Digest

SOCCER

Ole urges his 'nice lads' to put pressure on refs

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told his Manchester United stars to "make a fuss" about referees' decisions after his team was on the wrong end of two key rulings in a damaging defeat against Sheffield United.

United was second in the Premier League heading into Tuesday's clash with Southampton after Saturday's goalless draw at Arsenal followed the shock 2-1 loss to the lowly Blades.

That result ended United's 13-match unbeaten league run, leaving Solskjaer frustrated by decisions that allowed Kean Bryan's opener and ruled out an Anthony Martial strike.

The United boss claimed the refereeing report confirmed both decisions were wrong.

"Maybe we should have made more of a fuss about it. We're a bunch of nice lads," said Solskjaer.

"Maybe we should have really hung onto that or made them look at it before the game started again, so those are things that we have to learn from and use as energy and motivation. You're not going to expect to get anything for free, that's for sure."

Klopp bolsters defense with deadline-day deals

Liverpool finally bolstered its defensive options by signing Schalke's Ozan Kabak and Preston's Ben Davies before the Premier League transfer window slammed shut on Monday.

Meanwhile, the defending champion's Japanese attacking midfielder Takumi Minamino left for Southampton on loan until the end of the season in one of the few moves between Premier League clubs on a quiet deadline day.

The January window is regarded as a sellers' market and often a time for stop-gap measures but Liverpool was forced to act.

The champion is missing all of its senior central defenders, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip out of action.

"It's probably clear that in a normal transfer window, without any issues, we would not look at Preston if there's a player for us," admitted Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

TENNIS

Djokovic: Future bright in next-gen's hands

World No 1 Novak Djokovic said the future of men's tennis was in good hands Tuesday, praising the new generation for showing "courage and boldness" in their pursuit of Grand Slam glory.

Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have dominated the sport over the past 15 years, holding a vice-like grip on the major titles, with 57 between them.

But their reign is being threatened, with Dominic Thiem winning the US Open last year and the likes of Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas knocking on the door.

Ahead of next week's Australian Open, 17-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic said it was good to see the next generation performing well.

"It's great for the sport that we have new Grand Slam champions," he said after leading Serbia to a 2-1 win over Canada in the ATP Cup in Melbourne.

"We have new successful young players that are showing the courage and boldness, coming into the biggest stadiums in sport, willing to take on the biggest challenge in facing especially the three of us, fighting for the biggest title.

"There are a few of them that are very close. They have huge potential. Obviously there's still a lot of time ahead of them."

Djokovic pointed to Tsitsipas, Zverev, Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini as capable of breaking through. "You have a lot of players. I think the future of tennis is in good hands, without a doubt," he said.

BASKETBALL

Hu and Jones scoop monthly CBA awards

Zhejiang Lions power forward Hu Jinqiu and Jilin Northeast Tigers guard Dominique Jones were named the CBA's players of the month for January on Monday.

Hu averaged 22.6 points, 7.7 boards, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks, leading Zhejiang to eight victories from 10 matches in January.

Former NBA star Jones claimed the foreign-player prize. The 32-year-old American averaged 38.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.1 steals last month to help Jilin to a win-loss record of 6-4 for January.

Zhejiang ranks sixth in the 19-team CBA league with a 19-15 win-loss record, with Jilin fifth (22-15). Liaoning tops the standings (32-3) ahead of second-place defending champion Guangdong (31-4).

Rockets roll to record in stunning first quarter

Eric Gordon scored 25 points and the Houston Rockets hit an NBA record-tying 11 3-pointers in a 48-point first quarter, cruising to a 136-106 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

John Wall scored the first eight points for the Rockets and finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Christian Wood also scored 18 and added 11 rebounds in Houston's sixth straight victory.

Even though the Rockets had been rolling, coach Stephen Silas talked to them about getting off to better starts.

"We have a coachable group, we have a mature group who want what's best, not just for them but everybody in the group," Silas said. "It's good to know when we focus on something, whether it's playing better defense or rebounding… or getting off to a better start like we did tonight, we do it."

Gordon, Wood and Victor Oladipo all had 10 points in the first 12 minutes and the Rockets led by as many as 26 in the first half. It was the second straight game the Rockets had a 48-point quarter.

Xinhua - Agencies