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Mikel Arteta has refused to concede the Premier League title race after Arsenal fell 15 points behind Liverpool with a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
Declan Rice's 74th-minute strike cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' opener in first half stoppage time but neither side were able to find a winner in a frantic finale at Old Trafford.
Arsenal still have a game in hand on the leaders but now face a mammoth task in their attempts to secure a first league crown since 2004.
And when asked whether the race was now over, Arteta said: "I don't want to say that. Today the frustration is that we haven't won the game. We know the urgency and we are obligated to win every single match if you want to have any chance of doing that. I don't think it is the right moment to talk about that."
Rice vowed Arsenal would keep pushing until the final day. "Like the manager said, we'll keep going until the end of the season," the England midfielder said.
"Liverpool have been amazing all year. We're Arsenal. We've been hit hard by injuries. We'll keep going and we'll be alright."
Arteta's frustrations were evident when he left his post-match media obligations with Sky Sports early following a question about the title race.
After answering several questions, Arteta was asked whether he regretted Arsenal not signing a striker in January and replied: "No, it's not about that" before beginning to walk away.
The interviewer then asked for one more question, which Arteta allowed. But while being asked about the 15-point gap to Liverpool, Arteta walked out of shot.
Ruben Amorim said Manchester United "need more Brunos" after captain Bruno Fernandes scored a first-half free kick and almost netted a late winner in a 1-1 Premier League draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Declan Rice's 74th-minute goal cancelled out Fernandes' 45th-minute strike to earn Arsenal a point, but Arsenal needed a crucial save from David Raya to deny Fernandes late.
Fernandes has been a rare standout performer for United, who are languishing in 14th position in the Premier League; the Portugal midfielder is the team's top scorer with seven goals.
Amorim said Fernandes has the qualities he wants more of his players -- existing and likely summer targets -- to show.
"I think [Fernandes] steps up all the time," Amorim said. "Sometimes he can show frustration in moments, and that can hurt him more than anybody. But he wants to win, he is always available and always ready to play in different positions. When the team needs a goal or an assist, he is always there and always sets a good example.
"Any coach, when you want to bring players, expect the best. But sometimes you have to adapt. What I can say is that we need more Brunos, not just the character, but his availability and ability with the ball."
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta also had high praise for Fernandes following the match, particularly in the way he picked out the spot to deliver United's only goal of the day.
"They just mentioned that if Bruno has done that, football is for [street-smart] players," Arteta said of the free kick. "And if he has done that and capitalized on that, he was more clever than us and the referee.
However, both Arteta and Rice felt referee Anthony Taylor had positioned the wall too far from the spot kick.
"He's done it, it was a goal. They took advantage of that. Football is for clever people."
Rice added: "It helps that the wall was about 15 metres back!"
Although United almost won the game late on, Arsenal had 68 percent possession throughout the game. And despite his team producing a better performance than in recent weeks, Amorim said he wants his players to be more attack-minded.
"The plan was perfect, but we need more possession of the ball and press a bit higher," he said. "I don't want my team to play like this -- in the future I want to spend more time attacking in the final third than in a low block.
"But the rest of the performance, I think, was an example for the future. The players followed the plan and stuck together. Staying together is a good thing as an example of the future. But when you play in a club like ours, you have to push forward no matter what, and that is why the change needs to happen."
Next up for United is a Europa League second-leg clash with Real Sociedad on Thursday at Old Trafford, with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
ESPN's James Olley contributed to this story.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was impressed by Alejandro Garnacho's performance as the winger put in a hard shift at Old Trafford during Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal.
The Argentina international was a constant threat for the visitors from the right wing. The 20-year-old won four fouls, more than any other player in the game, including the one that led to Bruno Fernandes's free-kick goal just before the break.
Garnacho, who also delivered two crosses and won the majority of his duels, fared better than his recent performances, after hitting the side netting in Thursday's 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
He had also faced criticism for his reaction to being substituted during last month's 3-2 win over Ipswich Town, heading straight down the tunnel instead of joining the bench.
"I think Garnacho made a really complete game. He was upset last Thursday and today, he was amazing," Amorim told Sky Sports after Sunday's match.
ESPN reported in January that Garnacho, who joined United in 2020 as an academy player, had been subject to a 50 million from Napoli after Amorim dropped him from the squad along with Marcus Rashford in December, demanding higher standards and competitiveness.
But the manager later backed the winger, saying Garnacho had changed his attitude and was improving at United.
Liverpool have announced a multi-year kit deal with Adidas that will begin next season, replacing existing manufacturer Nike.
The club previously sported Adidas kits between 1985 to 1996, and again between 2006 and 2012. Liverpool did not say how long the new Adidas deal would be. British media reports previously said it was a five-year agreement worth more than 60 million per year.
The Premier League record kit deal belongs to Manchester United after they signed a 90m-per-year contract with Adidas in July 2023.
"Everyone at the club is incredibly excited to welcome adidas back into the LFC family," Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan said in a statement on Monday.
"We have enjoyed fantastic success together in the past and created some of the most iconic LFC kits of all time. adidas and Liverpool share an ambition of success and we couldn't be more excited to partner together again as we look forward to creating more incredible kits to help drive on pitch performance. We'd like to thank Nike for their support over the last five years and wish them well for the future."
European soccer review: Are the Premier League's best burnt out?
It was anything but business as usual in the Premier League or Bundesliga this weekend. Some of the biggest clubs in England and Germany dropped points while others laboured to claim what would've been run-of-the-mill wins.
In Spain, Barcelona sat out of the action, mourning the death of their team doctor. Though they sat idle, their LaLiga title rivals were in action.
And in Italy, Christian Pulisic might have saved his manager's job. Sam Tighe, Alex Kirkland and Constantin Eckner look across Europe for the big takeaways and highlights from the weekend.
Premier League
Top takeaway: Are the Premier League's best burnt out?
The Premier League has hit the home stretch. The vast majority of teams have just 10 games left, news that will be welcome to those who, this weekend, showed serious signs of burnout.
Liverpool were the perfect example of this, playing so wretchedly in the first half against 20th-placed Southampton (and falling behind) that Arne Slot could not hide his disgust. The following day, Chelsea huffed, puffed and missed a penalty en route to a 1-0 win over relegation-bound Leicester City. And Arsenal quickly ran out of ideas at Old Trafford, with exasperated faces the visual hallmark of their afternoon.
Elite football's fixture congestion crisis is nothing new -- managers and players have spent years complaining about it -- and it's early March when you typically see the results of it. Right on cue, this weekend Cole Palmer missed from 12 yards (ending a 12-for-12 record from the spot in his Premier League career), Diogo Dalot hammered a cross into the second tier and Ryan Gravenberch exhaustedly ran the ball out of play.
There's no letup for these teams -- each will play a high-stakes European game this week -- nor for the others affected, such as Tottenham Hotspur, whose season rests on the UEFA Europa League, or Aston Villa, who put everything into a 1-0 win at Brentford on Saturday.
Best match: Tottenham 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Tottenham is always in this section. Their commitment to entertaining the football masses is hugely appreciated. They were lucky not to be trailing 1-0 after 15 seconds, lucky to be down only 1-0 at half-time, deservedly down 2-0 after 65 minutes ... then fought back to earn a draw. The Cherries will feel extremely hard done by, but missed chances and a goalkeeping error cost them dearly.
Best goal: Marcus Tavernier at Tottenham
Tavernier was the goal scorer, but this move was all about Milos Kerkez. The 50m-rated Bournemouth full-back intercepted a pass intended for Brennan Johnson, sprinted up the pitch on the counterattack, then slowed to compose himself before sending one of the best crosses all season to the back post for an easy finish.
MVP of the weekend: Ismaïla Sarr, Crystal Palace
Sarr was the star at both ends Saturday, not only scoring the only goal of the game to earn Palace a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town -- and what a calm, dinked finish it was -- but popping up with a goal-line clearance in the aftermath of a corner, too. No one did more to earn their team three points than the Senegal international. -- Tighe
LaLiga
Top takeaway: Barça match postponed after club doctor's death
Barcelona's game with Osasuna was just 20 minutes from kicking off at Montjuic on Saturday when it was confirmed the match would not be played. Barcelona's club doctor, Carles Miñarro, 53, was found dead at the team hotel. Players and staff had arrived at the stadium and begun preparing for the game, unaware of what had happened.
"FC Barcelona is deeply saddened to announce the passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia this evening," the club said in a statement. "For this reason, the match has been postponed to a later date."
A similar message appeared on the stadium's big screens, telling fans to make their way home. FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta called Miñarro "a man who was much-loved by everyone" and "a great professional, a great doctor." The squad were "in a state of shock," Laporta said, adding that the decision was inevitable given the players' reaction to the news.
Miñarro had been at Barcelona for eight years, becoming part of the first-team setup last summer, and working closely with the squad since then.
"I still can't believe it," defender Ronald Araújo said. "Rest in peace, Doc."
Gemma Soler joins "ESPN FC" to provide an update on the postponement of Barcelona's game vs. Osasuna following the passing of their team doctor.
"I don't have the words," goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen said. "We'll miss you."
"Thank you for all your help this year, and throughout my career," Dani Olmo -- whose family knew Miñarro well -- said.
The cause of death has not yet been made public.
Best match: Getafe 2-1 Atlético Madrid
For 75 minutes, this wasn't a great game. For late drama with huge, title-race altering implications, though, this was the LaLiga game of the weekend.
Atlético's trip to Getafe was supposed to be the easy one in a stretch that includes two matches against Real Madrid and three versus Barcelona in little more than a month, but there's nothing easy about visiting the Coliseum. Atlético were poor throughout, but Alexander Sørloth's penalty -- his first in LaLiga -- put the then-leaders ahead. What happened next was inexplicable.
Mauro Arambarri slots in the goal for Getafe
Ángel Correa was sent off. Mauro Arambarri levelled for Getafe. And then, in 10 minutes of added time, Arambarri -- a holding midfielder, remember -- added a second. It was Getafe's first win over Atlético in 14 years.
Best goal: Pedro Díaz at Real Madrid
Real Madrid looked to be cruising to a straightforward victory at the Santiago Bernabéu -- Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior had put them 2-0 up in the first half -- when a rocket from Rayo Vallecano's Díaz got the visitors back into the game. Díaz followed a cool one-two on the edge of the box by firing past Andriy Lunin, the ball twice bouncing off the crossbar, before VAR confirmed it had also crossed the line. It made for a nervous second half at the Bernabéu, with Madrid hanging on for a valuable 2-1 win.
MVP of the weekend: Diego López, Valencia
For the first time in a long time, Valencia are out of the relegation zone, thanks to Saturday's 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Real Valladolid. Forward Umar Sadiq scored a scrappy winning goal, but academy product López, 22, deserves huge credit, too, after opening the scoring with his second goal in a week. López has now scored five league goals this season -- two more than in all of the last campaign -- and this one gives Valencia, a giant club in trouble, real hope of staying up. -- Kirkland
Bundesliga
Top takeaway: Germany's giants stumble on weekend of upsets
In between the most important games of German football, the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, both teams had to fulfill their Bundesliga obligations. And they did so in surprising fashion, with both losing their Saturday afternoon games.
Bayern seemed to have a pretty easy job with VfL Bochum at Allianz Arena, but after João Palhinha was shown a red card for an unnecessary and painful tackle on Georgios Masouras shortly before the interval, things fell apart against a side currently in the relegation zone.
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Bayern Munich's 3-2 loss to Bochum in the Bundesliga.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen were trying to get by with a few backup players in their starting XI against Werder Bremen but came up short against the struggling team from the north. Xabi Alonso brought on Florian Wirtz at half-time, although that was not the initial plan. Wirtz was fouled shortly after his introduction and had to leave BayArena on crutches. It has yet to be determined how serious his injury is.
With both Bayern and Leverkusen losing, the gap at the top of the Bundesliga table remains eight points. Several places below the two are Borussia Dortmund, who experienced yet another setback, falling 1-0 to FC Augsburg at home.
The game exemplified Dortmund's league campaign. They controlled the ball for most of the contest without creating enough promising opportunities, only to concede from a simple free kick.
"The outing was horrible," Dortmund captain Emre Can said afterward. "I can't explain it. It hurts so much. We are not a top team."
At the end of the game, a thunderous chorus of whistles accompanied Can and his teammates as they exited the pitch of Signal Iduna Park.
Best match: Bayern Munich 2-3 Bochum
If Bochum manage to avoid relegation, we might look back at this game as a pivotal point in the team's campaign. Both fan groups showed a stadium-wide tifo before the game showcasing the longstanding friendship between Bayern and Bochum, celebrating 125 years since Bayern's foundation. Things went pretty much as expected until the 30-minute mark. As Bayern were leading 2-0, Bochum defender Jakov Medic pulled one back before Palhinha was sent off. This allowed Bochum to turn the tide completely. One of the biggest surprises of the season.
Best goal: Nadiem Amiri at Borussia Monchengladbach
Mainz have more than a decent chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time. One of the key players has been Amiri, who was largely written off following his underwhelming stint at Leverkusen. He scored the deciding goal for a 3-1 win against Gladbach on Friday, and it happened at a point during the second half when the hosts were getting a grip on the game. Amiri exchanged passes with Lee Jae-Sung and converted with an unstoppable effort past goalkeeper Jonas Omlin from 18 yards out, showing once again Mainz's brutal efficiency.
MVP of the weekend: Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Augsburg
Augsburg's captain not only scored the winning goal via a looping header, but he also organised his team's steely backline against Dortmund's countless attempts to find a way through it. Augsburg haven't conceded a goal since early February, meaning in five consecutive games in which Gouweleeuw was on the pitch for every minute. -- Eckner
What else you missed this weekend
Milan show life in Pulisic-led comeback win
Rumours that AC Milan manager Sérgio Conceição could already be out the door at the end of the season have ramped up in recent days. The 50-year-old took over from fellow Portuguese Paulo Fonseca in late December but has failed to breathe new life into the Milan dressing room. Instead, the Rossoneri are en route to missing out on qualifying for the Champions League or Europa League.
While Fonseca, now at Lyon, is in even more serious trouble given his nine-month ban for an altercation with a referee, his successor at Milan can at least continue to influence things from the sideline for the time being. He did so to an extent in the final half an hour against Lecce on Saturday.
Julien Laurens reacts to Christian Pulisic's two-goal performance in AC Milan's 3-2 win against Lecce.
Milan were down 2-0 but managed to turn the score around, with Christian Pulisic scoring twice -- the equaliser from the penalty spot and the deciding third goal following an assist from Rafael Leão, who Conceição had brought on at half-time. Obviously, wins like these won't save Conceição's job but help to keep hopes alive that Milan won't be stranded in the midfield of the Serie A table. -- Eckner
Dembélé makes it 20 in 2025
Ousmane Dembélé warmed up for Tuesday's monumental Champions League second-leg clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool the only way he currently knows how: He scored, then he scored again.
Sent on in the 64th minute against Stade Rennais, he netted twice in stoppage time to complete a 4-1 win and take his personal goal tally this year to 20. That's this year, as in, since 2025 began.
It extends a frankly incredible run of form that's generated whispers around a potential run at the Ballon d'Or. They were quiet and half-joking at first, but the more he scores, the louder and more serious those whispers will get.
Netting at Anfield, turning around a 1-0 aggregate deficit against Liverpool and booking a place in the Champions League quarterfinals would go a long way to turning doubters into believers. He looks raring and ready to give that a go. -- Tighe
Rohit on India's unbeaten ICC run: 'Shows the quality in the team'
Although in this Champions Trophy, India have played all of their five matches in Dubai, their schedules in the 2023 World Cup (albeit at home), and in the T20 World Cup they won last year, were more challenging. In 2023, they played in nine different venues, losing only the final to Australia. In last year's T20 event, they played three matches in New York state to start, but then played their last six matches (one of which was abandoned) across five different venues.
"That's a great, great milestone to have, honestly speaking," Rohit said about India's 23 victories. "It speaks to the kind of team this is. I know we reached the ODI World Cup and lost that final. But then we went to the T20 World Cup and didn't lose a single game. We went on to win the trophy here as well.
"That shows the quality in the team. A lot of depth. A lot of understanding within the group. A lot of excitement. And that is how we want to play our cricket. That's what we had spoken before the tournament - that there's too much pressure on the outside. If one game, India loses, or the match goes here and there, there's so much speculation that happens.
"But the boys and the team have actually managed to put that aside, and just focused on how to win games and how to enjoy the game. That's been the most important aspect of our game in the last two or three years that we've been here."
If you narrow the sample down to just 2024 and 2025, India have now won 13 out of 13, across two different formats. MS Dhoni helmed India's victory charges to all three limited-overs trophies, winning the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. But only in the 2013 Champions Trophy did his team go undefeated through the tournament. And at no point did Dhoni's India team win two ICC trophies in succession.
"It is a great team achievement for the team to win two ICC trophies and to go undefeated is the icing on the cake," Rohit said. "I have seen very few teams that have won two tournaments undefeated. We used the conditions well and won. There's no future plan, whatever is happening will keep happening.
"We lost the 2023 final after playing such terrific cricket in nine games. So with the same mindset, with the same intention, with the same game plan, we went to play the final. But we talked about the fact that [we] don't give up till the game is over. This is what we spoke about before these two finals - that we've to stay in the game till the end."
Rohit also paid tribute to a versatile XI, packed with allrounders, with almost everyone who played making a serious impact on the tournament.
"If you look at Nos. 1 to 11, the players who got a chance to bat or bowl, they have contributed in their own ways. Eventually, when everyone plays together and a lot of people contribute, you get a lot of success consistently. In this tournament, we saw the players who got a chance to bowl played their part. The players who got a chance to bat won us games.
"It was not like only one player scored all the runs in the tournament. Everyone has contributed here and there because we knew that wickets were challenging here, and it's not easy for everyone. So getting all contributions from top to bottom was crucial.
"There is a lot of hunger and a lot of passion. These things are not supposed to be taught. It is very natural to a lot of guys here."
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
Top spot up for grabs in clash of in-form Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants
Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Gujarat Giants (GG)
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, 7.30pm IST
What to expect: Top spot up for grabs
Giants have to win to entertain thoughts of finishing at No. 1. Mumbai have a game in hand and can get there even if they lose on Monday, but it would then mean a three-way tie should they beat RCB. They would want to avoid this logjam, having been in a similar position last year and then going down to RCB in the Eliminator.
GG are on a bull run, having won more games (three) over the past week than they did all of last season. But there's one thing they haven't done yet: beat MI, who have a 5-0 record against them in the tournament's short history. If that wasn't pressure enough, they now face the challenge of playing Harmanpreet Kaur's MI in Mumbai, at the Brabourne Stadium, where they are yet to lose a single game.
MI look equally strong but have changed their batting combinations because of Yastika Bhatia's prolonged lean run. In their previous game, Amelia Kerr was promoted to open with Hayley Mathews. It remains to be seen if this will be their plan at the back end too. If it is, it could mean a bigger batting responsibility for S Sajana and Amanjot Kaur in the middle order.
Mumbai Indians WLWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Giants WWWLL
D Hemalatha's poor run at the top of the order may force a change for GG. Simran Shaikh, who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, could get a look-in to inject some lower-order firepower.
Gujarat Giants (probable): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Phoebe Lichfield, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner (capt), 5 Deandra Dottin, 6 Simran Shaikh, 7 Kashvee Gautam, 8 Bharti Fulmali, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Meghna Singh, 11 Priya Mishra
Mumbai have no reason to tinker with their XI.
Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Amelia Kerr, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amanjot Kaur, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 G Kamalini, 8 S Sajana, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 9 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Parunika Sisodia
Players to watch: Hayley Matthews and Kashvee Gautam
Santner says New Zealand missed Henry but proud of group
And yet, the injury kept him out of the final, against an opposition he has tended to dominate. In 11 ODIs against India, he has 21 wickets at an average of 21.00, with an economy rate of 4.48. India's chase in Dubai suffered stutters through the middle, but they eventually got home with four wickets to spare, and an over in reserve.
"He was the leading wicket-taker going into this game, and he's an outstanding bowler, as we've seen," Santner said. Henry's ten wickets at an average of 16.70 still leads the Champions Trophy wickets chart, despite his missing the final. "He seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don't look like they should nip, so I guess we missed that today. I feel for Matty. He's a massive team man, and he looked pretty distraught.
"We just kind of said, like, let's do it for him. To come this far and then be injured for the main event was pretty tough for him and I guess for us. He tried everything he could to be ready for this game, and unfortunately for us, he wasn't quite there."
There were other battles that New Zealand had had to fight through in the course of the tournament. Where India played all five matches in Dubai, New Zealand had to zip between Dubai and all three venues in Pakistan - the only team in the Champions Trophy to play at four venues.
"It's never going to go perfectly in these tournaments, I guess, with the quick turnaround of games like we had," Santner said. "But I think what's most pleasing is different guys got opportunities and stepped up as. I couldn't be prouder of the group.
"There were guys coming in and out due to injury. And then the way Rachin came back straightaway after his head knock and hit the ground running was great. And Kyle Jamieson flying over and coming straight into the team - I thought he bowled extremely well in the games he played."
Although New Zealand made mistakes in the field as they attempted to defend a target of 253 in the final, it was the first innings that had been definitive, Santner said. New Zealand were 57 for no wicket after 7.4 overs, but then lost Will Young, Ravindra and Kane Williamson in quick succession, to be 75 for 3 after 12.2 overs. Varun Chakravarthy struck the first blow, before Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Ravindra and Williamson within his first seven deliveries.
"I think the way we went about it for the first eight overs or so was outstanding. And then it took some brilliance from the spinners to really peg us back and make it challenging through that middle phase," Santner said. "After the start, we were probably thinking of a score around 275 or 280. Credit has to go to Kuldeep for the way he bowled straight after the powerplay, and Varun inside the powerplay."
NSW hope to have Abbott, Tanveer Sangha for crucial final Shield round
Even though pole position was up for grabs in the fight to make the Sheffield Shield final, both Western Australia and New South Wales decided to play it relatively safe in an anti-climax of a finish that resulted in a draw at the WACA.
NSW then decided that the chase was too difficult on a tricky surface that had proven tough for batters against the new ball.
"We wanted anywhere between 250 and 300," Cartwright said. "We knew when the ball got soft it was easier to bat. We didn't want to give them too many overs with not enough runs. If we gave them 70 overs to chase 250, that probably would have been quite easy for them.
"We wanted to try and work out the balance... trying to give ourselves enough time to bowl them out, but also entice them to try and chase the score. We did think that they might have had more of a crack at the total because [a win] would go a long way towards being in the final."
"Maybe [expecting a declaration] a bit earlier," NSW captain Jack Edwards said. "They batted us out of the game and earned the right to drive the game. Losing [Maddinson], we decided to pack it up. [Konstas] played well. He showed how much of a good natural player he is when is applying himself."
The fates of both teams are out of their hands, but they will need to stay focused in what are now must-win games. NSW will next travel to Bellerive Oval and will be favoured against Tasmania who have little to play for with their season over.
"I'm hoping so, having guys like that come back goes a long way for us to win that game," Edwards said. "We're looking to win the next match and just put our best foot forward and see what happens."
Coming off a stress fracture last winter as well as a quad strain late in the pre-season, Morris has a restriction of around 30 overs a game. He claimed a first-class career best of 5 for 26 from 20.3 overs in NSW's first innings and there was intrigue over how many overs he would bowl on the final day.
Morris ended up bowling 12 overs, including a couple at the end where he unleashed several searing yorkers in a last gasp attempt at a miracle. But Morris was unable to rediscover his control and accuracy from earlier in the match to finish with 0 for 41.
"[Connolly] came in during the game and said g'day, it's always good having him around. He'll bolster the batting," Cartwright said. "We've got to entirely focus on what happens in our camp. If things fall our way, obviously that will be nice if that happens. But we've got to tick our own boxes before we look at [the other] games over east."
UCLA finally bests USC as teams eye 4th meeting
INDIANAPOLIS -- Before the USC and UCLA women's basketball teams met in their much-anticipated first matchup of the season on Feb. 13, Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb made a hopeful statement to Bruins counterpart Cori Close that came a bit closer to fruition Sunday.
"Lindsay said, 'I'm really hoping we're going to get to do this four times,'" Close said.
UCLA on Sunday prevailed in the teams' third meeting of the season, each game seemingly becoming more consequential. This one came with the Big Ten tournament championship on the line, with the Bruins knocking off the Trojans 72-67 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to win the title in the schools' inaugural season in the league.
Doing so required a valiant second-half defensive effort against USC and guard JuJu Watkins, the second-leading scorer in Division I, with UCLA holding her to three field goals after halftime and 9-for-28 shooting overall.
Now, as the teams look toward the NCAA tournament, they both remain in contention for No. 1 seeds -- something that would keep the possibility of that fourth potential meeting -- the biggest yet -- on the table.
"I thought whoever won this game should be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament," Gottlieb said.
UCLA had lost by double digits in the previous two regular-season meetings, the Bruins' only two losses. The competition between them has seemed to strengthen the mutual respect while making the specter of another meeting more real.
"We were No. 1 in the country for 13 weeks," Close said. "[USC] has, really, I think, shown the steadiness and the quality of their wins and how they have grown and changed. They're an excellent team. They're a championship-caliber team."
She added, "I think it would mean a lot for us both to be No. 1 seeds. I think you have to prove yourself. Your play has to back that up. And I hope we do get the chance to do it in Tampa [in the Final Four] a fourth time."
As for the third matchup, it was UCLA that figured out how to finish as USC faltered late.
For much of the game, that seemed unlikely. USC used multiple runs in the first half to take control, including a 9-0 spurt to close the second quarter. When Trojans guard Talia von Oelhoffen hit a 3-pointer 13 seconds into the third to extend that run, USC took its biggest lead at 48-35.
Then, everything changed.
USC, which entered Sunday on a nine-game winning streak, converted just three field goals the rest of the quarter, holding a 2-point lead by its conclusion.
Watkins scored on a jumper with 4:21 left in the third but did not score again until hitting a pair of free throws with 3:13 left in the fourth, as UCLA's smothering defense and rotations created havoc and forced Watkins and the Trojans into a flurry of turnovers.
Lauren Betts, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, patrolled the paint for the Bruins. When the Trojans opted for outside shots, they were consistently errant. USC shot 22.2% in the second half.
Betts helped key UCLA's offense, too, scoring a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
"I know the amount of work that went into it and this team means everything to me," Betts said. "The confidence that this team has [from] winning that game going into March Madness is a lot."
USC still sees its goals as achievable -- if it can right what went wrong Sunday.
Said Von Oelhoffen: "We missed shots that we usually hit, and it felt like every time we missed an open look they came down and capitalized on it. So, I think we just need to be better navigating the shooting struggles."
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