Pedro Neto has scored early and late in the second half to lead Chelsea to a 2-0 win over Everton in a Premier League match marred by a serious-looking head injury to Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez. Neto slotted home the opening goal 44 seconds after the resumption and then added the second in the 90th minute. Chelsea handed Everton a first loss of the season after seven rounds and kept a first clean sheet in nine months in the meantime. Martinez was heading to the hospital after receiving 10 minutes of treatment on the field and then being carried off on a stretcher following a head-on-head collision.
Week 7 of college football is packed with excitement as six games feature teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Ohio State visits Indiana in a key Big Ten matchup. Indiana holds the longest active winning streak but hasn't beaten Ohio State at home since 1987. Mississippi State faces LSU. Alabama takes on Tennessee, while Mississippi hosts Missouri. Notre Dame plays BYU in a top-10 clash, and Oklahoma State visits Houston in a Big 12 showdown.
College football has moved closer to a 24-team postseason after securing what a person familiar with the negotiations called a “handshake agreement” between the College Football Playoff and broadcast partner ESPN. The deal would make up for the nine-figure sums the major conferences would lose by getting rid of their title games. The person familiar with the agreement, which has not been finalized, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing negotiations. It would take effect next season. ESPN is reporting that the average additional payment for six years of the expanded playoff would be $345 million a year.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Game 4 of the American League Championship Series has been postponed because of rain. The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians will resume their playoff series Saturday at 8 p.m., with Game 5 also at Progressive Field on Sunday at 5 p.m., and Game 6, if necessary, on Monday night in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Guardians have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after Petey Halpin’s two-run homer propelled them to a 3-2 victory in Game 3 on Thursday afternoon. It is the first time an ALCS game has been postponed since 2019, when the New York Yankees were hosting the Houston Astros.
The WNBA will crown a first-time champion with the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream playing for the title in the best-of-seven series that starts Saturday. Golden State is looking to become the fastest expansion team in league history to win a championship as the Valkyries are only in their second year. Atlanta reached the Finals for the first time since 2013 and after losing in its previous three appearances in the championship round, will be trying for their first as well. Offense will be at a premium as the series features two of the best defensive teams in the league led by coaches Karl Smesko and Natalie Nakase.
NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time since 1991, two teams with bottom-half payrolls will meet in the World Series. Milwaukee will face either Cleveland or Tampa Bay starting Oct. 23. The matchup comes as baseball owners push for a salary cap, which they argue is needed to help small markets compete with big spenders. Milwaukee, with MLB’s 19th-highest payroll, swept the Dodgers to win the NL pennant. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay ranks 25th and Cleveland 30th. MLB owners have proposed a salary cap, but players oppose it. A management lockout threatens the 2027 season.
LONDON (AP) — Jacksonville’s run of playing an annual home game at Wembley Stadium could be nearing its end. Jaguars president Mark Lamping says the team hopes to keep all of its 2028 home games in Jacksonville to coincide with the re-opening of its renovated stadium. The Jags were early adopters of the NFL’s international push and began staging an annual game at Wembley in 2013, but the economic incentive has been decreasing. Jacksonville plays its 16th London game on Sunday against the Houston Texans at Wembley. Lamping says the plan for the 2028 season is a full slate at its “stadium of the future.”
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Tonga has pulled off a stunner at the Rugby League World Cup by beating England 30-12. It was another shock result against a Pacific island nation for the English, who were beaten by Samoa in the semifinals on home soil in 2022. It was the first of third-ranked England’s three group-stage games and immediately jeopardizes its progress to the semifinals. England has games still to come against France and Papua New Guinea. Tonga had never previously beaten England.
The NCAA has filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. This comes after DeWine signed an executive order allowing Ohio colleges to let athletes who graduated in 2022 play a fifth year. NCAA President Charlie Baker says the lawsuit, filed Friday, aims to prevent DeWine from disrupting fair competition among schools. The order allows public and private universities in Ohio to let athletes play, despite the NCAA's new rule excluding those who have played four seasons. The rule, passed in June, is already facing multiple court challenges.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — LeBron James performed his famed chalk toss and was introduced to a roaring ovation on Friday night in his first preseason game for the 76ers in Philadelphia. The 41-year-old James joined the 76ers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season. He brought the crowd to its feet early when he finished a dunk against the Boston Celtics off a half-court lob pass from Tyrese Maxey. Sixers fans had been waiting to catch a glimpse of him in his No. 23 jersey since he signed with the team in July
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Colorado 5 Pittsburgh 2