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• The Tennessee Titans defeated the Houston Texans 42-36 on Sunday.
• Tennessee’s offense generated a franchise best 601 total yards against the Texans.
• Derrick Henry also joined elite company with his third career game with 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The Tennessee Titans’ offense set a franchise record with 601 yards of total offense during their 42-36 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. That mark broke the previous team record of 583 yards which was set in 1991.

The #Titans gained a franchise record 601 yards from scrimmage today. Running back Derrick Henry accounted for roughly 43 percent of them with 264 yards. Story: https://t.co/bjZnZwtmcw

— Mike Hogan (@MHoganReports) October 19, 2020

The game also marked the first time in the history of the Titans/Oilers franchise where they had a 300-yard passer, 200-yard rusher, and 100-yard receiver in the same game. Ryan Tannehill passed for 364 yards while Derrick Henry rushed for 212 yards and Anthony Firkser caught eight passes for 113 yards. But while Tannehill and Firkser were impressive on Sunday, Derrick Henry stood out, carving his own history while leading the team to victory.

Hail Henry

Henry averaged 9.6 yards per carry on Sunday while rushing for a total of 212 yards with two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. First, Henry had a spectacular 94-yard touchdown run that gave he Titans a 29-23 lead:

THAT’S ROYALTY!

• The Lakers will revisit Derrick Rose trade talks with the Pistons this offseason.
• Los Angeles may need backcourt help with KCP and Rondo opting out of their contract.
• Rose averaged 18.1 points and 5.6 assists per game for the Detroit Pistons during the 2019-20 season.

It’s only been a week since the Lakers won the 2020 NBA title. And even before they can celebrate with a parade in front of their hometown fans, they are already faced with free agency issues.

Several Lakers are expected to opt out to the 2021 player options. The Likes of Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, and Javale McGee will hit the market when the free agency period starts. But while Davis is expected to return to the team next, season, there is a good possibility that KCP, and Rondo won’t. If that happens, then Los Angeles will have a huge void in their backcourt. To address that possible scenario, the defending NBA champions are reportedly revisiting an old trade target: Derrick Rose.

A potential D-Rose trade to the Lakers is “much more likely” than last season, an NBA GM told @SeanDeveney pic.twitter.com/pLXSTMiHkf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 18, 2020

Resuming Trade Talks

It can be recalled that these two teams talked about a trade for the 2011 NBA MVP before last February’s trade deadline. The Lakers wanted to bolster their lineup for a deep playoff run but the Pistons didn’t pull the trigger on the trade because the Detroit front office believed D-Rose’s value would rise after the season ended.

Los Angeles ended up addressing their backcourt need by signing Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith who didn’t play a significant role in their title run. This offseason, the Lakers need backcourt help again with Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope option out of their deals for next season. According to sources, Rondo may be back if he is willing to accept a one-year deal while KCP is looking for a longer deal which L.A. may not be willing to offer.

Detroit meanwhile, may be ready to give up Rose this time. Since their last discussion, the Pistons have been aggressive with a rebuild. Detroit ended up trading Andre Drummond for almost nothing to the Cavaliers. They also agreed ti buyout deals with key players Markieff Morris and Reggie Jackson.

Sources say Los Angeles may be ready to part with the underperforming Kyle Kuzma who is headed for restricted free agency next offseason. Giving Kuzma a rookie scale extension would disrupt the Lakers’ plan of preserving salary cap flexibility for the 2021 offseason where they plan to add an impact player.

Derrick Rose drills the game winner against the Pelicans

Christian Torres' 93rd minute goal gave LAFC a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sunday night in Portland.

The 16-year-old forward, who entered as a substitute in the 75th minute, scored his first goal of the season, and LAFC stole two points from the Timbers.

Jeremy Ebobisse's goal early in the second half stood for the Portland Timbers until extra time in the second half, but the Timbers couldn't hold on outshooting LAFC 16-9.

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LAFC got five saves from goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega to keep his team in contention.

The Timbers had the better of the first-half chances in a scoreless opening stanza. They had 10 shots and four were on target, including Felipe Mora's header that went wide in the 33rd minute; another Mora chance saved by Sisniega in the 38th minute; and a pair of Mora attempts from directly in front of the net turned away by Sisniega, who had four saves in the first half.

But it didn't take long for Portland to get on the board in the second half. Timbers captain Diego Valeri allowed Mora's pass at the top of the box to go between his legs to Ebobisse, whose hard bouncer eluded Sisniega for the game's first goal in the 47th minute.

Ebobisse took the team lead in goals with his eighth.

Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark was also a factor. He stopped a point-blank shot from Danny Musovski from the center of the box, and got back up quickly as Kwadwo Opoku's rebound missed just wide right in the 61st minute.

Clark had four saves for Portland, which has lost just once in its last eight games.

• Brian Ortega defeated the Korean Zombie in the main event of UFC Fight Island 6 on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
• Ortega outclassed Chan Sung Jung on the feet, landing 127 strikes on the Korean Zombie and connecting at a 59% clip.
• UFC President Dana White said two days before the fight that the winner of Ortega vs Korean Zombie will get the next crack at Alex Volkanovski’s belt.

No-hair Brian Ortega looked just as good as long-haired T-City.

Many were surprised to see a hairless Brian Ortega during the UFC Fight Island 6 weigh-ins. Many were also surprised at how good Ortega looked on his feet despite a long layoff. More were even shocked at how he dominated the Korean Zombie on Saturday night.

Ortega has always been known for his grappling. But on Saturday night, he looked like a different fighter. Not only did he show a renewed sense of purpose, but he also showed a a diverse striking game that kept the Korean Zombie guessing. He chipped away with punches and kicks while also mixing those with nasty elbows.

A Different Fighter

THE SPINNING ELBOW

Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney didn't mince words on Sunday when addressing the decision against presenting the Supporters' Shield this season.

The Supporters' Shield is given annually to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular-season record.

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The decision against handing out the award was reached by the Supporters' Shield Foundation, which gives out the honor on behalf of the Independent Supporters Council. The award was created in the formative years of MLS and awarded in 1998 for the first time.

"My players are [expletive]. It is a huge sign of disrespect to the players," Vanney told TSN. "It has arguably been the most difficult season in the history of our league where people have put their health at risk to play and put games on television for fans. This season required a huge commitment from all the teams -- people were genuinely afraid for their health.

"It's a disgraceful decision that delegitimizes the whole idea of the Shield in our opinion. Those who made the decision are like kids in a park who take the ball away when the game isn't going their way. It's childish and a symbol that they don't know how sports operates."

Toronto FC (11-2-5, 38 points) have the most points in the MLS and were bidding to win the award for the second time in four years.

Five teams have won the Supporters' Shield multiple times: LA Galaxy and D.C. United (four), Columbus Crew SC and New York Red Bulls (three) and San Jose Earthquakes (two). The Supporters' Shield winner has gone on to win the MLS Cup seven times.

The Supporters' Shield Foundation released the following statement upon announcing its decision on Saturday:

"After much consideration and discussion, the Supporters' Shield Foundation has decided to forego awarding the Supporters' Shield for the 2020 season. This is not an easy decision to make. With the inability for supporters to be in attendance and fill their stadiums with passion, however, we feel as though the current climate goes against the spirit of the Shield.

"The Supporters' Shield Foundation stands with our players and our supporters in knowing that this year has been one of many challenges, and we commend the support and effort given to making the best of the 2020 season as it has been."

Jose Mourinho has claimed Gareth Bale's cameo role for Tottenham against West Ham should serve as a warning to his squad that no player is guaranteed his place in the starting lineup.

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The 31-year-old was restricted to 18 minutes against the Hammers on Sunday, coming on with Spurs 3-0 up only for the visitors to mount a dramatic comeback to earn a 3-3 draw.

Heung-Min Son's first-minute strike and a brace from Harry Kane had set Tottenham on course for a routine win, only for Fabian Balbuena and Manuel Lanzini to hit back either side of Davinson Sanchez's 85th-minute own goal.

Moments before Lanzini equalised with a stunning long-range strike in the last kick of the game, Bale missed an opportunity to score a fourth Spurs goal when cutting inside from the right only to fire wide with Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski beaten.

Bale's return has been much anticipated ever since he agreed to come back to the club he left seven years ago on a season-long loan having been frozen out of the first-team picture at Real Madrid, but Mourinho said: "The decision not to start him I think was a good decision. A decision to show that he doesn't have a beautiful chair waiting for him in the team and he sits there the first time he can.

"It was a message to the team that in this team, everybody has to fight for positions. He is very well accepted in the group. Everybody likes him and I believe he likes what he found here.

"Everything is positive and the focus of course was not on him, it was on the game and he was on the bench for 65 minutes or so. It is a pity that he couldn't score that fourth goal that was a beauty and would kill the game but that's football."

Tottenham's attack really is going to have to be the best around if they keep defending like they did in Sunday's 3-3 draw vs. West Ham. Gareth Bale's second coming at Spurs inevitably drew the focus before the Hammers' visit, and the 31-year-old had the chance to write the perfect script, leaving Angelo Ogbonna on the turf as he cut inside and unleashed a left-foot shot in stoppage time.

Bale's shot flashed wide of Lukasz Fabianski's left-hand post and the moment evaporated. Instead of providing the storybook homecoming, Bale's miss instead encapsulated how clinical Spurs need to be given a porous back-line that somehow contrived to throw away a 3-0 lead in the most dramatic of circumstances.

It was yet another example of Tottenham's lack of a winning mentality or that ruthlessness Mourinho has identified as the major obstacle preventing them from lifting silverware.

The Premier League is throwing up high-scoring matches throughout the division this season -- Spurs know this only too well, having thrashed Manchester United last time out -- but teams still have to translate their superiority to the scoreline when they enjoy the better periods of play. Tottenham did that emphatically at Old Trafford, and it appeared they had done so again here, racing into a 3-0 lead against a West Ham side completely flummoxed by Harry Kane's movement.

Midway through the first half, Hammers boss David Moyes could be heard trying to add his voice to a strained conversation between centre-back Angelo Ogbonna and midfielder Declan Rice. Each appeared to be arguing the other should be responsible for picking up Kane, who was readily finding space behind Rice and his central midfield partner, Tomas Soucek.

"His hold-up play is on another level," Rice said afterwards. "We had trouble dealing with him."

What an understatement. Spurs took the lead after just 46 seconds as Kane launched a superb raking pass over the top for Son Heung-Min, who curled home a shot with the unerring inevitability that comes from a partnership in such devastating form. Kane then collected Son's pass, nutmegged Rice and drove home a second, before Sergio Reguilon swung over a left-wing cross for the England captain to head home a third.

That header was Kane's only touch in the box during a first half in which Mourinho's blueprint looked crystal clear. With Kane dropping deep to turn provider, Son and Steven Bergwijn repeatedly burst forward to stretch a Hammers defence caught between closing down Kane and pushing too high up the pitch to leave themselves vulnerable in behind.

Son and Kane's understanding looked telepathic. With five goals and seven assists, Kane set a Premier League record for goal involvements in the first five matches of a season. The pair have now combined for 28 League goals, a tally only bettered in the division's history by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard (36), Thierry Henry and Robert Pires (29) and Sergio Aguero and David Silva (29).

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Sunday's match threatened to be another dismantling of a bewildered opponent in the manner Spurs beat United, but instead it bore the hallmarks of their previous League home game against Newcastle, when they simply failed to kill the game off. Kane forced Fabianski into a low save and later hit the post at the end of another wonderful sweeping move, all before the improbable comeback began.

Fabian Balbuena headed home Aaron Cresswell's 82nd-minute free-kick, and Davison Sanchez turned Vladimir Coufal's cross into his own net three minutes later. The visitors had improved markedly after half-time -- Mourinho could be apportioned some blame here, as he was unable to stop Michail Antonio's growing influence when Moyes switched him to the wide-left channel -- but nobody anticipated Lanzini's stunning equaliser, struck first-time from distance and finding the top corner.

Mourinho argued with some credibility afterwards that Spurs are not showing signs of structural flaws at the back given they are primarily conceding from set pieces, and so perhaps one telling, almost throwaway line in a postmatch television interview offered the most damning explanation.

As West Ham's comeback gathered pace, Mourinho argued "their belief went up and my guys were not strong enough to cope with it psychologically." He refused to elaborate on that point when pushed, despite West Ham offering some neat symmetry as Mourinho's first opponents when they raced into a 3-0 lead at the London Stadium last November, only to concede twice late in the game and hang on for a 3-2 win.

"I don't want to go there," he said. "We have new players -- we play much better than last season. I can also say the same about West Ham. West Ham is today a much better team than when Moyes arrived. The team is in evolution; we know how we want to play. We score lots of goals.

"I think there is a great evolution in the team, even defensively the team is much better than before. That's why I was saying before, to look to the goals that we concede, it was only Danny Ings [in a 5-2 win at Southampton].

"After that, was penalty Newcastle, penalty Man United, another penalty at Southampton. Today, two lateral free kicks and an own goal. Defensively, we are much stronger, but in the last part of the game, this happened and sometimes it is difficult to explain."

There had been so much to like about Tottenham prior to their collapse. Tanguy Ndombele was a marauding presence in midfield, hinting at a resurrection that would add valuable resilience to their midfield, while that one flash of Bale's threat cutting in off the right offered a glimpse of the Son-Bale-Kane triumvirate that has so many Tottenham supporters salivating.

Mourinho has described the strength in depth that Spurs have up front as the best-ever group in terms of numbers he has assembled in his managerial career, which is no small accolade given his time at the helm of Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United. Meanwhile, little blame could be placed on Bale's late profligacy, given this was his first appearance at club level since June 24 following a game and a half with Wales on international duty.

"It is a pity that he couldn't score that fourth goal that [would have been] a beauty and would kill the game, but that's football," said Mourinho. It is a regret Tottenham cannot afford to repeat.

Tottenham threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 against West Ham United at home on Sunday.

Manuel Lanzini scored a stunner in stoppage-time to rescue a point for David Moyes' side.

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Spurs went 3-0 ahead after a Harry Kane double and Son Heung-Min goal in the first half. Fabian Balbeuna and a Davinson Sanchez own goal got the visitors back in the game in the last 10 minutes before Lanzini's strike.

"My guys were not strong enough to cope with it psychologically," Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports after the match. "The last few seconds we lost two points.

"I told them to be aware of set-pieces against, which we knew they were very strong. David found in Soucek his new Fellaini. They fought very hard to be lucky, so I praise them.

"This is a game that was in the pocket and we lost two points."

Gareth Bale also made his first appearance since his return to the club after coming on in the second half.

The hosts took the lead inside the first minute when Kane played a through ball to Son who finished with a curling shot.

Son quickly returned the favour when he set up Kane who nutmegged Declan Rice and produced a low drive into the corner.

Kane scored his second after 16 minutes when he headed home from Sergio Reguilon's cross.

West Ham should have reduced the deficit just after the break but Pedro Fornals produced one of the misses of the season when his close range header went over the bar.

Bale come on after 70 minutes and his first touch was a free kick which was comfortably saved by Lukasz Fabianski.

Kane almost bagged his hat trick but his left-footed shot hit the post before West Ham responded with Balbeuna and a Sanchez own goal.

Bale came close to scoring in the final stages but his shot went narrowly wide before Lanzini struck from long range to equalise.

"We should remember this feeling forever so it never happens again," Son told BBC Sport after the game.

"It is just so sad that we lost a big two points, when we as a collective played so well and as a team dominated and controlled the game, to draw the game feels like we lost."

NFL expert Tom Selwyn (@Tom_Selwyn) shares his expert opinion on the best bets available from Monday night's action from Week 6.

Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys | Tuesday 20th October 2020, 01:15 | Sky Sports

Dak Prescott’s horrible injury dominated the headlines the last time that Dallas took the field, but now the attention turns to long-time Bengal Andy Dalton who was able to lead Dallas to the win in relief of Prescott. Dalton has led his old team to the playoffs multiple times and given the talent that the Cowboys still have at the skill positions, I think they’re in good hands.

They’ll certainly need to retain the high level of scoring they’ve had (third in the league at 32.6 points a game) as their defence has been woeful. They’re last in terms of points given up (36 a game), 27th for yards (404.4) and have basically failed to stop anybody they’ve faced so far.

It’s this defence that has to be the reason the Cardinals are favoured on the road as Arizona has not been playing particularly well of late. They had the ultimate get-right game in the Jets last week, winning that one 30 – 10, but lost their two games prior to that against the Lions and the Panthers.

Arizona’s defence has looked pretty suspect, despite vaguely credible numbers, and is now without their best player in Chandler Jones. The defence not being great I think most people expected going into the season, but the offense has failed to live up to expectations so far in Kyler Murray’s second season.

The acquisition (or theft as it certainly appeared to be!) of DeAndre Hopkins was supposed to push the offense to the next level, but seems to have turned into an offense that tries far too hard to force it to him.

In my view, there’s only one elite unit in this game and that’s the Dallas offense – even with Dalton at QB – and I will be more than happy to take the Cowboys at home at evens

Best Bets

Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys – Dallas Cowboys to win (1/1 William Hill)

With Gareth Bale subbing on for Tottenham against West Ham in the 72nd minute on Sunday, we've published this recollection of the last time he made his first appearance for the club.

Gareth Bale had been a Tottenham Hotspur player for just over three months when he was named in the first team, on the left wing, against Manchester United for his debut on Aug. 26, 2007. Having been linked with a move to United and Arsenal, he had joined Spurs from Southampton for a bargain fee of £5 million (plus £5m of add-ons), although the 18-year-old Welshman still hadn't settled on a position and was flitting between defence and midfield.

Clearly, Bale had potential, but his Spurs career started disastrously. United ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Nani's first goal for the club; he later picked up a season-ending injury in December and did not enjoy a win in his first 24 Premier League games for Spurs, until the drought was broken two years later against Burnley in September 2009.

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Bale's career took off after that and although he did not manage to help Spurs to a trophy, he won the PFA Footballer of the Year awards in 2011 and 2013, with his final season at White Hart Lane yielding 21 goals in 34 Premier League games. Soon he was on a plane to Real Madrid, having signed for a then-world record fee of £85.3m, where he went on to win two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

Now back at Tottenham on loan after his time in Madrid turned sour, we look back at Bale's first go-round with the team 13 years ago and see where that matchday squad are now.

GK: Paul Robinson. The goalkeeper won 41 caps for England and remained Spurs' No. 1 until 2008, when he was replaced by Heurelho Gomes. He moved to Blackburn for £3.5m in July 2008 and then spent time with Burnley from 2015 to 2017 before retiring in July 2017. He's now a TV pundit, is studying for his coaching badges and plays cricket for local side Knaresborough with fellow former goalkeeper Nigel Martyn.

DF: Pascal Chimbonda. The right-back moved to Sunderland in 2008, had three appearances back at Spurs and then embarked on a nomadic career that took in Blackburn, QPR, Doncaster Rovers, Market Drayton Town (where he played for free), Carlisle United, AC Arles-Avignon, Washington and Ashton Town. He now runs the PC39 Academy in Manchester.

DF: Ricardo Rocha. Rocha's time at Spurs was underwhelming, and he made just 18 appearances before leaving for Standard Liege in 2009 on a free transfer. The Portugal defender had his final three years at Portsmouth from 2010-2013, where he tried to land a role as director of football. He's now doing some TV punditry work in Portugal.

DF: Anthony Gardner. The one-cap England centre-back made 143 appearances for Spurs before moving to Everton and Hull City on loan. He joined Hull permanently in 2008 for £2.9m, and spent time at Crystal Palace and then Sheffield Wednesday before retiring in 2014. He's now playing poker for fun under the username MaceWindu1 and is part of the Two Touch football agency.

DF: Lee Young-pyo. The South Korean left-back joined Borussia Dortmund in 2008 for £450k, after making 92 appearances from 2005-2008 at Spurs. He went on to play for Al-Hilal and Vancouver Whitecaps before retiring in 2013. He's now an avid lover of cycling, running and badminton, while he also makes a few appearances in charity matches.

MF: Steed Malbranque. The French midfielder joined Spurs in 2006 from Fulham for £2.7m and had two seasons at White Hart Lane before moving to Sunderland for £4.5m in 2008. He then spent time with Saint-Etienne, Lyon, SM Caen and MDA Chasselay and having left there in 2019, it looked like he was going to head into retirement. But, remarkably, in September -- at the age of 40 -- he signed for French Championnat National 3 side FC Limonest.

MF: Jermaine Jenas. The England midfielder made 201 appearances for Spurs, and after loan spells at Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, he left for QPR in July 2014 on a free transfer. In January 2016 he was forced into retirement at the age of 31 after an ACL injury and is now a successful TV pundit and co-commentator.

MF: Tom Huddlestone. Huddlestone, who won four caps for England, enjoyed seven seasons at Spurs before moving to Hull City in August 2013 for £5.2m. After 161 appearances there, he then moved to Derby in 2017 and was released in July after 183 games for the Rams. At 33, he's on the lookout for a new club.

MF: Gareth Bale. The outrageously talented Welsh winger left Spurs for Real Madrid in September 2013 and won four Champions Leagues -- scoring an incredible overhead kick in the 2018 final against Liverpool -- and two La Liga titles, but found himself out of favour under Zinedine Zidane. He nearly moved to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning in July 2019 but the deal fell through, so he had a further season at Real Madrid before moving back to Spurs on loan in September 2020.

FW: Robbie Keane. The prolific Republic of Ireland centre-forward called time on his career in November 2018, leaving an outstanding legacy in the game and 364 goals across his 21 years in club and international football. He left Spurs in 2008 for Liverpool in a deal worth £21m, but then re-joined Tottenham just six months later for £15m. He then spent time on loan at Celtic and West Ham before joining MLS side LA Galaxy in 2011. He returned to Villa on loan and had a brief spell with Indian team ATK in 2017 before hanging up his boots a year later. He's now embarking on a coaching career and has been an assistant for Ireland under Mick McCarthy, and again at Middlesbrough under Jonathan Woodgate.

FW: Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian made 102 appearances for Spurs and scored 46 goals before joining Manchester United for £30.75m in September 2008. Four and a half years on, he moved to Fulham, and then had spells at Monaco, PAOK Salonika and Kerala Blasters before retiring in April 2018. The mercurial striker is now working as a football pundit and plans to take his coaching badges.

Substitutes

GK: Radek Cerny. The Czech goalkeeper spent three seasons at Spurs before joining QPR in 2008 on a free transfer. He made 78 appearances there and then re-joined boyhood side Slavia Prague in 2013 on a free before retiring in July 2014. He is still at the club as a goalkeeping coach.

DF: Paul Stalteri. The Canada right-back joined Spurs on a free from Werder Bremen in July 2005 and made 56 appearances. Spells at Fulham and Borussia Monchengladbach followed until he retired in March 2013. He is now assistant manager at Canadian Premier League side York9 FC.

MF: Didier Zokora. The Ivory Coast midfielder played for Spurs until 2009 before spending time at Sevilla, Trabzonspor, Akhisar Belediyespor, Pune City, North East United and Semen Padang. He's now doing a sports management degree at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny University in Cocody and is sports adviser to the Ivory Coast's National Technical Department.

MF: Adel Taarabt. The talented midfielder failed to make an impact at Spurs and spent much of his three years out on loan at QPR. He joined them on a permanent deal in 2010 and spent further time on loan at Fulham and Milan before moving to Benfica in 2015. He spent time at Genoa, again on loan, for the 2017-18 campaign and is still at the Portuguese giants where started their league opener this season against Famalicao.

FW: Jermain Defoe. The 37-year-old is still ruthless in front of goal, causing defenders in the Scottish Premiership problems with Rangers. He left Spurs in 2008 for Portsmouth, but was brought back the following January for £15m. He had another five years at Spurs until leaving for Toronto FC in 2014. Spells at Sunderland and Bournemouth followed and he's now at Rangers having joined Steven Gerrard's side permanently (after a loan move) in July 2020. He also left a long-standing legacy on the international scene with an impressive 20 goals in 57 games for England.

MANAGER: Martin Jol. Jol was sacked by Spurs at half-time in their UEFA Cup match against Getafe in October 2007 and was replaced by Juande Ramos. Jol went on to manage Hamburg, Ajax, Fulham and Al-Ahly. He's now technical director at Dutch Eredivisie side Ado Den Haag.

Virgil van Dijk will undergo knee surgery and is facing a battle to play again this season after scans confirmed that the Liverpool defender suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Saturday's 2-2 draw against Everton.

Van Dijk was injured in the fifth minute of the 237th Merseyside derby following a challenge by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, which went unpunished by match referee Michael Oliver and VAR officials.

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Although Van Dijk was able to walk off the pitch following treatment by the Liverpool physiotherapist, scans confirmed that the 29-year-old suffered cruciate ligament damage in the incident and, as a result, faces months on the sideline.

Liverpool sources have told ESPN that a timescale on Van Dijk's recovery period is impossible to gauge until the player has undergone surgery, but sources are reluctant to rule out a return to action this season.

The club has yet to set a date for Van Dijk's surgery because of the necessity for the swelling around the knee joint to subside sufficiently for the player to be operated on. Liverpool have also still to decide which surgeon will take charge of the procedure.

The loss of Van Dijk, a £75 million signing from Southampton in January 2018, is a major blow for Jurgen Klopp's Premier League champions, who begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to the Netherlands to face Ajax in Amsterdam on Wednesday.

Van Dijk has been a crucial presence at the heart of Liverpool's defence since arriving from Southampton and, until limping out of the Everton game, had played every minute of the team's 74 Premier League fixtures prior to the clash at Goodison Park -- a run dating back to September 2018.

He has also become a key figure for the Netherlands, and his injury means that coach Frank de Boer could be forced to plan next summer's Euro 2020 tournament without his most experienced centre-half.