Chelsea produced its most ruthless attacking display in more than two years on Sunday to crush Aston Villa with a record-equaling 8-0 Premier League victory for the club.

The European champions ripped Villa apart with ease after Fernando Torres headed in the opener after just three minutes, with seven different goal scorers against the relegation-threatened visitors.

Danny Green scored a career-high 25 points and sparked a San Antonio 3-point barrage to lead the Spurs over Dallas 129-91 on Sunday, spoiling the NBA return of German star Dirk Nowitzki.

Frenchman Tony Parker added 18 points and Tim Duncan contributed 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Spurs, who hit 20-of-30 3-point attempts, powered by Green's 7-of-8 showing from beyond the arc.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points and Jamal Crawford added 22 as the Los Angeles Clippers stretched their team-record NBA win streak to 13 games by routing the Phoenix Suns 103-77 on Sunday.

The Clippers, a laughingstock of the league for years, have not lost since November 26, shattering the old club mark of 11 consecutive triumphs established in the 1974-75 season when the team was based in Buffalo.

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson claimed Robin van Persie could have been killed after the Dutch striker was hit on the back of the head with the ball in the 1-1 draw against Swansea.

Ferguson vented his fury at the 75th-minute incident at the Liberty Stadium that led to Ashley Williams and van Persie being booked.

The Miami Heat warmed up for a Christmas Day blockbuster by beating the Utah Jazz 105-89 on Saturday, with LeBron James scoring 30 points.

The Heat's next game is on Christmas Day against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a reprise of last year's NBA finals series.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was under renewed pressure on Saturday after his team lost 3-2 at Malaga, a defeat which left the champions 16 points behind leaders Barcelona.

The disappointment of the defeat was compounded by Mourinho's controversial decision to drop goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas from the starting line-up.

Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi and Cristian Tello steered La Liga leaders Barcelona to a 3-1 win at Valladolid on Saturday giving stricken coach Tito Vilanova a timely boost in his battle against cancer.

Vilanova left hospital earlier in the day, 48 hours after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor in his saliva gland.

Germany can win the 2014 World Cup, team manager Oliver Bierhoff believes, pointing to the presence of three Bundesliga sides in the Champions League last 16 to support his assertion.

"Naturally we want and we can win the title," he said in an interview in the German weekly Focus on Saturday.

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff has inaugurated the second stadium designated to stage 2014 World Cup matches.

The Mineirao venue at Belo Horizonte, which has undergone a $1,750 million renovation, was given the presidential seal of approval on Friday, five days after the first arena at Fortaleza was given the all clear.

UEFA has banned Champions League contender Malaga from European club competitions for one upcoming season for failing to pay players wages and tax bills on time.

UEFA says the Qatari-owned Spanish club could be banned for a second season within the next four years if it misses a March 31 deadline to pay its debts.