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While it's a small sample size, the Dallas Mavericks look to be taking shape in the first full season of the on-court collaboration between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving

The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders didn't waste any time getting their first win after a tumultuous midseason misadventure

Former Manchester United loanee Marcel Sabitzer discusses Erik ten Hag's managerial style as pressure grows on the Dutchman at Old Trafford.

When Mauricio Pochettino was asked about Ange Postecoglou’s surprisingly high line at nine, he wasn’t too willing to get into it. The Chelsea manager instead pointed to his side’s own impact on proceedings, how proud he was. He probably wasn’t the only one unwilling to indulge too much praise of Tottenham Hotspur, after a 4-1 defeat Postecoglou’s side unnecessarily lost control of. There is already that sense of rival fans, if for rather obvious tribal reasons, bristling at the regular appeals to “mate”. The explanation of that high line was probably extreme Postecoglou, the Australian in his ultimate form. “It is just who we are, mate, it is who we will be for as long as I am here,” the Spurs manager said on TV. “If we go down to five men, we will still have a go.” And yet the last six words are why there was a sense of pride around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, almost because of a 4-1 defeat where they went against the grain to their own cost. Postecoglou was willing to abandon himself to the “purity of the game”, as he actually said later about VAR. It is so different to what Spurs fans feel they have had to put up with over the past four years. As incredible as the sight of eight outfield players at the halfway line was, going against most football convention, it’s obviously more invigorating than just keeping 11 back as both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte did. It wasn’t all self-defeating purism, either. There was some pragmatic logic to it, in the calculation that an inexperienced Chelsea weren’t guaranteed to take advantage. This wasn’t Manchester City, for all the post-game discussion of how Pep Guardiola’s side might have scored around nine in that situation. That appreciation could be sensed in the loud applause that went around the stadium after Nicholas Jackson’s first goal, and Chelsea’s eventual second. There was the feeling they’d made the best of a bad situation, and given themselves the best chance of victory. Spurs did waste one big chance at just 2-1, and it could have been very different had Eric Dier delayed his run for that offside goal by a millisecond. That doesn’t mean discussion should stray too far into describing this as a moral victory. It was a largely self-inflicted defeat. There’s even an argument that is Postecoglou’s very excitable approach with a young team maybe played into a certain recklessness. Spurs were in complete control at 1-0, only for an inexplicable series of rash challenges to see them lose the lead, two players and - eventually - the game. Through that, they have also lost crucial momentum, that had felt like it had been elevating what would still have been an encouraging start to the season even without the winning run. It’s difficult to argue Spurs haven’t been overperforming now. Within that applause was also the awareness this was also about to get a lot more difficult. As well as that emotional momentum, they won’t have Cristian Romero, Micky van der Ven, Destiny Udogie or James Maddison for a time. That is going to take some adjustment. It might represent the start of a period where things start going the other way. That doesn’t mean discussion should go too far the other way, mind. One temptation from Postecoglou’s line was to dismiss it as typical Spurs, all talk about romance and no victories. It’s abundantly clear that the Australian is changing things here. They have just been markedly overperforming, and ahead of schedule. They shouldn’t now be overly criticised for that, as they probably face up to a trickier period that was always going to come. Postecoglou’s approach will bring more wins than they would otherwise achieve. His willingness for adventure shouldn’t be confused with tactical naivety. There is a serious coaching mind underneath. That is something that has also become clear to everyone at the club. It was why the players, after the game, were only too content with the approach. They weren’t questioning it. Postecoglou, after all, has far more answers than just that high line. Read More Ange Postecoglou laments ‘theatre’ of VAR checks after Chelsea defeat Ange Postecoglou appears to aim barb at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta over VAR controversy Ange Postecoglou reacts to VAR calls as Spurs earn two red cards in defeat to Chelsea Chelsea triumph over Tottenham in Premier League clash that had everything and more Tottenham vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result and reaction Ange Postecoglou happy with Daniel Levy relationship but rules out rafting trip

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson promised to work even harder after his hat-trick earned boss Mauricio Pochettino a statement victory at former club Tottenham. Jackson’s second-half treble settled a pulsating London derby where five goals were disallowed and red cards were shown to Spurs pair Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie either side of half-time. While Chelsea were far from vintage on their way to a 4-1 victory, Jackson eventually made the difference. The Senegal attacker side-footed home his first goal in the 75th minute from Raheem Sterling’s cross before he grabbed a similar second after Conor Gallagher’s pass and completed his treble in the seventh minute of stoppage time when he rounded Guglielmo Vicario. After receiving more yellow cards (five) than goals (three) during the first three months of the campaign, the £31million summer signing from Villarreal was pleased to start to pay back his price tag on Monday night. Jackson: “Yeah, very happy. It was a difficult time for everybody in the team, but now we are coming back slowly, slowly and I am very happy to score three goals. “It has been very difficult (for me) but life is like this. Now my first hat-trick and I am very happy I did it in the biggest club in England and everywhere. “Always need to improve, always need to work harder. We continue working and now this (hat-trick) is the past, so we forget about it and move forward. He just needs to work hard on the training pitch and keep his head down. Then I think he will get many more hat-tricks. Chelsea's Cole Palmer on Nicolas Jackson “We were dreaming about this, playing big games and winning big games. Now we continue to work hard and the confidence is coming slowly, slowly.” Chelsea’s youthful side had struggled for consistency during the early months of Pochettino’s tenure, with battling draws against Liverpool and Arsenal married with home defeats to Nottingham Forest and Brentford. Pochettino watched the Blues struggle to make their numerical advantage count against Tottenham until captain Reece James played through Sterling, who squared for Jackson to slide home with quarter of an hour left in N17. Next up for the 10th-placed Blues is the visit of champions Manchester City on Sunday, which means a reunion for Cole Palmer against his old club. Palmer, who took his Chelsea goal to three with the equaliser against Spurs, told Sky Sports: “This was a big game, we knew it was before we came into it. Big stadium and obviously they were unbeaten, but we thought we could come here and get a result and we did that. “Obviously it is easier to play against nine men, but we knew we needed to win the game when they went down to 10 and then when they went down to nine especially. “We knew we needed to score and if we kept pressing, making the runs in behind, because their line was so high, we would get in and we did eventually. “It has obviously been a difficult start for Nico, no hiding from it, but he was brilliant. “He just needs to work hard on the training pitch and keep his head down. Then I think he will get many more hat-tricks.” Read More On this day in 2009: David Haye becomes a heavyweight world champion Los Angeles Chargers demolish New York Jets 27-6 Injury blow for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones Luton ‘saddened’ by tragedy chanting and threatening to ban those involved Eddie Howe makes no apologies for Newcastle’s no-nonsense approach to winning Young Boys expect to face fearsome Man City side, with or without Erling Haaland

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino insists he was not calling out Arsenal's Mikel Arteta when criticising managers for their hypocrisy around VAR.

Sporting KC are moving on in the postseason.

Read how Ange Postecoglou reacted to more VAR controversy in Tottenham's 4-1 Premier League defeat to rivals Chelsea - their first loss of the 2023/24 season.

Tuesday's roundup of transfer rumours includes Saudi Pro League interest in Bruno Fernandes, the price of Liverpool target Andre, Alphonso Davies, Rayan Cherki, Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele, Ibrahima Konate, Eder Militao, Ivan Toney and more.

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will miss his team’s Cricket World Cup game against England after returning home for personal reasons

Erik ten Hag gives his thoughts on Manchester United's latest humbling defeat at the hands of Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

England internationals Ben Chilwell and Beth Mead are fronting a new player-led initiative to better deal with mental health issues within football. The pair are among several top-level footballers to back ‘Create the Space’, a long-term movement working alongside Common Goal aimed at training individuals – either externally or within clubs – on how to help those with mental ill health. The goal is to eventually have such volunteers available to players throughout the whole football pyramid, helping to provide a safe space for conversations around mental health and well-being. Chelsea full-back Chilwell has openly spoken about his own battles in the past and wants ‘Create the Space’ to normalise conversations around the subject. “I have had my own mental health journey and I felt unsure about where to turn to for support,” he said. “It’s down to our generation to change this and ensure that throughout football, all the way from the elite level to young people in community organisations, we have each other’s backs and we’re equipped with the tools to help ourselves and those around us. “We need to move from talking about mental health to taking action, and ‘Create the Space’ provides the platform for everyone wishing to take action to play a role in tackling mental health issues, whether they are playing in the Premier League, in the playground, or in the park.” Mead won the Golden Boot and was named Player of the Tournament as she helped the Lionesses win the Women’s Euros last year but has since suffered setbacks on and off the pitch that have tested the 28-year-old. “In January I lost my Mum and because of the injury I couldn’t play football, which was always my escape, my happy place,” the Arsenal forward said. “Moments when people thought I was fine because of my outgoing personality, were very dark. It’s been a tough process to understand. Team-mates, people at the club, family and friends that supported me were so important, without them I could have been in a far darker place. “I want to help create an environment in which it’s totally normal to address mental health. There’s not a perfect way of dealing with it, but if you feel you’re not alone it helps so much. “We need to normalise mental health and in doing so that would go a long way.” Other names to back the initiative include Mead’s Arsenal team-mate Vivianne Miedema as well as Tottenham captain Molly Bartrip and former England Under-21 international and mental health advocate Marvin Sordell. Bartrip, in particular, recalled a moment in her own life where she needed help. We need to normalise mental health and in doing so that would go a long way Beth Mead “Some years ago I was in a position where I wanted to commit suicide,” she said. “You feel like you’re a burden, but it’s the strongest thing to ask for help. Mental health shouldn’t be a forbidden subject, it should be as open as having an injury. “I want football to become a safe space and hope that from the top level down to grassroots that’s what we can achieve with ‘Create the Space’.” Launched in 2017, Common Goal is a collective movement in global football and now 250 players and managers contribute a minimum of one per-cent of their football earnings to take action against challenges such as gender equity, racial justice, LGBT+ inclusion and mental health. Former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata was a trailblazer for the scheme, which is now also backed by household names across the men’s and women’s game. Read More Joe Truman has ‘point to prove’ in pursuit of Paris Olympics place Football rumours: Chelsea and Arsenal leading the race for Ivan Toney Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff in fault-filled match at WTA Finals Rodrigo Muniz gives Marco Silva a selection headache with Fulham cup display Mauricio Pochettino will not take risks with Chelsea captain Reece James Sean Dyche wants Everton squad to be happy playing three times a week