Browsing: Time

The finals of the Last Time Is Now Tournament took place on the December 5, 2025 episode of WWE SmackDown at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. LA Knight and Gunther met in the closing match of a bracket, and everyone was watching that match go down.

John Cenaâ€s final opponent for Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event on December 13, 2025 has been decided. Now, it looks like all WWE needs to do is hype the match over the next week. Only time will tell how it all turns out, but the IC Title isnâ€t in the picture after Cena dropped the title back to Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series: WarGames.

This match went down as the main event of the show, and it had a lot of hype behind it. Fans were rallying online for LA Knight to get the win, but GUNTHER was also a very stiff competitor. GUNTHER was entering this match with an impressive statistic, as he had never lost a non-title singles match in his WWE career.

Mark Nash really gave this match a big fight feel thanks to his ring introductions. After they traded some stiff shots, the match went to a commercial break. When we got back to the match, LA Knight was able to hit an AA and a burning hammer, a move that is usually banned, for a long two count before they cut to another commercial break.

GUNTHER took some more offense from LA Knight, including a suplex off a reversal. Fans were all behind Knight, but then GUNTHER nailed a T-Rex dropkick, but LA Knight countered a powerbomb into a DDT. Then, Knight climbed the top rope and hit an elbow drop for a near fall.

Near the end, GUNTHER hit two splashes on LA Knight for a near fall. GUNTHER powerbombed Knight after that, but the Mega Star kicked out of that as well. LA Knight hit a BFT out of nowhere, but GUNTHER got his foot on the bottom rope. Finally, GUNTHER got his sleeper hold in, and he wore Knight down with elbow strikes until he got Knight down with the hold still on. Knight tried to fight out of it, and he got GUNTHER on his shoulders, but then the Ring General pummeled him down with more elbows and then he got a crossface on. Finally, LA Knight tapped out, giving the win to GUNTHER.

In the semifinal round, LA Knight defeated Jey Uso, and Gunther beat Solo Sikoa. Those results set up the final match between Knight and Gunther. This was quite a match to close out SmackDown, and it will set up an amazing final match for John Cena in Washington, DC.

Whatâ€s your take on John Cenaâ€s final opponent? Who do you think will win at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

December 5, 2025 10:04 pm

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LA Knight gave a stern warning to Gunther ahead of their Last Time Is Now Tournament finals on WWE SmackDown.

The December 5 episode of Friday Night SmackDown featured one of the most important weekly matches in the history of WWE. The Finals of the Last Time Is Now Tournament between Knight and Gunther was scheduled for the night in the main event. Right after Ilja Dragunov’s US title open challenge against Carmelo Hayes, Knight appeared backstage with Cathy Kelley, who had sharp words for the Ring General ahead of their match.

LA Knight Warns Gunther Before Last Time is Now Tournament Finals on SmackDown

Knight, in all confidence, appeared for the backstage interview. Kelley asked him about facing multiple mystery opponents in the tournament and still succeeding and reaching the finals, but now, as he faces Gunther, how sure he is of his victory. Knight gave a brilliant answer,

I don’t want repeat myself too much, but I’ve already said before. I’ll say it again. As far as dream opponents things like that. I
don’t really care about that. What I care about is if I beat John Cena, that means I cement my legacy. Now, there’s one man standing in my way, but the last time is now. The last time is now for either me or for Gunther.

Now you got to think about it. Gunther is a former intercontinental Champion. He’s a former world heavyweight champion, but you don’t understand. You’re looking in the eyes right now of an unstoppable force. Something you ain’t never seen before. Something you ain’t ready for. So I tell you what Gunther, it’s gonna be a bit of a fight.

And if it’s a fight you want? Alright, alright, alright. You can get dropped on your head, like all the rest, with everybody saying. L! A! Knight! YEAH!” (0:16 – 1:16)

The last time is NOW!

LA Knight has a message for Gunther ahead of their match tonight 😤 pic.twitter.com/xWAPeb3S96

— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2025

Knight began the tournament against his first mystery opponent, Zack Ryder, and overcame the challenge to proceed to the next round. He was scheduled to face Sheamus, but the Celtic Warrior ended up getting injured and replaced by another mystery opponent, who turned out to be The Miz. Knight overcame the Awesome One and faced Jey Uso, beating him surprisingly.

Now, just one last obstacle remains in his way: Gunther, and it would be interesting to see who wins the match or what chaos erupts during the finals, and who goes on to retire John Cena on Saturday, December 13.

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Hunter Haight has been with the team for seven games. He has not played in any of those games. Sometimes having a young guy be with the team on the road trip or any game for that matter, can be a great thing for their development.

Haight, 21, was fantastic in training camp and in the preseason. He impressed the staff so much he made the team out of camp and started the season by playing in the first two games. He was then sent down.

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Since being called up, Haight was scratched for five games before he was sent down where he played in an AHL game with the Iowa Wild.

Minnesota called him back up for the road trip and he has been scratched for the last two games. The Wild’s fourth line is Liam Ohgren, Ben Jones and Tyler Pitlick.

The three of them have a combined zero points. Ohgren is a minus-3 in 15 games, Pitlick is a minus-2 in 17 games and Jones is a minus-5 in 15 games.

Jones, 26, is a seventh round draft pick and played in 26 games last year for Minnesota and didn’t record a point. He had three points last year all taken off because he ran into the goaltender and it was overturned for goalie interference.

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In 15 games this year and 43 in his NHL career over three seasons, Jones has zero points. Believe it or not, in 15 games this year Jones has not been on the ice for a single goal for. His expected goals numbers aren’t much better.

Jones’ on-ice expected goals is 31% which is the second worst on the Wild behind Ohgren. The line as a trio is tied for 22nd worst in the NHL for expected goals against per 60 minutes. They rank 262 out of 284 lines.

The trio ranks as the worst line in the NHL in expected goals for per 60 minutes. That is 284 out of 284. They have recorded 19 shots as a trio and have allowed 45. They rank dead last in Corsi For %. 284 out of 284. Do they allow shots?

You bet. 78.76 shots against (Corsi) per 60 minutes. Only three lines in the NHL have a worse rating. They also rank dead last in Fenwick and third to last in Fenwick against.

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What is Corsi and Fenwick?

Corsi counts all shot attempts, including shots on goal, missed shots, and blocked shots. Fenwick is a variation of Corsi that excludes blocked shots, counting only shots on goal, missed shots, and shots that hit the post.

So in conclusion, the data suggests they are one of the worst lines in the NHL when it comes to allowing offense and generating offense.

Meanwhile the Wild’s 47th overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft is sitting in the press box and the Wild’s 19th overall pick from the same Draft is playing between two guys who have combined for zero points in 32 games.

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Haight scored 20 goals in his rookie season in the AHL. He scored a few in the preseason this year and impressed the Wild. Maybe not enough though considering Jones, Pitlick and Ohgren are still playing.

It doesn’t seem to matter what Ohgren or anyone else around him does. He will continue to be sheltered and play limited minutes. Almost every one of his goals and assists in his career have come when he was playing in the top-nine.

At some point, development has to come with opportunity. Whether or not you believe Haight earned his call-up and this opportunity to play, he is here and if the fourth line is going to get caved in every game, itâ€s hard to justify Haight watching it happen instead of getting those minutes himself to grow.

The Wild have nothing to lose by putting him in but everything to learn. The results below him arenâ€t changing, but at least he could learn something by being out there.

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All data from Money Puck.com.

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Evaluating The Fit: Should The Minnesota Wild Target Kiefer Sherwood?

Evaluating The Fit: Should The Minnesota Wild Target Kiefer Sherwood? The Minnesota Wild’s turnaround sparks trade talks. Could gritty winger Kiefer Sherwood’s physical game and scoring touch solidify their revamped middle-six?

– A Historic Start: Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt Joins Nearly Century-Old Company With Record Rookie Surge.

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– ‘That One’s Not Going Anywhere’: Inside Jesper Wallstedt’s Signature Win Celebration.

– Minnesota Wild Get Marco Rossi Injury Update, Timeline For Return.

– Kirill Kaprizov Becomes Fastest Player In Wild History To 200 Goals.

– Wild Will Commit To A Goalie Rotation Between Gustavsson and Wallstedt.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:In this episode of PWTorch Dailycast series “Acknowledging WWE,” Javier Machado and Mike Meyers acknowledge:

• Survivor Series: WarGames review
• The issue with scheduled gimmick matches
• Men’s WarGames match; who was the masked man?
• Should Breakker win the title soon?
• What’s going on with Jey?
• The glory of Roguelikes and the pain of Soulslikes
• Women’s WarGames match; is the match better without the cages?
• Bayley and Lyra join the women’s tag team hunt
• Dominick defeats Cena with an unnecessary Liv Morgan swerve
• Faked “real” injuries in wrestling matches
• When the reasons behind a rule are forgotten, logic issues arise
• Vaquer defeats Nikki Bella
• Finals of the Last Time Is Now Tournament set
• Is Gunther primed for a babyface run?
• …and more

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Fifa’s big idea is to set up the best chance of blockbuster ties in the latter stages of the World Cup.

So for the first time it is giving special seeding status to the top four in the world rankings – Spain, Argentina, France and England.

Crucially, this status will only apply if the countries win their groups.

Let’s take a look at how it will work, using England as our example.

Each of the four countries will be drawn into a group in a different coloured quadrant of the bracket, as shown in the image below.

Spain (ranked 1) and Argentina (2) must be in opposite halves and cannot meet until the final, likewise France (3) and England (4).

France and England would not be able to meet either Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals.

Let’s say that France come out first and go into Group C, placing them into the green quadrant on the right side of the draw. That means England can only go into the blue or turquoise quadrants on the left side, groups E, F, G, H or I.

If Argentina then drop into the blue quadrant, that further restricts England only to turquoise – groups G or H.

Are the four seeds being given an easy ride? Not necessarily.

Each quadrant has a potential last-16 tie between two group winners. For instance, the blue quadrant has a meeting of the winners of Group E and Group I. That means a seeded team could meet another pot one side, let’s say perhaps Brazil.

Being drawn into groups C, F, H or J looks potentially more favourable, as it is not possible to play another group winner until the quarter-finals.

If one of the four seeded teams finishes as group runners-up, then they lose the ranking privilege.

So if England were to finish second in Group H, they would move out of turquoise and into red – perhaps meeting Spain, Argentina or France as the winners of Group J in the first knockout round.

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• Tim Bontemps

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  Tim Bontemps

  ESPN Senior Writer

  Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.

• Dave McMenamin

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  Dave McMenamin

  ESPN Staff Writer

  • Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
  • Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

Dec 4, 2025, 10:05 PM ET

Editor’s note: This file was originally published on Jan. 25, 2023. On Dec. 4, 2025, in Toronto, James’ double-digit scoring streak ended after 1,297 games. The streak began more than 18 years ago.

LEBRON JAMES IS well-known for his uncanny ability to recall specific moments from any point throughout his pro basketball career, whether it occurred minutes or even years prior.

But when asked earlier this week about the milestone he reached Thursday — going 16 years and 1,125 regular-season games without scoring fewer than 10 points — James was stumped.

“Really?” he told ESPN. “I don’t remember it.”

It turns out James isn’t alone.

The game no one seems to recall? It was Jan. 5, 2007, a Cleveland Cavaliers’ 95-86 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks during James’ fourth season in the NBA.

His line: nine assists, five rebounds, 3-for-13 shooting from the field in 43 minutes.

And eight points.

Cavaliers starting lineup: Jan. 5, 2007 (at Bucks)

PLAYERPOS.MINFG3PTFTREBASTSTLBLKTOFOULSPTSDrew GoodenPF3613-200-05-6162102431LeBron JamesSF433-130-42-25910218Zydrunas IlgauskasC335-150-01-182051511Eric SnowPG392-40-00-28610244Larry HughesSG367-174-64-745111022

“When I went to look at the box score I was like, ‘Well, maybe I had a good game,'” Donyell Marshall, now an assistant with the G League’s Greensboro Swarm and a forward on that 2006-07 Cavaliers team, told ESPN. “Then I looked at the box score and I was like, ‘Well, I didn’t do anything either.'”

“If you’d asked me, ‘Do you remember having 30-plus and LeBron being in single digits?’ I would have expected to have some kind of memory of it,” Drew Gooden, a former Cavaliers forward and now working as an analyst for Washington Wizards broadcasts, told ESPN with a laugh.

There was one person, however, who had a crystal clear memory of what happened that night: then-Bucks coach Terry Stotts.

“I’ll be honest, I remember that game distinctly — and not because LeBron didn’t score 10,” Stotts told ESPN.

The final play of that Cleveland victory — a dunk by Michael Redd with 14.8 seconds to go — would turn out to be the beginning of the end of Stotts’ tenure in Milwaukee.

“Michael had a dunk in the last seconds of the game,” Stotts said. “A meaningless dunk. We were down nine.

“[But] he goes up to dunk the ball, and he did something to his knee and missed the next 20 games. … We went 3-17.”

And, a little over two months later — after Milwaukee entered that Cavaliers game with a .500 record, and with wins in seven of their prior nine games — Stotts was fired. He would later go on to have a successful nine-year run as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

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But while the game turned out to have significant consequences for the Bucks, for Cleveland it was simply another night on the way to a wildly successful season that ended with an NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

So while James’ former teammates couldn’t remember much about a random January game 16 years ago, the memories of playing alongside him remain strong.

“I’m amazed by how much he keeps developing and growing and figuring things out, all with the weight of the world on his shoulders,” Gooden said.

“He’s a real life superhero, who is always available.”

FOR MARSHALL, WHO spent parts of three seasons playing alongside James as part of a career that saw him play for eight different teams, his enduring memory of James was of someone who was dedicated to both improving and knowing the history of the game from a very young age.

“I played with a lot of superstars, but never one who studied the game from the age he was at the time,” Marshall said. “As soon as the game was over, he wanted [to watch] film.

“To me, a lot of guys today aren’t necessarily students of the game. A lot of guys didn’t know the players that played before him, that paved the way for him. He’s a guy, though, that knows Oscar Robertson’s stats. He knows Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar’s] stats. He knows Wilt Chamberlain’s stats.”

Not only did LeBron James take the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007, he also began a record streak that’s still going strong. Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Gooden, meanwhile, said what stood out to him was the way James, at every point throughout his life under a basketball microscope going back to his high school days at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, has always met the moments placed before him.

“Just him always figuring it out,” Gooden said. “Just being able to produce under pressure. I’ve known him since he was 15, so it’s a different perspective from knowing him over 26 years. …

“He had this Nike campaign, about how we were witnesses to his greatness. Well, we have all been witnesses. It’s just that. It’s that, plus more.”

NBA Christmas Day on ESPN and ABC

Thursday, Dec. 25
Cavaliers at Knicks, 12 p.m.
Spurs at Thunder, 2:30 p.m.
Mavericks at Warriors, 5 p.m.
Rockets at Lakers, 8 p.m.
Timberwolves at Nuggets, 10:30 p.m.

All times Eastern

To put James’ streak in perspective: Marshall played in 957 games across 15 NBA seasons. Gooden, meanwhile, played 790 across 14 years in the league — both far more, and far longer, than the average NBA player’s career.

“It’s actually more surprising he ever scored under 10 points than to say he hasn’t done it in 16 years,” Marshall said. “Early in your career, your rookie year, you’re going to have some games where you might not score over 10. But the greatness that he has displayed and all that he’s done, I would say I’m more surprised he had a game under 10 points than I am surprised about the streak.”

Former Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson, on the other hand, was a rookie that season. When asked about playing alongside James, Gibson immediately recalled his pre-draft workout ahead of the 2006 draft, when he was taken by Cleveland with the 42nd overall pick.

“I had a terrible workout in Houston, and then the Cavs were my second workout,” said Gibson, who is now an assistant coach with the G League’s Cleveland Charge, told ESPN. “And [LeBron] was there and I did amazing.

“After the workout, he came up to me and it just kind of gave me all of the confidence in the world. Being that he’s LeBron James, you’re [just] hoping for an opportunity on a roster — let alone him telling you he’d love that, if I was still available, to be on their roster.

“He instilled a lot of confidence in me and then that’s what I learned about him from the day I got to the Cavs, man. He was, to me, the best player in the world, and he was still the first person in the gym, last one to leave.”

“At first I was like, ‘That’s just another one of those records that’s kind of made up,’ but then I realized it’s not. It’s like a real record.”

LeBron James, on his streak of 1,125 regular-season games with at least 10 points

For his part, James said he doesn’t pay much attention to the regular-season game streak, saying it was only something he noted whenever it popped up on his social media timeline or was mentioned in the media.

And, he said, when he looks at box scores at halftime, his point total isn’t something he focuses on.

“I see it,” James said, “but the most things I look at are our team turnovers, the other team’s points off turnovers, fast-break points by our opponents, my personal turnovers.

“That’s pretty much it. I don’t look at the total points too much.”

THE CLOSEST JAMES came to breaking the streak was March 20, 2021, when he fell to the court in agony and frustration after spraining his ankle after landing on Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill.

It briefly looked like he might not be able to keep playing. But he managed to stay in long enough to hit a 3-pointer to get to 10 points before calling a timeout and leaving the game.

It would turn out to be the last game James would play for more than a month, though James said he wasn’t aware at the time of the ramifications of his made 3-pointer.

“Not until after the game,” James said.

Another noteworthy moment during the streak came during the 2017-18 regular-season finale against the New York Knicks, where James, whose goal was to play in all 82 games, immediately left the contest after scoring exactly 10 points in 11 minutes.

LeBron secures NBA scoring record

LeBron James has passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leader in regular-season points this season.

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While James’ double-digit points streak has become a bigger deal over time — particularly after he passed Michael Jordan’s previous record of 866 consecutive regular season games on March 30, 2018, in a Cavaliers victory over the New Orleans Pelicans — it was never something he thought about trying to achieve.

“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool,'” James said, referring to passing Jordan. “At first I was like, ‘That’s just another one of those records that’s kind of made up,’ but then I realized it’s not. It’s like a real record. But, I don’t know. I just go out and play.

“It’s the same with the all-time scoring record when I get it. I never even [aimed for it] … It’s pretty cool. I mean, I can’t sit here and be like, ‘Oh, well, it doesn’t mean anything.’ Because it does. But I didn’t set out to do it. I didn’t.”

Whether James aimed to achieve it or not, 16 years later he’s still doing it, inching closer to breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s once seemingly insurmountable mark as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points.

For Gooden, though, it gives him an opportunity to prove to his 10-year-old son, Drew Gooden IV, that his dad actually does know a thing or two about playing with one of the greats.

“I will be showing my son this box score,” Gooden said with a laugh, adding that his son asks about James “all the time.”

“He’ll say to me, ‘Did you talk to LeBron? Do you know it’s his birthday?'” Gooden continued. “He’s a huge LeBron fan, and he’s getting to the age now where he knows it’s the truth, because there’s data to back it up.

“There’s some historic nights I’ve been part of with him. But never did I think there would be a historic night where he scored single digits and I had 31.”

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FA Cup action is back upon us, with teams fighting it out in the Second Round across this weekend.

It is the oldest football competition in the world and, for many, certainly in England, one of the most important.

This weekend, teams from League One and below go to battle for their place in the next round, with the chance to pull a match with one of the country’s biggest teams.

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When is the FA Cup third-round draw?

Teams will be eagerly anticipating their next opponents in the historic competition (Image credit: Getty Images)

The third round is where all 24 Championship teams and all 20 Premier League sides enter the competition, and with at least one sixth-tier side guaranteed to be in the hat – after Macclesfield drew Slough Town for the second round – it could throw up some mouth-watering ties.

But when is the Third Round draw?

Crystal Palace are the current FA Cup holders, who will enter the competition at this stage to try and defend their crown (Image credit: Getty Images)

The draw is to be conducted on Monday 8 December, and broadcast live on TNT Sports.

Although precise timings are to be confirmed, ties will be drawn around the broadcast of Brackley Town v Burton Albion on TNT Sports 1, the final game of the Second Round.

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It is to be conducted by TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist on the night.

There will be 64 teams entering the hat in total, producing 32 games for a place in the Fourth Round.

Crystal Palace are the current holders, after they beat Manchester City in the final at Wembley Stadium, netting their first-ever major piece of silverware.

What are the ball numbers for the FA Cup Third Round draw

Ball numbers will be decided once the outcome of Second Round ties have been decided.

Teams whose names begin with letters earlier in the alphabet are usually designated low numbers, and vice versa.

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Premier League history was made at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night as Erling Haaland joined the 100 club in record time with a typically ruthless finish.

Haaland became a centurion in just 111 games, 13 fewer than previous record holder Alan Shearer, continuing his incredible goalscoring since his Manchester City move in 2022, which has already seen him smash the post-1992 season record with 36 in his debut campaign.

He could break that tally this season but his fastest-to-100 haul is unlikely to be topped. Here are 10 more Premier League records that won’t be broken.

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1. Alan Shearer’s record goals tally

Alan Shearer scored an incredible 260 Premier League goals between 1992 and 2006. (Image credit: Getty Images)

This is the record that Haaland has been tipped to break ever since he landed in English football and he is now just160 goals away from Shearer’s post-1992 record.

You couldn’t completely rule it out but there’s so many factors at play. Will he avoid injuries? Will he stay at City for another 5-10 seasons? What if Pep Guardiola leaves? What about the never-ending case of the 115 charges?

Jimmy Greaves is the true holder of the record with 357 goals but we don’t think Haaland will beat either England great.

2. Shane Long’s fastest ever goal

This is another one that Haaland or anyone else could feasibly break but it just feels so unlikely.

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The ironically named Long scored in the shortest time, netting for Southampton against Watford after just 7.69 seconds in April 2019.

Shooting right from kick-off could be the latest set-piece-esquemove in the league but the Irishman shouldn’t be too concerned about losing his status.

3. Oldest ever player in Premier League history

Haaland could go onto become City’s top scorer ever and possibly their greatest-ever player but he will not be their oldest in Premier League history.

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That record belongs to journeyman goalkeeper John Burridge, who was 43 years and 162 days old when he played against QPR on the final day of the 1994/95 season. It was also his debut!

Like Greaves, the true record belongs to the legendary Stanley Matthews who played his final league game in February 1965 at the grand old age of 50 and five days.

4. Manchester City’s record goals scored in the 2017/18 season

Sergio Aguero scored 21 goals as Manchester City broke the Premier League goals record in 2017/18. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Again, the overall English top-flight record belongs to Aston Villa who scored 128 goals in the 1930/31 season but football began in 1992 etc. etc. so the Premier League record is the one always quoted.

It’s the first of three ridiculous records achieved by Manchester City from the 2017/18 season, which saw them the lift the title for the first time under Pep Guardiola.

106 goals were plundered with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane being supplied by Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva in an attack for the ages.

Not even a Haaland-led side is breaking this one.

5. Chelsea’s record low goals conceded in the 2004/05 season

At the other end, Chelsea’s record-low 15 goals conceded in the 2004/05 season is a record so impressive it’s hard to believe it’s actually true.

Jose Mourinho’s debut season saw the Blues romp to the title with their success built on a rock-solid defence marshalled by John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Cech.

Arsenal were tipped to break it after letting in just three in their opening 10 games this season but they’ve leaked four in the three since and bettering their own record of 17 from the 1997/98 season looks slightly more achievable.

6. Manchester United’s record clean sheet run in the 2008/09 season

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were part of a record-breaking Manchester United defence (Image credit: Alamy)

Chelsea kept 10 consecutive clean sheets in that 2004/05 title-winning season, which seemed another impossible record to break at the time.

However, just four seasons later, Manchester United did just that and then some, achieving a ludicrous 14 straight shutouts from 15 November 2008 through until 21 February when Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz finally breached their goal.

Edwin van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and company’s defensive dominance unsurprisingly led to a third title in a row for Manchester United and is a record that simply won’t be touched.

7. Manchester City and Liverpool’s joint-record winning runs

The second of City and Pep’s stunning records from the 2017/18 title-winning campaign but one they share with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who equalled it in the 2019/20 season on their way to a first title in 30 years.

Both sides won a remarkable 18 consecutive league games, winning their respective leagues at an absolute canter and at one point, threatening to go the full season unbeaten.

More on that one later but this record surely isn’t being broken.

8. Manchester City’s record high points tally in the 2017/18 season

The third and final record for City from a season many fans claim is the very best in Premier League history.

Given the record goals and consecutive wins, it’s hard to argue against, but their 100 points tally ends the discussion for many in terms of league performance alone.

They also became centurions in dramatic style with Gabriel Jesus scoring a 94th minute winner at Southampton on the final day of the campaign to reach the triple digit mark and send Guardiola dancing down the touchline.

Liverpool should have broken it in 2019/20, ending on 99 points after slowing down post-title win, and this record feels locked up now.

9. Derby’s record low points tally in the 2007/08 season

Derby won just one game on their way to a record-low 11 points in the 2007/08 season. (Image credit: Getty Images)

From record-high to record-low, it was only a matter of time before Derby’s miserable 11-point haul from the 2007/08 season made its way onto the list.

The Rams won just one game – another Premier League low – on their way to the worst top-flight season in English football history.

Southampton came mightily close to breaking it last season but just about got to 12 points. Wolves could do it this season with relegation looking inevitable but surely they can scrape together enough points to avoid the worst record of them all.

10. Arsenal’s 2003/04 Invincible season

Finishing on a high and in line with the current Premier League leaders, Arsenal’s invincible season is simply unbreakable.

Preston also went unbeaten in the 1888/89 season but in the 38/42-game era, the Gunners stand alone. Their record of 26 wins and 12 draws saw them finish on 90 points, nowhere near the record-high points tallies, but with a unique achievement.

Mourinho (2004/05) and Klopp (2018/19) came close with just one defeat but if those two, peak Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t match Arsene Wenger, surely no one else ever will.

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Since casting Seth Rollins out of The Vision in October, Bron Breakker has made his next goal very clear: capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, currently held by CM Punk. After pinning Punk at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames, Breakker now has the opportunity to do just that, and according to WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, also see if he truly stacks up in the main event scene.

“Throw [Breakker] in the deep end,” Ray said on “Busted Open Radio.” “Let’s see what happens. Boom! Let’s quit f***ing around here. Throw him in the deep end. Let’s see what you got, kid. That’s it. There’s no thought process. You’ve been doing great. Let’s go. Let’s see what you got.”

Based on Breakker’s intense promo on “WWE Raw” this week, Ray is now convinced that the second-generation wrestler should specifically “destroy” Punk in their world title clash, which is slated for January 5. “I would have no problem with [Breakker beating Punk in 30 seconds] because it’s … shock and awe. Absolute obliteration and destruction of CM Punk in this kid’s biggest match to date, you would be sitting back going, ‘What the frick just happened?'”

To illustrate the magnitude of Breakker potentially and quickly defeating “The Second City Saint,” Ray pointed to the millions of dropped jaws that followed Goldberg’s 90-second conquering of Brock Lesnar at WWE Survivor Series 2016. Should Breakker mirror that on “Raw,” Ray believes fans will be similarly stunned, with Breakker career’s then being taken to the next level. On the other hand, Ray says Punk, an established top babyface, would gain even more momentum and sympathy from the WWE Universe.

Ray Evaluates Breakker’s Promo

WWE

With a microphone in hand and The Vision (Bronson Reed, Paul Heyman, and Logan Paul) surrounding him, Bron Breakker kicked off his “Raw” promo by noting his displeasure in seeing how “easy” it was to pin CM Punk, whom he now describes as a “soft ass b****,” at WarGames. Breakker additionally cited an issue with Punk seemingly trying to ruin his career when he dropped Breakker on his neck with a Doomsday Device.

In the eyes of Bully Ray, both of those things contributed to an overall organic feeling promo. The best part, however, didn’t involve any words.

“You know what I loved the most about Bron Breakker’s promo? Not one thing about what he said, it’s what he did afterwards,” Ray said. “He walked out, and he walked out with his own brothers standing in the middle of the ring. He was so fired up. He was so pissed off. He was so out of his mind, so wound up. ‘I’m tossing this microphone. I’m slamming this microphone to the ground, and I’m getting the frick out of here. Because if I stay in this ring for one more second, I don’t know who’s freaking head I’m gonna rip off. That’s how dangerous I am at this very moment.'”

Before throwing his microphone to the mat, Breakker vowed that he would stand over Punk in victory on January 5; meanwhile, Punk himself would realize that he is not the “best In the world” like he has famously claimed.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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England will look to level the 2025-26 Ashes series when they face Australia in the second test in Brisbane.

Meanwhile, the hosts will go a significant way to retaining the urn if they pick up the win in the day-night test, which will get underway on Thursday.

Match preview

England have had plenty of time to reflect upon the first test after they slumped to a defeat in two days in Perth last month.

The tourists appeared to be in a strong position at lunch on day two, when they were leading by 99 with nine wickets in hand in their second innings.

However, they collapsed to set a target just over 200, which was made to look measly by Travis Head’s explosive batting.

Head, who was promoted to open for the injured Usman Khawaja, knocked off 123 from 83 deliveries to stun England and steer his country to an eight-wicket win.

England will be desperate to produce a response in the day-night test at the Gabba, although that will be easier said than done, considering they have not beaten Australia in an Ashes test at the venue since 1986.

The tourists also struggle in pink-ball games, having lost five of their previous seven experiences of day-night tests.

If Ben Stokes’s side are to win in Brisbane, their batters will have to learn from their mistakes in Perth, especially Joe Root, who fell for a duck and eight runs in his two innings as his bid to score his first Ashes hundred in Australia got off to a poor start.

© Imago / IMAGO / AAP

As for Australia, they would have been delighted to win the opening game without two of their three premium fast bowlers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Left-armer Mitchell Starc led the attack superbly with seven wickets in the first innings and three in England’s second attempt.

Starc will be relishing the opportunity to get his hands on the pink ball, having taken 81 wickets in 14 day-night tests at an average of 17.08.

Impressively, Australia have won 12 of the 13 pink ball tests they have played on home soil, including victories in all three day-night games against England.

However, their only loss in a home day-night test took place in Brisbane in January 2024, when they fell to a dramatic eight-run defeat against the West Indies.

In fact, Australia have lost two of their last four tests (red and pink ball) at the Gabba after previously enjoying a formidable run of seven consecutive test victories at the venue.

While their recent dip in form in Brisbane may be a slight cause for concern, the hosts will still fancy their chances of going 2-0 up in the series, especially as they have won 14 of their last 16 Ashes tests on home turf.

Squad News

© Imago / IMAGO / AAP

Khawaja has been ruled out of the second test through injury after struggling with back spasms in Perth.

After opening in the second innings at Perth Stadium, Head is set to walk out alongside Jake Weatherald when Australia bat in Brisbane.

That will open the space for all-rounder Beau Webster or Yorkshire-born Josh Inglis to come into the Australian XI.

Hazlewood remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Cummins is currently set to miss another test match.

The Australian skipper has been left out of the squad, although he has been training in Brisbane and could return to the team if he proves his fitness in time.

As for England, Mark Wood played in Perth after recovering from surgery on his left knee, only for an issue to flare up ahead of the game in Brisbane.

The knee problem will stop the pace bowler from featuring at the Gabba, and rather than bringing in Josh Tongue as his replacement, England will field the spin option of Will Jacks.

The 27-year-old has been given the nod ahead of Shoaib Bashir due to the fact that he will add depth to England’s batting order.

Jack is the only change for the day-night encounter, meaning opener Zak Crawley will get another chance despite falling for a pair in the first test.

Australia squad:

Steve Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Jake Weatherald, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser

England team:

Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer,

When will the second Ashes test start?

The day-night match in Brisbane will get underway on Thursday (December 4) at 2pm local time, which will be an early rise of 4am for UK viewers.

Gabba pitch update

The second test of the 2025-26 series will take place at the Gabba, which can hold up to 37,000 spectators.

There has been a suggestion that the ground staff could produce a batter-friendly deck, although the surface should still offer considerable bounce.

There should also be lateral movement in the air when each day’s play reaches the twilight period.

The humidity in Brisbane could also play a role in getting the pink ball to talk, ensuring there will be another tough examination for the England batters.

We say: Australia to win

England needs to beat Australia in Brisbane to have a realistic chance of winning an Ashes series down under for the first time since 2010-11.

However, they have not won an away Ashes test since that series, and taking into account Australia’s strong record in day-night tests, we think the hosts will emerge victorious at the Gabba.

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