitted a year ago in Qatar that he wanted to play at the highest level and left West Ham in the summer after captaining them to Europa Conference League glory. Rice moved across London to Arsenal, joining the Gunners for a club-record fee and has hit the ground running with a run of fine performances for Mikel Arteta’s side. While previous big-money signings have seemingly been weighed down by hefty price tags, Rice has flourished in spite of it. “When the transfer was going through I was very nervous because of the price tag,” he said. “It’s natural to think about that. You’re a human being bought for £105m, it doesn’t feel very normal. But that was because of what I’d done at West Ham, what they valued me at. “When I signed for Arsenal, I just thought I just need to be Declan Rice, be myself, don’t be any different, everything will go smoothly. You’re a human being bought for £105million, it doesn’t feel very normal Declan Rice “The first three weeks of pre-season were really tough in terms of the change. When you’re at a new job you start to feel really settled after a few weeks. “That really feels the case now. In terms of the price tag, I don’t really think about it, I just play the games and try to play as well as possible. “Honestly, I just try to play my football. I don’t let it affect me in any way, shape or form. I just go to training, try to train as well as possible.” Rice’s England colleague Jack Grealish admitted he found talk of his £100m move to Manchester City “annoying” and that more was expected of him as a result of the big fee. “It’s £100m, it’s a lot of money, I could understand the pressure that comes with it,” added Rice. “Not only the pressure you put on yourself but there’s an expectation of being bought for that much money we need to see performances straight away. “I want to repay the club back straight away, they have invested a lot of money in me, I need to prove why I can go there and change things. “I can see why Jack struggled maybe at the start – mentally. He was a £100m footballer but as he wasn’t playing as much, it was probably as bit different for him. Now he’s flying and it’s the same for me.” Rice insists he always had faith in his ability to step up to the highest level and he has shone particularly brightly on Arsenal’s Champions League nights so far. “I won the trophy at West Ham, which was another level. It was incredible for me and the club. Now I’ve been playing on Champions League nights and been playing relatively well, but it’s something I always believed I could do,” he said. “It was just waiting for my chance and my opportunity. Every game that’s coming now, I’m just trying to take it step by step and perform on the biggest stage. “Speaking honestly, I feel I was playing as well at West Ham in my last season. Even though we didn’t have the best season as a team, I feel like I kicked on again. You never want to stay stale as a footballer. “You’re always looking to improve, always looking to get better. I still feel there’s so many more levels I can get to. It’s just about being eager to learn, practising on the training pitch, and always listening as well.” Rice has also called on England to end an unbeaten 2023 with a “bang” by winning their final Euro 2024 qualifier away to North Macedonia on Monday. England have not suffered defeat since their World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France last December and sealed their spot at next summer’s finals with two games to spare. After a drab 2-0 win over Malta on Friday, Rice is keen for England to put in a better showing to bring the curtain down on a strong calendar year. “I think especially the other night after Malta there is just a bit of pride in ourselves that we need to raise our level,” the Arsenal midfielder said. “We need to put out a statement and it would be a good way to end the year. We are currently unbeaten since the World Cup so it is down to us to go out tomorrow night, put on a performance.” Read More Gareth Southgate targeting top of the world as England drive for Euros glory Rico Lewis hopes his versatility helps him make late push for Euro 2024 squad Trevor Lawrence leads Jacksonville Jaguars to victory against Tennessee Titans Scotland sign off on successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with six-goal thriller Ludvig Aberg keen to ‘love golf for long time’ after clinching RSM Classic title Luke Humphries continues stunning rise with Grand Slam of Darts success

Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward became the latest big name quarterback to announce plans to enter the transfer portal