Ralf Rangnick praised Manchester United's "exceptional" play after starting his reign with a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday as Tottenham crushed Norwich 3-0 to extend their recent revival under Antonio Conte.

Ralf Rangnick won his first match as Manchester United interim manager this weekend after the top three in the Premier League swapped positions, with Manchester City now in the driving seat. 

Newcastle at last tasted victory to give new manager Eddie Howe hope they can escape relegation while Steven Gerrard won his third match in four since taking over at Aston Villa.

Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala scored as Juventus eased to a 2-0 win over Andriy Shevchenko's Genoa on Sunday to register their fourth victory in five Serie A games.

Cuadrado struck direct from a corner that sailed over the head of Genoa goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu in the ninth minute, with Dybala drilling a second late on to send Juve up to fifth place.

Xavi Hernandez faces his first critical test as Barcelona coach with the club at risk of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in two decades.

Lionel Messi was awarded a record-extending seventh Ballon d'Or on Monday, but for the first time in his illustrious career, there was a mixed reaction to his success.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at a "disrespectful" claim that his only remaining ambition is to win the Ballon d'Or more times than Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi admitted winning the Copa America with Argentina might have been the determining factor in him claiming the men's Ballon d'Or prize for the seventh time after a turbulent year, as Spain's Alexia Putellas took the women's award.

Syria has hosted the first international basketball tournament on its soil in at least two decades, bringing an Asia region World Cup qualifying game to a packed stadium in the capital Damascus.

The game with Kazakhstan, which Syria lost 81-71, saw the national team play at home before fans for the first time since the civil war disrupted security and upended regular life in the country.

FIFA confirmed dates for the delayed 2021 Club World Cup on Monday, with the Feb. 3-12 tournament in the United Arab Emirates requiring Chelsea to postpone two Premier League games.

The schedule was announced hours before the tournament draw was being made in Zurich.

Dries Mertens scored twice as Napoli beat Lazio 4-0 on Sunday to take the outright lead of Serie A on the night it paid tribute to soccer great Diego Maradona.

As well as Mertens — who has taken over several of Maradona's records at Napoli — Piotr Zieliński and Fabián Ruiz also netted to help Napoli move three points clear of second-place AC Milan, which earlier lost 3-1 at home to Sassuolo.