28th November

Okay so I don't have time today to talk about everything that I wanted to talk about from the weekend, so I want to start with Liverpool and Man United then tomorrow I'll talk about everyone else.

Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland

I said before the game that there would be no excuses for not winning. Yes we were missing Lallana, but he was the only member of our starting 11 missing. Yes, Sturridge not playing was also a bit of a blow, but with 10 of your best 11 you have no excuses, in fact I don't think there's a single title contender who should consider themselves a title contender if they can't beat a team like Sunderland missing just one of their best team. It's slightly different if it's against a title rival, for example if Chelsea were to play Man City without Hazard, but against Sunderland at home, there's no excuses. Even when Phillipe Coutinho went off injured with what looks to be hopefully not too serious ankle ligament damage, there would be no excuses. Shorn of arguably their three most influential and dangerous players (Lallana influential, Sturridge dangerous, Coutinho both), Liverpool still had a front four of Wijnaldum, Firmino, Mane and Divock Origi. That's a front four with enough quality to beat Sunderland. 

But for 75 minutes, my review of the Sunderland game could have been almost a copy and paste of my review of the Southampton game. Sunderland were absolutely terrific defensively, but lacked much in terms of attacking flair. Matip and Lovren were both peerless, Henderson was the best player on the pitch (again), Emre Can was excellent, Wijnaldum was awful, we needed to see more from Firmino and Mane at points, great defensively, but lack of cutting edge. I'll pick on some of these points in a minute, but fortunately my review for this game has a different end to the Saints game. Moreover, whilst a draw at St Mary's is a very credible result (just ask Everton who went there yesterday and were thoroughly outclassed, even if the final score was only 1-0), a draw at home to Sunderland is most decidedly not. 

And it was Divock Origi who produced the moment of magic with his first Premier League goal of the season to break Sunderland's stern resistance. This was by far Origi's best opportunity in the league this season, having been reduced to just ten substitute appearances, totaling just 162 minutes, with nearly an hour of that occurring against Sunderland. Before that game, Origi's longest appearance was half an hour in the second half against Chelsea. And it's a shame that someone of Origi's talent hasn't been able to make more of an impact in the side, given that he averages a goal every game and a half for LFC this season, with his two goals in the League Cup factored in. 

But Origi knows his role in the squad as well as Daniel Sturridge does. Sturridge is the first attacking substitute, with Origi utilised in various situations from the bench. With Coutinho, Sturridge and Lallana all out, Origi got his chance and he took it with aplomb. He will surely be starting tomorrow night against Leeds, but unless injuries persist, will struggle to make the starting eleven against Bournemouth. 

Away from Origi's moment of magic, once again it was our central defenders and midfielders who were seriously impressive. Matip and Lovren look like they're building a real partnership and kept their second clean sheet in a row for the first time this season. Liverpool have now conceded only one more than Arsenal and only two more than Man City, with even Spurs and Chelsea only conceding four more each. But a key part in our clean sheets has been the majestic Henderson. Henderson's work off the ball has been unmatched by almost anyone in the league, with once again tackles, interceptions and passes unmatched by anyone in the Liverpool team. The thing that impresses me about Henderson is his passing accuracy, as he played 130 passes with an accuracy of over 90%, which included 12 attempted long balls, with a 50% accuracy, and an assist for Origi's goal. For a man who attempts a lot of raked balls into the box, he still manages to maintain a seriously impressive accuracy, and right now his passing stats are unmatched by anyone in the league, as he averages 15 passes more than closer contenders Fernandinho and Pogba, with a higher accuracy, despite playing more crosses or long balls than either. Right now Henderson is looking like the complete defensive midfielder. 

Alongside Henderson, Emre Can is looking increasingly at home in his new role in the side, running, passing and getting into attacking areas. Considering that Can is supposed to be the more defensive minded midfielder, and Gini Wijnaldum is supposed to be an attacking midfielder, Can had more attacking influence, with more shots (5 to 4), more key passes (4 to 0, only Hendo played more than Can's 4), almost thirty more passes, more crosses, more long balls, and the same amount of take-ons. In fact, it's hard to imagine that Wijnaldum did anything better than Can, given that defensively they had the same amount of tackles, but Can had more interceptions and Wijnaldum gave away more fouls than anyone on the pitch. 

The reason that I was so disappointed with Wijnaldum was that with Lallana out, the attacking midfield role was one that he was supposed to inherit with aplomb. He was signed to play the same role essentially as Lallana, and whilst he did a competent job with Lallana in the side, with the Englishman out for a couple of weeks, Wijnaldum had the chance to shine, and he once again vanished into the background. With Liverpool's two best creative forces missing, Wijnaldum needed to step up and he simply didn't. 

As for Sunderland, I was very impressed by Ndong, who tackled harder than anyone, made plenty of clearances, and generally got in Liverpool's face. Billy Jones and Lamine Kone were also very very good, and behind them Pickford was excellent. Duncan Watmore made a couple of really good attacking runs, and forced Karius, who was excellent today and finally coming into his own in a Liverpool shirt, into two top saves. 

But ultimately, this was a match decided by two moments. The second was Origi's wonder goal, but the first was a moment of inspiration from Jurgen Klopp mid-way through the second half. Henderson attempted a through ball that didn't come off, and the Kop crowd groaned and muttered in discontent. Klopp was on his feet, shouting at the Kop, waving his hands, urging them on, orchestrating them with one clear message: don't get on my player's backs, get behind them. And the Kop responded, roaring their team on, and it was clear that that inspiration from the stands boosted the players on the pitch, as Liverpool were a lot better in the second half and were good value for the win in the end. 

This is a result that leaves Liverpool second, still one point behind Chelsea, but now six points clear of 5th place Spurs, and ten clear of Man United. Whilst the top four is far from decided, Liverpool have put themselves in a wonderful position to be in the mix in April and May, especially with Spurs and United not looking in the same league as the top four at the moment. 

Man United 1-1 West Ham 

Meanwhile, Man United drew 1-1 with West Ham, a result that leaves them 6th, eight points off the top four, nine points off the relegation zone, and eleven points off Chelsea with a hugely inferior goal difference. This was United's fifth draw in seven games, and their fourth draw in a row at Old Trafford, the first time they've failed to win at home four games in a row since 1990, and their worst league start since 1989. 

United are in serious disarray right now. Whilst their comfortable wins against Leicester and Swansea papered over the cracks, those cracks keep coming back, bigger and more prevalent than ever. Mourinho is increasingly descending into mania, sent off yesterday for a bizarre overreaction to a clear dive from Paul Pogba, who other than that embarrassing moment had a terrific game, picking a wonderful pass for Ibrahimovic's goal. It's indicative of United's season that Pogba has made 23 key passes but only picked up one assist, such is the shocking level of finishing that United are displaying right now. 

And right now the questions have to be leveled squarely at the strikers. This is the fourth game in a row that United have dominated the game, created more chances and "deserved to win". I put that last bit in quotes because there's only so many games that you can deserve to win without actually taking your chances before bad luck can be taken off the table. The time for blaming external factors is long since past. United only have themselves to blame. 

I want to start with Ibrahimovic. It may seem churlish to blame the man who has seven goals when nobody else has more than three in the league, but the truth is that Zlatan has not scored as many as he should have. He has the highest xG in the league by a comfortable margin, yet has less goals than Aguero, Costa and Lukaku. Now xG is a system not without weaknesses, but the simple truth is that top strikers consistently score more than xG predicts that they will. And with the chances that Zlatan has had in this team, think how many goals Aguero, Costa, Kane or Lukaku would have. At least ten, maybe even more to be honest. Again against West Ham, Ibrahimovic was a culprit, missing two or three big chances. 

But whilst it's easy to take shots at Wayne Rooney or Antony Martial, who have only scored one goal each this season, or even the manager who can't seem to find a combination of players that works for more than one game (and has as many sendings off to his name as home wins), I feel it's time to take aim at a slightly more awkward target. Marcus Rashford. 

People in the media have been loathe to pick out Rashford for criticism, given who he is. He's a young English player who exploded onto the scene last season and since then has been touted as the future of English football. So naturally, nobody wants to get the knives out for him, or put too much pressure on his shoulders. Every time an England team is announced, the question is: why isn't Rashford playing? But the truth is that Rashford is struggling. He hasn't scored in ten games in all competitons, and truthfully he hasn't played well in two months either. Against Arsenal he was given the responsibility of leading the line and he did nothing. Against West Ham, Rashford was given a golden opportunity to break his drought, and he fluffed his lines. Now Rashford has three league goals this season at a goal less than every three games. That's not terrible at all, particularly as he's been shunted out on the wings, but Rashford's confidence looks absolutely shot and simply put he's not deserving a place in United's starting line up ahead of the likes of Mkhitaryan or Mata right now. 

Another player who simply put shouldn't be anywhere near United's starting line up, let alone England, is Jesse Lingard, who was also not great against West Ham. The fact that Mkhitaryan ran the show in midweek merely reinforces the point that right now, United simply don't have the right cogs in the right holes. I'm not even sure Jose knows what his cogs are, given his inability to fit them together. Or maybe the problem is that he only signed one striker in the summer, a 35 year old who's been plying his trade in a rubbish league leaving United with two strikers past their prime and two strikers yet to reach it. Chances are, it's a bit of both.

As for West Ham, this was a decent game for them overall. They scored an excellent goal, with a wicked ball in by Dimitri Payet headed in brilliantly by Diafra Sakho and they had other dangerous moments, mostly involving the dangerous Frenchman, who looked somewhere close to his best. Defensively was a bit of a mixed bag. They had some very good defensive moments, with Collins making a brilliant tackle to deny Zlatan and some other good blocks, but on the other hand, their defending was far too passive for the goal and downright abject at other moments, particularly off their own set pieces where they let United counter-attack them far too easily. 

It was a decent point for West Ham, but I didn't see enough to suggest that they're going to be rapidly climbing the table any time soon. They're currently only one point off the drop zone, and whilst their defending has improved massively, especially when you consider Swansea and Palace just below them, they still have a lot of work to do. As far as I'm concerned, nobody from Burnley downwards can take their survival for granted. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• I'm glad the cricket is on at 4am. Shambolic. Again. 
• Nico Rosberg claimed second and his maiden world title. Majestic. 
• Brendan Rodgers picked up his first trophy as Celtic manager. 
• And England saw off Argentina despite Daly's sending off. Character.

25th November

Predictions time!

Burnley v Man City (12:30pm Saturday)

This is a tough one to call. Burnley are very very good at home, and generally don't concede many goals at all. Man City's away form has been pretty solid though, and they're used to scoring a lot of goals this season. Nevertheless, they also played their strongest team away in Germany on Wednesday night, which means that they'll probably make quite a few changes, including Sergio Aguero who has a niggle. If they don't, then their team will certainly be fatigued. That, coupled with Burnley's exceptional home form means that I think a shock could be on the cards. 

Prediction: 1-1

Hull v West Brom (3pm)

Another potentially tricky one to call, but Hull really are very very awful at the moment. Their home form isn't atrocious but then neither is West Brom's away form, and the Baggies looked mightily impressive on Monday night against a lackluster Burnley team. You'd have to say that West Brom really should be favourites to nick all three points. 

Prediction: 2-0 West Brom 

Leicester v Middlesbrough (3pm)

Leicester are another team in European action, but their comfortable win on Tuesday night gives them a bit more recovery time and they've not looked as fatigued post-European games this season. Moreover, they're at home and their form at the King Power has been excellent over the last twelve months. Boro on the other hand, looked decent at the back against Chelsea but lacked cutting edge, and you can't see them troubling the Foxes too much based on current form. 

Prediction: 1-0 Leicester

Liverpool v Sunderland (3pm)

This one is a game that Liverpool should win. Sunderland are, it has to be said, in very good form with back to back wins, but those wins were against Bournemouth and Hull, and truthfully Liverpool should offer a totally different prospect. At Anfield, where the Reds' form is impeccable, with a week off to recover and no fresh injury concerns, Liverpool have no excuses for not being at if not near their best, and if they manage that, then they should win easily. 

Prediction: 4-1 Liverpool

Swansea v Crystal Palace (3pm)

Swansea won't get many better opportunities to pick up their first win since the opening day of the season than this one. Palace are in wretched form, and once they start a slide under Pardew, it gets worse before it gets better. It's early days in the season but this is already looking like a must-win game for both sides, with the relegation battle already looming large over both of their respective campaigns. 

Prediction: 1-1

Chelsea v Spurs (5:30pm)

You have to say that it doesn't look good for Spurs. Chelsea are in imperious form, with six wins on the bounce, not conceding in any of them. Moreover, Spurs themselves look lackluster and were torrid in midweek against Monaco. That coupled with injuries to key players such as Alderweireld, and the fact that they played in midweek, all goes against their cause. That said, this is a high intensity game and it will not be as easy as some might think for Chelsea. So much depends on the quality of Chelsea's individual flair players like Hazard (who has history against Spurs). But I think they have to be favourites to nick it, even though Spurs will certainly give them a game. 

Prediction: 2-1 Chelsea

Watford v Stoke City (12pm Sunday)

A tasty one this one. Both teams have only lost one of their last six and are climbing the table. Both teams have set systems working for them, and individual key players. Sadly for Stoke though, one of their key players, Joe Allen, won't be playing, and this is a huge loss. Moreover, Watford have only lost once at home this season, and that was to Arsenal, so you don't fancy Stoke to come and pick up the win. Watford to nick it for me. 

Prediction: 2-1 Watford

Arsenal v Bournemouth (2:15pm)

Arsenal did have midweek football, and Bournemouth have done well so far in this season's Premier League. Moreover, we've already seen Boro come to the Emirates and snatch a point. However, realistically this is clutching at straws, and when Bournemouth concede against big teams, they tend to end up getting a bit of a thumping. I could see Arsenal returning to form here in a big way. 

Prediction: 4-0 Arsenal 

Man United v West Ham (4:30pm)

United are a team right now that are in mixed form. One win in six in the league, but only losing one game in their last two months. Much improved performances against Swansea, Arsenal and Feyernoord suggest that United are getting back to somewhere near their best. And truthfully, against a West Ham side that remain nowhere near good enough, and that are teetering on the edge of the drop zone, somewhere close to United's best form should be more than enough to secure a comfortable win. 

Prediction: 3-1 United

Southampton v Everton (4:30pm)

And finally, this is an interesting clash between two sides that are good, but not quite good enough to challenge for the top four. Southampton are in a rut, admittedly exacerbated by very tough fixtures, having played the top three in their last four games. Likewise, Everton are struggling for form, with one win in seven and suffering a brutal hammering at the hands of Chelsea a couple of weeks ago. Everton's away form is dismal, Southampton's home form pretty solid so I'm going to give the edge on this one to home advantage. 

Prediction: 1-0 Southampton

The Hard and Fast Section

• Buttler and Woakes back in. Broad injured. Duckett dropped. 
• Aussies finally looking good in third test. 
• Hamilton fastest in practice. Too little too late?
• England make changes again ahead of Argentina test. 

22nd November

So England (and Burnley) totally captiulated.

India Take Control As England Collapse

India moved into total control of their Test series with England, now leading 1-0 after two Tests. Whilst in truth, the match was lost on Day Two, England had fought back really well, particularly on Day Four, where Cook and Hameed batted brilliantly and Broad and Rashid restricted India. The net result was that England started Day Five on 87-2, needing 405 to win. A hefty total, but certainly a lot lighter than it could have been. The question wasn't whether England would chase that total, but how deep into the day, and close to that target could they get? The answer to both ended up being an incredibly frustrating: not very. England lasted just 38 overs, and were all out for a dismal 158. 

The scorecard really does pitch a tale of woe. Ben Duckett made nothing, Moeen Ali made 2, Ben Stokes made 6, Rashid, Ansari, Broad and Anderson all got 9 between them. England's upper middle order and tail end offered absolutely no resistance. None. Nothing. Only Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow made double digits on the final day, Root reaching a battling 25 off 107 and Bairstow at least salvaging some pride by being 34* off 40 balls, coming in at 115-5, seeing Root fall without scoring to make it 115-6, and then being stuck with a series of bowlers who offered nothing with the bat. You can almost forgive England's 8-11 for not doing anything with the bat, the match was long since over as their 4-6 offered just as little. 

This was a bitterly disappointing collapse. Not because England lost, that ship had sailed, but because there was no fight in it. England didn't go down swinging, they didn't grit their teeth dig in and make India get them out. Yes the spinners bowled well, Ashwin and Jayant Yadav taking three wickets each and Jadeja taking two, but England offered no resistance. Cook and Hameed dug in for 60 overs othe previous night, the rest of the team combined couldn't manage 40. 

It very much feels like one step forward two steps back for England at the moment. No sooner do they turn in a brilliant performance to almost win the first Test, with good performances all-round with bat and ball, and we can see the progress. Then they come here and collapse, twice. I don't want to be overly critical of the bowling at this stage, particularly as Broad, Anderson and Rashid were all excellent and on Day One the pitch didn't do much, making this a very, very good toss to win. But with the bat England will be bitterly disappointed, and should be. Duckett and Moeen collectively averaged two in this Test match. There was nothing below Bairstow at 7. Cook and Hameed were both unfortunate and played well but even so neither of them were able to score a game-changing innings. In a match where England desperately needed someone to save the day, the middle-order vanished, Root got out in stupid fashion (again I might add) and nobody lower than Bairstow took responsibility. 

There are, as I've been saying in recent weeks, plenty of positives looking forwards for England. We know that Cook, Root, Stokes and Bairstow are talented batsmen, and certainly it's hard for the latter two when they keep facing situations of 100-4 or 100-5. Hameed looks a find. But as a unit, as a batting line up, England's confidence looks fragile, their middle order looks unbalanced. 

In a match where Virat Kohli scored almost exactly the difference between the two sides, playing arguably two match-winning innings at the heart of India's middle order, the contrast between him and Joe Root was horribly stark. It's unfair to pick out any England batsman for singular criticism, particularly the exceptional Root, but he had the chance to really impact this game in the first innings, and he holed out in unbelievably poor fashion. 

England now are on the back foot. The series isn't over yet, and there are lots of signs that they can take the fight to India in the remaining three Tests, but the simple truth is that right now, in this Test, fight is something that England appear sorely lacking.

West Brom 4-0 Burnley

So...this is a thing that happened. I've watched Burnley a few times this season and it really is staggering how defensively they can appear so well-drilled and so disciplined at home, and yet so utterly, utterly woeful away from Turf Moor. It's easy to see why Burnley have the joint worst away record in the division, having now conceded at least three goals in four of their five away games, scoring just one goal in the process and only picking up a solitary point, at Old Trafford. 

In this game, Burnley were the architects of their own downfall. Less than five minutes in, Dean Marney instinctively sliced a cross back towards his own goal, straight to the feet of Matt Phillips, six yards out, who rifled home brilliantly. Less than fifteen minutes in, Ben Mee (who was hapless all afternoon), backed off and off and off, happy to let James Morrison pull the trigger on the edge of Burnley's box. And pull the trigger Morrison did, leaving Heaton no chance. 

And that was that, the game was gone. Burnley actually started quite well, and had over 60% of the ball in the first fifteen minutes, playing some decent football. If Jeff Hendrick had hit the target when he chipped Ben Foster from the angle about six yards out, it would have been a different story. But as it was, having so much possession really ended up being to Burnley's detriment in the first half, as West Brom ripped them apart on the counter attack time and time again. Phillips, Morrison and Salomon Rondon were all terrific. Morrison was the star of the show, picking the ball up, running the party, picking excellent passes and all round looking good. It was his cross that fell to Phillips to kick things off, and after scoring himself he continued to create chances for his teammates, and played an influential role in Rondon's goal, West Brom's fourth in the second half, with a delightful flick to free the also magnificent Nyom down the left, whose pull-back was inch perfect to Rondon. 

Rondon himself played a huge part in the carnage. Aside from scoring, it was his brilliant hold up play that freed Morrison for the second, and he tested Heaton with a brilliant drilled effort shortly before West Brom scored their third, a sharp finish at the back post from Darren Fletcher after a great jinking run inside the box from the excellent Phillips. All three of Morrison, Rondon and Phillips were substituted before the game was over, and all three received fully deserved standing ovations from the Hawthorns' crowd, who must have been thoroughly enjoying themselves. 

West Brom were simply better in every department. They defended stoically, whilst Burnley's back line was an absolute shambles. And whilst Brunt, Phillips and Morrison produced lots of quality passes and incisive play, Burnley had absolutely no incision in the final third. Too often the ball ended up at the feet of Lowton or Gudmundsson, only for a poor cross to come into the box. It's hard to be overly critical of Sam Vokes, who was joined up front at half time by Ashley Barnes, given that he was feeding off scraps all evening, reduced to a spectator as his team's defence was torn apart. West Brom were everything that Burnley weren't. Tight at the back, free-flowing coming forward. I mentioned Burnley's poor away form before and it's worth mentioning again, because based on what I've seen from Burnley this season, they could comfortably lose every single game between now and the end of the season away from Turf Moor. They were that bad. 

But Tony Pulis' side deserve a lot of credit. They've had a run of really tough games recently and have come out of it with a draw against Spurs, a win at the King Power, and now, after the International break, given the chance to pick up some vital points before what looks a tough December on paper, with Chelsea, Southampton, Man United and Arsenal still to come before 2016 is out, West Brom have delivered in spades. Hull City will be panicking ahead of next Saturday's clash. As for Burnley, whilst they are at home on Saturday, back at Turf Moor where they've been a different prospect this season, they have got to face title favourites Manchester City. So they need to start licking their wounds. And quickly. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Du Plessis fined for ball tampering. Bizarre.
• Murray "too young for knighthood". Agreed, long career ahead. 
• Spurs travel to Monaco with injury crisis looming. Europa League? 
• Leicester at home to Brugge. Win and they're through. 

21st November

Andy Murray officially ends 2016 as the world's best tennis player.

Murray Seizes The Summit

2016 has been an incredible year of tennis, and especially for British tennis. The rise of Jo Konta, Andy Murray's second Wimbledon and Olympics titles, and now, the British number one finishes the year as the top ranked player in the world, ahead of arch rival Novak Djokovic. Murray moved ahead of Djokovic with a win in Paris, but went into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals knowing that if Djokovic out-performed him, then the Serbian would regain his status as No.1. And so, after both players won all four of their matches, Murray two epic shootouts with Nishikori and Raonic, yesterday they met in the final. And Murray blew his opponent out of the water.

At the very top level of sport, it can be extremely hard to tell whether one player is simply playing badly, or whether his opponent is playing so well that he's simply preventing the player from getting into his rhythm. And this was very much the case last night. After the opening few service games, which saw Djokovic start slightly faster, the Serbian simply had no answer to how effective Murray was. Was it that Djokovic was simply bad? Or that Murray was playing so well that Djokovic couldn't settle? 

In situations like this, I prefer to take the middle ground and say that it's very much a bit of both. It takes absolutely nothing away from Murray to suggest that his opponent was slightly out of sorts, and nor does it let Djokovic off the hook to suggest that he simply had no answer to how good Murray was. In actuality, Murray was both absolutely exceptional, and Djokovic nowhere near his best. Was it the case that the latter led to the former, or the former the latter? Or was it simply a bit of both? Certainly there were occasions in the match where Murray was absolutely unplayable, and in the second set Murray's backhand was ripping some truly sumptuous winners that even Djokovic at his best would have been totally unable to stop. But at the same time, Djokovic missed some truly staggering shots, including a mind-blowing overhead smash miss at 3-2 in the first set, and a wretched forehand volley coming to the net at 2-1 on Murray's serve in the second set.

But overall, whether it was cause or effect, the truth was that Murray was utterly sublime, and totally outplayed Djokovic. Having put immense pressure on the Djokovic serve at 3-2, Murray eventually did break in the 8th game of the first set to make it 5-3, and then comfortably served out the set. 

It was the start of the second set when Murray threatened to run riot, and turn what was already looking like a comprehensive win into a humiliating one, as Murray broke twice in the early stages and almost broke thrice, meaning that he could easily have been 5-0 up instead of the 4-1 lead he opened up. Djokovic broke back to 4-3, but Murray held on to take the set 6-4, and with it the match. 

This was, as any match between these two would be, a match of ebb and flow, but Murray could very easily have won every single game between 2-2 in the first set and the end of the match, as he had break points in every Djokovic service game between 2-2 in the first set and 4-1 in the second. Djokovic had to fight to hold at 3-2 and at 6-3 2-0, with Murray seemingly unrelenting as Djokovic increasingly struggled to gain a foothold in the match. 

This might not have been a Grand Slam victory, but it will have felt almost as good as one to Murray. So often in the past, he has lost both the physical and the mental battle to Djokovic, despite being able to hold his own in terms of the quality of tennis. But last night, he won both, with Djokovic having played three and a half hours less tennis this week looking the more tired man, and moreover, whilst Murray pounded on mentally, Djokovic completely lost his head. It's very rare to see Djokovic so beaten, mentally and physically, but then he has had a very hard back end of 2016, and his fitness levels have clearly taken a beating. What's more surprising is how Djokovic lost his head, given how his mental strength has always been one of his greatest attributes, especially against Murray but maybe the one has led to the other. 

So the big question from this is one that we won't get the answer to until the end of January. Now what? Has Murray finally turned a corner against Djokovic? Or will the Serb be back with a bang in 2017 to clean up the Grand Slams again. As magnificent as Murray's 2016 has been, he still has lost his last five Slam matches to Djokovic since he last beat him to claim his first Wimbledon title three years ago. So is this victory a massive psychological blow, and a ceremonial passing of the torch? Or will Djokovic return to form and retain the two Slams that he currently holds in 2017? I think that Murray will win a Slam in the next twelve months, mostly because I think it's impossible for Djokovic to win all four and Murray should beat everyone else on the tour, but I remain unconvinced that Murray will be able to win more Slams than his biggest rival over the next twelve months. And now that he has the number one slot, Murray has to be trading in Slams from now on. 

Boro 0-1 Chelsea

We've seen Chelsea put in some really vintage performances in their last few games, putting eleven without reply past Southampton, Everton and Man United is no mean feat. But this was not one of them. That's not to say Chelsea played badly, because they did play well, but this was a performance that was not as polished or perfect as recent weeks. But nevertheless, it was effective. David Luiz in particular was excellent defensively, the wing backs were a constant threat, and Diego Costa did what Diego Costa does best, score goals and link up well with those around him. Costa seized on the one moment of poor Boro defending off a corner to slam home the best sniff of a chance that he got all game, and then spent the rest of the match watching his teammates miss chances that he put on a plate for them, as Pedro was denied brilliantly by Valdes, hit the bar, and took too long to turn in the box, and Victor Moses fired high and wide when set through by the Spanish striker. 

Whilst Chelsea had the games' best chances, that wasn't to say that Boro weren't also dangerous, as they were excellent for the most part, particularly defensively, as Ben Gibson was utterly imperious and central defensive partner Callum Chambers totally unruffled. Clayton, Forshaw and De Roon all impressed me too with their energy and work rate in the middle of the park, and certainly Boro are a very industrious side. 

But their problems came in the final third, where they really did look, although they played well, slightly short on quality and ideas, although they did run up against arguably the best defence in the league and certainly one of the top two on current form. Nevertheless, Alvaro Negredo contributes very little to this team, and certainly doesn't contribute goals, having failed to score since the opening day of the season. He had one good moment against Chelsea with a lovely piece of control and shot, but ultimately failed to offer much as a front man. It seems to me utterly baffling that Jordan Rhodes isn't getting at least a chance from the bench more often in this side, as he was once again an unused sub yesterday. Away from Negredo, with Downing reduced to a late cameo and no Stuani at their disposal, Boro were reliant on Gaston Ramirez, a player whose ability and talent is obvious but he is their only really good attacking option and he is at best inconsistent. Moreover, whilst Adama Traore has pace to burn, he clearly doesn't know what to do once he has beat a man, something he managed to do 12 times against Chelsea, without producing anything close to an end product. 

Overall, Boro fought very hard, and played very well, but ultimately Premier League matches are decided by fine margins, and whilst Chelsea were nowhere near their best, they had a 20 goal a season striker to stick the ball in the back of the net, Boro did not, and Costa pounced on the one key mistake made. Boro made that mistake, Chelsea did not. And as a result, Chelsea are back on top of the Premier League for the first time since they won it. It's going to be a cracking title race.

The Hard and Fast Section

• England imploded. Because of course they did.
• Two week ban for Launchbury. Cited. 
• Southgate has interviewed for the England job. Now we wait. 
• West Brom v Burnley tonight. Mid-table clash. 

20th November

Okay so I missed the annoyingly brilliant Spurs v West Ham game because of work so going to focus on the two games I did watch? Okay? Okay.

Man United 1-1 Arsenal

Jose Mourinho described his Manchester United team as the "unluckiest team in the league" (no really). You have to sympathise. After all, they were incredibly unlucky with injuries and suspensions, forcing them to play a team nowhere near the one Mourinho might like. They were certainly unlucky that Arsene Wenger sent on game-changing substitutes who combined to nab a late equaliser. And rightly or wrongly, they were a tad unlucky that Valencia's challenge with Monreal inside the box didn't result in a penalty. 

If this sounds like I'm building up to an inevitable counter-point about Mourinho is totally and utterly wrong, then that's because I am. In many ways, Manchester United were very lucky yesterday. They were lucky that injuries and suspensions forced them to send out what looked like their most well-balanced, vibrant and dangerous front six that they've sent out all season, not forced to try and squeeze in Fellaini, Rooney and Ibrahimovic. This was a team that had control, energy and pace in abundance, although both Rashford and Martial were very disappointing in their attempts to seize the huge chances given to them.

They were also very lucky that Arsenal were utterly woeful, and failed utterly to even get close to exploiting what was admittedly a very makeshift United back four. Arsenal failed to produce a shot on target before Giroud's late equaliser, United were also lucky that Wenger waited way too late to introduce Giroud (73rd minute), Xhaka (80th minute) and Oxlade-Chamberlain (83rd minute) given how obvious it was early in the second half that Elneny and Coquelin were struggling to control the midfield, that Ramsey and Ozil were unable to effect the game and that Arsenal were desperately crying out for a focal point. If Wenger had brought on all three subs on the hour mark, it would not have been unreasonable. 

And finally, the referee. United were lucky indeed, that Antonio Valencia wasn't booked for what certainly appeared a dive under a nothing challenge from Monreal. Certainly it wasn't a penalty. Moreover, they were lucky that Matteo Darmian only received one yellow card, having made realistically three tackles that could all have earned him a booking. 

None of this takes away from the fact that United should have won the game, but it does highlight two things. It highlights that they only have themselves to blame for not winning the match, and that they really are nowhere near the rest of the title contenders. Mourinho's team have now played four games against the top sides in the division. The two teams that have played well against them put them to the sword, and the two sides that massively underperformed against United both came away with draws. 

Because make no mistake, Arsenal will be more than happy with a point, given how they performed. The first half was an intense affair, but one that was short on quality. Sanchez had a few good runs, and one decent early headed chance, but United had more intensity, more pace and more energy. Herrera and Pogba in the middle of the park were both excellent, with Michael Carrick pulling the strings, putting out fires, and just generally putting in a very Michael Carrick performance. Unfortunately for United, that level of performance didn't extend to the final third, with both Martial and Rashford looking out of sorts, and struggling to get into the kind of areas to challenge Arsenal's central defenders: Mustafi and Koscielny were however both excellent. The fact that Antonio Valencia was United's best attacking outlet says it all, especially when his opposite number Carl Jenkinson was a clear weak link in this Arsenal defence, and booked and yet never properly tested by Martial. 

Arsenal were simply losing the middle field battle, and continued to lose the midfield battle, as Coquelin and Elneny were both non-entities. Neither did enough to start or co-ordinate attacks for Arsenal, which Xhaka and Ramsey would both have done, and neither really offered much of a defensive shield for the back four, as United's pace on the counter frequently left them floundering. 

And yet, whilst it could not be argued that Arsenal deserved to be behind when United opened them up down the right hand side, and Herrera's pull back found Juan Mata to rifle home, United themselves had not exactly been knocking down the door. Given how poor Arsenal were, United simply had to take advantage, but they never looked like killing the game. Cech was forced to make one or two decent saves, but as the expected goals for the game demonstrates (United 0.7, Arsenal 0.5), United never took total control. 

And when Arsenal did equalise, United had themselves to blame again, as Oxlade-Chamberlain outstripped Rashford and had all the time in the world to cross, before Arsenal's best header of the ball, Giroud, ghosted in unmarked to power in the header. 

Ultimately, I think that there are positives and negatives for both sides to take from this. The Arsenal of the last few seasons would have lost this game, and they very much threatened to do so, being inexplicably Arsenal at Old Trafford bad for 90 minutes. But they showed a lot of fight and they do deserve a lot of credit for the way that they got back into the game. And from a United perspective, Jose is correct that his side were the better side and did deserve to lose the game. They had energy, pace and verve, which on the day they couldn't translate into clear cut chances or goals against what is one of the best defences in the league. A point is only a bad result for United because of the fact that they deserved to win, coupled with their other poor results against top teams.

As I said a few weeks ago after the draw at Anfield, if United can beat Arsenal at Old Trafford and secure a point at the Bridge then their draw at Anfield doesn't look a bad result. But if they go on to pick up just one point from their two games against Arsenal and Chelsea (which they have done), then suddenly it's two points from four games against teams in and around them, whilst Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and City have all won at least one game against their rivals. They could be nine points off the title by the end of today, the same gap between themselves and the relegation zone. 

As for Arsenal, this was not a bad point considering how poor they were, or that Liverpool failed to take advantage. A point away at Old Trafford is never a bad result, but there will be a real sense of palatable frustration that Arsenal were given a golden opportunity to grind United down and put some real daylight between themselves and the Reds, not to mention set down a marker for the rest of the title challengers, and they failed to do so. 

Southampton 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool's spell on top of the Premier League may only last one weekend after a frustrating 0-0 draw away at Southampton. Whenever I look at a game, especially a Liverpool game, I try to assess the positives and negatives and there's usually a reasonable amount of each and that's especially prevalent when the game ends in a draw. 

The first thing to note is that a draw at St Mary's is not a bad result. In fact only one team has won away at Southampton this calendar year, and that's Chelsea. Certainly Liverpool will look back over the course of the season and probably recognise that there will be other, worse games where we drop points where we shouldn't. But if on paper a draw against Southampton away isn't a poor result, then it certainly is a frustrating one, especially considering how well Liverpool played. The amount of chances, and certainly the amount of clear cut chances created is what will be in the mind after this game, both as a positive, and a negative. Any Premier League manager will tell you that the real problems start when you're no longer creating chances, as opposed to missing them, but at the same time, the fact that Liverpool created 13 chances, giving them an expected goals tally of 1.4, yet failed to find the net is a worry and more than that, it's downright infuriating. 

At the end of the day, that is the overwhelming negative. Liverpool could and should have won this game, as Mane, Coutinho and Firmino all fluffed their lines when given clear chances. Virgil Van Dijk made some absolutely phenomenal interceptions and last ditch challenges, and Fraser Forster made two top saves, but the fault was all with the visitors. Firmino had a really poor game, and gifted the most clear opportunity of the lot, fired wide under little pressure. It was a moment to make Liverpool fans scream in frustration. 

If it seems like I'm over-using the word frustrating, then that's because that is the overriding emotion from this game: frustration. With Man City and Spurs both somehow finding late winners, and Chelsea likely to win today, Liverpool will have dropped points on three of our four closest rivals, on a game that we should have won, and that we created enough to win twice over. 

As I've suggested, our general play and chance creation remains a positive, and even with the front three of Coutinho, Firmino and Mane all nowhere near their best after long flights and busy international breaks, not to mention the injury to Adam Lallana, Liverpool still played well and created chances. However, the main positive for Liverpool from this game is the same as Southampton, the defence. 

This was a game that had 1-0 Southampton written all over it. With Liverpool playing well but missing chances, this was a game that in recent years, or even earlier in 2016, Liverpool would have lost. But ultimately, Southampton created almost nothing. They had one half chance from a Charlie Austin header, which earned them a 0.1 expected goals, but that was it. Other than that, Liverpool defended absolutely superbly, with Lovren and Matip utterly imperious. Once again, it was Matip who was the star of the show, Liverpool's best player by a mile, winning everything at the back, and also starting attacks from the back on the front foot. Whilst they were helped by the lack of any penetration from Southampton, who too often simply lumped the ball up to Austin (or in the second half Shane Long) in the channels, where Austin in particular was totally isolated, surrounded by at least one or two, sometimes three or four defenders, with no options or out ball. 

However, it is a point that has to be raised. Alan Shearer made the point that during games where Liverpool fail to score, they need to be able to rely on their defence. Moreover, another question that will be asked, is how many games has Liverpool's defence cost them points so far this season? Well looking at the games where Liverpool have dropped points. They've failed to score in three games this season, and in two of those, they've now kept clean sheets. That's twice now, in two of Liverpool's three draws, where the attack has been the problem, not the defence. Across the four games where Liverpool have dropped points, they've conceded just three goals, the problem is that they've only scored once. The point I'm trying to make is that despite being a team that have scored thirty goals, and despite the fact that our defence is touted as the problem, Liverpool have realistically dropped points because of a lack of goals, rather than poor defending (although the 2-0 defeat to Burnley can certainly be at least partly attributed to very poor defending). 

So more than just a word on Southampton. Whether or not they played for the 0-0, or were simply unable to penetrate Liverpool's defensive midfield stranglehold, they offered very little in terms of attack. Shorn of Dusan Tadic, his replacement Boufal had a limited impact before his substitution, Austin was totally isolated and only had one opportunity to impact the game, and Nathan Redmond was totally anonymous. 

However, where Southampton were predictably excellent was in defence, with Fonte and Van Dijk continuing to establish themselves as one of the Premier League's best defensive partnerships. Only Spurs, Chelsea and Man City have conceded less than Saints, and that's largely down to their two central defenders and goalkeeper, as Forster made a couple of key saves behind them, one in particular early on to deny Sadio Mane arguably the best chance of the match. 

Overall, whether or not they played for a point, and certainly it would be no disrespect to Southampton to suggest that they were playing for the 0-0, as a draw against Liverpool right now is not a bad result at all, Southampton did get a point and they will be very very happy with that result. They've had a really tough start to the season, and you'd still back them to make the top seven or eight from here. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Aformentioned late winners for Spurs and City. Crucial.
• Sunderland battered Hull. Swansea picked up a vital point. 
• Murray battled through his semi to set up Djokovic final. 
• England's rugby players destroyed Fiji. 58-15.
• And England's cricketers fought back against India. Too late. 

18th November

The Premier League is back!

Man United v Arsenal (12:30pm Saturday)

Okay so starting as we mean to go on, because this is the biggest game of the weekend. Based purely on form, there's only one winner, as Arsenal are unbeaten in ten and sit six points ahead of a United side struggling for any sort of form. United are missing Ibrahimovic, any semblance of a first choice back four, as well as maybe Rooney and Fellaini. But all those midfield/attacking injuries could be a blessing in disguise for United, if it means Rashford up front, and a midfield trio of Pogba, Herrera and Mata. Meanwhile, Arsenal's only main injury concern is Hector Bellerin, as they're hoping Alexis Sanchez will be okay to start. You'd have to say Arsenal go into this game as favourites, but it's been a decade since they beat Man United, and it's Jose Mourinho v Arsene Wenger, so no matter how badly United are playing, or how well Arsenal are set up, you know how that ends. Plus, it's November. Plus, it's Arsenal. Logic would dictate an Arsenal win, but you just know there's a 90% chance that they bottle it. So I'm going to meet in the middle between the two and say a big score draw. 

Prediction: 2-2

Crystal Palace v Man City (3pm)

City will be looking to head back to the top of the table with a win away at Crystal Palace, but they'd settle for just for the latter. Palace have crashed to 16th in recent weeks after a really positive start, and in general, once Pardew starts a slide, he finds them very hard to arrest. City more than have the firepower to cause Palace problems, and will be hoping to have their squad fully fit, as everyone is back from international duty relatively unscathed. You'd have to say that this favours the away side. 

Prediction: 3-1 City

Everton v Swansea (3pm)

Swansea are going to lose. Hang on who are they playing? Oh right Everton. So a Swansea defence that right now are only not the worst defence in the league because Hull exist playing against one of the Premier League's in form strikers, away from home, with two points from ten games? Everton are going to score quite a few goals. Swansea might give them a run for their money, but at the end of the day, I return back to my original sentence. Swansea are going to lose. 

Prediction: 3-1 Everton

Southampton v Liverpool (3pm)

Southampton have hit a slightly sticky patch, being comprehensively outplayed by Chelsea before losing to Hull. Liverpool conversely, are flying, after hitting the Premier League summit for the first time since...well you know. Goalscoring has been a problem in recent weeks for the Saints, whilst for Liverpool, goals have been very easy to come by. However, with both Adam Lallana and Phillipe Coutinho set to miss out, Liverpool will have to rely on one of the league's top strikers in Daniel Sturridge, and the midfield talents of Gini Wijnaldum. This is a game we should probably win. 

Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool (I know, we won't keep a clean sheet but still).

Stoke City v Bournemouth (3pm)

If Stoke had a fully fit squad at their disposal, then I would back them to edge this one. But with Xherdan Shaqiri out injured, and Glenn Whelan missing at the heart of their midfield, they will probably play Charlie Adam ahead of midfield powerhouse Imbula, which will not work in their favour. Bournemouth have been very hit and miss, more miss in recent weeks, but I think that they'll take a draw in this one. 

Prediction: 1-1

Sunderland v Hull (3pm)

Yikes, this one really could be any scoreline. A drab 0-0? A delightfully ridiculous 4-4? When the two worst attacks and worst defences in the division (Sunderland about level with Swansea for defensive awfulness) collide, really anything is possible. But Hull's away form is a bit pitiful, and I think I just about fancy Sunderland for this one, as they have a player actually capable of scoring goals in Jermain Defoe. 

Prediction: 2-1 Sunderland

Watford v Leicester (3pm)

A side as bad away from home as Leicester will not be coming to Vicarage Road and expecting a positive result. Despite their butchering at Anfield, Watford still have relatively impressive home form, especially against teams who are in and around Leicester in the table. Home advantage could end up being very crucial in this game. 

Prediction: 1-0 Watford

Spurs v West Ham (5:30pm)

Another game to back the home team. To be honest I'd back Spurs even if they weren't at home, given that they haven't lost a single game this season, West Ham are a pretty abject side, and Harry Kane is back, but the fact that Spurs are at White Hart Lane only bolsters their credentials. A home game against a pretty poor London rival is the perfect tonic for those pesky draws that Spurs cannot seem to get rid of (four league draws in a row now). 

Prediction: 2-0 Spurs

Middlesbrough v Chelsea (4pm Sunday)

Typically just the one Sunday game this week, but it's one that will have Chelsea fans licking their lips. Boro have done well to get draws against Arsenal and Man City recently, but Chelsea are flying high and simply put, Boro don't have an answer to the kind of defensive solidity or firepower that Chelsea offer. If Hazard and Costa are both fit then this could get ugly. If not, then you'd still back Chelsea to nick the winning goal. 

Prediction: 4-0 Chelsea with Costa and Hazard - 1-0 without.

West Brom v Burnley (8pm Monday)

Burnley, like Leicester, are a team whose away form is positively wretched. With that in mind, I fancy West Brom to pick up a bit of form. The Baggies have had a typically mixed season so far, with some good and some bad results, but last time out they picked up a vital win against champions Leicester. I think it's unlikely Burnley pick up their first away win of the season, but it's certainly possible. 

Prediction: 2-1 WBA

The Hard and Fast Section

• England back to collapsing. Good good.
• FIFA open disciplinary proceedings. People shocked. Debacle rages on.
• Southgate interviews for England job on Monday. Okay. 
• Vunipola fit. England make changes for Fiji. 

16th November

So time to catch up (belatedly) on the rest of the weekend's sport!

England Punish Sloppy Springboks

England took apart a horribly under-performing South Africa side to take their first autumn international 37-21, and continue their rich vein of form, conquering a Springbok side that they haven't beaten in 13 years. This was a comprehensive display from England, as tries either side of half time from Courtney Lawes and George Ford opened up a 30-9 gap that South Africa never recovered from, despite recovering slightly in the last ten minutes. In truth, the match was over the moment that Lawes crashed over, aided by some really poor defending from South Africa and some excellent footwork from Mike Brown. And sure enough, despite a couple of tries in the second half to make the scoreline more respectable for South Africa, England ran out worthy winners. 

There were, as Eddie Jones will be quick to note, definite areas from improvement from England, but the truth was that on the day they were simply better than South Africa, whose defence was utterly woeful at times. England moved into an early 7-6 lead with a well-worked try for Jonny May, but from a Springbok perspective it was far too easy. England didn't have to do a whole lot to score their first try, it was just intelligent movement and simple passing, and the space opened up of its own accord. 

But England's discipline and lack of power in the scrum looked to be holding them back early on, as they conceded too many penalties and realistically should have been at least 12-7 down before Farrell's penalty just before Lawes scored put England back in front 10-9. But once Lawes scored, England, who had played the better rugby anyway in the first half, never looked back and took total control of the match. The score itself was slightly sloppy, as South Africa failed to clear a long kick downfield and the ball ended up in the hands of Lawes via Mike Brown, who fumbled it backwards after some clever ground kicking, but England won't have cared, especially when Elliot Daly's thumping long kick went over on the stroke of half time to send England 20-9 up at the break. 

And in the second half England started to really turn it on. Billy Vunipola was charging forward with real power, creating opportunities for teammates at the break down, and the likes of Launchbury in the second row, who was handed the man of the match gong, were picking up the pieces brilliantly. And this space creation is what allowed Ben Youngs into the game, as the scrum-half turned in a phenomenal display, creating the third and fourth tries with eloquent dummies to release first George Ford and then Owen Farrell to crash over and seal the win for England in style. Again, South Africa will ask how on earth he was able to create two tries with two simple dummies, and how the defence managed to fall for the same trick twice, but if Youngs made the Springboks look foolish, he also made himself look utterly brilliant. 

England will maybe be slightly disappointed that they let South Africa close the scoreline and have the last word late on, especially as it looked as if they could have really rubbed it in the opposition's noses and gone on to score 50+, but I think that a slightly tighter scoreline better reflects the fact that England were far from perfect, as they were ill disciplined at times, lacked power in the scrum and made some horrible handling errors. One moment in the second half saw the ball travel from the middle of South Africa's half into England's 22 purely through poor passing or control from the hosts. A scoreline like this reflects that whilst England were overall excellent, and significantly better than the very patchy Springboks, they still have a long way to go. They've had a terrific year since the World Cup, but they still need to demonstrate that they're up there with the likes of Australia. They'll get that chance before this series of internationals is over, but for now, Fiji next week, a match that should be very comfortable, based on this display. 

Elsewhere, briefly, Wales did just enough to see off a slightly beleaguered Argentina side. Following their demolition at the hands of Australia, it was important for Wales to get back to winning ways, and they managed to do that, but were slightly fortunate to do so as they were very underwhelming, with Argentina not much if any better. A game mostly decided by a lack of cutting edge, in the end it was a late kick from Leigh Halfpenny that had the final say on a tight, tense encounter. Wales still have a lot of work to do, but at least they're back on the horse, and this was an important win for them.

Hamilton Closes Gap In Exciting Brazil Shootout

Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix ended up being a helter-skelter race, lit up by the brilliance of Max Verstappen, and embroiled in controversy as the rain came down and the red flags went up. But the bottom line was that once again, it was Lewis Hamilton first, Nico Rosberg second, a result that means that Rosberg just needs to finish on the podium in the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi in order to claim the Championship. 

And if it is Rosberg rather than Hamilton who claims the title in a week and a half, Hamilton will definitely be left with the feeling that he didn't deserve to lose, having driven out of his skin once again in Brazil, a race which was incredibly exciting and served as a reminder of what F1 is still capable of producing at its best. Ultimately whilst all of the talk about Brazil might be about the absolutely unbelievable performance of Verstappen, Hamilton was once again imperious, and once again displayed why he is probably still the best driver on the grid. 

But as mentioned, it was 19 year old Verstappen who was the star of the show, with a ride of stunning proportions. He recovered from a dramatic error by his team to put him on the wrong tyres, somehow managed to survive a 190mph spin out on the main straight, dropped to 16th after having to pit again to get the right tyres back on, and then drove from 16th to 3rd in the final 16 laps. It was a drive for the history books, the kind of raw, powerhouse driving that makes Verstappen so exciting to watch. Verstappen has picked up some flack, and some penalties, for his aggressive driving style, but that aggression is part of what makes him a stunning driver and in Brazil it helped him blast his way through the grid to reach his 7th podium in 39 races (only 16 of those for Red Bull). Verstappen took wild risks, as he has done all year for Red Bull, and whilst they haven't always paid off, when they do, as they did in Brazil, he looks like one hell of a driver. If his team hadn't made a bad tactical call, he might well have won this race.

The man most frustrated though, will be race winner Hamilton, who would have seen his gap to Rosberg cut further were it not for Red Bull's error, as Verstappen probably would have ended up second, splitting the Mercedes. Had that happened, Rosberg would have had to come second in Abu Dhabi to win the title. As it is, he needs third. 

And that's the bottom line from this race. Whilst as a spectacle, and as an event, it was dominated by the brilliance of Verstappen, in terms of the wider context of the Driver's Championship, it was another quiet, understated second place from Nico Rosberg. He's been a tad fortunate to finish ahead of Verstappen a couple of times in this run in, but he's been able to grind out those podium places, keep the gap to Hamilton manageable. And now Rosberg knows that if he stands on the podium in Abu Dhabi, he will do so as World Champion. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Jimmy fit for Second Test. Woakes has a niggle.
• England drew 2-2 with Spain. Positives and negatives. 
• Five division plan scrapped. 
• Northern Ireland hammered by Croatia. Disappointing. 

15th November

So there was plenty of action on over the weekend, and last night too. So let's kick right off with the cricket and tennis.

India Hang On For Vital Draw

Alistair Cook hit his 30th Test Century on Day Five of an enthralling, engrossing test with India, but a brilliant evening display from Rashid wasn't quite enough as England fell short of ensnaring the final four Indian wickets required to take victory in the First Test of the five match series. 

Overall, there's lots for England to be positive about, as four of their top six made hundreds, young Hameed looks a top class batsman, as he eventually fell for 82 as England looked to set a declaration, Adil Rashid's seven wickets were easily the best figures of the match, and most importantly, the fact that England are disappointed with a draw says it all. England were the better team across five days, batted and bowled better than India, and all round were very impressive. And despite being the team that were superior and in charge of the game throughout, ultimately England were unable to force a result. 

And a lot of credit to that has to go to India, who despite being under the cosh for the majority of the fifth day, were able to keep their heads and bat their way to safety, surviving over 50 overs as England's spinners, led by the impressive Rashid, turned up the heat. On a pitch that had finally start to crack on Day Four crumbled completely on the final day, Rashid was getting turn, the same turn that allowed Mishra to remove Hameed just 18 short of a debut hundred, and Joe Root, putting the pressure back on England before Stokes and Cook engineered a declaration, as the England captain eventually fell for a brilliant 130, although there will, as ever, be those that complain he should have scored faster, and didn't leave his bowlers with enough time to bowl out India. 

I for one am bored of the criticism that Cook gets for being conservative every time a result like this comes about, especially when we should be praising Cook for making batting look easy on a pitch where it was increasingly anything but. Cook is by nature a conservative captain and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. This is going to be a long and tough series and the fact that his first priority was not to lose this match is very much the right instinct. 

In any case, there's no guarantee that another ten or even twenty overs would have stopped the juggernaut that was Virat Kohli in the second innings, as he held on for 49* off 98 deliveries despite India collapsing to 71-4 in less than 25 overs. Kohli was bolstered by an excellent batting display from Ravi Ashwin, whose batting kept his side alive, and when he finally departed with about ten overs to go in the match, England were able to engineer a sniff of victory. But it was never more than a sniff as Kohli, aided by Jadeja, was able to shut the door. 

Once again the star for England with the ball was Rashid, who engineered a couple of crucial wickets in Pujara and Vijay to reduce India for 68-3, before Moeen removed Rahane. And after Ansari got rid of Ashwin, Rashid struck again, getting keeper Saha for 9 to turn half a chance into a full-blooded opportunity, with India six down. Rashid and Moeen plugged away, but were unable to remove Kohli, and India held on. However, England only have themselves to blame, dropping chances early on that could have got Kohli or Rahane in five overs earlier, as both Vijay and Pujara were dropped before they were eventually removed. 

Nevertheless, England should not be focusing on the four wickets that they were unable to prise from India, but the 16 that they did take, and the four centuries that their own batsmen were able to make. Cook, Root, Stokes and Moeen are all in hot form, Bairstow at 7 looks good value for runs and Hameed looks like a suave and confident opening batsman. If England can keep batting like they have in this Test, and keep bowling like they were too, with Rashid out-performing the Indian bowlers who in theory should be better used to the conditions, then they will make real inroads in this series. 

Ultimately, this was a series that England were expected to lose, and lose very comfortably. But whilst the real trial by spin is yet to truly begin, there were a lot of positive signs from this match that England can do the impossible, and win this series in India. 

Murray Starts With A Win

And last night, Andy Murray got his final tournament of 2016, the ATP World Tour final, underway with an excellent 6-3 6-2 win over an out of sorts Marin Cilic. Murray still has to face Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka before securing his place in the semi-finals, but after Nishikori beat an out of sorts Warwinka yesterday, a victory against the Swiss man will surely guarantee Murray a semi-final place. On his day, Murray is capable of beating both men, but he will probably face sterner opposition than he did last night, as Cilic struggled to get out of first gear. 

It was a scrappy start to the match from both men, with three breaks of serve in the opening four games, Murray breaking his opponent twice to move 3-1 up despite conceding a break of his own, and saving break points in the opening game. After a poor start from both players, in which unforced errors were proving more numerous than winners, Murray was able to assert control on proceedings. Despite making just two winners compared to fourteen unforced errors, including four double faults, Murray won his next three service games, with Cilic unable to up his game, and Murray took the first set. 

If the first set was more of a war of attrition, with Murray making less mistakes than his counterpart, the second set was a different story entirely. Whilst Cilic continued to struggle for rhythm, Murray, no doubt bouyed by taking the first set, stepped his game up significantly, winning four straight games to take the second set (and with it the match) at a canter.

Whilst neither player flew out of the blocks, the longer the match went on, the more in control Murray looked. And it's worth noting that even when the match was scrappy, and neither player was playing particularly good tennis, Murray was still coming out on top. Top players find ways to win matches and Murray is most certainly a top player now. The new world number one demonstrated exactly why he is that, with a hard-fought, well ground out first set, followed by a second set in which he was able to put a strangle-hold on Cilic through sheer quality. If the first set was a scrap, and the second a showcase, then it's very telling that at both ends of the scale, Cilic simply had no answer to Murray. 

Murray's mental fortitude has been praised a lot recently, and I think that that once again played a factor here. Having been broken back by Cilic in the third game of the first set, Murray turned around and instantly broke him again. And moreover, on top of that, with Cilic battling to 30-40 immediately afterwards, it would have been easy for Murray to surrender the lead again, only for him to pull out his first ace of the match to pull it back and hold. After that, he never looked back. 

Murray will have to play better against Nishikori tomorrow if he's to make it two wins out of two and surely qualify for the semis, but we know that he's more than capable of it, and towards the end of this match he really started to show what he's capable of. It's been a long and brilliant 2016 for Murray, but this result means that he has every chance of ending it on a high, and as world number one. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Tomorrow: F1 and rugby. 
• Wales drew with Serbia. Qualification hanging by a thread.
• Ireland bolstered their hopes by downing Austria. 
• Aussies collapsed again. 121-2 to 161. Laughable. 
• Stevie G has left LA Galaxy. Where next?

12th November

So, that Hameed kid is good yeah?

England Edge Out Day Four

19 year old debutant Haseeb Hameed was the man of the moment as England closed the penultimate day of the first test 114-0, leading by 163 runs after Adil Rashid took 4-114 as England were able to bowl out India for 488. The match situation is now firmly in England's favour, and they'll look to reach a 300 run lead by lunch tomorrow and give themselves two sessions to bowl India out, with the pitch beginning to really break up. 

And the fact that there was a lot of turn available for India's spinners, particularly Mishra the leg-spinner, who will have been licking his lips at the sight of Adil Rashid wreaking havoc against India's lower order, makes England's reply all the more impressive, and also makes Kohli's decision not to bowl Mishra until the 27th over, with Jadeja and Ashwin struggling, seem all the more strange. 

Because the ball was turning for leg-spinner Rashid as he removed Kohli for 40 (bizarrely hitting his own wicket, you don't see that very often), before getting Jadeja  caught at short leg and prising out Yadav, after Ansari got rid of Rahane. England would have been in an even better position, as they got off to a good start and consistently chipped away at India, but for the excellent innings of impressive all-rounder Ashwin, whose excellent 70 stretched India's innings and got them within 50 of their opponents. But once he was removed by Moeen just before tea it looked as if England would face a trial by spin, with recent collapses fresh in the mind. 

Enter Hameed, whose composure, judgement and temperament showed that he has the makings of a class test match batsman. He looked solid as a rock, leaving, blocking and attacking exactly when he needed to, and even the scariest moment of his innings, when Kohli reviewed a Not Out LBW decision against him on 48, showed that he knew exactly what he was doing, padding away the ball which was shown to be miles outside off-stump, making India's review look foolish. 

But Hameed has more than just the technique and mental abilities to open the batting, as he also played plenty of truly sumptuous shots, including a slap over long off to bring up a maximum against Jadeja in just the sixth over. Hameed's innings was one of total control over the opposition, as at almost no point did any of the bowlers get on top of him. Hameed played at his own pace, scored reasonably quickly at points whilst taking no chances at others, and he was peerless out there in the evening session. Alistair Cook has been waiting a long time for an opening partner that can build an innings alongside him, but based on this evidence, he may well have found one. Hameed closed the day 62* with Cook 46* and the youngster has a real shot of making a debut century tomorrow, which would make him the first teenager to score a century for England, and the first man to score a century on debut for England since Jonathon Trott in 2009.

Now is not the time to get carried away, as Cook has had ten opening partners in the four years since Andrew Strauss retired, but Hameed looks every inch a test match opening batsman and certainly looks the most impressive option to replace Strauss that we've seen. It's way too early to draw parallels between him and Joe Root, who also debuted impressively in India in 2012, or even with Cook himself, who scored a hundred on debut in India a decade ago, but if Hameed can continue in this vein tomorrow, and all series, then England could have a serious player on their hands. 

As for the match, Hameed is just a subplot, and the real battle tomorrow will be how impressive Rashid and England's other spinners are on a turning pitch, with maybe 50 overs to bowl India out on their own soil. You would have to say that given the lack of anything from the pitch in the first three and a half days, the pitch tomorrow is unlikely to be unplayable, but with pressure on and if England bowl well, they can't rule out winning the game. But, more importantly, Hameed and Cook have again batted India out of the match, when a couple of early wickets would have put the pressure back on the visitors. 

It's going to be a belting final day. 

Southgate's England Walk Over Scots

So, in a thoroughly predictable plot twist, England beat Scotland comfortably whilst still playing the same level of dull, dreary, negative football that has plagued us for the last four years minimum and has reached a peak in 2016. The fact that England were able to win 3-0, with Adam Lallana impressing and the other goals coming from Daniel Sturridge and Gary Cahill, all three goals headers off crosses, is more down to how utterly average Scotland played, rather than anything exceptional on England's part. Scotland missed several key chances at 1-0, and conceding three headers, one cross from each fullback and a header from a corner really isn't good enough. 

But from England's perspective there are plenty of positives to take forward. First and foremost the result itself, as a 3-0 home win is never a bad result, taking England onto ten points, and keeping them two points clear at the top of Group F, a full six points clear of a Scotland side that are a million miles away from actually challenging. A clean sheet, England's fourth in this group is also a bonus, although there were signs that a team with more attacking talent at their disposal than Scotland could have caused England problems. Moreover, the two fullbacks, Rose and Walker, were impressive, both grabbing assists, and both marauding dangerously at times. 

The biggest positive remains the impressive return to form of Adam Lallana who has had a phenomenal year. After an excellent back half of the 15-16 season, Lallana was one of England's best players at the Euros and has been an integral part of Liverpool's excellent form this season, not to mention scoring his first two England goals to secure crucial points in their qualifiers. But England shouldn't be forcing their most creative and dangerous player to be playing out wide, particularly as they have other quality wide options available and with Dele Alli not fit. Lallana's influence on the game was overall very positive, but could have been better if he'd had more chance to influence the play. 

Moreover, despite dominating possession, England ended up having less shots than Scotland, who probably should have equalised before Lallana's header put the game to bed just after half time. England will not look back at this game as a vintage performance, and any signs that they are massively improving under Southgate are mostly due to factors out of his control. I like Southgate, as I've said before, but as I've also said, I do not think that he has what it takes to move this England team forwards. If we take a comfortable yet unimpressive win against a rank average Scotland side as the benchmark for what's good enough to earn you the permanent job, then there are very few managers who wouldn't have been able to send out what was a reasonably strong England team and win this game. 

It remains to be seen whether Southgate gets the top job, and it remains very unclear whether England are heading in the right direction, or simply stagnating, but a 3-0 win is a 3-0 win and it's hard to be too churlish about that. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• NORTHERN IRELAND! They beat Azerbaijan 4-0 and I'm loving it. 
• Oh Australia. 85 all out on their own soil. Shambles. 
• England's women butchered Sri Lanka by 122 runs. Lovely stuff. 
• Scotland drew with New Zealand 18-18. Shame it was league.