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Leeds United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened

Mohammed Kudus scored the winner and won player of the match as Spurs won their fifth game against Leeds in a row

3 min: A cracking atmosphere at Elland Road, by the way. Like that’s breaking news. One of the great old-school theatres.

2 min: Bogle sends a long pass down the right for Calvert-Lewin, who is skittled to the ground by Van de Ven. You’ve seen free kicks given for much less, but the referee waves play on and the ball sails out for a goal kick. It’s a contact sport, I guess.

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3 observations after Sixers finish Abu Dhabi games with another defeat to Knicks

3 observations after Sixers finish Abu Dhabi games with another defeat to Knicks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers are halfway done their preseason schedule and ready to head home.

The team wrapped up its Abu Dhabi action against the Knicks on Saturday with a second straight loss, falling to a 112-104 defeat. 

Tyrese Maxey scored 16 first-half points and sat out the second.

The Sixers’ third of four preseason games is scheduled for next Friday, Oct. 10 vs. the Magic. Here are observations on their loss Saturday:

Edgecombe jumps out 

The Sixers rolled out the same starting lineup as in their preseason opener: Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona. They remained without Joel Embiid (left knee), Paul George (left knee), Jared McCain (right thumb) and Trendon Watford (right hamstring). 

Edgecombe was the star of the first few minutes Saturday, scoring or assisting on all of the Sixers’ first 10 points.

On the game’s first possession, Edgecombe got fouled on a three-point attempt by Jalen Brunson and made all of his free throws. He recorded the Sixers’ next two points in eye-popping style with a swift drive from the wing followed by a rim-shaking slam. The rookie showed zero concern about OG Anunoby’s presence in the paint. 

Edgecombe assisted a Barlow corner three and an Oubre long two in the early going. He had a confident, attacking approach without being reckless in his decision-making. 

The Baylor product also knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple later in the first quarter. He hasn’t been hesitant to put up jumpers, but that was a relatively weak area of his game in Abu Dhabi. Edgecombe air balled a couple of three-point tries Saturday.

Offense needs to sharpen ahead of opener 

For the Sixers’ regulars, shooting was not a bright spot in either of their first two contests.

For the most part, the Sixers’ offensive issues can be chalked up to collective preseason rustiness as jump shooters (and the absences of Embiid, George, McCain and Watford). Installing new aspects of their offense is another notable factor, although the Sixers seemed to keep things simple in Abu Dhabi, leaning on basic drive-and-kick principles in the half court. 

The Sixers’ Maxey-led offense did begin to look crisper, faster and better overall around the midpoint of the second quarter. They’ll expect continued improvement over the weeks leading into the regular-season opener on Oct. 22 against the Celtics. 

A chance for Chandler to show his game

The Sixers’ second unit had a decent day.

Jabari Walker started the second half in Barlow’s place and Kennedy Chandler took over for Maxey at point guard.

Chandler faces clear challenges at under 6 feet tall, but he’s a speedy, aggressive player and had plenty of nice moments Saturday. He created a defensive highlight in the first quarter when he swiped a scrappy backcourt steal against Miles McBride. Chandler found a scoring groove in the second half, too.

Two-way contract player Hunter Sallis and veteran guards Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry did not play Saturday. Chandler, Walker, Andre Drummond, Justin Edwards, Johni Broome, Malcolm Hill and Saint Thomas appeared off of the Sixers’ bench.

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3 observations after Sixers finish Abu Dhabi Games with another defeat to Knicks

3 observations after Sixers finish Abu Dhabi Games with another defeat to Knicks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers are halfway done their preseason schedule and ready to head home.

The team wrapped up its Abu Dhabi action against the Knicks on Saturday with a second straight loss, falling to a 112-104 defeat. 

Tyrese Maxey scored 16 first-half points and sat out the second.

The Sixers’ third of four preseason games is scheduled for next Friday, Oct. 10 vs. the Magic. Here are observations on their loss Saturday:

Edgecombe jumps out 

The Sixers rolled out the same starting lineup as in their preseason opener: Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona. They remained without Joel Embiid (left knee), Paul George (left knee), Jared McCain (right thumb) and Trendon Watford (right hamstring). 

Edgecombe was the star of the first few minutes Saturday, scoring or assisting on all of the Sixers’ first 10 points.

On the game’s first possession, Edgecombe got fouled on a three-point attempt by Jalen Brunson and made all of his free throws. He recorded the Sixers’ next two points in eye-popping style with a swift drive from the wing followed by a rim-shaking slam. The rookie showed zero concern about OG Anunoby’s presence in the paint. 

Edgecombe assisted a Barlow corner three and an Oubre long two in the early going. He had a confident, attacking approach without being reckless in his decision-making. 

The Baylor product also knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple later in the first quarter. He hasn’t been hesitant to put up jumpers, but that was a relatively weak area of his game in Abu Dhabi. Edgecombe air balled a couple of three-point tries Saturday.

Offense needs to sharpen ahead of opener 

For the Sixers’ regulars, shooting was not a bright spot in either of their first two contests.

For the most part, the Sixers’ offensive issues can be chalked up to collective preseason rustiness as jump shooters (and the absences of Embiid, George, McCain and Watford). Installing new aspects of their offense is another notable factor, although the Sixers seemed to keep things simple in Abu Dhabi, leaning on basic drive-and-kick principles in the half court. 

The Sixers’ Maxey-led offense did begin to look crisper, faster and better overall around the midpoint of the second quarter. They’ll expect continued improvement over the weeks leading into the regular-season opener on Oct. 22 against the Celtics. 

A chance for Chandler to show his game

The Sixers’ second unit had a decent day.

Jabari Walker started the second half in Barlow’s place and Kennedy Chandler took over for Maxey at point guard.

Chandler faces clear challenges at under 6 feet tall, but he’s a speedy, aggressive player and had plenty of nice moments Saturday. He created a defensive highlight in the first quarter when he swiped a scrappy backcourt steal against Miles McBride. Chandler found a scoring groove in the second half, too.

Two-way contract player Hunter Sallis and veteran guards Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry did not play Saturday. Chandler, Walker, Andre Drummond, Justin Edwards, Johni Broome, Malcolm Hill and Saint Thomas appeared off of the Sixers’ bench.

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Devils Wrap Up Preseason Against Flyers

The New Jersey Devils will face the Philadelphia Flyers at 12:30 p.m. today in Philadelphia for their final preseason game before the puck officially drops on the 2025–26 season.

New Jersey enters the matchup with a 3-2-1 preseason record, having faced the Rangers, Capitals, Islanders, and Senators.

On Friday, the Devils made a pair of roster moves. The team acquired forward Zack MacEwen from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Kurtis MacDermid, general manager Tom Fitzgerald announced.

In addition, forwards Jack Malone and Matyas Melovsky have joined the team in Philadelphia and will suit up for the final preseason game.

The Flyers enter the contest with a 2-4-0 record.

Projected Devils lineup:

Cotter – Glendening – Gritsyuk

Lachance – Rooney – Hämeenaho

Hardman – Malone – Parent

Gruden – Melovsky – Legaré

Cholowski – Addison

Edwards – Strand

Vilen – Diotte

AllenRomanov

The Flyers lineup is expected to feature key players such as Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim, Matvei Michkov, and Trevor Zegras.

New Jersey continues to manage several injuries heading into its final preseason matchup. Brett Pesce (undisclosed), Stefan Noesen (lower body), and Seamus Casey (lower body) will all be unavailable.

Earlier this week, the Devils signed restricted free agent Luke Hughes to a seven-year, $63 million contract extension on October 1. Hughes will not be active for the preseason finale, but head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed he will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Ahead of today’s game, Keefe spoke to NHL.com about the focus for the final tune-up.

“I think it’s just about continuing to sharpen our game,” Keefe said. “The preseason has been a little long, as it always is, but it’s given us time to evaluate and manage workloads. The key is making sure we’re healthy and ready to peak when the regular season starts.”

While the outcome won’t affect the standings, there’s still plenty of excitement, with several young players battling for roster spots.

One of those is Shane Lachance, who returned to action after missing the start of training camp due to injury.

“What I can control is just going out there and doing my thing, working as hard as I can, and playing my style,” Lachance said. “Obviously, you want to be on the NHL roster, but you just focus on what you can control.”

Another name to watch is Arseny Gritsyuk, who has impressed in his first few games at the NHL level. Gritsyuk is currently tied with Jack Hughes and Simon Nemec for the team lead in preseason points.

Keefe praised the organization’s approach to giving prospects valuable opportunities.

“You have to put them in spots where they can show what they can do,” he said of Gritsyuk and other young players. “At the same time, the NHL guys need their reps. It’s a balance, but I think we’ve managed to get the young players a good variety of looks this preseason.”

The puck drops at 12:30 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena, marking the Devils’ final chance to evaluate their prospects before the regular season begins

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Panthers bring back Cole Schwindt, who was part of trade that landed Matthew Tkachuk

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Cole Schwindt was a player the Florida Panthers reluctantly included in the trade that brought them Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary three years ago.

And now, the Panthers brought Schwindt back.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions claimed Schwindt off waivers Friday — a move that, somewhat ironically, figures to help them get through playing without Tkachuk for the first few weeks of the season.

“We had him before and we know what he can do,” Florida president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said. “There’s a lot of upside. It’s a great opportunity for him.”

Schwindt — who was in the deal that sent Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar and draft capital to the Flames for Tkachuk in 2022 — spent last season with Vegas, playing in 42 games and finishing with a goal and seven assists. He played in three games with Florida in 2021-22 and four games with Calgary in 2023-24, never registering a point in either of those stops.

But with Tkachuk out until probably December, and with captain Aleksander Barkov expected to miss most if not the entire season with torn knee ligaments, Florida needed to replenish its depth. Schwindt was placed on waivers Thursday by Vegas and the Panthers won the claim.

Schwindt’s brother, Kai Schwindt, is also part of the Panthers organization. Kai Schwindt was in camp with the team this fall and was assigned earlier this week to Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte.

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Phillies selling nine bite-sized hot dogs, nine tiny beers to help fans complete 9-9-9 challenge

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies want to fuel their fans on a postseason run with a bit of gluttony through a small-scale twist on the popular 9-9-9 challenge.

The Phillies are selling nine bite-sized hot dogs paired with nine tiny beers — each not much more than a shot glass’ worth — in a one-stop box complete with a scorecard to keep track of the total.

The 9-9-9 challenge has gone viral as baseball fans try to drink nine regular beers and eat nine standard hot dogs during a game. The Phillies are offering the beer-and-dog combo in one package for $54.99 in section 128, starting with Saturday’s Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.

“9-9-9 is a regular season, middle of the summer challenge with your crew. October baseball is lock-in time,” retired NFL star JJ Watt wrote on social media.

Watt completed the full-size challenge over 5 1/2 innings earlier this summer at a Milwaukee Brewers game.

The Phillies are also selling stuffed turkey eggrolls and s’mores espresso martinis on their postseason menu.

The team and vendor Aramark were already selling Bader Tots, named for outfielder Harrison Bader. At the baseball home of cheesesteaks and crab fries, the tots come like the heart of the Phillies’ order: loaded. They’re topped with American cheese sauce, crumbled bacon, cheddar Jack cheese, sour cream and scallions.

The Phillies ended their popular $1 hot dog nights ahead of the 2024 season and replaced them with a 2-for-1 promotion on select dates.

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Clayton Kershaw to pitch out of bullpen in NL Division Series against Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw will pitch out of the bullpen in the NL Division Series against Philadelphia.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner, the 37-year-old left-hander is set to retire at the end of the postseason. He was left off the 26-man roster when the Dodgers swept Cincinnati in the Wild Card Series.

“He’ll be on the roster. He’s going to be out of the pen and used as such,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Kershaw went 11-6 with a 3.32 ERA this season and has started 451 of 455 regular season games, all with Los Angeles. He has 32 starts and seven relief appearances in the postseason.

The 11-time All-Star and 2014 NL MVP is tied with Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most years with the Dodgers in franchise history. Kershaw won World Series championships in 2020 and 2024.

Though Kershaw missed the start of the year while recovering from offseason surgery, he was healthy the remainder of the 2025 campaign and quite effective.

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Doctor details how Bryce Eldridge's left wrist injury could impact his batting

Doctor details how Bryce Eldridge's left wrist injury could impact his batting originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Bryce Eldridge‘s road to recovery officially is underway after undergoing surgery Thursday on his left wrist to remove a bone spur.

His recovery is estimated to take eight weeks, and the Giants’ No. 1 prospect should be good to go come 2026 spring training.

Stanford Medicine’s Amy Ladd, M.D., spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Tristi Rodriguez more in-depth about Eldridge’s injury and further broke down the different ways in which a bone spur can develop.

“So, a bone spur is an extra piece of bone, and it can either come from a bone because you were born with it –sometimes you can have little ‘pebbles’ as you might call them, which are extra bones adjacent to a normal bone you’d expect, and sometimes they exist because of traction,” Dr. Ladd said. “Traction is pulling, so if there’s a tendon or a ligament that’s been pulling on it from a chronic tendinitis, for example, or there’s been an injury where there’s kind of a pull-off of a bit of a bone and it creates in its wake a little spur, a little extra bone.”

Dr. Ladd also explained the stages Eldridge will go through after the surgery that will lead up to him eventually being cleared to return to the field.

“Probably what will happen is the bone spur will be removed, and he will be immobilized,” Dr. Ladd said. “He’ll be in some sort of a splint for a few weeks with progressive range of motion, but not strengthening, not resistance training. And that [strength training] usually happens in month two, so somewhere between four and eight weeks is strengthening and return to play.

“And that latter part is reproducing motion, throwing, catching, fielding, etc. would be in that rehab leading up to the eighth week.”

Eldridge missed the first month of the 2025 season in the minors with a left wrist injury that occurred during spring training. But he was lights out upon his return, playing 34 games at Double-A before being promoted to Triple-A, where he finished with 18 home runs in 66 games.

After much anticipation, the former No. 16 overall draft pick finally joined the big-league roster in mid-September in an effort to help San Francisco make a late postseason push. But the 6-foot-7 first baseman struggled with his bat during his short-lived majors debut campaign as he finished the season with a .107 average in just 10 games played.

Dr. Ladd also discussed the possibility of Eldridge, who bats left and throws right-handed, potentially reinjuring or reaggravating his left wrist.

“So, it may be somehow that the batting is the most aggravating,” Dr. Ladd said. “I don’t know the details, but any time you put a wrist or a finger or something in an extreme position, then you’re more likely to, what we call ‘impingement,’ to impinge, to kind of catch. So, if there were a crowding from a bone spur, that’s where you’d probably see it.

“So, batting may be more of an issue. So, he bats left-handed, which would mean he puts extreme wrist motion on the left hand. And he throws right-handed, so he catches with his left hand. So, same kind of impact in catching.”

The Giants will hold their breath during Eldridge’s recovery, and keep their fingers crossed for two months.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

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Texas Rangers hire Skip Schumaker as manager, signing former Marlins skipper to four-year deal

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers hired Skip Schumaker as their manager Friday night, agreeing on a four-year contract with the former NL Manager of the Year, who had been in their organization for the past year.

Schumaker’s deal was announced after Chris Young, the president of baseball operations, acknowledged earlier in the day that the Rangers were focused on an internal candidate in their search to replace Bruce Bochy. Schumaker had been in a senior advisory role with the team since last November.

The 45-year-old Schumaker was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year when Miami went 84-78 and made the fourth postseason appearance in club history. That was the same year Texas, with Bochy in his debut there, won its only World Series championship.

“While I attained a good understanding of the organization through my front office role this past season, the conversations with Chris Young, (general manager) Ross Fenstermaker, and others this week have only intensified my interest in this opportunity,” Schumaker said in a statement. “I can’t wait to begin the work for 2026.”

The Rangers and the 70-year-old Bochy, a four-time World Series champion who was baseball’s winningest active manager, agreed Monday to end his managerial stint. That was the day after Texas finished 81-81 for its second non-winning record since its championship. Bochy was at the end of his three-year contract.

The Marlins slipped to 62-100 in 2024 after changes in the front office and with a roster decimated by trades and injuries. Schumaker and the team agreed that he wouldn’t return for this season.

Texas then hired Schumaker for the advisory position, a move viewed by many as making him the heir apparent to Bochy.

“We are thrilled to announce this promotion and have Skip leading this club in the dugout,” Young said in a statement. “Over his past year as a senior advisor to our baseball operations group, Skip has proven to be driven, passionate and thorough in everything he does. He has a winning spirit and energy, and we are fortunate that someone so highly regarded in the industry has agreed to become our manager.”

The Rangers became the first of eight major league teams to fill a managerial vacancy. Young wouldn’t say earlier in the day if any other teams had requested permission to speak with Shumaker.

Before going to Miami, Schumaker was on San Diego’s staff from 2018-21 and then was the bench coach for St. Louis, where he played for the Cardinals during their 2011 World Series win over Texas. He played 11 big league seasons with St. Louis (2005-12), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013) and Cincinnati (2014-15).

Schumaker will take over a Rangers team that for the first time in franchise history this year led the majors in ERA (3.47), and will bring back starting pitchers Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter. Texas also set a single-season MLB record with its .99112 fielding percentage, bettering the 2013 Baltimore Orioles’ mark of .99104.

But the Rangers ranked 26th in the majors with a .234 batting average and 22nd with 684 runs scored.

“It was a little bit bittersweet. It was painful to really see some of the things that we did so well, and then also there was optimism to know that we did so many things so well and came up short,” Young said earlier Friday. “But there’s a lot to look forward to moving forward, and I think there’s a lot of optimism I have that this is going to get corrected quickly. I mean, we’re not talking about a 20-game jump here to make the playoffs.”

Fenstermaker said while Schumaker lives on the West Coast, he had been very involved with the team in his advisory role.

“He’d spend time with us and many different folks in the front office, add his perspective, his wisdom. He was around and available a lot,” Fenstermaker said. “We probably talked to him every few days, if not daily, throughout the course of the year and bounce ideas off him and get his perspective.”

Bochy has been offered an advisory role in the Rangers’ front office. He also could be in line for such a position with the San Francisco Giants, though he isn’t a candidate for the managerial opening of the team he led to World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14.

With 2,252 wins, Bochy is sixth among major league managers, with the five ahead of him all in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was 249-237 with the Rangers.

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Minnesota Wild Release Defenseman Jack Johnson From His Professional Tryout

ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild made a few roster moves on Friday. The Wild first claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets and recalled defenseman Matt Kiersted from the Iowa Wild.

In addition to these moves, the Wild released defenseman Jack Johnson from his professional tryout (PTO).

Johnson, 38, has played in 1,228 NHL games in his career across 19 seasons. He was set to play in his 20th NHL season if the Wild would have signed him but they just released him from his PTO which makes him a free agent now.

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