LONDON -- The signs are getting difficult to ignore for Arsenal. Whether it is the sight of a No. 14 beating defenders at will and scoring the opening goal, or Anthony Gordon actually invoking Thierry Henry's corner flag celebration when doubling Newcastle United's advantage, reminders of the value of an iconic centre-forward were everywhere on Tuesday evening.

On a less abstract level, Arsenal's finishing at Emirates Stadium was awful, their profligacy a major contributing factor to a 2-0 home defeat which leaves Newcastle firm favourites to progress from this two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal.

The fact they were shown how to do it by Alexander Isak, a player they have tracked for a long time and continue to monitor, only brought the point even closer to home. Isak obviously has a long way to go to match Henry's status in the game, but on current form, he might be the best forward in England and arguably beyond.

His 14th goal -- there's that number again -- from his past 15 games owed something to fortune given Jacob Murphy was trying to collect Sven Botman's flick-on but inadvertently found the Sweden international in the box, but Isak's finish high into the net was deadly.

More smart play from the 25-year-old, this time six minutes into the second half, proved decisive. decisive. Isak collected Murphy's pass in the box and got a shot away which David Raya could only parry into Gordon's path.

"I think [he's the best striker in Europe]," Gordon told ITV Sport. "I think everyone is in agreement with that. He's on fire. Even for my goal. I'm just gambling back post."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also agrees.

"He was involved in both goals as well," he says. "Unfortunately, the two times he had the ball in the box and that's what happens when you have real quality up front and they can make the difference, and they're very clinical."

The clamour for Arsenal to gamble in the transfer market on Isak or a forward of his ilk will only grow now, especially as the catalogue of missed chances will linger in the memory.

Just before the half-hour mark -- and after Jurriën Timber has headed over from inside the six-yard box -- Gabriel Martinelli raced through on goal from Leandro Trossard's through-ball. The Brazilian's effort struck the post.

Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhães had shots blocked either side of Isak's opener. Perhaps the most astounding miss came at 2-0 when Trossard's right-wing cross was deflected into Havertz's path. Somehow, almost in slow motion, Havertz failed to connect cleanly with the looping ball, shouldering the ball agonisingly wide of Martin Dúbravka's left-hand post.

Newcastle withdrew Isak for the final 25 minutes due to a tight hamstring, shutting the game down through a series of changes that left them playing something approximating a 5-5-0 formation as Arsenal gradually ran out of ideas.

Nevertheless, the Gunners ended the game with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.12. That is the highest figure by a Premier League team in any game this season without scoring.

Scratching the surface only underlines Arsenal's wastefulness. For all their opportunities, from 23 shots, they managed just three on target and only one of those came from open play.

"If you look at what both teams produced and the dominance it is not the result that reflects the story of the game but the reality is they were super efficient with the chances they had and we weren't," said Arteta.

"At this level, in these kind of scenarios you need that to impose yourself and win again."

Pushed on whether the missed chances -- a familiar issue this season -- could become a psychological problem and how his coaching staff could address that, Arteta chose instead to focus on the Puma ball, a departure from the usual Nike offering used in the Premier League.

"Nothing, just try and show them, give them tips of what we can do better," he said.

"I think we kicked a lot of the balls over the bar and it is tricky: this ball flies a lot. We discuss that as well so there are details we can do better. But at the end, that's gone. This is no way back, it is about the next game. That is our world."

The ball did not seem an issue for Isak. He has now scored 50 goals for Newcastle in all competitions and since his debut in August 2022, only Erling Haaland (105) and Mohamed Salah (73) have scored more goals in all competitions among Premier League players.

Newcastle fans will delight in disproving the theory Isak must leave the club to win the trophies.

Speculation of a price tag as high as 150 million will likely dissuade any suitors this month, but the prospect of a Carabao Cup Final -- the second leg at St James' Park takes place two days after the transfer window closes -- is another pull for Isak to stay put.

Since 1987-88, nine teams have now held a two-goal advantage after a semifinal first leg away win, with all eight previous occasions seeing the side progress to the final.

Reflecting on that half-century milestone, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: "It is a brilliant return and I think every team needs a good striker."

Shortly after Isak was substituted, Arteta cast a lingering look at the Newcastle dugout. He may well have been thinking the same thing.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- If Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has learned anything from his playoff struggles, it's to remember to keep his emotions in check when the stakes of the games increase.

"I'd just be too excited," Jackson said after Tuesday's practice. "That's all. Too antsy. I'm seeing things before it happened, like, 'Oh, I got to calm myself down.' But just being more experienced, I've found a way to balance it out."

As the Ravens play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a wild-card game Saturday, Jackson will look to overcome his postseason disappointment. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player is 2-4 in the playoffs and has never reached the Super Bowl in his previous six seasons.

The issue with Jackson has been turnovers. In six playoff starts, he has thrown six interceptions and has lost three fumbles.

"You got to try to be mistake-free," Jackson said. "The game's won with the turnover battle and keeping the ball in your control, moving the ball down the field, getting first downs, putting points on the ball. Obviously, that's how you win those games."

Jackson doesn't think about the playoff losses from earlier in his career because he feels he was too young. There's only one postseason defeat that repeatedly comes to mind -- last season's 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

"That's probably the only playoff game I do think about," Jackson said. "It was right there. But my mind, I'm focused now, though. It is what it is at this point."

What does he think about from that AFC Championship Game?

"We lost it," he said.

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders fired Antonio Pierce after his first full season as head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

The Raiders are retaining general manager Tom Telesco, who was hired for the role last season, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Raiders limited owner Tom Brady is expected to be part of a collaborative committee to interview head coaching candidates and support team owner Mark Davis, league sources told Schefter.

"We appreciate Antonio's leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach. Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future," the team said in a statement.

Pierce, who was hired last season as the team's coach after serving as the interim coach in 2023, led the Raiders to a 4-13 record this season.

He said at his media availability Monday that he was operating as if he would remain as the team's coach but acknowledged he had not yet met with Davis.

The Raiders lost 34-20 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday to finish a season that included a 10-game losing streak, the team's longest since 2014 when they opened 0-10. The Raiders will now look to hire their fifth head coach since relocating to Las Vegas from Oakland in 2020 and their ninth since Davis took over as owner upon the death of his father, Al Davis, in 2011.

Las Vegas finished last in its division and clinched the No. 6 draft pick on Sunday. The remaining AFC West teams -- the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Chargers -- each advanced to the playoffs.

Pierce, 46, was initially promoted from linebackers coach to interim head coach when Davis fired Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after less than two full seasons on Halloween night in 2023.

The Raiders went 5-4 under Pierce to finish out 2023, including 4-2 in the AFC West, with a 63-21 blowout of the Chargers to finish 8-9 overall.

After an offseason during which the Raiders were either unable or unwilling to trade up for a quarterback in the draft -- Pierce had his eyes on Jayden Daniels, but he was selected at No. 2 and six QBs were drafted before the Raiders' selection at No. 13 -- Las Vegas settled on free agent veteran Gardner Minshew, giving him a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed.

The Raiders also had an agreement with former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury to come aboard as offensive coordinator, before he pulled out and went to the Washington Commanders, who drafted Daniels.

Pierce settled on former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and Minshew won a tight training camp battle with second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell.

But the Raiders' offense, under Getsy and Minshew, did not get off to the fast start Pierce envisioned, and Minshew was benched in favor of O'Connell after five games. Getsy was fired after nine games and replaced by passing game coordinator Scott Turner, and O'Connell and Minshew both continued dealing with injuries the rest of the season.

Before being promoted, Pierce, a nine-year veteran who was named to a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl as a linebacker with the New York Giants, had never been a head coach above the high school level and was never a coordinator in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys have denied permission to the Chicago Bears to interview coach Mike McCarthy, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Multiple sources said Monday that the Bears had sought permission to speak with McCarthy regarding their head coaching vacancy.

However, the Bears will interview Pete Carroll, 73, for the job Thursday, sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler. Carroll has expressed interest in the job and would like to return to the sideline in 2025, sources told Schefter last month.

The Bears also requested to interview Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Schefter reported. They also are expected to interview former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Bears interim coach Thomas Brown, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, among others.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who will lead the team's coaching search, said during his season-ending news conference Tuesday that all options are on the table, including considering trading for a coach.

"We're looking for clear vision, a developmental mindset, really good game management, and obviously a plan to develop a quarterback is going to be a key part of that as well," Poles said. "There's going to be some names that you don't expect that are going to surprise you because we're digging deeper than we ever have before."

McCarthy's contract expires Wednesday, but the Cowboys hold exclusive negotiating rights through Jan. 14. After that, McCarthy would become a coaching free agent.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones continued to praise McCarthy after Sunday's season-ending loss to the Washington Commanders but was noncommittal regarding the coach's future in Dallas.

McCarthy said he "absolutely" wants to return to Dallas, where he has posted a 49-35 regular-season record but is just 1-3 in the playoffs. The Cowboys finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020, McCarthy's first season.

Jones was asked then whether he would allow a team to speak to McCarthy if it sought permission, and he said he just did something similar with running back Ezekiel Elliott, releasing him in the final week of the season for the chance to join a playoff team.

"I wouldn't want anybody coaching who didn't want to be here," Jones said.

Jones and McCarthy are set to meet this week on the direction of the franchise.

"I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me," McCarthy said Sunday. "And then there's a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships that are in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account. But, you know, absolutely, I'm a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning, and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here."

McCarthy's 174 wins are 13th in NFL history. He coached the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018, winning six NFC North titles and Super Bowl XLV.

ESPN's Todd Archer and Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.

CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki will be part of the Prime Video studio show when the streamer begins its coverage of the NBA next season.

Griffin, who retired in April after a 15-year playing career, was at the top of the list for everyone. NBC, which will return to doing NBA games when the 11-year media rights deal begins in October, and ESPN were also interested in him.

Griffin was the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA draft and was the league's Rookie of the Year in 2011. Along with winning the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest, when he dunked over a parked car, he was a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection.

Nowitzki, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary team, will also be a first-time analyst. The 14-time All-Star selection and 2007 NBA Most Valuable Player played 21 seasons, all with the Dallas Mavericks, before retiring in 2019. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.

Rooks is a feature reporter on Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" coverage as well as being a host and reporter on Bleacher Report and TNT.

The studio show will be based in Culver City, California, on the Amazon MGM Studios lot.

Prime Video will have 66 games during the regular season, including all games from the quarterfinals of the in-season NBA Cup. It also has every game of the play-in tournament, first- and second-round playoff games and one of the conference finals in six of the 11 years.

Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic was ruled out for Tuesday night's home game against the Boston Celtics.

Jokic popped up on the injury report because of an illness earlier Tuesday and was downgraded from probable to questionable before eventually being ruled out.

For the Celtics, Derrick White was also ruled out because of an illness.

Jokic sat out three games this season in November while on paternity leave for the birth of his second child. The Nuggets went 1-2 in those games.

A three-time MVP, Jokic is averaging 31.5 points, 13 rebounds and 9.7 assists this season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Right-hander Drew Rasmussen and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to an $8.5 million, two-year contract.

Rasmussen's agency, the Beverly Hills Sports Council, announced the agreement Tuesday and said it included an option that had the potential to make the deal worth $28 million over three seasons.

A 29-year-old right-hander, Rasmussen had been set to exchange proposed arbitration salaries with the Rays on Thursday.

He had elbow surgery for the third time on July 24, 2023, when Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister performed an internal brace procedure. Rasmussen returned to the Rays on Aug. 7 and had a 2.82 ERA and 0-2 record in four starts and 12 relief appearances. He struck out 35 and walked six in 28 innings, averaging 97.4 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Rasmussen had Tommy John surgery in March 2016 and August 2017. He is 20-12 with a 2.95 ERA in 50 starts and 44 relief appearances over five big league seasons with Milwaukee (2020-21) and the Rays (2021-24).

If the option is not exercised, Rasmussen would be eligible for free agency after the 2026 season.

Five Rays remain eligible for arbitration: right-handers Shane Baz and Zack Littell, left-hander Garrett Cleavinger, catcher Ben Rortvedt and shortstop Taylor Walls.

Right-hander Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a one-year, $15 million contract, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, continuing the future Hall of Famer's career at age 42 in one of the pitcher-friendliest stadiums in baseball.

Verlander, entering his 20th major league season, is considered perhaps the best pitcher of his generation, with the most innings pitched, strikeouts and wins among active players. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Verlander is coming off the worst season of his career and joins a Giants team likewise looking for better results than 2024. The deal is pending a physical.

Shoulder and neck injuries limited Verlander to 17 starts, and over his last seven he posted an 8.10 ERA. With a falling strikeout rate and climbing home run rate, Verlander began to show signs of aging after a career in which he seemed impervious to it.

After a dominant 13-year stretch with the Detroit Tigers, Verlander found a second life after joining the Houston Astros in 2017. He won Cy Youngs in 2019 and 2022 -- and after the latter signed a two-year, $86.6 million contract with the New York Mets. Verlander spent 16 starts with the Mets before being traded back to the Astros in August 2023.

Over his career, Verlander is 262-147 with a 3.30 ERA over 3,415 innings. He has struck out 3,416 batters, walked 952 and won a pair of World Series with the Astros.

Returning to Houston wasn't an option for 2025. With Oracle Park a dream for pitchers, Verlander gravitated toward the Giants, whose rotation includes right-hander Logan Webb, left-handers Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison, and a number of other options for the fifth spot, with right-hander Hayden Birdsong seen as the likeliest candidate.

The Giants had spent a month with limited action before signing Verlander. A month ago to the day, they agreed with shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million contract.

San Francisco, which hired former star catcher Buster Posey as its president of baseball operations in September, went 80-82 last season and finished in fourth place in the National League West, which is arguably the best division in baseball.