Sports
Arteta: Arsenal 1st-half display ‘one of the best’
Mikel Arteta said his side’s first-half display in a comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley was “one of the best we have played” as they extended their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Viktor Gyökeres and Declan Rice struck first half goals as the Gunners racked up a ninth straight win all competitions and fifth in the top flight.
Their half-time lead would have been more commanding but for two saves from goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka, who twice denied Bukayo Saka.
Arteta said: “We started the game exceptionally well. I think the first half is one of the best that we’ve played, scored two goals, generated another two or three big chances and conceded nothing.
“And that was a platform, because in the second half we dropped the standards, especially with the ball, and with our intentions to play more forward. But again, defensively, we were exceptional.”
Burnley failed to lay a glove on the Londoners, with their first effort on goal coming through Florentino Luis’ header in the 73rd minute before substitute Marcus Edwards’ free kick hit a post deep in stoppage time.
Gyökeres, who struck the opener from a corner as Arteta’s side also extended their league-leading set-piece goals tally this season, excluding penalties, to 12, was singled out by the Spaniard for special praise.
But the Sweden striker could be doubtful for Tuesday’s Champions League game in Prague after being replaced at half-time due to a muscle strain.
Arteta added: “I think it was one of the best games that he’s played [for us].
“Overall, his performance was exceptional, apart from the goal, and we had to take him off because he was feeling a little niggle, muscular.
“His high press, his positioning and his touches, his threading in behind, the way he linked play, the way he gets us from this situation to transition.
“He was in a really good moment. It’s a shame that he felt something.”
Burnley remain five points clear of the bottom three after their fifth league defeat of the season and boss Scott Parker felt the first goal was decisive.
Parker said: “We understood what we were up against, a top, top team with huge quality, and I thought we started the game really well.
“The [first] goal took the wind out of us a little bit in terms of the set-play goal, and we had worked a lot this week on that. But I think it took the edge off us a little bit.”
Parker said it was “so hard” to defend the Gunners at set-pieces, with Rice’s deliveries “on the money” and the likes of Gabriel a huge physical threat.
“If you don’t have those players, you probably don’t score as many as what Arsenal are scoring,” Parker added.
“You’ve got a delivery-taker that every single time you ask for it to be put back post, and the runs will be there, it goes back post.
“You ask it to be put front post, and the runs are there, and it gets put there. You’ve then also got the other element, the timing of the runs and the physicality of those runs.”
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Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears struck last and delivered the knockout blow in a slugfest against Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, 47-42.
Chicago had to fend off a clawing Cincinnati squad that cobbled together a comeback late in the game.
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Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (Jeff Dean/AP Photo)
The Bears were up 41-27 when D.J. Moore took an end around play to the end zone with 4:53 remaining in the game. Chicago nearly sealed the game when Terrell Edmunds picked off Flacco and ran it back for what was thought to be a touchdown. However, officials determined that Edmunds was down by contact and negated the 96-yard return.
Chicago went three-and-out on its next drive. Flacco then led the Bengals on a four-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Noah Fant. The Bengals needed the ball to bounce their way on the onside kick attempt, and it did.
Flacco then needed only six plays to find Andrei Iosivas for the go-ahead score. The momentum was firmly on the Bengals’ side.
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Chicago Bears running back Brittain Brown (38), right, celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (Jeff Dean/AP Photo)
Williams got the ball back with less than a minute to play – and it wasn’t looking great. He threw two incompletions before he scampered for 14 yards to extend the drive.
The second-year quarterback threw a dart to rookie tight end Colston Loveland in the middle of the field. Loveland bounced off two defenders and ran for a touchdown. The 58-yard play gave the Bears the lead and eventually the win.
The two teams combined for 1,071 total yards and 89 points on 141 plays.
Williams was 20-of-34 with 280 passing yards, two touchdown passes and a receiving touchdown. Williams actually had two catches in the game.
Bears running back Kyle Monangai, a former Rutgers standout, had 26 carries for 176 yards. Loveland finished with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdown catches.
Flacco had one of the best statistical games of his career. He was 31-of-47 with 470 passing yards, four touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (Jeff Dean/AP Photo)
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Tee Higgins led the team with seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase had six catches for 111 yards.
Chicago improved to 5-3 and Cincinnati fell to 3-6.
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The men’s portion of the New York City Marathon came down to the wire on Sunday.
Kenya’s Benson Kipruto crossed the finish line a split second in front of Alexander Mutiso in a photo finish.
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Benson Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso cross the finish line to win first and second place in the men’s elite division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
The two runners separated themselves from the pack heading into the 24th mile of the event. Mutiso, who is also from Kenya, turned on the jets in the last 50 meters of the race but fell just short of Kipruto.
Kipruto finished with a time of 2:08.09 to win the race. It was the first time he won the New York City Marathon in his career.
The Olympic bronze medalist in the 2024 Paris Games took home first place in the 2024 Tokyo, 2022 Chicago and 2021 Boston Marathons during his career. His time at the New York City Marathon this year fell about six seconds short of his personal best time of 2:02.16.
Benson Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso, both from Kenya, make their way through Central Park during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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Elsewhere, Hellen Obiri set a course record on the women’s side in the event. She finished with a time of 2:19.51, winning the race for the second time. She pulled away from Sharon Lokedi in the final mile to capture the top prize.
Obiri topped Margaret Okayo’s record, which was a time of 2:22.31 set in 2003.
The 26.2-mile course took runners through all five boroughs of New York, starting in Staten Island and ending in Manhattan’s Central Park. It’s the 49th year the race has toured through the five boroughs.
Hellen Obiri celebrates winning first place in the women’s elite division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
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The first iteration of the New York City Marathon had 55 finishers, while the 2024 race had 55,642 competitors cross the finish line.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Pakistani runners showcased exceptional endurance and determination on Sunday at the Istanbul Marathon — the only marathon in the world that spans two continents.
As many as twelve Pakistani athletes successfully covered the 42.195-kilometre distance during the event.
Mubariz Bin Rafay emerged as the fastest among them, completing the race in three hours, 21 minutes, and 30 seconds.
He was followed by Mujtaba Ahsan, who clocked three hours and 23 minutes, while Istanbul-based Ismail Khan finished third among Pakistanis in four hours and three minutes.
Geo News Deputy Sports Editor Faizan Lakhani also completed his first marathon, finishing the 42.195-kilometre course in five hours and 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, Sahar Ali Janjua led the pack for Pakistan, completing the distance in four hours and 22 minutes, followed by Hina Malik, who finished in four hours and 49 minutes.
Other Pakistani participants included Omer Rasheed, Zain Ahmad, Kashif Raza, Mehwish Hanif, Sadaf Saad, and Haziq Khalid.
Spectators cheered the Pakistani runners — easily recognisable in their green shirts — as they crossed the Bosphorus Bridge from Asia to Europe.
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