Digest

SOCCER

Salah shoots Liverpool back into title tussle

Mo Salah

Mo Salah scored twice as Liverpool muscled its way back into the Premier League title race with a 3-1 win at West Ham on Sunday after Thomas Tuchel celebrated his first victory as Chelsea boss.

Jurgen Klopp's injury-hit Reds appeared to have lost their way after a five-game winless run, but their title defense is back on track after victories over Tottenham and the Hammers in the space of 72 hours.

Earlier, defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso showed Chelsea's misfiring strikers the way, producing stunning finishes in a 2-0 win at home to Burnley.

Leicester, looking to close to within two points of leader Manchester City, lost 3-1 to Leeds while Tottenham went down 1-0 to Brighton in the evening kickoff.

Salah's two sublime strikes and a late Gini Wijnaldum effort lifted Liverpool to within a point of Manchester United and four behind leader Manchester City.

Osaka: Serena, King inspired investment

Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, along with Naomi Osaka's boyfriend, influenced the three-time Grand Slam winner's decision to become part-owner of soccer team North Carolina Courage, she revealed Sunday.

Osaka, the US Open champion, announced the investment on Thursday, with the National Women's Soccer League club planning to tap into her passion for fashion by consulting the 23-year-old on design decisions for 2021.

Osaka said she had noticed other sportspeople making similar commitments and "always thought it was really cool".

"Billie Jean King texts me sometimes, so I was getting inspired from her," she said of the tennis great who has stakes in several sports teams, including baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I remember reading in an article that Serena's daughter invested in a soccer team, too. I thought that maybe that's a really good direction to go."

SKIING

Goggia to miss worlds after injuring knee

Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia will miss the world championships in February after breaking a bone in her right knee on Sunday.

The Italian winter sports federation (FISI) said Goggia fell while skiing down to the valley with other competitors after a World Cup super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, was postponed until Monday because of fog.

FISI said examinations at a Milan clinic on Sunday evening revealed that Goggia suffered "a compound fracture of the lateral tibial plateau of the right knee".

It was not immediately clear how long Goggia will be out.

Goggia was a strong favorite for the Feb 13 downhill at the worlds in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. She has been the dominating force in downhill this season, winning the last four races in the discipline.

TENNIS

Hewitt tips Kyrgios to 'go deep' Down Under

Tennis great Lleyton Hewitt has tipped showman Nick Kyrgios to make a deep run at this month's Australian Open, despite his fellow Australian not playing for a year.

The charismatic 25-year-old last performed in February at the Acapulco Open before a wrist injury and then the coronavirus pandemic brought his season to a halt.

"Nick, I think as a whole him having a bit of a breakaway from the sport where he's positioned, for his body and mind I think is a good thing," Hewitt said of Kyrgios' time away from the sport.

"Because he hasn't played a match for so long, though, it's not going to be easy for him just to come out and switch it on either.

"I think it's perfect for him to hopefully get through a few rounds in one of the ATP tournaments that he's playing this week.

"But from a whole, he looks to be hitting the ball well, clean, he relies on his serve and is serving big at the moment. He's hitting the ball well enough to push deep in the Australian Open for sure."

BASKETBALL

Wizards weave late magic to stun Nets

Russell Westbrook

Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook hit 3-pointers in a wild 3.8-second sequence in the final moments to help the Washington Wizards stun Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 149-146 on Sunday night.

Westbrook had 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and NBA scoring leader Beal had 37 points. In the fourth quarter, Beal had 22 points and Westbrook had 15. Durant, second in NBA scoring behind Beal, also had 37 points.

With Washington down 146-141, Beal hit a 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds left. Garrison Matthews deflected Joe Harris' inbounds pass to Westbrook and he made a 3 with 4.3 seconds left for a 147-146 lead.

Kyrie Irving found Timothe Luwawu-Carbarrot under the basket with 2.9 seconds remaining, but his layup attempt went around the rim and spun out. Beal added two free throws with 0.7 seconds left as the Wizards broke a four-game losing streak and improved to a still NBA-worst 4-12.

Xinhua - Agencies