Sports shorts: Hamilton takes F1 title as football reels after Gomes injury

1. Hamilton wins sixth title

Second place in the US Grand Prix was enough to secure Lewis Hamilton his sixth F1 title, his third in a row and fifth for Mercedes in the past six years. He is now second on the all-time list, behind Michael Schumacher on seven, having surpassed Juan Fangio’s mark of five titles.

The plaudits have flooded in, and for good reason says the BBC. “He's not quite surpassed Schumacher's titles and race wins total, but check out his win ratio [33 per cent] and pole positions record [87] - often the purest test of a driver's speed - and you'll see he is already a leading light in Formula 1.”

2. Eddie Jones thinks about his future

There are doubts over the future of England rugby coach Eddie Jones after the team’s shattering defeat in the Rugby World Cup final. South Africa monstered the English pack as the ran out 32-12 winners and Siya Kolisi became the first black captain to lift the World Cup. And while England can take heart from their impressive run to the final there are some concerns.

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“Whether Jones will still be around urging them on in 2023 remains the subject of talks… but a number of his coaching assistants will be moving on. Nor is the conveyor belt of young talent as richly stacked with obvious world-class potential as the rapid rise of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill has latterly made it look,” cautions Robert Kitson in The Guardian.

3. Gomes suffers horror leg break

Everton star Andre Gomes will undergo surgery on his broken and dislocated right ankle today. The Portuguese suffered the horrific injury during the game against Spurs on Sunday, when his foot caught in the turf after a tackle.

The severity of the leg break, which left his foot dangling at a gruesome angle, left players and fans near the incident in tears. Spurs forward Son Heung-min, whose tackle on Gomes led to the accident was inconsolable after realising what had happened. However, a delegation of Everton players visited the Spurs dressing room after the match in a display of solidarity between sportsmen.

4. Mourinho for Arsenal?

Jose Mourinho is said to be in talks to replace under fire Arsenal boss Unai Emery after the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves on Saturday, leaving them with two wins from their past nine league games.

“Concerned by fractures that have formed between the Spaniard and senior members of his playing staff, Arsenal’s hierarchy has begun to prepare the ground for a change of management,” says the Sunday Times.

“With a return to Champions League football after a three-season absence fundamental to their sporting and financial strategy, the London club are looking for a manager with strong knowledge of the Premier League who can bring an identity to a squad who were reassembled at significant expense in the summer window, while rapidly delivering results.”

5. Liverpool Man City

Liverpool and Manchester City both came from behind to win on Saturday and the temperature is already rising ahead of their meeting at Anfield on Sunday, which could go a long way towards determining who wins the title this season.

And City boss Pep Guardiola, who could be without captain David Silva for the crunch clash, has lit the blue touch paper by hinting that Liverpool striker Sadio Mane tries to con referees. “Sometimes he's diving, sometimes he has this talent to score incredible goals,” said Guardiola.

6. Leicester on the march

Leicester City’s excellent start to the season continued on Sunday as they beat Crystal Palace to move up to third in the Premier League. Caglar Soyuncu and Jamie Vardy were on target in the 2-0 win.

The Foxes are above Chelsea on goal difference and are just two points behind defending champions Manchester City.

Manager Brendan Rodgers said: “My senior players are first-class. The spirit is very good and they understand we are trying to create something here we can sustain.”

They face Arsenal next weekend, and could overhaul City if they win and City lose to Liverpool.

7. Cardiff City face transfer ban

Cardiff City could face a three-window transfer ban if the refuse to pay the transfer fee for tragic striker Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash in January. The Argentine had signed for the Bluebirds in a £15m deal but had yet to play for the club when he was killed and Fifa ruled that Cardiff had to pay the fee.

“Cardiff face a three-window transfer ban if they continue to refuse to pay or otherwise fail to overturn a September ruling by Fifa’s Players’ Status Committee (PSC),” reports the Daily Telegraph.

8. Balotelli in race row

Former Man City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli had to be persuaded not to walk off the pitch after he was subjected to racist abuse during Brescia’s game against Hellas Verona in Italy’s Serie A on Sunday. The forward was subjected to monkey chants and picked up the ball while dribbling towards the corner, before kicking it towards the section of the stand where the abuse was coming from. He then walked off the pitch before being talked into returning.

The Italy international later took to social media to condemn the fans and said those people who denied it happened, including the Verona manager, were not “real men”.

9. Patriots finally beaten in NFL

The final game of this year’s NFL London series ended with the Houston Texans routing the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-3 at Wembley. But the biggest shock of the round came in Sunday’s late game as the Baltimore Ravens ended the New England Patriots’ unbeaten start to the season. The Ravens beat Tom Brady’s side 37-20 to move to 6-2, while the Pats now have a record of 8-1. Green Bay (7-2) were also beaten by the unfancied LA Chargers (4-5).

10. GB hockey teams into Olympics

Great Britain’s men’s and women’s hockey teams booked places at the Tokyo Olympics next year after wins in their qualifying play-offs on Sunday. The women won their tie against Chile 5-1 on aggregate and will have the chance to defend their gold medal from Rio. The men’s team eased past Malaysia 9-3 over two legs. Ireland’s women’s team will also be at Tokyo after securing Olympic qualification for the first time with a penalty shootout win over Canada.