Erik Lamela went from hero to zero as Tottenham were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. After coming on as an early substitute, Argentine Lamela opened the scoring with a wonder “rabona” goal on 33 minutes but was sent off on 76 minutes for a second booking.
In between Lamela’s two acts, Martin Odegaard equalised for Arsenal before half-time and Alexandre Lacazette scored the winner from the penalty spot just after the hour mark.
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Tottenham had gone into the derby with five wins on the bounce, but according to former midfielder and MOTD2 pundit Jermaine Jenas the loss “felt like a massive backward step” for Jose Mourinho’s men.
After reaching the Carabao Cup final, having one foot in the Europa League quarters and getting to within touching distance of the top four, “it was all looking good” for Tottenham and “I had thought this season could be unbelievable”, Jenas said. “Then, one performance later, I am left thinking that, no, it was all a lie.”
2. Westwood plays his way into Ryder Cup contention
Golf
After finishing runner-up in last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, Lee Westwood had to settle for another second-place finish on the PGA Tour - this time one shot behind winner Justin Thomas at the Players Championship.
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Despite missing out on the Players title, Westwood has put himself into firm contention for a place on Europe’s 2021 Ryder Cup team. The 47-year-old, the reigning Race to Dubai champion, currently sits ninth in the Ryder Cup standings.
He had started the year on the radar of European Ryder Cup skipper Padraig Harrington – “not as a player, but as a vice captain”, says Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard. “But after the last two weeks, Harrington is likely starting to look at potential pairings for the veteran.”
Should Westwood qualify for September’s event at Whistling Straits, he would tie Nick Faldo’s all-time European record of 11 appearances in the Ryder Cup.
3. Rodgers: Celtic should give Rangers a guard of honour
Football
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers believes his former club Celtic should give rivals Rangers a guard of honour ahead of next weekend’s Old Firm clash. Rangers travel to Parkhead next Sunday as newly-crowned champions having broken Celtic’s nine-year dominance of Scottish football.
In 2019 Rangers didn’t give Celtic a guard of honour at Ibrox, but Rodgers has urged the Hoops to show “humility and class”, Sky Sports reports. “It’s something that for me - despite the rivalry, despite how difficult it is - you should do and then use it as motivation,” he said.
4. Hamilton: Walker was the iconic voice of our sport
Formula 1
Tributes have been paid to legendary Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker, who died on Saturday at the age of 97. Walker, who was regarded as the “voice of F1”, commentated on his first grand prix in 1949 and retired in 2001.
The broadcasting great, who worked for the BBC and ITV, was “loved by millions across the world for his high-energy motorsport commentary style, peppered with amusing mistakes and malapropisms”, said the BBC’s Andrew Benson.
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton thanked Walker for making F1 “more exciting and captivating” and for being the “iconic voice of our sport”.
5. Pele praises Ronaldo after Juve star scores 770th goal
Football
Cristiano Ronaldo silenced his critics by scoring a “perfect” hat-trick in Juventus’s 3-1 Serie A win at Cagliari on Sunday. Following Juve’s Champions League exit last week, Ronaldo was partially blamed for having turned his back on a free-kick scored by Porto’s Sergio Oliveira.
After scoring his treble for the Italian giants, Ronaldo has now broken Pele’s record for all-time goals in official matches. And the Brazil legend praised the Portuguese for his 770th career strike.
“Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches,” Pele said on Instagram. “My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today.”
Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.
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