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Bailey Zappe couldn't hold the secret in any longer. He appears to be the starting quarterback for Week 13 for the New England Patriots.

It probably wasn’t Mikel Arteta’s pre-match team talk, but it could have been. “Forget brinksmanship. Group stage drama is for amateurs and also-rans. Just go out, do the job and wait until the Champions League’s proper action starts in February.” Perhaps it would have been emphasised with lots of hand gesticulations, had he taken that approach. After the week’s earlier drama involving fellow Premier League teams, Arsenal fans might have been feeling a little left out in that regard, but they shouldn’t be. Their side is far more complete, far further along the team-building process and far more prepared to go far in a major European competition. It’s probably also fair to note they have a far more routine group, certainly than Newcastle at least. This 6-0 drubbing of a distinctly second-rate RC Lens showed as much, as does the far more important fact of Arsenal qualifying for the last 16 with a game to spare. Sevilla collapsing to lose to PSV in the earlier kick-off felt as though it might give more of a contest at the Emirates, perhaps create more of a hint of jeopardy, but in truth it was never the case. A win still guaranteed top spot and in any case, there was more than a mere gulf between these sides. The early knockings told the truth of the expectation of a home win: Lens fans made the noise but Arsenal had all the control. Takehiro Tomiyasu roused the crowd with a blockbusting run down the flank to nowhere; Kai Havertz dropped a header wide after the Japanese international crossed deep. If he might have done better that time, Havertz did so only a minute later: following a cross into the area, the German got enough of a touch on Gabriel Jesus’s clever header into the six-yard box to prod past Brice Samba and over the line. And that was effectively that. A tempting line to pursue would be of the goal settling the nerves, but none had been on display. Arsenal were assured and competent throughout, clear by 25 minutes and able to bask in a quite literal glow as Lens fans lit a succession of bright red smoke flares at that point, with at least one hurled upwards into a home fans’ section above them. Gunners fans responded with a verbal volley of their own, informing the visitors they appeared to be rather similar in quality to some near north London neighbours, and suggesting they were not particularly good… in rather more rudimentary terms. If the former quip bore no semblance to reality this season, the latter was unfortunately accurate. Lens were a mile off the quality, intensity and even strength of their hosts in the first half, timid and reactive, absurdly out of their depth despite mathematics suggesting they still had a shot at a last-16 place. They don’t any more. The match, the points and Arsenal’s own qualification was settled in the space of six minutes. Bukayo Saka bundled through a couple of challenges, Jesus picked up the loose ball, dummied the last defender and buried a low finish for his fourth of the group stage. Injury and inconsistency may have made him a bystander in the early Golden Boot standings domestically, but he has a goal per game for the Gunners in Europe – the type of contribution they’ll need in the latter stages if Arteta believes they can go deep. Just two minutes later, two became three as Gabriel Martinelli darted infield, curled in a shot and Samba this time parried dreadfully into the hip of Saka, the ball bouncing straight in. The least-technically demanding goal of his career it might have been, but Saka was full of running infield and, not for the first time, made his own luck with his determination to continually be in dangerous areas. It was left to Martinelli, then, to complete the set of front-line goalscorers, perfecting his earlier trick to give Samba no chance and find the far corner for four. As for Lens, they carried no threat. They offered nothing: neither diligent, compact defensive structure to frustrate and bide their time, nor committing numbers and having a plan to counterattack with regularity. Elye Wahi, a talented young striker who surely has a much bigger team in his near future, made a handful of clever runs but the closest Lens came to scoring was his left-footed strike across goal, easily saved. Other than that, their best moments were Wahi skinning William Saliba multiple times down the left flank and Kevin Danso thinking about a long-range shot, before opting not to. It was genuinely that poor from them. Even Facundo Medina hitting the post just before the interval was an irrelevance, with the offside flag up. At the other end, Samba saved only one shot all half – and it still resulted in a goal as that was his palm-out into the onrushing Saka. Yet more torment for the Ligue 1 side was to come before the brief sanctuary of half time, with Martin Odegaard casually thumping in an injury-time volley: unmarked, unchallenged and unstopped. To their credit, or perhaps to keep warm on a freezing London night, Lens fans remained bouncing and noisy. With Arteta’s team stepping off the gas, job done well before Jorginho’s late penalty, their team also fared better in the second 45 but all they have to play for now is third and the Europa League. For Arsenal, every box has been ticked in the group stage: over-excitement, wake-up call, improvement and professionalism. And, they are through, which is really all that matters. Several seasons of progression has carried Arsenal into challenger territory, and with that comes an understanding that scorelines like this simply don’t matter, at this time of year. It is two and three months from now when everything will be on the line, when the world will be watching and when performances as well as results can truly drive expectations of success. What tonight’s result ensured was that they’ll be there – and that few will want to draw them in the knockouts. Read More A genuine dream – Mikel Arteta loved Arsenal’s rout of Lens in Champions League Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Arsenal vs Lens LIVE: Champions League result and reaction Football rumours: Juventus eyeing swoop for Thomas Partey

Derek Carr could have made this so easy. Instead, he made the already-poorly-performing offense look even worse.

Arsenal secured their place in the last-16 of the Champions League with a scintillating 6-0 thrashing of Lens on a night where Manchester United’s participation in the competition hangs by a thread. United were left to rue their inability to close out a match in Europe once again after they let slip a two-goal lead twice to draw 3-3 at Galatasaray. Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes scored inside 18 minutes before Andre Onana made the first of two errors to allow Hakim Ziyech to reduce the deficit. Before Ziyech’s second, Scott McTominay found the net in the 55th minute to put Erik ten Hag’s team on course for a vital victory. Yet Onana fumbled Ziyech’s set-piece over the line with 28 minutes left in Instanbul before Kerem Akturkoglu levelled with 71 minutes on the clock. It finished all square to ensure Galatasaray still have their knock-out hopes in their own hands going into the final Group A fixture away to Copenhagen on December 12, while United must beat Bayern Munich and hope the clash in Denmark finishes as a draw. Meanwhile, Copenhagen held Bayern to a thoroughly deserved goalless draw in Munich, which ended on a controversial note. Minutes after Manuel Neuer had made an outstanding double save to deny ex-Celtic attacker Mohamed Elyounoussi, referee Stephanie Frappart awarded the hosts a penalty. Frappart pointed to the spot after a pass by Bayern substitute Frans Kratzig hit Peter Ankersen’s arm from close proximity, but VAR told the French official to review the incident using the pitchside monitor and she overturned her 92nd-minute decision to ensure it stayed 0-0. There was drama aplenty in Group B too but not at the Emirates where Arsenal produced a five-star first-half display to thrash Lens. Mikel Arteta’s side were 5-0 up at half-time after goals by Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard. Jorginho added a sixth from the penalty spot late on for Arsenal, who guaranteed top spot and progression into the knockout phase. PSV have joined them after Ricardo Pepi scored a stoppage-time winner to down nine-man Sevilla. A 3-2 victory for PSV earlier in the day, coupled with Arsenal’s result, meant the Dutch outfit are guaranteed second spot. Jude Bellingham scored again to help Real Madrid edge a six-goal thriller with Napoli in Group C. Bellingham headed home in the first-half, but Carlo Ancelotti had to rely on late goals by Nico Paz and Joselu to beat Napoli 4-2. Braga and Union Berlin played out a 1-1 draw in Portugal. Inter Milan fought back from three goals down to draw 3-3 with Benfica in Group D. Joao Mario struck a first-half hat-trick for Benfica against his old club, but last season’s runners-up staged an excellent fightback with Marko Arnautovic, Davide Frattesi and Alexis Sanchez on target. Real Sociedad remain top of Group D despite being held to a goalless draw by RB Salzburg. Read More Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man Utd set to face Galatasaray in Champions League despite bad weather Judd Trump marches into UK Championship quarter-finals Luke Donald humbled by players’ support for his return as Ryder Cup captain Exeter’s Rob Baxter urges football law-makers to be careful over sin-bins trial Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig

Get the inside scoop on Riley Leonard's potential transfer destinations in college football.

Frank Reich is completely washed as an NFL head coach. He is out in Carolina, but if Panthers owner David Tepper was smart, he would hire one of these three coaches to help save his Bryce Young investment.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has insisted that ultimate blame for his team’s latest Champions League collapse lies at his door but still admitted players also deserve criticism.

Arsenal stylishly cruised into the Champions League knockout stages as Group B winners by thrashing French club Lens 6-0 at Emirates Stadium. The Premier League leaders kicked off needing just a point to reach the last 16 of the competition following PSV Eindhoven’s 3-2 comeback win at Sevilla earlier on Wednesday evening. Mikel Arteta’s men duly delivered in devastating fashion thanks to first-half goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard. Substitute Jorginho completed the scoring with a late penalty, awarded following VAR intervention for a handball by Abdukodir Khusanov. A one-sided encounter in north London was marred slightly by visiting fans throwing a lit flare at home supporters in the aftermath of Saka’s 23rd-minute strike. With first place in the pool emphatically secured with a game to spare, Gunners boss Arteta now has the luxury of being able to rotate his squad for next month’s visit to Eindhoven amid a hectic December fixture list which could determine the seriousness of his side’s title ambitions. The Spaniard made just two changes from Saturday’s dramatic 1-0 win at Brentford, which moved the Gunners top of the table. Havertz was recalled as reward for his late winner against the Bees, while on-loan goalkeeper David Raya was restored having been cup-tied against his parent club. Arsenal controlled proceedings from the first whistle and quickly blew away last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up. The recalled Havertz, who had already headed narrowly wide, capitalised on static defending to open the scoring in the 13th minute, poking beyond France keeper Brice Samba from close range following Jesus’ nod down. Lens’ vocal travelling support responded by throwing a pyrotechnic device on to the field before quickly seeing the game run away from their outclassed team. Jesus doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 21st minute, calmly sidestepping Kevin Danso and coolly slotting past Samba following strong running from Saka. England forward Saka quickly added to the punishment by finishing with his left thigh on the rebound after Samba poorly parried Martinelli’s initial effort. That unorthodox finish led to unsavoury scenes as an active flare was launched from the away end into home spectators in the tier above. Dominant Arsenal continued to shine brighter on the pitch and Martinelli lit up the contest with a wonderful fourth with only 27 minutes on the clock. The Brazil international raced away down the left flank and then cut inside Przemyslaw Frankowski to curl a sumptuous finish into the far corner. Arsenal’s first defeat of the season came in the reverse fixture in northern France at the start of October. On this evidence, most inside the ground must have been wondering how, albeit Lens’ Facundo Medina rattled the right post from distance during a rare foray forward. That proved to a fleeting moment of positivity for the away side, who went into the break 5-0 down after Odegaard expertly volleyed home Takehiro Tomiyasu’s cross. Arteta used a more subdued second period to rest some of his star names, with Saka and the outstanding Declan Rice among those withdrawn. Substitute Reiss Nelson came close to adding to the visitors’ embarrassment but his deflected effort was repelled by former Nottingham Forest keeper Samba. Lens’ misery was completed four minutes from time when Jorginho calmly sent Samba the wrong way from the spot after substitute Khusanov was punished for handling on review. Read More Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man Utd set to face Galatasaray in Champions League despite bad weather Judd Trump marches into UK Championship quarter-finals Luke Donald humbled by players’ support for his return as Ryder Cup captain Exeter’s Rob Baxter urges football law-makers to be careful over sin-bins trial Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig

Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy praised Christian Ramirez for his professionalism over the 2023 MLS season.

Player ratings and match reaction from Real Madrid's Champions League encounter with Napoli on Wednesday at the Bernabeu.

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United are conceding too many goals but refused to blame Andre Onana despite the goalkeeper’s errors at Galatasaray severely damaging their chances of Champions League progression. Having lost three of four Group A games, Wednesday’s key clash in Istanbul began in dream fashion as Alejandro Garnacho’s early effort was followed up by a Bruno Fernandes rocket. Hakim Ziyech pulled one back from a free-kick that Onana will be disappointed to have been beaten by and he was guilty of an even worse error after Scott McTominay scored United’s third. The summer signing somehow failed to deal with another Ziyech free-kick and substitute Kerem Akturkoglu soon lasered past him as a mad match ended 3-3. The result leaves United bottom of their pool heading into the final round of fixtures, with the concession of 14 goals in just five Group A games the key issue. “We scored also quickly after each other,” United manager Ten Hag said. “It’s about the point when you are leading, when you are 2-0 up and you have to manage the game. Not so easy. “We give free-kicks away and we have to defend them better twice. I have to say also that is Hakim. He is brilliant, I know that. He is extraordinary. “To give free-kicks, it’s difficult to defend as well. In such areas, we have to be in more control. “It is always about incidents, always about details and some incidents we can manage better. “As a team, we have to learn from it because we are conceding too many goals and it is unnecessary and avoidable. “I am sure our team is experienced enough and capable enough to manage this and we will do better. “What is enjoyable is the progress we have and the way we play football. We dictated the game, we scored so many goals – it was about plan, creativity, being proactive and brave. That makes me happy.” United should have scored more but Onana will be under the spotlight after this draw, having also been guilty of errors in the losses away to Bayern Munich and at home to Galatasaray. While his key stoppage-time penalty save secured a win against Copenhagen, he endured another difficult Champions League night on Wednesday. “I think as a team we played very well,” Ten Hag said when asked about Onana. “We win and lose together. You see the progress in this team. I am disappointed because we should have managed the game better Erik ten Hag “I take many positives from this game. Some mistakes. We played like I want my team to play. “It was enjoyable to watch that proactive, dynamic, brave and we scored great goals. “Even after we had some setbacks, we kept going until the end and we should have won with big chances from Scott McTominay and (Facundo) Pellistri. “Of course, I am disappointed because we should have managed the game better, we will learn from that. Because this team is in development.” Asked how Onana is, he said: “He is OK. As I said, it is not about individuals. “Of course, individual errors in football can make a difference and you take responsibility for it but it is always about the team. “This team is good, all the players in the squad are good and deserve the best to play for Manchester United because they are brilliant players. “And that counts for the whole squad.” United are now sweating on their place in Europe, let alone the Champions League, heading into their group finale against already-qualified Bayern at Old Trafford. “It would be more frustrating if we play poor,” Ten Hag said. “But the performance is very good, it is enjoyable to watch how we dictate the game, how we create chances, that is actually fantastic. “But now there is more, if you can sort better the management of the game out then you start playing football. “The football is good, the performances are good but now we have to learn better how to manage this game.” Read More Man Utd set to face Galatasaray in Champions League despite bad weather Judd Trump marches into UK Championship quarter-finals Luke Donald humbled by players’ support for his return as Ryder Cup captain Exeter’s Rob Baxter urges football law-makers to be careful over sin-bins trial Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig Will Zalatoris back in the swing after enduring ‘golfer’s worst nightmare’

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said the billionaire former owner of Pilot Travel Centers sought to influence Pilot