Club League Win Draw Lose played Goals For Goals Against

Youthful exuberance has served Arsenal well, but nearly costs them vs. Leeds

LONDON — Sunday’s 2-1 win over Leeds United was an advert for both the precocious and precarious nature of Arsenal‘s youth. The Gunners took another important step towards Champions League qualification with a vital victory, initially the product of their vibrancy and endeavour in capitalising on an appalling first half from their opponents before giving way to a needlessly nervy finale in which they almost blew a two-goal lead against 10 men.

The catalyst for Arsenal’s revival this season has come from a cluster of young players seizing their opportunity to try to redefine modern-day Arsenal: Bukayo Saka is the poster boy, but Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale are among those who’ve contributed this term beyond initial expectations. Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli have joined the party in recent weeks, particularly the former, who scored both goals here and continues to enhance his case for Arsenal to break the impasse over his contract situation with his present deal set to expire in a matter of weeks.

Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access

Yet this is a time of the season when talent must be aligned to temperament with the prizes in sight.

Leeds improved after half-time — they could barely have been any worse — but what should have been a comfortable stroll in the early May sunshine turned into a tense finale after Diego Llorente converted a clever 66th-minute set-piece routine to halve the deficit. Substitute Nicolas Pepe failed to get his head up to see an open goal with goalkeeper Illan Meslier up for a corner in a frantic denouement, a moment which served as a metaphor for the lack of game management that almost cost them dearly.

Nevertheless, they got themselves over the line with Mohamed Elneny a particularly important presence in the final 20 minutes, restricting Leeds on the counterattack and enabling Arsenal to play as much of the game in the opposition half as possible.

There are likely to be nervous moments ahead. They go into Thursday’s north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur knowing victory would secure a top-four finish. Yet defeat would leave them a point ahead, and with Spurs facing Burnley a day before Arsenal go to Newcastle United, the Gunners could kick off on Tyneside in fifth place.

These are the stakes at this point in the season.

“When you look at the other games, you see a lot of [handling nerves] because now is the defining moment when a goal can change a whole season and that plays on the back of the mind,” Mikel Arteta said after the match. “But I didn’t see any of that at the start of the game.

“For a lot of phases we did well but we needed to score the third goal and we had the chances to do that. Then the accident happened when we conceded a set-piece goal and then some nerves had to be handled.”

It is difficult to overstate how bad Leeds were in the opening 45 minutes.

They gift-wrapped the opening goal for Nketiah as Meslier took a laboured touch in dealing with Luke Ayling’s back-pass. Nketiah closed him down quickly — in a manner Alexandre Lacazette probably would not have done — to tackle and score in one motion inside the six-yard box. This was just the beginning of a remarkable afternoon for Ayling, his 500th career appearance, as he was given a torrid time by Martinelli, who skipped past him to lay on a second as Nketiah, unmarked 12 yards out, swept home a second inside 10 minutes.

Leeds were shambolic and Ayling compounded their misery by launching himself two-footed into a reckless and idiotic challenge on Martinelli. Inexplicably, referee Chris Kavanagh responded with a yellow card but VAR John Brooks suggested he look at the incident again and the decision was correctly upgraded to a red card.

Ayling is likely to receive a three-game ban and therefore his season could be over. Raphinha could easily have followed him as he furiously protested the decision, but even though he stayed on the pitch, Leeds ended the half with more red cards (one) than shots (zero).

“We dug ourselves a massive hole and made a difficult task much more difficult,” said Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, mastering the art of understatement. They almost snatched a point in stoppage-time when Junior Firpo headed a long free kick forward, but Rodrigo could only glance a tame header straight at Ramsdale.

Arsenal hung on and head into Thursday’s derby knowing the pressure is all on Spurs in the race to secure fourth spot. They should therefore be able to play with a greater sense of freedom. Young players tend to be able to do that, but they will also need to hold their nerve, too.

Is there a viable challenger for Charles Oliveira? How will Rose Namajunas rebound?

A 14-fight card at UFC 274 produced some big wins, fantastic action, memorable knockouts and a lackluster co-main event sandwiched between two amazing bouts. Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi react to the pay-per-view and offer their biggest thoughts on the night.

Big fight nights headlined by championship bouts typically provide clarity. But what UFC 274 delivered instead was contradiction.

On Saturday night in Phoenix, Charles Oliveira stepped into the cage as UFC lightweight champion. He then choked out Justin Gaethje in the very first round — and walked out of the Octagon as ex-champ.

The reason for that mixed-up circumstance is that Oliveira had missed weight Friday, leaving the UFC to take away his title the moment his fight with Gaethje began. What that brought about, at the conclusion of the fight, was an empty feeling that something was missing — no “And still!” announcement by Bruce Buffer, no belt being wrapped around Oliveira’s waist by Dana White.

And yet one thing is undeniable: Belt or no belt, Charles Oliveira is the best 155-pound fighter on the planet.

That became evident during the 3 minutes, 22 seconds the fight lasted. Oliveira wobbled Gaethje in the opening minute, but moments later Gaethje dropped him with a punch. Then Gaethje dropped him again. But anyone who was thinking this was the beginning of the end clearly had not been watching Oliveira lately.

The 32-year-old Brazilian was hurt badly a year ago in Round 1 of his fight with Michael Chandler for the then-vacant title, but Oliveira came out for the second round and finished Chandler 19 seconds into the round. Seven months later, Oliveira had to persevere through a rough start against Dustin Poirier before choking out his challenger in Round 3.

This time Oliveira, his face marked up by the vicious early work of Gaethje, scored a knockdown midway through the round and quickly seized back control, putting him in position to sink in a rear-naked choke for the 30th finish and 21st submission of his 33-win pro career. In UFC fights, he has 19 finishes and 16 submissions — both Octagon records.

If only there were a strong grappler in the division who might be able to contend with Oliveira’s ground game. Too bad Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired, right?

The job might just have to go to Islam Makhachev, a Nurmagomedov friend, countryman and teammate who has been referred to as Khabib 2.0. The 22-1 Makhachev has been working his way up the lightweight hierarchy, and his emergence couldn’t have come at a better time. — Wagenheim


Should Tony Ferguson really have faced Michael Chandler?

play

0:35

Michael Chandler shows off his athleticism as he nails two backflips after knocking out Tony Ferguson.

Early during fight week, when I was plotting out the UFC 274 bouts that were must-see, I also noted a couple that I suspected might be hard to watch. One that I picked out ended up not happening, after Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone took sick Saturday, sparing us from the possibility of seeing him extend his six-fight winless streak in a way that might make us cringe. The other fight I selected did go on and was indeed difficult to watch — but not necessarily right away.

I had feared that Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson would be a painful display of what happens when someone at or near the top of his game (Chandler) faces a fighter whose career has been fading (Ferguson, who was coming off three brutal losses). It could get ugly fast, I thought.

But then Ferguson came out for the lightweight bout and hurt Chandler right away. Early on, Ferguson looked fluid and dangerous and clearly competitive. Maybe I was wrong about this booking?

Or not.

Just seconds into Round 2, Chandler threw a straight right kick up the middle, and when the ball of his foot connected flush on Ferguson’s chin, the fight was over. Ferguson fell limply on his face, unconscious, and lay there motionless for several moments. Even after he came to and was helped to his feet, Ferguson still looked dazed and absent.

Was this scary knockout a direct byproduct of Ferguson being a faded fighter, his reflexes too slow to protect him and his chin no longer able to withstand impact? Or was this just something that could happen to anyone, even a champ or prime-of-career fighter? No one knows for sure, but I’ll just say this: It was the type of ending I was envisioning as a possibility for Ferguson and Cerrone when I expressed concern over their bookings.

“Cowboy” and “El Cucuy” are legends of MMA. Both have delivered countless thrills and glorious moments over the years. No one is asking for these end-of-career guys to be shut down entirely, but matchmakers need to recognize where the fighters are in their careers before sending two of them into the cage together.

During a UFC run highlighted by a 12-fight winning streak, Ferguson was breathtaking. But now when he fights we’re left to hold our breath. — Wagenheim


Namajunas-Esparza: A title fight unlike any other

“I’m the best! I’m the best!”

That was the mantra Rose Namajunas said aloud, quietly and resolutely and over and over, as she walked out to the cage for the co-main event.

I wonder what mantra she had for the lonely walk back to the dressing room as a former champion.

Namajunas, to be fair, has shown herself to be the best strawweight in the world these past few years, with two reigns as champ and two victories apiece over former champs Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili, as well as a win over another titleholder, Jessica Andrade. But Saturday night she was not the best — or at least she opted to not show us her best.

In the end, Carla Esparza was booed after getting her arm raised and having the belt wrapped around her waist. She didn’t deserve that fan response — or at least not all of it. She had moved forward during much of the fight, but Namajunas kept her distance and refused to engage. Esparza accomplished little over the five rounds, it’s true, but little is better than nothing, and that “nothing” is what Namajunas showed until the very end of the bout, when it was too late.

Two questions linger: First, was this the worst title fight in UFC history? It’s certainly a contender. Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero in 2020 comes to mind as another candidate, and considering that both of those men are walking highlight reels, their dud was especially disappointing. This one was just dull. Esparza landed just 30 significant strikes, the fewest in a decision victory in a UFC title fight in the promotion’s modern era. But hey, Esparza is primarily a wrestler. Namajunas, on the other hand, is known as a slick striker. She connected with just 37.

play

0:37

Carla Esparza gets Rose Namajunas’ back and scores a takedown in her split-decision victory.

“It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t want to fight,” Esparza said in the Octagon after the bout.

That leads to the second question coming out of this fight: What do we make of Namajunas? Why did a fighter who had stood her ground against several more dangerous foes dance around the Octagon for the better part of her 25 minutes in there with Esparza? I don’t know the answer, but do you know who should have known that answer as the fight unfolded? The Namajunas corner. From what I could hear of her coaches, no one tried to light a fire and get Rose to fight like Rose.

Namajunas is an enigma, so much so that this dud of a performance doesn’t necessarily signal a demise. The next time she’s in the cage, she might look like a world-beater. Which is what she often looked like … back when she was a champion. — Wagenheim


Francisco Trinaldo, young at 43

play

0:32

Francisco Trinaldo makes Danny Roberts double over after he hits him in the body with a crushing left hand.

If you want to know how deep the UFC lightweight division is, just take a look at the unranked veteran Francisco Trinaldo. He went all-out against Danny Roberts — who was coming off a two win streak — to close the prelims at UFC 274 and light up the Footprint Center.

”Massaranduba” earned his 18th victory inside the Octagon with a complete striking performance and had Roberts in trouble more than once during the fight. He’s one of the many gatekeepers the division has and he’s certainly always a fun fighter to watch, constantly looking for the knockout finish. Trinaldo has defeated Bobby Green, Jim Miller and John Makdessi.

At 43 years old and with over a decade fighting for the promotion, he’s standing with a 5-1 record in his last six fights. Like Andrei Arlovski, who is also stacking wins against fighters who probably were not even training when he signed with the UFC, Trinaldo isn’t showing signs of slowing down and wants to make some memories for his 5-year-old son. And tonight was a good one. — Legaspi

Will F1's all-American gamble pay off?

MIAMI — How in the world did the world’s most prestigious racing series arrive here? Not here as in Miami, but rather here as in this moment in time?

Formula One’s former boss once said he didn’t believe his series needed the United States. Meanwhile, the U.S. motorsports community and its massive fan base always seemed to get along just fine without F1. The U.S. spent eight years each in the 1980s and ’90s without a stateside event, then once it returned, it seemed perfectly content with one-and-done weekends each season, either sandwiched in between IndyCar and NASCAR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway or held in Austin during a Texas Longhorns football away weekend. American-born drivers seemingly were always looked down upon by the old-school, Eurocentric F1 paddock. Those same racers accused those same Europeans of rigging the system against them, you know, like a formula.

The point is, Formula One and the United States were always like a pair of magnets turned the wrong way and pushed together. Like a round piston in a square block. Like synthetic oil and perfectly chilled Fuji water. Like Kimi Raikkonen and smiling. They just didn’t go together. American F1 fans were considered a fervent but niche group. The races were something to watch before Sunday brunch in the summertime, with no football pregame shows to watch instead. The cars and drivers and sponsors, they all felt so, well, distant.

Yet here we are, with seemingly every celebrity you’ve ever heard of jetting their way to South Beach for the weekend. Why? To witness the inaugural Miami Grand Prix (2 p.m. ET Sunday, ABC). To gaze upon a sparkling, pastel-painted 3.363-mile, 19-turn race circuit fancily titled the Miami International Autodrome, all wining and dining in the fake yacht marinas and pop-up hospitality areas that have risen around a stadium used for NFL games, watching as racers across all genres and global borders embrace in a three-day group hug, aglow in the petrol-laced sunshine of South Florida.

“I have been to a lot of races and a lot of parties around races,” McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, himself a walking party, said earlier this week. “But it sure feels like a lot of roads and momentum have been leading up to this weekend in Miami, doesn’t it?”

F1 is indeed having an American moment amid an American movement. The only question now seems to be how long that moment will last, and how big the sport could still become here in the New World.

“It’s our first time in Miami as a sport and the anticipation for this event has just skyrocketed. Everyone is so excited,” F1’s all-time race winner Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday, sitting alongside the Florida resident with whom he just golfed, Tom Brady.

Brady will be in attendance on Sunday to watch Hamilton, along with a herd of fellow GOATs expected to include Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and LeBron James.

“It’s exciting when you go out and find a new course and find out different features of the circuit,” Hamilton said. “It has been a dream of our sport to be in Miami. Our sport will hopefully earn its right to be here.”

Being here at all used to seem like little more than a tailpipe dream. But the Miami Grand Prix, having yet to turn an in-race lap, already has a 10-year deal in place and is the second American date on the 2022 F1 calendar, joining October’s USGP in Austin. It’s the first time since 1983 the series has raced in the U.S. twice in one season, and next season it will bring a third U.S.-based event on a Vegas Strip-anchored street course. It will be just the third time since 1950 that F1 has traveled to the same nation three times in one year, and one of those occurrences was due to COVID-19 pandemic-forced schedule scrambling.

“Just three years ago, it was difficult to have one [American] Grand Prix full of people,” F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali explained last month, noting that nearly 85,000 fans are expected to pass through the turnstiles in Miami, a number that had to be capped because of high demand. “Now we are headed to a situation this year where we’re going to have two events totally sold out.”

It is all undeniably awesome for American motorsports enthusiasts. For those who have made their living in the sport, it is all also just as unbelievable.

“If someone had told you not so long ago that this series would not only be in Miami, but that it was going to be in the United States more than once a year, if at all, you would have had their heads checked,” 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti said.

Andretti, 82, grew up in the hills of Northern Italy before moving to the hills of eastern Pennsylvania as a teenager.

“I have always believed that America was probably the only country on the planet that can properly host two Formula One races,” Andretti said. “I have also always believed the American F1 fan base has always been understated. It just needed to be woken up.”

Consider it awake.

ESPN’s domestic F1 television ratings are up 22% over this time last year, a season when they were up a whopping 54% over 2020. Netflix just announced a two-year renewal of “Drive to Survive,” the reality show that captured the stuck-at-home eyeballs of millions during the 2020 pandemic lockdown, generating a tsunami of new F1 fans who started tuning into the races themselves.

“Wave, that’s the perfect word, because that’s what it has felt like,” explained Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren and longtime F1 blue blood who has found himself as a leading character in many “Drive to Survive” episodes as his team fights from behind to catch the title contenders. “I have been in this job six years, but I have been in this paddock for a couple of decades. The show is only a part of what is happening. It’s new races and new sponsors, all in the United States, and it’s ticket demand and hospitality demand that we’ve never seen. America is catching on. We knew it could happen. We just needed the right roots to grow it.”

Brown (and no, it’s not the country rock singer or the Pro Bowl linebacker, but rather the marketer and racer-turned-exec) is a Californian. Haas F1, the first American-based team since 1986, is headquartered in NASCAR country just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. The series itself is also run by Americans, purchased in 2017 by Liberty Media, the Colorado-based owners of the Atlanta Braves and SiriusXM radio. They have been behind the curtain, urging the current wave of young drivers to be more accessible, or at least appear that way, than their predecessors, who always seemed to be unreachable and unrelatable. It’s working.

Just this week, series-leading Red Bull announced a sponsorship deal with Florida-based Hard Rock, the name on the stadium the teams will be racing around this weekend. Earlier this year, Red Bull inked a half-billion-dollar deal with Texas-based Oracle. Seemingly every major sponsorship announcement this season in the F1 paddock has involved American-based companies.

There’s only one glaring plank missing in F1’s new red, white and blue platform.

“There has to be an American driver,” Andretti said.

play

2:18

Nicole Briscoe examines the history of Formula One in the United States.

He is one of only 10 U.S. drivers to win an F1-sanctioned event and one of only five to earn that victory in a “true” Grand Prix instead of the Indianapolis 500s, which were included in the F1 championship throughout the 1950s.

“Can you imagine what it would be like if all of these new American F1 fans had one of their own to cheer for?” Andretti said.

Over the years there have been several programs designed with that very goal in mind. The most notable was a much-hyped Red Bull-powered development push that got Californian Scott Speed into an F1 car, but only briefly before it sent him back to the States to race for its NASCAR team.

“That was so much hard work,” Danny Sullivan recalled. The 1985 Indy 500 champion made 15 F1 starts in 1983 and was later recruited by Red Bull to pilot their mid-2000s stateside driver search and push. “We achieved the goal of getting an American into a car. But getting there and staying there are two entirely different challenges.”

The most recent American to compete in Formula One was Alexander Rossi, who made five starts for lowly Manor Marussia in 2014-15 before being benched for a driver with bigger sponsorship. He moved to IndyCar in 2016 and stunned the racing world by winning the Indy 500 in his first try.

“I’m just excited for Formula One and America, honestly,” said the 30-year-old and seven-time IndyCar race winner, who plans to attend the Miami Grand Prix alongside a pack of fellow IndyCar racers before beginning their three weekends of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “No one wants there to be an American racer with success more than I do. But I also know they need a fair shot.”

“Just to have an American driver is not enough,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner agreed as he spoke with The Associated Press in Miami on Thursday. “It’s got to be a winning driver. It’s got to be a driver who is running up front. When you look at the effect that [defending F1 champion] Max Verstappen has in Holland, or [2005-06 champion] Fernando Alonso has in Spain. You’ve got to have someone in a winning car with a winning ability.”

Horner and Red Bull have an American with potential in their pits this weekend, 17-year-old Texan and Red Bull junior driver Jak Crawford. There will also be much buzz when race fans spot the likes of Rossi and 22-year-old IndyCar wunderkind Colton Herta. Herta, already a six-time winner in barely three full-time seasons, drives for Michael Andretti, the son of Mario and someone who has always been openly bitter about the unfairness of his brief F1 foray of 1993 with McLaren. Earlier this year, Michael Andretti submitted a formal request to look into the potential of future Formula One team ownership under the name Andretti Global. On Saturday he was lobbying for his cause in person, going team-by-team through the Miami paddock, holding meetings and asking for signatures of support.

“I want so much to see what Colton could do there,” Mario Andretti said of Herta in February when the news broke that his son was examining an F1 entry. He too is in Miami, repeating his support for both Michael and Herta. “I want to see him there with anyone, but if it was with Michael, at least he would know it is a fair deal. Three American races, with two American teams [Andretti and Haas] and at least one good American driver? I would surely tune in to see that. A lot of people would.”

The question remains: Exactly how many people could potentially make up “a lot.” For as overwhelming as the current F1 popularity wave is, there is also no lack of dissent and concern. F1 executives have excitedly and openly speculated about adding more U.S. races, including New York, and possibly adding a double-digit number of new events to its current 22-round schedule. That has led to grumbling about overreaching, expanding too quickly and killing the American goose in the search for more golden eggs. Old-school F1 fans are sounding off, albeit sometimes unfairly, about another race in a parking lot, recalling the much-maligned 1981-82 events held on the asphalt that surrounds Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. They were downright gleeful on social media when the Miami asphalt required some attention in the intense Friday heat.

But as uninformed and mean-spirited as that opinion of the Miami GP venue might be, the larger worries don’t come without genuine concern. It all sounds more than a little like the longtime NASCAR fans of the 2000s who worried that they and their favorite traditional venues were being abandoned in the search of advertising dollars and new audiences in cooler locations who, it turned out, ultimately never saw racing as more than a fad. When those new markets grew stale and those neo-fans moved on to the next cool thing, NASCAR was left holding a lot of empty bags, and it has spent the past decade working to return to its roots. See: “NASCAR Throwback Weekend” currently taking place at Darlington Raceway.

The latest season of “Drive to Survive” received some criticism from within the paddock, most notably from Verstappen, who did not participate. Even those giddy racers from other American disciplines, many of whom will be in attendance this weekend, have started publicly tempering their excitement. Last month, NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick said his 9-year-old son and his karting friends talk about wanting to race for Red Bull and Mercedes, not Chevy and Ford. It concerned him so much that he went to NASCAR brass to discuss it. Many of those execs will be traveling to Miami from Daytona to get a glimpse before heading north to Darlington, South Carolina.

Just last week when Rossi was asked about the rise of his former series, he said, “Sure, it is [competition], especially when you look at U.S. market share. With three races, it’s something we [in IndyCar] need to be aware of. Certainly, continue our development and plan in terms of what we’re doing with the series, with the driver personalities, the teams, the representation we have out there. I think it’s certainly a moving target.”

So, where is all of this headed? No one truly knows. But what everyone knows for certain is that this Sunday in Miami will be an event the likes of which even the planet’s swankiest sport has never seen, from motors and mojitos to movie stars and MJ.

“The future is exciting, there is no doubt about it,” explained Emerson Fittipaldi, 1972 and ’74 F1 world champion and longtime Miami resident. On Tuesday, “Emmo” cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially kickoff Miami Race Week. “But this weekend, I am not worried about the future. I have a smile on my face for the present. I am going to enjoy this Miami Grand Prix. This dream that has come true.”

Biggest talking points for race day in Miami

MIAMI — The championship battle between Ferrari and Red Bull continues to swing back and forth. Charles Leclerc‘s performance on Saturday at the Miami Grand Prix means pole position has alternated between the two teams at each round this season, with Ferrari leading Red Bull 3-2 overall after five races.

But Saturday’s session in Miami could have gone either way. Max Verstappen, who ended up third on the grid just 0.005s behind Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in second, looked like he was the favourite early in Q3 only for Leclerc to snatch the fastest time overall on his final attempt.

Verstappen may have improved on his last lap, but ultimately dropped out of contention when his car snapped out of shape in Turn 5. The reigning champion, who missed the vast majority of the second practice session on Friday due to a hydraulic issue, said his lack of preparation ahead of qualifying ultimately cost him his shot at pole.

“I only did four or five laps yesterday and you cannot afford that on a new track like this and a street circuit in general, because it’s very critical to just do laps and get in a rhythm,” Verstappen said.

“On a normal track it is quite easy to get into a rhythm. On a street circuit it’s a lot more difficult and we basically failed on that side. Of course, in general, we are experienced enough to catch up on a lot of it, but to really fight, especially against a strong team like that, you cannot afford it.

“We still got close, but I think we could have done a much better job today if we had a cleaner Friday.”

As for the mistake itself, Verstappen added: “A bit of a weird moment to lose the car but again it’s just not really knowing the limits, I guess, and just trying a bit more, and then it snapped suddenly in Turn 5.

“I tried to keep it on the road but it didn’t really work, so I aborted. I tried to stay out of the way of the cars behind me, but a bit odd, the way it snapped. But these things can happen.”

After two days of action, the Miami International Autodrome has proved to be a significant challenge in qualifying. The circuit combines a fast first sector, long straights and a much tighter second sector, meaning setup direction has not been obvious. On top of that, the track surface hasn’t offered the level of grip teams were expecting and has become especially slippery off the racing line.

“It’s tricky, very slippery,” Leclerc said. “[The car is] sliding all around a bit everywhere and it is very, very difficult to put everything together because as soon as you get out of line a little bit you lose a lot of grip and a lot of lap time.

“So the lap wasn’t perfect but good enough to be on P1, the car was amazing today and hopefully we can keep that pace for tomorrow.”

Sainz’s presence ahead of Verstappen on the grid is good news for Leclerc, although Sainz has no intention of playing a supporting role for his teammate.

Asked if his approach to battling with Leclerc would take into consideration the fact his teammate is leading the championship, Sainz said: “No, the consideration is that we are teammates and that we want to score a one-two for the team independent of who is ahead or behind.

“It is the same consideration that I took this year and last year because I feel like it is still early in the season — we are only in the fifth race and there are 19 left [including Sunday].

“But you always treat your teammate with a bit more respect, like it was last year but the will of winning is still there and if the chance of winning is there I will go, taking into account that it is my teammate of course.”

Sainz is also hoping to use his front row start to regain momentum in his own championship challenge, which took two big hits after he retired in the gravel at the past two races. Following a spin on Friday in practice, he said he needed Saturday’s solid showing to rebuild his confidence.

“It’s not easy, I’m not gonna lie,” Sainz said. “It was still a bit on the back of mind in the quali lap, which is not ideal to drive a quali lap. When you don’t understand the crashes, it’s the worst and yesterday was very tricky to understand exactly what happened.

“It takes some confidence out, which shows I’m still learning this car, I’m still discovering things, it’s still surprising me. I’m quick because today I was pretty quick out there so, that’s the most positive thing.” — Laurence Edmondson

What kind of race can we expect?

The quality of the racing at the circuit, which wraps around the outside of Hard Rock Stadium, has been a big talking point since the final configuration was settled upon.

The two days of track action so far have been hectic, with lots of driver errors and several mistakes leaving a car in the wall. The most costly was made by Esteban Ocon, who was unable to take part in qualifying after crashing out of the final practice on Saturday afternoon.

“It could be a bit of a Baku,” Sainz said on Saturday evening, referring to the Azerbaijan GP’s Baku street race and its tendency to either be incredibly dramatic or incredibly uneventful, with minimal middle ground. “Very, very tricky out there.”

Lewis Hamilton is also a fan, enjoying how the circuit is unique to a lot of the other courses F1 drivers race.

“I think it’s great, the track is awesome,” Hamilton said. “It’s a different characteristic. It’s not the same as every other one.

“There’s a couple of bumps that we could probably fix. We should probably get rid of the chicane. Otherwise, it’s great.”

The designers of the circuit wanted to create a “mistake generator” and drivers seem to agree that is going to be a punishing venue.

“I think if you go off line it’s going to be ciao ciao,” AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly said. “That new tarmac they put in the new corner… this feels a bit like ice skating when you go over it.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy. I think you’re going to see overtaking but if you’re going off track it’s going to be slippery.” — Nate Saunders

Morant injures knee in loss; Poole denies ill intent

SAN FRANCISCO — The Memphis Grizzlies are concerned about star point guard Ja Morant, who limped off the court with more than five minutes remaining in a blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors after Jordan Poole grabbed Morant’s right knee during a trap near half court.

Morant left without talking to reporters but tweeted “broke the code,” with video of Poole grabbing his knee on a fourth-quarter play, before later deleting the tweet. Morant could be seen walking with a limp toward the team bus following Memphis’ 142-112 Game 3 loss at the Chase Center on Saturday night.

The team did not specify Morant’s injury, saying only that he was being further evaluated.

“We’re going to ride for our own,” Memphis forward Jaren Jackson Jr. said when asked about the team’s feeling regarding the play with Poole. “You know our mentality … you know, make a play on the ball. It’s unfortunate. You never want to see that type of stuff. Obviously, it’s not done by — no one is out here dirty. No one is out here like that. But it’s just unfortunate.”

Jackson added: “You know the code. Talk about the code all series at this point.”

Poole said he is “not even that type of player” to try to intentionally hurt someone. He and Andrew Wiggins trapped Morant near half court before Wiggins was called for a foul with 6:55 left. Morant would sub out with 6:19 left and the Warriors up by 17 before walking back to the locker room.

“It was a basketball play when we doubled him,” Poole said. “And I hit the ball, and I was going for the ball. I mean, obviously, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt. I’m not even that type of player. I respect everybody.”

Poole added: “Hopefully he gets better and, you know, we can see him out there next game. I don’t even play like that for real. That’s not my type game.”

Jackson’s comment, and Morant’s tweet, was in reference to Golden State coach Steve Kerr saying Memphis forward Dillon Brooks “broke the code” when he hit Gary Payton II in the head in midair during a dunk attempt in Game 2, a play that resulted in Payton fracturing his elbow. Brooks was given a flagrant foul 2 and ejected. He later was suspended for Game 3 upon further review by the league.

“He’s getting evaluated now,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said of Morant. “Nothing further. We just watched the replay. He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I’m actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that.”

Pressed about whether he thought Poole’s grab was intentional, Jenkins said, “I don’t know what goes through you guys’ head. No, I didn’t say that it went on purpose. I said the play happened.

“There was a grab. I’m just curious what happened.”

Morant continued his sensational play during this series before limping off the court. He had 34 points, 7 assists and 3 steals in 36 minutes. That followed his 47-point, 8-rebound, 8-assist performance in Memphis’ Game 2 victory, after which he said he couldn’t completely see out of his left eye after being hit there during the second half. Morant scored the team’s final 15 points in Game 2.

He had 34 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds in Game 1.

“It is unfortunate,” said teammate Desmond Bane, who has been battling a back issue during the series. “Ja is obviously having a great series. For something like that to happen, something that is somewhat controllable, Jordan Poole reached out and grabbed his knee and kind of put him in an awkward position, you know, it’s unfortunate.”

Golden State guard Klay Thompson rebutted any notion that Poole or any Warrior was trying to injure Morant or anybody else.

“Me personally, I’ve been through a tough knee injury,” Thompson said. “And I don’t think there’s any malicious intent from Jordan. I don’t even think he’s [Poole] strong enough to affect somebody’s knee. But we’re not out there trying to hurt people or trying to club people in the back of the head on a fast break. We play the game the right way, and I’m going to have his back.”

Grizzlies point guard De’Anthony Melton said Morant has shaken off injuries before and hopes the star will be ready to play in Game 4 on Monday.

“I mean, we have seen Ja heal like Wolverine out there,” Melton said. “He can be limping one day, next day be fine. He is a warrior and a competitor. Who knows where his level of injury is at? He understands his body and what the team needs, and he will make the best decision.”

Mets release Cano, owe 2B nearly $45 million

PHILADELPHIA — The Mets released second baseman Robinson Cano prior to Sunday’s doubleheader against the Phillies.

The move comes a week after the slumping Cano was designated for assignment despite nearly $45 million remaining on his contract.

The Mets announced the news in their pregame notes and after manager Buck Showalter met with reporters before Sunday’s games.

Cano, 39, sat out last season while serving his second suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. He batted .195 (8-for-41) this season with one home run, three RBIs and a paltry .501 OPS in 43 plate appearances for the National League East-leading Mets.

Cano has a .302 career batting average with 335 home runs, 1,305 RBIs and an .842 OPS in 17 seasons. He has 2,632 hits, including 571 doubles.

He is owed $44,703,297 by the Mets from the remainder of the 10-year, $240 million contract he signed with the Seattle Mariners. He has lost $35,741,935 because of the two drug suspensions.

Now that he has been released by the Mets, a team could sign him for a prorated share of the $700,000 minimum this season and pay the $710,000 minimum in 2023.

In a deal that also netted closer Edwin Diaz, the Mets shipped five players to Seattle in December 2018 — including prized outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft — to acquire Cano. New York agreed to assume the $100 million left on the final five years of Cano’s contract at the time.

Cano ended up playing 168 games for the Mets, batting .269 with 24 homers, 72 RBIs and a .765 OPS.

Celtics irate over 'bad missed call' in loss to Bucks

MILWAUKEE — Every member of the Boston Celtics inside Fiserv Forum on Saturday afternoon was incredulous.

With the clock ticking down and the Celtics trailing by three, Boston’s Jaylen Brown handed the ball off to Marcus Smart on the perimeter. Immediately, Smart attempted to get his shot off with Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday giving him no space at all. The whistle blew right away as Holiday’s arm whacked across Smart’s.

However, much to the delight of the majority of the 17,736 in attendance and to the chagrin of everyone in the Celtics traveling party, the foul was called on the floor — a rip-through — instead of a three-shot foul. Smart made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second to give Boston another chance but none of the three putbacks went in, giving Milwaukee a 103-101 win and 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Boston coach Ime Udoka said flat-out that he felt the call was missed.

“It was a foul. It was a foul. He caught the ball, he’s turning into a shot,” Udoka said, advocating for a shooting foul rather than the call on the floor. “Both feet set. You can’t say that’s a sweep. You’re going into a shot. That’s a poor call. Poor no-call.”

When asked what explanation he was given, Udoka said he was told Smart was sweeping his arms.

“I saw it in person but I also saw it on the film that I just went and looked at,” Udoka said. “It’s a shot. He’s going into a shot. He got fouled on the way up. Bad missed call.”

When asked about the call postgame, Smart asked every reporter in the room what their opinion was. After getting no real response, Smart said, “I mean, that’s all I gotta say.”

Smart said in that time and situation, it made no sense for him to try the rip-through move knowing the Celtics needed to play for a tie.

“You need three [points] with 4.6 seconds, they know we need three,” Smart said. “We know they are gonna foul. It’s not like he got me when it was down low. I was already in my shooting motion. I thought it was gonna be three free throws; they said it wasn’t.”

Instead, Smart made the first free throw before intentionally missing the second to try to give the Celtics a chance. Smart, Robert Williams III and Al Horford all got attempts up but none fell. Horford’s second attempt, which did go through the basket and sent some of the Celtics’ bench into celebration, was a tenth of a second after the clock expired.

“Smart timed it perfectly,” Horford said. “Was able to get the rebound. At that point it was just hanging around the rim. We felt like we had some good looks there. I think I tipped it once, missed it, the second time I knew I was slightly off so I wasn’t very optimistic. I was late. But we gave ourselves a chance there to tie it and send it to overtime.”

Smart said he made the call to attempt the missed free throw on his own and let his teammates know it was coming but indicated there may have been another missed call as his teammates were trying to get shots up at the end.

“It was perfect. I missed it perfectly,” Smart said. “Nobody was ready. Our guys were. I got it. [Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis] pulls my shoulder which throws me off. But I got a good look. I got it on the rim. Like Al said, we had a few chances but it didn’t work out for us.”

Boston trailed by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter before storming back to take the lead 100-99 on a pair of Brown free throws with 1:49 to play. Milwaukee couldn’t answer on their ensuing possession and Boston had two chances to push the lead to four but Smart and Brown both missed 3-pointers.

On the next time down, Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a layup to give the Bucks the lead. After another stop, Holiday hit a bucket in the lane to push the lead to 103-100 with 11.2 seconds to go. Udoka drew up a play coming out of the timeout that could have gotten a quick two, but that was foiled by the Bucks.

“Smart threw it to me in the corner,” Brown said.” Jrue Holiday was on me. He did a good job of pressuring me. I was trying to get to my spot and he took it away so I flipped it back to Smart.”

That’s when Brown reflected on the call at the end of the game.

“You gotta understand time and score,” he said. “We’re down three. We’re looking to get one up. I thought it was pretty obvious. All year they’ve been calling that on the floor which we understand. But time and score, I think they missed one.”

Holiday said he thought Smart was still facing the sidelines when the contact occurred. “That’s not a shooting motion,” Holiday said. “It wasn’t facing the rim.”

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said the plan was not for the Bucks to foul up three in that situation, but they were fortunate that the call was just for two free throws instead of three.

There were a few times where Udoka thought about using his challenge before deciding to go with it on a block/charge call that went against Grant Williams with 5:57 left in the game. Without that challenge, Udoka couldn’t ask officials to look to see if Smart was in the shooting motion in the late game-deciding possession.

“You’d like to save it more towards the end,” Udoka said. “But their explanation is if they don’t fall down, they don’t call it. So I’ll teach my guys to flop more.”

Despite the questionable call at the end of the game, the Celtics were the more aggressive team in the final 16:30 of the game. In that stretch, Boston shot 17 free throws compared with zero for Milwaukee. Still, there was plenty of physical play by both teams throughout the contest.

But there were times when Udoka saw his team complaining too much and not getting back on defense. After Williams complained following a no-call on one end, Pat Connaughton hit a 3-pointer on the other drawing an angry timeout from Udoka.

“As much as they’re gonna let you play, you gotta play through that and have our composure,” Udoka said. “If they are gonna call it that way consistently that way on both ends, you gotta play through it and not bitch about calls.”

Boston shot poorly throughout the game, failing to top 35% shooting in each of the first three quarters before hitting 11 of 22 shots in the fourth — with three of those coming on putback attempts late. Brown and Horford combined to shoot 17-of-33 for 49 points but the Celtics had an off night from Jayson Tatum at the worst time. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting and he missed all six of his 3-point attempts.

As he did in Game 2, Tatum entered the news conference with a black wrap around his left hand and wrist. He grabbed at the wrist after bracing himself on a dunk in the second quarter when he was fouled by Antetokounmpo. He said the wrist was bothering him after that play but “it was something I’ve been dealing with for probably like two months now.” He said it wasn’t anything that he hasn’t had to deal with in the past.

Tatum said he originally injured it on a fall two months ago and that while rest would have done him well, it’s sensitive at times because it continues to get hit. He insists the injury is healed, however.

Tatum was also frustrated with the team’s performance overall, and it was a game he felt like they should have won.

“I mean they played well. Gotta give them credit,” Tatum said. “But I think the frustrating part is all things considered, we still had opportunities and came back and gave ourselves a chance to win the game. And we didn’t. And that’s tough.”

ESPN’s Jamal Collier contributed to this story.

City routs Newcastle, moves closer to EPL title

Manchester City consolidated their position at the top of the Premier League with a 5-0 win over Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s side bounced back from their Champions League exit on Wednesday with a dominant display, going ahead by two in the first half through Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte, before Rodri, Phil Foden and Sterling added three more goals after the break.

Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access

City now only need seven points from their final three games to clinch a second Premier League title on the bounce, after title rivals Liverpool were held to a draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, which left the Reds three points adrift of the top spot.

“The margin between us and Liverpool is so tight and goal difference can happen. It was important we win,” Guardiola said.

“It was a perfect afternoon. If some people doubted us they don’t know this team. Three points, nine points to play for, four ahead on goal difference. Another final on Wednesday.”

Newcastle should have gone ahead on eight minutes when Allan Saint-Maximin whipped cross into the box for Chris Wood, who only had Ederson to beat, but the New Zealand striker nodded the ball straight into the goalkeeper.

City then came close twice through Laporte and Joao Cancelo before Sterling opened the scoring on 19 minutes when a superb Ilkay Gundogan cross found Cancelo at the far post, who pulled the ball back for the England striker to nod in from close range.

Newcastle had the ball in the net just five minutes later when Wood bundled the ball over the line from a Jamaal Lascelles header, but the ball hit an offside Bruno Guimaraes in the process.

City doubled their lead on 38 minutes when Kevin de Bruyne‘s deep corner found Gundogan on the edge of the penalty area, who fired a shot at goal. Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka could not hold onto the ball and defender Laporte jumped onto the rebound to smash it home from close range.

The hosts continued to dominate in the opening spell of the second half, and were rewarded on 61 minutes when Rodri headed in from a De Brunye corner, before Foden and Sterling sealed the victory late on.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has now lost all 10 of his Premier League meetings against Guardiola.

“We can’t be too negative about today. We should view it as a way to come back next season stronger,” Howe said.

Newcastle are 13th with 43 points — an incredible rise considering where they were when Howe took over — and are already looking at strengthening in the summer.

“If we can be smart with what we do in the summer and keep the spirit we have in the squad, the future is very bright for the club. The aim when we came in was to stay in the Premier League at all costs,” Howe added.

D-backs call up touted OF prospect Thomas

The Arizona Diamondbacks called up outfielder Alek Thomas, the top prospect in their system, from Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

He is batting eighth and playing center field in Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies. In a corresponding move, the Diamondbacks placed catcher Carson Kelly on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. The move was made retroactive to Thursday.

Thomas is ranked as the No. 14 prospect in Major League Baseball by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Thomas is one of four Diamondbacks in McDaniel’s top 100 rankings. The others are outfielder Corbin Carroll (No. 21), shortstop Jordan Lawlar (No. 29) and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (No. 90).

Thomas, 22, is hitting .277 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 24 games for Reno this season.

Selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, Thomas has a .309 average with 34 home runs and 155 RBIs in 300 games over four minor league seasons.

Bruins' McAvoy in protocol, forced to sit Game 4

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was ruled out for Game 4 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday after being placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol.

The 24-year-old McAvoy is the team’s top defenseman. He has two assists in three games and is Boston’s leader in playoff ice time with a 25:15 average. The Bruins deployed him against the Hurricanes’ top line centered by Sebastian Aho in Game 3, a 4-2 win for Boston in which that line was held scoreless.

He’ll be replaced in the Boston lineup with Josh Brown, 28, who the Bruins acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline. His last postseason appearance was with the Florida Panthers in 2020.

After the All-Star Break, the NHL and NHLPA agreed they would stop testing asymptomatic players and that testing will continue only on a limited “for cause” basis in fully vaccinated players, which suggests McAvoy had to be symptomatic to be tested.

Under NHL COVID-19 protocols, players will be allowed to leave isolation after five days if they produce a negative test and are asymptomatic. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday in Raleigh and a possible Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday in Boston.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said that injured defenseman Hampus Lindholm could return for Game 5 back in Raleigh.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, received good news with word that Antti Raanta is back in goal. He left during Game 2 after a collision with Bruins forward David Pastrnak. Rookie Pyotr Kochetkov took over in goal and got the win in Game but lost Game 3.

Kochetkov is actually the third-string goalie as Raanta is the backup to Frederik Andersen, who has been rehabbing a lower-body injury.

Carolina leads the first-round series 2-1.