Golf
The United States comprehensively regained the Ryder Cup in
Hazeltine, Minnesota, winning by 17 points to 11.
After three successive wins, Europe never truly recovered
from going 4-0 down after Friday’s opening session. Although the gap closed to
one point at one stage, the US started the final day three points ahead. The
Sunday singles matches have often been the American team’s speciality, and they
duly extended their lead by a further three points over the course of the day.
Motor Racing
Daniel Ricciardo won the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala
Lumpur – ahead of Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen - and stays third in the
Formula One Drivers’ Championship. The title remains however a two-horse race,
with Nico Rosberg finishing third to extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton to 21
points.
Hamilton’s extraordinary post-race comments suggested he
believed himself to be the victim of a conspiracy. After his engine failed 15
laps from the end, he questioned why similar misfortunes were not affecting his
Mercedes team-mate Rosberg, or indeed any of the eight drivers in the
championship who use Mercedes engines.
Football
Manchester City’s 100 per cent league record finally ended
as they lost 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur. Alexsandar Kolarov put through his own
net before Delle Alli added a second. Spurs are now the only unbeaten team in
the Premier League with an impressive record of three goals conceded in seven
matches, but City remain top by one point.
Arsenal are third, two points behind City, but needed a
stoppage time winner from Laurent Koscielny to see off Burnley 1-0. Liverpool
are level on points with Arsenal in fourth after coming from behind to beat
Swansea 2-1, a result that will increase the pressure on Swansea manager
Francesco Guidolin.
Everton are fifth after drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace, and
Manchester United are sixth after themselves only managing a 1-1 draw at home
to Stoke. Despite only having 32% of possession and only seven attempts on goal
to United’s 16, a Joe Allen equaliser eight minutes from time made United pay
for their missed chances.
Stoke however remain winless, as do Sunderland, who needed a
Patrick van Aanholt equaliser to secure a 1-1 result against West Brom.
Chelsea’s form has been inconsistent, but they won 2-0 at
Hull, whose bright start to the season is rapidly fading.
Elsewhere, Watford and Bournemouth drew 2-2, champions
Leicester City were held 0-0 by Southampton and West Ham remain in the bottom
three after drawing 1-1 with Middlesbrough.
Huddersfield still lead the Championship by two points after
a 1-0 win at Ipswich. Aston Villa, relegated last year, slumped to a 2-0
reverse at Preston to leave them 19th in the table, and then duly
sacked manager Roberto Di Matteo after just four months in charge.
Rugby Union
Wasps brushed aside press stories of a drunken night on the
town with a comprehensive 47-18 win over Harlequins, securing their four try
bonus point before half-time, and going on to add three more touchdowns in the
second half. The Coventry-based team are the only team in the Aviva Premiership
with a 100% record and have scored an impressive 26 tries in their five
matches.
Saracens are second, three points behind, after a 39-0 win
heaped more misery on Bristol. Bath are five points behind Wasps after winning
15-6 at Gloucester.
New Zealand beat Argentina 36-17 in the southern hemisphere
Rugby Championship and if they beat South Africa next week they will equal the
record of 17 straight wins in international matches by a major rugby nation.
Rugby League
Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors will contest the Super
League Grand Final next weekend.
Warrington won 18-10 against St Helens, after dominating the
second half. Wigan meanwhile won a see-saw battle with Hull, but the final
scoreline of 28-18 to Wigan does not tell the full story. The Warriors raced
into a 14-0 lead before falling 18-16 behind, and then producing their final
flourish.
An extra-time drop goal secured Salford’s place in Super
League for next season, and relegated Hull KR. Salford won a dramatic
relegation decider – the so-called Million Pound Game – by 19 points to 18.
Boxing
Britain’s Nathan Cleverly is once again a world champion.
Five years after losing his WBO light-heavyweight crown, he produced a superb
performance to beat Germany’s Jurgen Brahmer to claim the WBA’s ‘regular’
light-heavyweight world title. After winning a sixth round technical knockout
after Brahmer injured his elbow, Cleverly could be in line to face the WBA’s
‘super’ world champion Sergey Kovalev (or Andre Ward if Ward beats Kovalev in
their scheduled title bout).
Tennis
Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic
won his first tournament this year as he beat Richard Gasquet in three sets in
the final of the Shenzhen Open.
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