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Arsenal have enjoyed a flying start to their season, with seven wins from eight games putting them in the top 10 best openings to a Premier League campaign.

Here are those 10 sides quickest out of the blocks (Manchester United are nowhere to be seen) and how it ended for the others…

10) Arsenal 2022/23 – 21 points
W7 D0 L1 F20 A8 GD+12
Average goals scored: 2.5
Average goals conceded: 1
Final position: ?

Arsenal have started the season in fine fettle and, unsettlingly, don’t seem destined to implode at any moment. Manchester City will probably still walk the league now they are getting into their groove, but the Gunners’ start looks oddly sustainable.

9) Newcastle United 1995/96 – 21 points
W7 D0 L1 F17 A4 GD+13
Average goals scored: 2.13
Average goals conceded: 0.5
Final position: Runners-up

Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers captivated us all with a dramatic plot twist in the spring. After opening up a 12-point lead, they caved in to Manchester United’s sheer force of presence, as Eric Cantona hauled the Red Devils level with the Magpies before dashing for the line.

8) Chelsea 2012/13 – 22 points
W7 D1 L0 F19 A6 GD+13
Average goals scored: 2.38
Average goals conceded: 0.75
Final position: 3rd

After winning the Champions League the season before, Roberto Di Matteo’s Blues sprinted out of the blocks. But after matchday eight, they blew up spectacularly. They went seven without a win in the league and jeopardised their Champions League prospects which prompted Roman Abramovich to axe Di Matteo and hire Rafa Benitez as interim boss. Benitez wasn’t a popular appointment but he steadied the ship and dragged the Blues to a top-four finish while winning the Europa League.

7) Chelsea 2014/15 – 22 points
W7 D1 L0 F23 A8 GD+15
Average goals scored: 2.88
Average goals conceded: 1
Final position: Champions

Jose Mourinho’s men never let up, losing only three games all season, the first defeat coming in December at Newcastle. The title was wrapped up with three games still remaining and the Blues strolled to the finish line, eight points ahead of City.

6) Newcastle United 1994/95 – 22 points
W7 D1 L0 F25 A8 GD+17
Average goals scored: 3.13
Average goals conceded: 1
Final position: Sixth

The Toon made the best start to any top-flight season in their history and they stayed top until mid-November. Then they won only once in 11 games and sold Andy Cole to Manchester United. Keegan’s men recovered some composure to hold third place until six games from the finish line. Then they lost it again, slipping out of the European places on the final day.

5) Arsenal 2004/05 – 22 points
W7 D1 L0 F26 A7 GD+19
Average goals scored: 3.25
Average goals conceded: 0.88
Final position: Runners-up

Unbeaten the previous season, the Invincibles started the new campaign in similar vein, setting a new English division record before being beaten at the 50th attempt by Manchester United in not-at-all controversial circumstances. Upon the end of their unbeaten streak, the Gunners’ form dipped and their defence creaked. Chelsea took over at the summit from where they never fell, despite Arsenal ending the season with eight wins in nine games.

4) Manchester City 2011/12 – 22 points
W7 D1 L0 F27 A6 GD+21
Average goals scored: 3.38
Average goals conceded: 0.75
Final position: Champions

City didn’t taste defeat until mid-December at Chelsea and Roberto Mancini’s men retained top spot through the winter as they sought their first Premier League title. Then they sh*t themselves to allow United to go top, only for the Red Devils to make an even bigger mess of their own bed, resulting in Aguerooooooo Sunday.

3) Manchester City 2017/18 – 24 points
W7 D1 L0 F29 A4 GD+25
Average goals scored: 3.63
Average goals conceded: 0.5
Final position: Champions

With two road wins against Power Five competition through three weeks, No. 23 Penn State has taken care of business in September and set a course for nine or more wins during the regular season.

Saturday’s 41-12 win at Auburn even included beauty points. To start with, winning by 29 points against an SEC opponent even as downtrodden as the Tigers speaks for itself.

Add in an offense that gained 477 yards, averaged 6.3 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per pass attempt. Two freshmen running backs with extreme potential, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, combined for 176 yards and four touchdowns — one, Singleton’s 54-yard score in the fourth quarter, put a dent in the concept of SEC speed.

Defensively, PSU forced four turnovers, hassled Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley and held the Tigers’ running game to just 119 yards on 36 carries.

More so than the narrow season-opening win at Purdue, the victory validates the Nittany Lions’ place in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and hints at the increasing possibility that PSU could land in the New Year’s Six.

To get into one of these major bowl games, the Nittany Lions have to avoid stumbling against the third and fourth tiers of the Big Ten — Northwestern, Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers — and earn a split in the four games that will determine whether they earn any sort of national respect: Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State and Michigan State

After two middling seasons under James Franklin, the win at least ensures that PSU deserves to be included among the best teams in the conference. For Auburn, there’s only one way this thing is going to end: in a coaching change.

Winners
Oregon
No. 24 Oregon will regain some credibility and earn a place near the top of the Pac-12 power rankings after handing No. 14 Brigham Young a 41-20 loss. Bo Nix and the Ducks’ offense had 439 yards, 24 first downs and 11.4 yards per pass attempt, delivering the second very strong performance in two weeks after beginning the year with a blowout loss to Georgia. While that defeat may linger in the minds of some voters, topping the Cougars by three touchdowns should reinforce Oregon’s place as one of the teams to beat in the conference race.

Alabama, Georgia, etc.
Another weekend of games against overmatched competition resulted in a series of lopsided wins for the best of the best in the FBS. Four of the top teams in action Saturday afternoon — No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Oklahoma — won by a combined score of 219-28. One week after struggling to put away Texas, the Crimson Tide had three non-offensive touchdowns in a 63-7 win against Louisiana-Monroe.

Washington
The Huskies are no longer a secret after a 39-28 win against No. 9 Michigan State. Sneaking under the radar after an uneven two seasons under former coach Jimmy Lake, UW remained overlooked following easy wins against Kent State and Portland State but is destined for this week’s Top 25. New coach Kalen DeBoer has made an immediate impact on the quality of the Huskies’ offense and in particular on quarterback play: Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. had four touchdowns against the Spartans, giving him 10 on the season with just one interception.

LSU
It’s interesting to think about the vibe around LSU had the Tigers lost to Mississippi State and fallen to 1-2 in Brian Kelly’s first season. Not good, right? Instead, the 2-1 Tigers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and beat the Bulldogs 31-16 to secure Kelly’s first SEC win. With New Mexico and Auburn up next, LSU should be 4-1 before meeting Tennessee on Oct. 8.

Appalachian State
On the same day the school played host to ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the Mountaineers pulled off the most incredible finish of the season’s opening month. With his team trailing Sun Belt rival Troy 28-26 with two seconds left and the ball near midfield, Appalachian State quarterback Chase Brice’s desperation heave was tipped by a group of Troy defenders and deflected into the arms of wide receiver Christan Horn, who caught the ball around the 7-yard line and weaved around the right side to complete the improbable win. It’s been a memorable week for the Mountaineers, who upset Texas A&M last Saturday.

Kansas
The Jayhawks are the best story in college football. Now 3-0 after topping Houston 48-30, Kansas is way ahead of schedule under second-year coach Lance Leipold and in range of the program’s first bowl bid since 2008. This coaching staff has played a huge role in the development of third-year quarterback Jalon Daniels, who had 281 yards of total offense, 123 coming on the ground, and five touchdowns in the upset of the Cougars. That KU is surging will put Leipold on the list for every significant job opening in the Big Ten footprint, beginning with Nebraska.

Texas A&M
The No. 22 Aggies were able to right the ship against No. 13 Miami (Fla.), as the defense locked down a 17-9 victory that reinserts some optimism into a season that could’ve run off the rails with a loss. The offense looked better at times behind new starting quarterback Max Johnson, the former LSU transfer who replaced a struggling Haynes King, but was still bogged down by often conservative and unimaginative play calling and design. While the Hurricanes deserve some credit, the Aggies gained just 265 yards

Losers
Auburn
Auburn coach Bryan Harsin is the next Power Five coach facing extremely dire job security after the Tigers’ ugly loss at home. While the first loss of Auburn’s season, the performance Saturday comes just seven days after the Tigers struggled to put away San Jose State and just as the team turns to SEC play. Auburn takes on Missouri next weekend in a must-have game before facing LSU, Georgia and Mississippi.

Notre Dame
The first win of the Marcus Freeman era very nearly wasn’t: Notre Dame was able to sneak past California 24-17 after knocking down the Golden Bears’ possible game-tying heave into the end zone as time expired. While the win should relieve some pressure amid a very poor start to the year, issues on offense remain a major concern. The Fighting Irish gained just 297 yards on 64 plays against an opponent that ranked 50th nationally in yards allowed per play despite facing UC Davis and UNLV to open the year.

Brigham Young
Beating Oregon would’ve given BYU two wins against teams that may end up winning a Power Five championship, joining last week’s double-overtime victory against No. 19 Baylor. That would’ve sent the Cougars rising up the Coaches Poll and in position to crash the College Football Playoff with an unbeaten regular season, especially with high-profile games still to come against Notre Dame and Arkansas. While still in range of a nine-win season, BYU won’t be a factor in the race for the top four.

Nebraska
With interim coach Mickey Joseph on the sidelines in place of Scott Frost, Nebraska scored the first and last points in a non-conference rivalry game against No. 6 Oklahoma. Unfortunately, those two touchdowns merely sandwiched a 49-point scoring barrage that represents the latest low point for this stumbling program. Led by another 100-yard game from running back Eric Gray, the Sooners put up 580 yards of total offense and had 31 first downs while holding Nebraska to just 4.3 yards per play.

Georgia’s defense
Well, the Bulldogs gave up a touchdown. It took until the final moments of the fourth quarter of the blowout of South Carolina and involved the backups to the backups defense, snapping Georgia’s run of touchdown-free play to start the year at 179 minutes and 7 seconds. The Bulldogs have now given up 10 points in three games. How embarrassing, right?

10) Alan Shearer (147 minutes per goal)
He might have scored more Premier League goals than any other striker in Premier League history but too many single-figure seasons for Newcastle United keep him down this list. He actually *only* scored goals at the same rate as Chicharito and Daniel Sturridge, though he can take some comfort from being ahead of his old mate Michael Owen (154 minutes per goal).

9) Diego Costa (146 minutes per goal)
A genuine danger of him slipping right off this list the more he plays for a toothless Wolves side in his dotage. But for Chelsea he was phenomenal, pretty much from the get-go, a maelstrom of sh*thousing and absolutely ruthless finishing. He scored 52 goals in 89 Premier League goals and then Antonio Conte basically told him to f*** off by text message. Oh Antonio.

8) Edin Dzeko (142 minutes per goal)
Manchester City have made some excellent transfer decisions but signing Wilfried Bony and forcing out Dzeko was absolutely not one of them. Little over a year later he was the Serie A top scorer as he showed exactly what he can produce when not reduced to being a very good team’s third-choice striker.

7) Robin van Persie (140 minutes per goal)
A great goalscorer and a scorer of great goals, which is not true for everybody on this list, Van Persie started slowly at Arsenal but then became a back-to-back Golden Boot winner, first with the Gunners and then with Manchester United, who he casually joined just to win a Premier League winner’s medal. In hindsight, absolutely fair play.

6) Luis Suarez (139 minutes per goal)
A wonderful player but a questionable human being, which makes it really quite funny that he scored 69 goals in 110 Premier League games for Liverpool in three years and left with nothing more than a League Cup medal won on penalties against Cardiff City.

5) Mo Salah (132 minutes per goal)
The only man on this list who does not largely play as an out-and-out striker, though nobody is expecting him to help out his full-back too much from his nominal position on the right. Three Golden Boots (two shared) in five full seasons at Liverpool is a phenomenal record that probably should have reaped more than one title. And now he is on the wane.

4) Ruud van Nistelrooy (128 minutes per goal)
Another striker who hit the ground running and went on to score a ludicrous 95 Premier League goals in 150 games before Sir Alex Ferguson chose Ronaldo and decided that the Dutchman was holding Manchester United back with all his goals. Just one title in five seasons would suggest he was right.

3) Harry Kane (128 minutes per goal)
Three Golden Boots and a genuinely ridiculous 190 goals in 287 Premier League games for Tottenham and yet he has never won a damned thing. Not a damned thing. F*** all. He could probably score 35 goals this season and still not win a fourth Golden Boot and that has to smart.

2) Thierry Henry (122 minutes per goal)
Simply a beautiful, beautiful footballer. Poetry in motion. Hit 20 Premier League goals in five of his eight full seasons and claimed the Golden Boot four times. Also contributed the most assists of anybody on this list as he was far, far more than a great goalscorer. And he gave Jamie Carragher PTSD.

1) Sergio Aguero (108 minutes per goal)
Six 20-goal Premier League seasons in ten campaigns with Manchester City in which Aguero scored every kind of goal. He also claimed five Premier League winner’s medals and more League Cups than any of us can count. He was the don. How could City replace him? With a robot, obviously.

The Match between Watch Veronika Kudermetova vs. Shelby Rogers Going to play n Monday, Shelby Rogers (No. 45 in the world) faces Veronika Kudermetova (No. 19) in the Round of 64 of the WTA Toronto, Canada Women Singles 2022.

Rogers’ last match on August 6, 2022 was a two-set win against Kudermetova 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. In her most recent time out, Kudermetova lost to Rogers 3-6, 4-6 in the semifinals at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on August 6, 2022.  Continue Reading →

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan accounted for all 12 points in overtime for Dallas and the Wings held off Indiana 95-91 on Saturday, handing the Fever their club-record 16th straight loss.

Kayla Thornton scored 21 points to lead Dallas (16-16), which won their fourth straight. Mabrey scored six of her 18 in OT, adding eight assists. McCowan added 17 points and 14 rebounds for her fifth straight double-double. Continue Reading →

Ownership in pro sports is not limited to business people — athletes such as Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson are minority or majority owners of professional franchises. And now superstar F1 driver Lewis Hamilton has decided to throw his hat into the athlete-owner ring, becoming a part of the new Denver Broncos ownership group led by Rob Walton.

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has expressed his enthusiasm for this new development.

“That’s pretty awesome… I was shocked,” Hackett said. “That’s a legend. Anytime you can have a winner of that caliber, it’s an honor just to be part of an organization that he’s in. It’s a great group that they put together. It really is. I can’t wait to get to know everybody and talk with them.”

While Hackett has stated he would love to meet and mingle with the F1 legend, he is aware enough to understand that this may not be the best time-especially with the season quickly approaching.

“Maybe after the season a little more because we have a lot going on. I’m really excited about it. It’s just great to have the energy. We’ve got Russell [Wilson], the group, the team and how they’re going. Then you also have the supporting cast around that brings so much knowledge and winning. It’s great.”

Hamilton, with this move, is ensuring his financial portfolio is in tip-top shape while also becoming a face for the Broncos, even when his racing career concludes.

One of the biggest questions this season for the Buffalo Bills is what this offense might look like under Ken Dorsey. It is not a question because Dorsey can’t handle the job or the Bills picked the wrong person to replace Brian Daboll.

It is more so a question because there isn’t a whole lot to go off of as Dorsey has never called plays before in the NFL. He has been a quarterback coach for a number of years, most notable during Cam Newton’s MVP season with the Panthers in 2015 and with Josh Allen the past three seasons.

Recently, Kevin Clark at The Ringer put together a great article about Ken Dorsey, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense. Based on some quotes from the article, there are four players that probably benefit the most from having Dorsey as the offensive coordinator and can provide a hint at what this offense might look like.

Josh Allen
Let’s start with the obvious one and that is quarterback Josh Allen as the franchise quarterback seemed to have input on the decision to hire Dorsey to replace Brian Daboll. It is going to benefit Josh Allen, who the first time in his career will not have Daboll in his ear on game day, but has a coach who Allen has been able to work with since 2019 and share what he likes and what works for him:

Allen said that more input “kind of comes with the territory of promoting a quarterback coach, because we’ve had those conversations of what we like. I had, and have, a great relationship with Dabes and was able to tell him what I like and what I want to take out or put in. And Dorse was there through it all, so it’s a blessing to be able to promote him, keep the same verbiage, the same mindset and the same concepts. It’s kind of second nature.”

One of the biggest challenges when switching offensive coordinators is that the coach wants to come in and set up his system. This not only means the plays that are run but his own verbiage, which can result in the same play being called two different things based on the coordinator. For any player, this can create confusion and the result is usually more thinking than just going off instinct.

Liverpool have beaten Manchester United to become the most popular Premier League side in the USA.
According to Morning Results Survey, 61% of ‘self proclaimed English football fans’ in the States had either a ‘very favourable’ or ‘somewhat favourable’ opinion of the Merseyside club.
They narrowly edged out long standing holders of the crown Man United, who had a percentage of 60%.
The same poll that was taken in 2019 saw the Red Devils come top of the list but the recent success of Jurgen Klopp’s men could be a big factor in the shift of popularity.

United have not been able to get their hands on a trophy since 2017 and during that time Liverpool have won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Club World Cup.

Manchester City took third place with 59% whilst Chelsea and Arsenal sat in fourth and fifth place with 57% and 54% respectively.

The three teams have been working on gaining exposure in America, with all of them having partaken in a pre-season tour Stateside this summer.

However, with the recent takeover from Todd Boehly, Chelsea could see their percentage rise significantly in the coming years.
The top six was surprisingly rounded off by Newcastle, who pipped Tottenham to 7th place by only 1%, with 45%, meaning that Spurs sit a whopping 10% behind North London rivals Arsenal.
The Gunners will be hoping to see their percentage rise again if they can find themselves playing Champions League football again next season, having narrowly missed out on top 4 last campaign.

Brighton found themselves bottom of the list with only 28% of fans having a favourable opinion of the club.
Out of the three sides that gained promotion, Fulham topped the list with 34% compared to the 32% and 30% of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth respectively.

Manchester United beat Sheriff on Thursday night but they are still second in their Europa League group.

Real Sociedad overcame Omonia 2-0 away from home at the same time, meaning they are three points ahead of United.

The two sides meet in the last game of Group E, and The Athletic has taken a look at the situation ahead of that match in Spain.

Have Manchester United qualified for the knockout stages?

Yes. They are nine points ahead of Sheriff, who are in third place.

Both United and Real Sociedad, who are 12 points ahead of the third-placed side, are into the next stage of the competition.

Can United still finish first in Group E?

They can, but it will be difficult for Erik ten Hag’s side. Real Sociedad beat them at Old Trafford in the opening game of Group E on September 8.

However, they only won that game 1-0. And if United win next week in San Sebastian, they will be on level points with Sociedad.

European competitions are decided, when teams are on equal points, by head-to-head record. If two teams have the same head-to-head record and finish on level points, it then goes to which team had the better aggregate score.

So if United beat Sociedad by multiple goals next week, they will leapfrog them into first and go straight to the last 16, rather than the knockout round play-offs.

What if United only win 1-0?

This is why it is tougher for United. If both teams have equal head-to-head records and aggregate scores, the placing in the league table is decided by overall goal difference.

A 1-0 win would put United on 10 goals for and three against. Sociedad would be on 10 goals for and two against.

As a result, Sociedad would go through in top spot with United in second.

Why would United want to avoid finishing second?

Essentially, teams get a bye through a round of the competition if they finish first.

Not only that, but half of the teams in that round can be particularly dangerous.

The Europa League knockout round play-offs involve the eight runners-up from the Europa League groups and the other eight places go to the third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage.

As it stands, that would include Barcelona. Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Juventus are all also currently in third position in their groups.

The team that finishes top of the group goes straight to the round of 16.

What is Arsenal’s state of play?

Arsenal are top of Group A on 12 points, two points ahead of second-placed PSV Eindhoven.

After their 2-0 defeat to PSV, however, Arsenal must beat Zurich in their final group game next Thursday at the Emirates Stadium to guarantee a place in the last 16 of the Europa League. This is because they have an inferior head-to-head record against the Eredivisie side following their loss on Thursday night, having won the reverse fixture 1-0.

If Arsenal fail to win next week and PSV beat Bodo/Glimt, they will come second in Group A.

Mikel Arteta said, after losing to PSV: “We never had a plan to have a day off because we know how difficult it is to win in Euros.“But we are still in a really good position. We’ve won four games and now we have to finish it in a week’s time. We have to prepare for that.”

Justin Verlander has finally logged a win in the World Series, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

After eight career starts in the Fall Classic had netted Verlander an 0-6 record, the Astros ace hung around for five innings in Thursday’s Game 5, allowing just one run to spearhead the Astros’ 3-2 win and its first lead in the series, three games to two.

It didn’t come easy. When Verlander gave up a leadoff home run to Kyle Schwarber after the Astros got him a run in the first inning, there was an air of “here we go again.” But he settled in and, despite some high-stress innings, he was able to shut the Phillies down and come away with a victory.

It would be wrong, however, to pretend it was all Verlander’s doing. The Astros’ bullpen was nearly flawless, with Rafael Montero giving up one run in the bottom of the eighth after the Astros tacked on an insurance run in the top of the frame. Also, sterling defensive plays from Trey Mancini and Chas McCormick saved the relievers down the stretch.

As for the Astros’ bats, the story Thursday lies in the 1-2 punch at the top of the order. Jose Altuve has officially broken out of the slump he carried into the World Series; he went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored twice. The other run was courtesy of Jeremy Peña, who hit his fourth home run this postseason, a solo shot off Noah Syndergaard to chase the Phillies’ starter out of the game in the fourth inning.

The Phillies, to their credit, battled, but they came up a day late and a dollar short in the end. The bullpen was excellent, all things considered. But an inability to produce with runners on base proved to be the difference. Now they must return to Houston for Game 6 and win two straight games.

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Astros vs. Phillies live updates, highlights from 2022 World Series