標籤: defeating

leeds united Wrote Premier League history by ending a 45-year winless streak at Old Trafford with a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Monday evening.

Jaka Bijol was one of the key players in the victory, holding firm at centre-back for the 90 minutes against national teammate Benjamin Cesco.

It was a big moment for the 27-year-old, who arrived in the summer Daniel Farke has had to wait to be celebrated this season. Now it appears he has done just that, and big performances at Manchester United will only help.

a strong first half

The 2–1 win came courtesy of a great first-half performance, in which Leeds United applied high and sustained pressing, causing Manchester United problems.

Farke’s team forced the home side into a number of mistakes, allowing Noah Okafor to score twice in the first half hour, giving Leeds United a strong position at half-time.

Jaka Bijol was certainly impressed, admitting he took advantage of Manchester United’s recent extended break.

“We played a really good first half,” Slovenia’s AKIPA quoted him as saying.

“On the other hand, United had not played for 25 days, which is probably a little noticeable, because the training sessions are not the same. This time we were right, it is an important win for us, important three points.”

slovenia conflict

The key to the win was keeping Benjamin Cesco calm throughout the game. This was a task at which Jaka Bijol was particularly skilled.

While the Slovenian striker was a threat, he only really came close to getting his name on the scoresheet once. Leeds United goalkeeper Carl Darlow dealt with it well.

Bijol knew what he needed to do to ensure that his international teammate did not get the better of him.

“Benny also had a good chance, if he had scored then maybe we would have talked a little differently,” He added.

“But football is like that, sometimes he gives you, sometimes he takes a little away from you. Sometimes it’s better not to jump with Benny, because when he jumps, sometimes I can only see a shadow (laughs).

“I think we played really smart, we just suffered a little bit unnecessarily in the second half. But maybe that’s why it’s even better.”

‘Subconscious fear at Leeds United’

Leeds United were heading for a more comfortable evening when Lisandro Martínez was sent off in the 56′^th minutes.

Instead, that red card appeared to inspire Manchester United, with Casemiro’s header getting them back into the game in the 69.^th minutes.

The final 20 minutes came alive as Manchester United pushed for an equalizer and Leeds United fell behind. Ultimately, it turned out to be a tactic that worked.

However, it was stressful for Daniel Farke’s side, who have now moved away from the relegation battle. And Jaka Bijol admits that there was an atmosphere of fear.

“We had a top performance on the road, but in the end we lost a lot of points. That’s why this time we had a subconscious fear that we would concede a late goal.” He concluded.

The Los Angeles Lakers recorded their sixth consecutive win by defeating the Houston Rockets 100-92 at Toyota Center on Monday. The Lakers finished third in the Western Conference, surpassing the Rockets.

Luka Doncic once again led the attack with a game-high 36 points on 14 of 27 shooting, while adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Purple and Gold improved to 43-25.

During a postgame interview with NBC, Doncic praised his response and his defensive effort in the final period, holding the Rockets under 100 points and handing them only their ninth loss at home.

“It was great. I thought we shared the ball well, especially in the last quarter,” said the NBA’s leading scorer.

“To hold them (the Rockets) to 92 points is awesome. We did a great job defensively.”

Houston is averaging 114.1 points per game.

Doncic, 27, also acknowledged the physicality of the game, which he said has been a clear theme amid his winning streak.

“We could have done a lot better, but what matters is that we won, we have to keep it going,” Doncic said.

“The last few games have been very physical, very playoff-like.”

Luka said tonight felt like a playoff game pic.twitter.com/fpCT49LtX6

– Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) 17 March 2026

The Lakers have been on a tough schedule, surviving the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. They will face the Rockets again on Wednesday.

LeBron James had 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals against Houston, while also had a spectacular dunk on Jabari Smith Jr.

Austin Reeves had 15 points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Atlanta Hawks extended their winning streak to nine games with a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon, a feat the franchise had not accomplished since the 2014–15 season.

Atlanta’s latest win continues the team’s lead through the Eastern Conference and is the franchise’s longest winning streak since the 2014–15 campaign, when the Hawks finished 60–22 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The current run has helped Atlanta gain momentum in the playoff race while solidifying its position in the middle of the conference standings.

CJ McCollum led the way offensively against Milwaukee and scored 30 points while adding three rebounds, two assists and a steal. The veteran guard had an efficient performance, shooting 10 of 18 from the field and 7 of 10 from three-point range, while converting 3 of 4 free throws in 27 minutes.

Jalen Johnson had one of the most complete performances of the night, recording a triple-double with 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Johnson made 10 of 20 shots from the field, including 2 of 5 from beyond the arc, and added one free throw in 35 minutes, as he helped control the tempo of the game on both ends of the floor.

Atlanta Hawks have won 9 games in a row 🔥

The longest active winning streak in the NBA and the franchise’s longest since the 2014–15 season. pic.twitter.com/BF1leJpc5N

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 14 March 2026

Nine straight wins have moved the Hawks closer to the Eastern Conference top six

The balanced effort highlighted Atlanta’s recent strong play, which has seen the team return to postseason contention. With the win, the Hawks improved to 36–31 on the season and moved closer to the Miami Heat (38–29), 2.5 games behind the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

Atlanta’s nine-game winning streak currently stands as the longest active streak in the NBA, underscoring the team’s momentum as the regular season enters its final stretch. The Hawks have benefited from improved offensive execution and consistent contributions throughout the roster during the streak.

The team will now look to build on its performance on Monday night when it hosts the Orlando Magic (37-28). The matchup, scheduled for 7:00 pm ET on Peacock and NBCSN, will serve as the final game of Atlanta’s five-game homestand and will have significant playoff implications as the Eastern Conference race tightens.

Tottenham Hotspur have been described as Atletico Madrid’s “favourite” opponents in the Champions League draw in Spain – but there is a clear caveat attached.

in a column for AS, journalist FJ Diaz Atlético claim that “the draw has not made their performance worse. Quite the contrary”. However, he immediately adds context that Spurs supporters will find interesting.

According to Diaz, “supporters and players preferred Tottenham over Liverpool in this round of 16 tie”. The logic is simple. Liverpool are too familiar rivals for Atlético, while Spurs were seen as the more attractive option.

Still, Spanish journalists are uneasy about the narrative being built around the tie.

He writes: “Atletico can eliminate Tottenham, because they have the squad and the level to do it.” Yet he follows it up with a clear warning: “I don’t like, and certainly Simeone doesn’t like, that Atletico are being labeled as favourites.”

In fact, Díaz reminds readers that “whenever Atlético has been considered the favourite, things have not gone entirely well.”

This caution explains a lot about how Tottenham are viewed in Madrid.

Spurs are still seen as Premier League giants

Despite Tottenham’s domestic struggles, Diaz insisted that they “remain one of the big clubs in the Premier League, even if they are at the bottom of the table.”

So while Atlético may feel privately satisfied, the Spanish press are careful not to write off Igor Tudor’s side.

Conspiracy has also been added regarding two Tottenham players.

Conor Gallagher, who previously played for Atletico, will face his former club. Diaz notes that Gallagher was not successful in Madrid, but “left a good memory at the Metropolitano.” That subplot ensures that the tie-in has an emotional edge.

Meanwhile, Cristian Romero was Atletico’s big objective in the last summer transfer window to strengthen the defence. According to the excerpt, Romero “did everything to come through,” but This move ultimately failed.

Romero is ready to step out in the summer and Atleti remains one of the contenders. He will now go up against Diego Simeone, who reportedly fought hard to sign him.

what happens next

The Spanish tale is unfolding for Tottenham. On the surface, Atletico are happy. Below, there is the concern of carrying favorite tags. AS have made it clear that overconfidence has hurt Simeone’s side before.

Spurs could be draw favorites. However, in Spain there is no sense that this would be straightforward.

Whatever happens, Madrid’s warning shows Atlético know exactly who they are up against.

The Houston Rockets took on the hapless Sacramento Kings in quick action on Wednesday night. They already had a 27-point lead at halftime, and as a result, some of their best players, including Alpern Sengun and Kevin Durant, did not have much need to play extended minutes. But compared to the Kings, the Rockets stars didn’t need to play much time to do their damage.

In fact, in their win over the Kings, Sengun recorded his third triple-double of the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in annihilation of the shorthanded Sacramento frontline. In doing so, the Rockets star made a little history.

Despite only being 23 years old, Seungun now has the 10th-most 25/10/10 games by a center in NBA history, as reported by the Real App account on X (formerly Twitter).

Sengun remains the Rockets’ primary offensive center, and has served as the team’s de facto point guard this season amid an injury to Fred VanVleet. There have been tough moments for Sengun and the Rockets this season, but the Turkish star is at his best – a wrecking ball of a scorer in the paint who can make his teammates better by using his focus to create incredible looks.

All’s reportedly good for the struggling Rockets

Even though a lot of trouble is brewing for the Rockets this season, they somehow sit in third place in the Western Conference. It’s a testament to their high performance levels on a game-to-game basis that they remain one of the best teams in a stacked conference, even amid the team’s ridiculous inconsistencies.

It was the kind of win the Rockets needed – a solid win that allowed their best players to play fewer minutes than usual, especially as they faced a tough game against the Orlando Magic for the second straight match.