Sérgio Conceição capped an incredible first week at AC Milan by lifting the Italian Super Cup on Monday, wrapping up a period which included two comeback wins, fighting a fever, picking up an injury and smoking a cigar in the dressing room.

Conceição replaced the sacked Paulo Fonseca as manager last Monday and, despite suffering with illness and a high temperature, he took his place on the bench to lead Milan to a 2-1 semifinal win over Juventus on Friday.

Milan came from a goal down to beat Juventus, but things looked decidedly worse in Monday's final when they found themselves two goals down to their local rivals Inter Milan after conceding a goal either side of half-time.

"The team has character, it managed to win games against two great teams in the end," Conceição told Mediaset. "At half-time the coach has to change certain things, that's why they pay me."

Conceição's side again showed their fighting spirit, pulling back to 2-2 and, with the game in added time and heading for penalties, Tammy Abraham netted a dramatic winner.

The Milan players and staff celebrated with a visibly emotional Conceição at the final whistle, but the manager picked up an injury and needed treatment on the bench before rejoining his team.

"Emerson Royal made a red card tackle on me," Conceição said with a laugh. "I'm very happy for the players because it wasn't easy, we had little time to work on the details that were important to me.

"The credit is all theirs because they absorbed my indications. There is still a lot of work but with humility we can do well in the Champions League and in the league."

After the win over Juventus, Conceição had said that he was not a nice person, and did not smile much, but in the dressing room after lifting the Super Cup, the manager danced while smoking a cigar as the celebrations continued.

"At the end of the game the players immediately told me that I had to smoke a cigar; they knew that I do this ritual when I lift a title," Conceição told a press conference. "It's my 13th title as a coach; I'm happy and it has a special flavour for me."

Conceição will oversee his first match in Serie A at home against Cagliari on

When Liverpool ruthlessly dispatched Manchester United on their own turf earlier in the season, one of the enduring images of the afternoon was of Trent Alexander-Arnold at the full-time whistle, holding aloft three fingers -- one for each of the goals his team had scored -- to a jubilant away end at Old Trafford.

On Sunday, however, Liverpool's struggles against United in a breathless 2-2 draw at Anfield were perhaps best typified by the sight of the right-back trudging toward the dugout to be replaced by Conor Bradley as the hosts desperately sought a late winner.

While Alexander-Arnold was far from the only player in a red shirt who failed to hit the heights, the postmatch analysis saw him bear the brunt of the criticism from fans and pundits alike. He lost the ball 25 times against United, won none of his five duels and recorded a passing accuracy of just 74.6% -- slightly below his season average of 76.5%. It was an afternoon to forget for the England international at the end of a week that will live long in the memory of many Liverpool supporters, for all the wrong reasons.

If Alexander-Arnold -- who is out of contract at the end of the season -- had been hoping to silence the noise surrounding his Anfield future with his goal celebration against West Ham United last week, it is fair to say that his actions did not have the desired effect. With reports from Spain that the 26-year-old had already committed to joining Real Madrid as a free agent in the summer emerging in the buildup to the 5-0 win at the London Stadium on Dec. 29, Alexander-Arnold marked his first Premier League goal of the season against Julen Lopetegui's side by raising his hand to his ear and making a "talking" gesture. The celebration became the subject of intense scrutiny, with some taking it as a sign that chat of Alexander-Arnold's impending exit was premature.

Less than 48 hours later, though, the Madrid hierarchy appeared to suggest otherwise when they approached Liverpool about signing their vice-captain in the January transfer window. A source told ESPN those advances were quickly rejected and no official bid was tabled. But while Liverpool's swift rebuttal seemingly put paid to the idea of Alexander-Arnold leaving his boyhood club this month, Madrid's overt interest has set the stage for what could now become a toxic and protracted transfer saga.

It must be noted that the responsibility for this turmoil, in what has otherwise been a serene debut season for Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, does not lie solely with Alexander-Arnold. Before kick-off at Anfield on Sunday, a banner was unfurled on the Kop depicting the right-back, alongside teammates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, with the caption: "FSG give Mo & Co their dough."

That all three players will, as things stand, be able to leave the club as free agents in a few months represents a glaring oversight on the part of Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, and the club's footballing hierarchy. That said, Liverpool's failings do come with a number of caveats; chiefly that the past couple of years have witnessed seismic change at the club, in the dugout and behind the scenes.

Typically, a club of Liverpool's stature would look to secure a player to a new contract when there is around two years left on their existing deal. However, when Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk were in such a position in the summer of 2023, sporting director Julian Ward left the club after just one year in the role. Former Wolfsburg sporting director Jörg Schmadtke was then drafted in as an interim, but the scope for long-term planning was further scuppered when Jürgen Klopp announced in January that he would be leaving at the end of the 2023-24 season.

It is understandable, then, that Alexander-Arnold and his teammates would wait to see the club's direction of travel under Klopp's successor before they made any concrete decisions about their future. Alexander-Arnold, in particular, shared a close bond with Klopp, who handed him his professional debut and oversaw his rise to becoming one of the Premier League's finest-ever right-backs with more assists than any other defender in the competition's history.

But, with former AFC Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes officially assuming the role of sporting director in June, and with Slot making a flying start to life on Merseyside, there was an expectation that headway would be quickly made in negotiations with Liverpool's out-of-contract triumvirate. While Salah has regularly voiced his frustration over the lack of progress made -- recently insisting he is "far away" from agreeing a new deal -- Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have largely remained tight-lipped on their own situations, with the latter having publicly addressed his future only once, after Liverpool's 3-0 win over Bournemouth in September.

"I want to be a Liverpool player this season [as a minimum] is what I will say," Alexander-Arnold said. "I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions, and none of those have been played out in public -- and this one won't be either."

At the time it was viewed as an admirable stance, but, as murmurings from Madrid have continued to grow louder, Alexander-Arnold's silence has become deafening. Rightly or wrongly, the defender is held to a higher standard by supporters than Salah or Van Dijk, having been born and raised in the city he now represents on the pitch.

The trade-off for that adulation when things are going well is greater scrutiny when things are not, and that is a lesson Alexander-Arnold is now learning the hard way. It is worth noting that, for all Madrid's overtures, conversations over a contract renewal at Liverpool have been taking place with Alexander-Arnold's camp for several months, and the club insist the player has not yet indicated a desire to leave.

Even if the defender does decide to seek pastures new in the summer, there is an argument that he should go with Liverpool's best wishes, having helped the club to the Premier League and Champions League titles and represented the first team with great distinction over the past eight years. He would not be the first player to be tempted by the bright lights of the Bernabéu, where silverware is almost guaranteed and there is the chance to be catapulted to superstardom. With him having given two decades of service to his boyhood club, who could deny him the chance to explore a new opportunity?

But football is a sentimental game and there is a significant portion of the Liverpool fanbase who would feel betrayed should their local hero depart at what looks to be the start of an exciting new era under Slot, particularly to the club who, since 2018, have defeated them in two Champions League finals.

At a time when profit and sustainability rules (PSR) dictate how freely clubs can move in the transfer market, the prospect of losing a homegrown asset for nothing would sting and has inevitably led to comparisons being drawn between Alexander-Arnold and Steve McManaman, who left Liverpool to join Madrid on a free transfer in 1999. Madrid's January approach also has the potential to destabilise Liverpool as they look to pursue Premier League and Champions League glory. Certainly, it would be naive to assume that Alexander-Arnold and his camp had no prior knowledge of Madrid's advances, and, for that, the player deserves some criticism.

Ultimately, though, Liverpool are in a sad situation that is partly of their own making, whereby a player who has done more than enough to be revered as one of the club's all-time greats has now become the easiest target for supporters' ire.

Many of the fans who attended the game against United will have walked past a mural erected in Alexander-Arnold's honour on Sybil Road, just a minute's walk from the stadium. It depicts Alexander-Arnold alongside the words: "I'm just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true" -- an emotional remark made after his team's triumph in the 2019 Champions League final. For the sake of both the defender and for Liverpool, clarity over his future must be established sooner rather than later, or else that dream is at risk of turning into a nightmare.

PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid was sidelined for the Philadelphia 76ers' game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night due to a left foot sprain.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said Monday that although the All-Star center's foot injury has been bothersome, it is not something the team is worried about long term.

"It's day-to-day," Nurse said. "He hurt it a (few) games ago and it's been trying to get him back in there. ... It's not good enough to go today, but it's nothing major."

Embiid is enduring an injury-plagued season. Monday's game marked the 21st he has missed this season. The Sixers are 7-13 without Embiid in the lineup.

A two-time NBA scoring champion, Embiid is averaging 24.4 points and 7.9 rebounds this season -- below his career averages. He has missed all but 13 games due to left knee soreness, a sinus fracture and a three-game suspension for an altercation with a reporter in the locker room.

The Sixers are 14-19, 10 games behind Atlantic Division-leading Boston (26-10) and in 11th place out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is coming off a 123-94 win over Brooklyn on Saturday and is 7-3 in its past 10 games.

The Sixers were also without Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness) against the Suns. He joined Embiid, Jared McCain (torn meniscus) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) on the sidelines.

NEW YORK -- New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, dealing with a right knee injury, was ruled out Monday night ahead of his team's matchup with the Orlando Magic.

Before the Knicks' decision to sit Towns because of what they deemed right knee tendinopathy, the four-time All-Star had been considered a game-time decision.

He took a hard fall in the closing minutes of a dominant 44-point, 16-rebound, 5-assist performance during a loss at Chicago on Saturday. He left that game because of the injury that caused him to limp.

The 29-year-old, acquired by the Knicks as training camps opened in October, is putting up career-best efficiency numbers while also leading the NBA in rebounds per game with 14.

He's shooting a personal-best 44% on 3-pointers and averaging 25.3 points alongside Jalen Brunson for the Knicks, who sit in third place in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is on the verge of returning to action after missing two months because of a left hamstring strain.

The Pelicans announced that Williamson, who returned to practice last week, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Williamson has not played since a Nov. 6 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, missing the past 27 games for the 7-29 Pelicans.

Injuries have plagued the Williamson's career, limiting the 2019 No. 1 pick to 190 games over five and a half seasons. He has career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Williamson has had persistent issues with his hamstring over the past few seasons. A hamstring strain sidelined him for the final 45 games of the 2022-23 season, when he was selected as an All-Star for the second time. He played a career-high 70 games last season but exited a play-in game because of a hamstring strain that sidelined Williamson for the Pelicans' first-round playoff loss.

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen and the Kansas City Royals agreed on a one-year, $7 million contract, sources told ESPN on Monday, reuniting the veteran with the team with which he excelled down the stretch last year.

Lorenzen, 33, went 7-6 with a 3.31 ERA in 130 innings with Texas and Kansas City in 2024. Because of Lorenzen's low strikeout and high walk rates, teams balked at offering a deal that reflects his ERA, but Kansas City welcomed him back on a one-year deal -- which is pending a physical -- that includes a second-year mutual option for $12 million.

Whatever Lorenzen has lacked in analytical appeal, the six teams he has played for in his decade-long career have long appreciated his athleticism, versatility and ability to get outs. Lorenzen has bounced between the rotation and bullpen, and Kansas City used him as a starter after acquiring him in July. In seven outings, he allowed five earned runs in 28 innings.

The Royals have a potential rotation spot open after the trade of right-hander Brady Singer to Cincinnati, with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha shoo-ins for starting spots and Lorenzen, Alec Marsh, Kris Bubic and Kyle Wright expected to battle for the final two.

Lorenzen will enter spring training the favorite, though Kansas City's left-handed-heavy bullpen illustrates a need for another effective right-hander to complement closer Lucas Erceg and the high-leverage righty John Schreiber. If Lorenzen is in the rotation, he can earn up to $1.5 million for innings-pitched incentives that top out at 175. Should he go to the bullpen, Lorenzen would make an additional $1 million after his 40th appearance.

The deal will pay Lorenzen $5.5 million in 2025, and the buyout on the mutual option guarantees him another $1.5 million.

The Cincinnati Reds acquired infielder Gavin Lux from the Los Angeles Dodgers for a draft pick and an outfield prospect, sources told ESPN on Monday, adding another prime-age hitter to a team that hopes to ascend in the National League Central this year.

Lux, 27, won two World Series titles with the Dodgers and showed flashes of the talent that at one point had him ranked among the best prospects in baseball. With the team moving Mookie Betts to shortstop last season and signing infielder Hyeseong Kim last week, Lux was available via trade. The Dodgers received Cincinnati's competitive balance Round A pick (worth around $2.5 million in bonus-pool money) and outfielder Mike Sirota, a third-round pick in 2024.

Cincinnati's roster already includes a cadre of options at Lux's main positions: shortstop Elly De La Cruz, second baseman Matt McLain, third baseman Noelvi Marte, corner infielder Jeimer Candelario utilityman Santiago Espinal and first basemen Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Still, Lux's athleticism -- he has played 45 games at outfield -- could allow the Reds to move him around in search of at-bats.

After a dreadful start to 2024 following an ACL tear that kept him out of the 2023 season, Lux was one of the most productive hitters in baseball in the second half, batting .304/.390/.508 and putting up two wins above replacement in 61 games. Lux is expected to make slightly more than $3 million in arbitration this year and will reach free agency after the 2026 season.

Under new manager Terry Francona, the Reds hope to rebound from a disappointing 77-85 season that included breakout campaigns from De La Cruz and right-hander Hunter Greene but it was not enough in a middling National League Central Division.

By receiving the extra $2.5 million in draft capital, the Dodgers will help make up for a bonus pool that was lacking. Because Los Angeles exceeded the luxury tax threshold by more than $40 million, its first-round draft pick, set to be 30th overall, was moved back 10 spots to 40th.

Sirota, 21, has physical tools that have long intrigued teams -- including the Dodgers, who drafted him in the 16th round in 2021. He declined to sign and went to Northeastern, where he showed a power-speed-patience game that prompted Cincinnati to take him with the No. 87 pick in last year's draft and sign him for $863,300.

A goal in added time from Tammy Abraham completed a stunning comeback for AC Milan who won the Italian Super Cup with a dramatic 3-2 victory over city rivals Inter Milan in Monday's final in Riyadh after going two goals down early in the game.

United States star Christian Pulisic scored the goal to bring Milan level with their city rivals at Al-Awwal Park, and then played the key pass to unlock Inter's defense on the winning goal by Abraham.

The win denied Inter what would have been an unprecedented fourth consecutive Super Cup trophy, and allowed Milan to equal Inter's haul of eight wins in the competition, with new manager Serge Conceicao lifting a trophy in his second game in charge.

"We played with confidence, courage and hunger," Abraham said. "We're a strong team."

The game was preceded by a spectacular light show at the King Saud University Stadium, but the match only really sparked into life in the final seconds of the opening half.

Mehdi Taremi teed up Lautaro Martínez with a pass across the box and the forward used some neat footwork to deceive Malick Thiaw before firing a low shot through the legs of Theo Hernández, which beat Mike Maignan at his near post.

Two minutes after the interval Inter continued where they had left off. Stefan de Vrij played a long ball over the top which Taremi controlled beautifully and he curled his shot into the bottom corner to double their advantage.

Milan responded by sending on Rafael Leão, who immediately won a free kick just outside the area which Hernandez curled low around the wall and snuck just inside the post to re-open the tie.

A rejuvenated Milan pushed for an equaliser. Tijjani Reijnders had a shot blocked by the face of Alessandro Bastoni and Inter keeper Yann Sommer pulled off a fine save from an Álvaro Morata header.

Inter then had a chance to restore their two-goal advantage, but Carlos Augusto's header from close range came off the upright and into the arms of Maignan on the goal-line, but Milan found the equaliser with 10 minutes remaining.

Pulisic, surrounded by three Inter players, controlled a cross from Hernandez and steered his shot into the far corner and it looked like the tie would be decided by a shootout, with no extra time to be played.

Milan, however, continued to press and they were rewarded when Leao pulled the ball back across the goal and Abraham, another substitute, was there for the simplest of tap-ins to break Inter hearts.

Conceicao, who replaced the sacked Paulo Fonseca last week, celebrated wildly with his players, while the Inter team slumped to the floor in disbelief.

"It's also our fault that Fonseca was fired," said Hernandez, who often clashed with Fonseca. "We didn't have much time to work together [with Conceicao], but it's gone well in that short span."

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.

EAGAN, Minn. -- Kevin O'Connell made clear Monday that he wants to continue as the Minnesota Vikings' head coach, even as his contract status has reportedly spurred interest from other NFL teams in acquiring his services via trade.

"I'm not really interested in kind of, I guess I should say, addressing the rumors or speculation," O'Connell said. "What I can tell you is I love this team. I love everything about this organization. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to keep coaching and leading."

O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah each signed four-year contracts when they were hired within weeks of each other in 2022. They put together a combined 20-14 record in their first two seasons, but owners Zygi and Mark Wilf decided against offering contract extensions to either at the midpoint of their deals. Mark Wilf said in August that those discussions would be targeted for after the 2024 season, if warranted, and the Vikings went on to post an unexpected 14-3 record and qualify for the playoffs.

But until a deal is reached, O'Connell would be on track to be a coaching free agent after the 2025 season. Sunday morning, Fox Sports reported that multiple NFL teams would be interested in acquiring O'Connell via trade if the Vikings were to make him available.

But multiple team sources said this weekend that the Wilfs have no interest in trading O'Connell, and O'Connell's statement Monday demonstrated he had no interest in forcing his way out. He said his "sole focus at this point" is finding a way to move on from Sunday's 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions and start laying the foundation of a win against the Los Angeles Rams in next Monday's wild-card playoff game at SoFi Stadium.

"[I'm not interested] in any conversations in my opinion at this point that really aren't about the Rams and the task at hand," O'Connell said, "and my personal responsibility to lead immediate improvement off of yesterday but also capitalizing on the opportunity to be in the tournament. [That's] my sole focus at this point."

In three seasons in Minnesota, O'Connell has a 34-17 regular-season record, sixth best in the NFL over that period. He is one of three coaches in NFL history, along with Matt LaFleur and George Seifert, to win at least 13 games in two of his first three seasons as a head coach.

FRISCO, Texas -- Jerry Jones' timeframe on whether to keep Mike McCarthy as Dallas Cowboys coach could be impacted by the Chicago Bears.

Multiple sources said the Bears have sought permission to speak with McCarthy regarding their head coaching vacancy. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Cowboys have yet to respond to the request.

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

After Sunday's 23-19 season-ending loss to the Washington Commanders, Jones continued to praise McCarthy 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 if he would allow a team to speak to McCarthy if it sought permission, and the owner and general manager 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. When asked if McCarthy could return as coach but not call plays, which he has done the past two seasons, Jones said, "Anything is possible."

McCarthy met with the team Monday morning and gave no indication of his future. He thanked the players for their hard work and went through the end-of-season checklist, such as meeting with the medical staff and their position coaches.

"I'm in the wind just like you guys," Micah Parsons said.

Though McCarthy's intent Sunday was to remain in Dallas, it's not known if Chicago's interest will change anything.

"I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me," McCarthy said after the game. "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 and won six NFC North titles and Super Bowl XLV.

He has a 19-7 record against the Bears in his career.

Coincidentally, Chicago is one of the Cowboys' opponents in 2025.

Besides McCarthy, the Bears also reportedly requested to interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson during Detroit's bye week. According to Schefter, the Bears also requested interviews with Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Interim head coach Thomas Brown will also receive a formal interview, according to GM Ryan Poles.