LONDON -- At 4-0 down after just 36 minutes, there was a danger that Julen Lopetegui was going to be the only person connected to West Ham left in the stands. The Hammers boss, serving a one-match touchline ban after picking up three yellow cards this season, watched on from a high vantage point as fans streamed out of London Stadium all around him before half-time, shaking their heads in disbelief at the havoc wreaked below. And yet, four minutes later, out of nowhere, West Ham had scored twice. Hope was revived. Just when the Hammers were getting themselves in a position from which to mount a second-half comeback, goalkeeper punched to concede a penalty that converted to send the Gunners in 5-2 up at the break. It was, quite simply, absolute madness -- a glorious advert for the brilliantly chaotic, implausibly unpredictable product, which ranks as one of the United Kingdom's most successful global exports in any field. In the end, the seven first-half goals tied a league record with three other games, the last of which came between Reading and in December 2012. Judging by the relative lack of empty seats -- most of those beleaguered West Ham fans returned anyway -- it was amusing that just when it seemed like more of the same would follow after the break, the second was goalless and uncompetitive. It felt like the proverbial early night in bed after the happy-hour hedonism. So, with about 15 minutes left, they started to leave again. It is, as ever, the hope that kills you as a sports fan and West Ham's had long been extinguished. Meaningful conclusions from games like this are ill-advised, but it should nevertheless be noted that after Arsenal needed a set-piece to break the deadlock, some of their football was a combination of divine and deadly. Gabriel Magalhães' 10th-minute header was the final act of a set-piece routine that will earn Arsenal fresh praise even given their well-documented strength in those situations. Running from far post to near, the Gunners were a blur of movement, in which perhaps the most cunning act was 's gentle nudge on to ensure Saka's delivery found Gabriel unmarked. If dark arts helped break the deadlock, Arsenal then well and truly stepped into the light. had a 17th-minute effort correctly ruled out for offside but West Ham were then overrun, Martin Ødegaard and Saka combining superbly to lay on a simple finish for . Saka then jinked into the box, and Paqueta could do nothing other than bring him down. Ødegaard converted. Trossard then released who finished low past Fabianski to cue the first mini-exodus. West Ham were the heavyweight knowing they were losing on points and therefore reduced to hopeful haymakers; inexplicably, they started landing. was given too much space in the Arsenal defensive third, though his pass was superbly executed through for to slot home. Wan-Bissaka had scored twice in 182 Premier League appearances, but now has two in six days. Because why not? Perhaps even more improbably, conceded a dubious free kick awarded for a challenge on Paqueta, and Emerson Palmieri curled a stunning 25-yard free kick in off the crossbar. It was the left-back's second goal in 20 months. Just as the visitors' sudden loss of composure sparked memories of Arsenal's 4-4 draw at Newcastle in February 2011 -- the only time a Premier League team has failed to win a game in which they led by four first-half goals -- Fabianski mistakenly floored Gabriel trying to meet a corner and Saka slotted home the penalty to conclude the scoring. Mercifully for them, the three-goal cushion proved sufficient. Arteta took pleasure in the restoration of the flow in Arsenal's game, triggered most significantly by Ødegaard's return to the starting lineup; it is no coincidence the Norway playmaker's reintegration has come in a week when the Gunners scored 13 goals including five in the Champions League for the first time since 2008. There was one note of caution after that game, which proved prophetic here too. "Before and after half-time you need to get through those 10-15 minutes in a different way," Arteta said after Tuesday's 5-1 win in Lisbon. "We gave so many balls away, and that doesn't allow you results." There was a similar sloppy spell here and there might come a time when that becomes the talking point. But not today, not after a 45-minute spell that ranks among the most tumultuous in recent memory.10 hot-ticket gifts we predict will sell out on Black Friday 2024NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Missouri Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes finally get to make up for a missed opportunity on Monday at the Music City Bowl. The teams originally were set to play each other here in 2020 when Missouri was hit hard by COVID-19 cases, canceling the game. Iowa got here in 2022 and shut out Kentucky, but this will be Missouri’s first trip to the bowl sponsored by TransPerfect. “It’s hard to screw up Nashville,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of playing at Nissan Stadium, home to the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. “It’s a great venue. I think our players really enjoyed it last time.” No. 23 Missouri (9-3, No. 19 CFP) needs a victory for back-to-back 10-win seasons for the third time in school history and the first since 2013-14. The Tigers sold out their ticket allotment and asked for more. Iowa (8-4) rebounded from a 4-3 start by winning four of its last five to earn this berth. Ferentz credited his Hawkeyes for finishing strong to reach a 12th straight bowl. They started this year by being shut out in the Citrus Bowl. The Iowa coach is a win away from a couple of impressive marks in Big Ten history as he wraps up his 26th season with the Hawkeyes. Ferentz has 204 career victories and needs one more to tie Woody Hayes’ 205 wins at Ohio State for the most overall wins in league history. Ferentz also has 10 career bowl victories, tying him with Joe Paterno for most bowl wins among Big Ten coaches. The Missouri quarterback leads the bowl-veteran Tigers. He will become the first quarterback in Missouri history to start four straight bowls. He is 26-13 as a starter, trailing only Chase Daniel’s 30 wins for the most at Missouri. Cook has completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,248 yards this season. He also can run, with 73 carries for 169 yards. Cook won’t have one of his favorite targets. Luther Burden III, who had 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns despite facing double- and triple-team coverage, announced on Dec. 2 he would skip the bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. Iowa averaged 199.9 yards rushing a game, the most for the program since the Hawkeyes averaged 214.2 yards rushing in 2002. They come in having run for at least 200 yards eight times this season to set a program record. They lead the Big Ten in rushing and rank 21st nationally. But the Hawkeyes won’t have Big Ten rushing leader Kaleb Johnson. The running back also announced at the start of December that his next stop will be the NFL draft in April. He ran for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games, averaging 128 yards, which ranks him sixth nationally. Kamari Moulton will be starting, and he averaged 5.4 yards per carry, with 377 yards and two TDs this season. Defensive end Johnny Walker has had at least a half-sack in six straight games, and he’s also playing in his fourth bowl. He was the defensive MVP in the 2023 Cotton Bowl, with a sack and a forced fumble in Missouri’s 14-3 win over Ohio State. Get local news delivered to your inbox!The Washington Capitals will be without their captain and goal-scoring machine Alex Ovechkin for four to six weeks after he was diagnosed Thursday with a fractured left fibula. Ovechkin, 39, exited Monday's 6-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club with 14:30 remaining following a collision with Utah forward Jack McBain. A teammate had to help him off the ice. The Capitals announced Tuesday that Ovechkin was considered week-to-week as he underwent further evaluation on his leg. On Wednesday, the team placed him on injured reserve and recalled forward prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL affiliate Hershey. The injury interrupted Ovechkin while he was on a hot streak. He scored two goals in the Utah game before going down and has 13 goals in his past 11. Before Thursday's games, he owned the NHL lead with 15 goals on the season. Ovechkin's pursuit of history will now be postponed as well. With 868 goals in his career, the Russian needs 27 to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time mark of 894. This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

The arrested official, who has been identified as a central government department head, was responsible for overseeing poverty alleviation efforts in a specific region. However, investigations revealed that his actions had been detrimental to the overall progress of the poverty alleviation campaign. Instead of carefully assessing the needs of the impoverished population and implementing targeted solutions, he was alleged to have made hasty and ill-considered decisions that ultimately hindered rather than helped the situation.Percentages: FG .492, FT .533. 3-Point Goals: 6-24, .250 (Flynn 2-4, D.Bailey 1-2, Lorenz 1-2, J.Bailey 1-3, Tripp 1-8, El Shakery 0-2, Arrington 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Arrington, El Shakery, Filewich, Flynn). Turnovers: 7 (Arrington 3, Filewich, Flynn, Lorenz, Tripp). Steals: 2 (D.Bailey, Tripp). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .456, FT .576. 3-Point Goals: 5-17, .294 (McKee 2-4, Fulks 1-1, Pippa-White 1-2, Pullian 1-3, Franklin 0-2, Lovelace 0-2, Stillwell 0-3). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 2 (Duffy, McKee). Turnovers: 7 (Pullian 2, Stillwell 2, Fulks, McKee, Pippa-White). Steals: 3 (McKee 2, Pullian). Technical Fouls: None. A_1,756 (10,783).Kansas City (14-1) at Pittsburgh (10-5) Wednesday, 1 p.m., EST, Netflix. BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 2 1/2. Against the spread: Chiefs 7-8; Steelers 10-5 Series record: Steelers lead 25-14. Last meeting: Chiefs beat Steelers 42-21 in the first round of the playoffs on Jan. 16, 2022, in Kansas City. Last week: Chiefs beat Texans 27-19; Steelers lost to Ravens 34-17 Chiefs offense: overall (13), rush (15), pass (12), scoring (11). Chiefs defense: overall (3), rush (3), pass (17), scoring (3). Steelers offense: overall (19), rush (11), pass (25), scoring (12). Steelers defense: overall (11), rush (8), pass (20), scoring (7). Turnover differential: Chiefs plus-4; Steelers plus-16. WR Marquise Brown, who hurt his shoulder on the first play of the preseason and landed on injured reserve, made an impressive regular-season debut against Houston last week. “Hollywood” caught five passes for 45 yards, including an early 13-yarder that converted a fourth down and led to an eventual touchdown. But perhaps most importantly, Brown's mere presence kept Houston from double-teaming Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce all afternoon. LB T.J. Watt. The perennial All-Pro is dealing with an ankle injury and had a quiet game in the loss to Baltimore, finishing with just four tackles and didn’t have a single hit against Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Pittsburgh's best chance at pulling the upset relies heavily on disrupting Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes at every turn. To do it, Watt will need to do some Watt-like things. The 30-year-old leads the NFL in forced fumbles for a defense that thrives on takeaways. Steelers RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris against the Chiefs rush defense, which is ranked third in the NFL and allowing just 91.4 yards per game. The Chiefs held the Texans' Joe Mixon to just 57 yards rushing last week, the latest in a season-long trend of shutting down top running backs. The Browns' Nick Chubb had 41 yards the previous week, and the Ravens' Derrick Henry, the Falcons' Bijan Robinson and the Saints' Alvin Kamara are among those who have similarly struggled against Kansas City. Chiefs: LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring) and CB Chamarri Conner (concussion) are likely to miss a second straight game. DT Chris Jones (calf) and RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) are iffy after getting hurt against Houston. Steelers: WR George Pickens (hamstring) should return after missing the past three games. S DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and DT Larry Ogunjobi (groin) may also be back after sitting the past two weeks. Starting CB Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and backup wide receiver/special teams ace Ben Skowronek (hip) are out. The Steelers have dominated the series, leading 23-14, but the Chiefs have won the past three games. That includes a 42-21 rout in their most recent matchup in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Jan. 16, 2022 — the last game played by Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Prior to the Chiefs' three-game win streak, the Steelers had won three in a row, including an 18-16 victory in the divisional round on Jan. 15, 2017, that they won despite not scoring a touchdown. Kansas City can clinch the No. 1 seed and first-round playoff bye with a win over the Steelers, or if the Bills lose or tie when they play the Jets on Sunday. ... Pittsburgh has dropped two straight, but can still earn its first AFC North title since 2020 by winning its last two games. ... The Chiefs can set a franchise record for regular-season wins with their 15th by beating Pittsburgh or Denver in their regular-season finale, breaking a tie with the 2020 and ‘22 teams. ... The Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes needs three TD passes to break Peyton Manning’s record of 244 for a QB's first eight seasons. Mahomes did not start as a rookie and has played just 111 games while Manning played 128 over that span. ... Mahomes has dominated the Steelers so far in his career, throwing 14 touchdowns without a pick while leading Kansas City to three victories in as many tries. ... Chiefs WR DeAndre Hopkins has an NFL-leading 177 straight games with a catch. TE Travis Kelce is second with 173. ... Kelce has 76 TD catches, tied with Tony Gonzalez for the Chiefs record. Kelce has 79 total TDs, four shy of Priest Holmes' franchise record. ... WR Xavier Worthy has five TD catches, tied for the sixth most by a rookie in Chiefs history. Worthy also has three TD runs, and the eight total is also tied for sixth most in franchise history. ... Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie has intercepted a pass in back-to-back games. He did not have a pick in his first 48 games. ... This is the 12th game in Steelers history to be played on Wednesday and the first since 2020, when a showdown with the Ravens was repeatedly postponed because of COVID-19 issues. Pittsburgh is 5-6 all time on Wednesdays. ... A healthy Pickens will likely give the Steelers passing game a serious boost. QB Russell Wilson is averaging just 167.7 yards per game in Pickens' absence, down from 271 yards per game with Pickens in the lineup. ... This is Pittsburgh's first regular-season game against a team with 14 wins. ... The Steelers have five wins against the defending Super Bowl champions since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. ... Pittsburgh is 26-12 in Weeks 17 and 18 since the start of the 1990 season, the second-most wins in the NFL over that span behind Green Bay (28). ... The Steelers have won seven straight games and 12 of their past 13 the week following a loss of at least 17 points. ... Pittsburgh leads the NFL with 31 takeaways. and has forced at least two turnovers 11 times. It might be championship week in your league, so why not turn to a championship quarterback. Mahomes has earned the benefit of the doubt even in a “down” season by his standards and with Pittsburgh missing its top cornerback and the pass rush slowed of late, give Mahomes a start against a team he has toyed with in his career. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

However, amidst the excitement surrounding the updates, some players couldn't help but express their impatience. One player was quoted as saying, "The new version is already out on Xbox, what are you waiting for?" This sentiment reflects a common frustration among gamers who have been eagerly anticipating the game for quite some time.Setien's appointment also signals the growing internationalization of Chinese football, with top European coaches increasingly choosing to ply their trade in the Chinese Super League. The presence of Setien in the league is expected to attract more attention from football fans around the world and raise the profile of Chinese football on the global stage.

With the support of Alibaba Cloud, "Endless Warmth" has successfully launched on multiple platforms worldwide, including iOS, Android, and PC. Players can download the game from their respective app stores or directly from the developer's website, ensuring easy access for both casual and dedicated gamers.However, despite the growing interest from English clubs, it appears that Bellingham himself has no intention of leaving Dortmund anytime soon. The midfielder has repeatedly expressed his happiness at the club and his commitment to continuing his development under the guidance of coach Marco Rose. Bellingham's decision to join Dortmund in 2020 was driven by a desire for regular first-team football and a chance to grow as a player, and he has certainly thrived in the Bundesliga.