Sports

NEW YORK — LeBron James scored 36 points, carrying Cleveland while Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love had slow starts in their return to the line-up, and the Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-108 on Friday night.

Irving added 32 points and Love had 17 points and 13 rebounds, but both shot poorly early as the Nets kept it competitive for 1½ quarters. James helped the Cavs open a double-digit lead by half-time and they led comfortably most of the rest of the way in the opener of a six-game trip.

The Cavs were still working to finalise a trade with Atlanta to acquire shooting guard Kyle Korver. Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said before the game he did not have any new information about when that would happen.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points for the Nets, who have lost five straight and 10 of 11.

Love missed a loss to Chicago on Wednesday and was limited in the previous game after suffering from food poisoning on New Year’s Day. Irving had sat out the last three games with right hamstring tightness.

Grizzlies 128, Warriors 119, OT 

Mike Conley scored 27 points and Memphis rallied all the way back from 24 down, stunning Golden State in overtime for its second victory over the Warriors this season.

Golden State squandered Stephen Curry’s 40 points with an awful fourth quarter and watched Conley knock down a key jumper with 55 seconds left in OT.

Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each made two quick baskets as the Grizzlies hit their initial five shots in the extra period and snapped Golden State’s nine-game home winning streak.

Conley tied it on a 17-footer with 7.4 seconds left in regulation, and a heavily guarded Curry missed from way back before the buzzer.

Kevin Durant had 27 points and 13 rebounds but missed five free throws in the Warriors’ sixth defeat of the season. The Grizzlies handed Golden State a 110-89 loss on December 10.

Clippers 106, Kings 98

Austin Rivers scored 24 points and Los Angeles won its third straight game by defeating Sacramento.

Rivers made four 3-pointers and the Clippers hit 13 overall in beating the Kings for the ninth straight time in Sacramento. Los Angeles hit five 3s in the fourth quarter, when it outscored the Kings 31-25.

J.J. Redick drained five 3s and scored 20 points for the Clippers. DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Paul added 14 points and 12 assists.

Paul made six free throws in the final minute to secure the victory. He missed the previous four games and seven of the past eight with a left hamstring injury.

The Clippers won for the third time in nine games.

DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Kings. Sacramento has lost two straight and four of five since a season-high four-game winning streak.

Lakers 127, Heat 100

Lou Williams scored 24 points and Luol Deng added 19 points and 14 rebounds as Los Angeles topped Miami for only its fourth victory in 20 games.

Goran Dragic scored 16 points for Miami before getting ejected along with Los Angeles’ Jordan Clarkson after a third-quarter scuffle in which both players appeared to be narrowly stopped from throwing punches.

With the Heat’s leading scorer in the locker room, the Lakers seized control in the fourth quarter of just their second win in 10 meetings with Miami. Williams led a decisive 19-4 run while scoring 16 points in the final period.

Willie Reed had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who have lost seven of eight overall and nine of ten on the road.

D’Angelo Russell scored 19 points, rookie Brandon Ingram had a career-high 17 and Julius Randle added 15 for the Lakers, who had their highest-scoring performance of the season.

Rockets 100, Magic 93

Ryan Anderson had 19 points, all in the second half, and Eric Gordon scored 17 off the bench as Houston extended its winning streak to seven games with a victory over Orlando.

Anderson led five Rockets players in double figures. He hit five 3-pointers on a night when Houston attempted 49 of them and made 15.

Patrick Beverley also scored 17 points, while leading scorer James Harden had an off shooting night and finished with 14.

D.J. Augustin led five Magic players in double figures with 19 points. Aaron Gordon added 18, while Serge Ibaka had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Celtics 110, 76ers 106

Avery Bradley had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Boston rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia.

Isaiah Thomas added 24 points, and Al Horford scored 14 of his 19 in the final period. The Celtics have won nine of their last 11 and four straight at home.

Boston was trailing by two when Horford got wide open in the corner and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17.2 seconds left.

Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ersan Ilyasova scored 20.

Philadelphia led by 14 in the first half before the Celtics took the lead early in the fourth quarter.

Knicks 116, Bucks 111

Carmelo Anthony had 26 points and 10 assists, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, and New York stormed back from 18 down to beat Milwaukee and stop its six-game losing streak.

Kristaps Porzingis returned after a three-game absence due to a sore left Achilles tendon and added 24 points for the Knicks, who trailed by 13 heading into the fourth.

With less than a minute remaining, Anthony drained a 3 to put New York in front 112-111. On the ensuing possession, Lance Thomas stripped Giannis Antetokounmpo, leading to a fast-break dunk by Courtney Lee.

New York rebounded from a last-second loss to the Bucks on Wednesday when Antetokounmpo hit a step-back jumper at the horn that gave Milwaukee a 105-104 win at Madison Square Garden.

This time, Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker had 25 points apiece for Milwaukee. Greg Monroe chipped in with 19.

The Knicks used a 12-0 run to cut the Bucks’ lead to one early in the fourth.

Wizards 112, Timberwolves 105

John Wall had a season-high 18 assists and scored 18 points to help Washington beat Minnesota for its ninth straight victory at home.

Andrew Wiggins had 41 points on 16-of-30 shooting for the Timberwolves after scoring eight points Tuesday night in a loss to Philadelphia.

Bradley Beal had 22 points for Washington, and Marcin Gortat hit all nine of his field goal attempts and scored 19 points. The Wizards have won 10 of 15 overall.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which has dropped six of eight. Gorgui Dieng added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Zach Lavine had eight points on 3-of-14 shooting.

CLEVELAND — Jimmy Butler scored 10 straight points during a critical stretch in the fourth quarter, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 106-94 win Wednesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a less than 100 per cent LeBron James and were without stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Butler, who was coming off a 52-point game against Charlotte, scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth as the Bulls held off Cleveland’s comeback.

Doug McDermott added 17 points for the Bulls, who made a season-high 13 3-pointers.

James, who has been battling a cold for several days, was questionable until about 20 minutes before the game, when the Cavs announced he would be the one — and only — member of Cleveland’s “Big 3” in uniform. He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes.

Bucks 105, Knicks 104

Giannis Antetokounmpo made a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give Milwaukee a victory over New York.

Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, and he gave the Bucks a final possession when he knocked the ball off Derrick Rose and out of bounds with 8.6 seconds left. Officials originally ruled the ball was off the Bucks but reversed the call after video review.

Antetokounmpo handled things from there, calmly backing down Lance Thomas before turning and shooting from the foul line, the ball going in as time expired.

Carmelo Anthony had 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Knicks, who lost their sixth straight.

Warriors 125, Trail Blazers 117

Stephen Curry had 35 points with five 3-pointers, Kevin Durant scored 30 points and blocked three shots and Golden State beat Portland.

Zaza Pachulia scored 13 points to hit double figures in consecutive games for the first time this season, just his fourth time reaching double digits for Golden State. He also matched his career high with three blocks in the Warriors’ ninth straight home win.

C.J. McCollum scored 35 points to lead a Portland team still without Damian Lillard, and the Trail Blazers certainly had to feel better about hanging tough in this one after their forgettable 45-point defeat here 2 1/2 weeks earlier.

Curry shot 12 for 25 on a night Splash Brother Klay Thompson struggled to find his stroke from long range, going 1 of 7 and scoring 14 points. Curry added seven rebounds and five assists.

Clippers 115, 

Grizzlies 106

Austin Rivers scored a season-high 28 points and helped rally Los Angeles from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Memphis for its second win in a row.

Jamal Crawford added 22 points off the bench and DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 20 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved to 4-9 in the regular season without Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Both injured stars watched from the bench; Paul could return from a sore hamstring this week.

Marc Gasol scored 23 points and Mike Conley had 17 points and a season-high 12 assists for the Grizzlies.

Hornets 123, 

Thunder 112

Nicolas Batum had a season-high 28 points, and Charlotte beat Oklahoma City to snap a two-game losing streak.

Batum was 7 of 18 from the field and made 13 of 15 free throws. The Hornets were 40 of 49 from the foul line.

Russell Westbrook had 33 points and 15 rebounds, but fell two assists shy of his 17th triple-double of the season for Oklahoma City. Enes Kanter added 22 points, and Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams each had 18.

Hawks 111, Magic 92

Dennis Schroder scored 18 points, Dwight Howard had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Atlanta pulled away late in a victory over Orlando for its fourth straight win.

Kent Bazemore scored 17 points, and Paul Millsap had a big second half to finish with 16 points. Bazemore and Millsap knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to close the door on Orlando, which pulled within four points of the lead during the final period.

Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 15 points each, and Evan Fournier came off the bench to score 14 points.

Heat 107, Kings 102

Tyler Johnson scored 23 points and Miami beat Sacramento to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Heat squandered a 19-point third-quarter lead and trailed on several occasions in the fourth before Johnson gave them a 105-102 lead on a three-point play with 27.8 seconds left. The victory was Miami’s sixth straight over Sacramento and 16th in 17 meetings.

Goran Dragic had 19 points and seven assists for the Heat.

AMMAN —  While Jazira are still in the lead of the Jordan Professional Football League, closest rivals Wihdat and Faisali have narrowed the gap heading into Week 10 of the competition.

Jazira managed to salvage a 1-1 draw with Ramtha last week in the final minutes which enabled them to remain atop the standings before they play Manshieh, who maintained fourth place after beating Sahab 2-0. Wihdat and Faisali are now four points behind the leaders after Wihdat beat That Ras 2-0 and Faisali beat Hussein 2-1.

Wihdat next play Sarih who lost 3-1 to Shabab Urdun who are up to 6th, while Faisali meet Baqaa who lost 4-0 to Ahli as the latter climbed to fifth. Jazira’s Syrian pro Mardig Mardigian still leads the top scorers list with seven goals.

BRISBANE, Australia — In the 12 months since her previous trip to the Brisbane International, Angelique Kerber won her first two Grand Slam titles and supplanted Serena Williams as No. 1 in women’s tennis.

For two sets on Wednesday night, Kerber dominated as the top-seeded player should. Between those sets, she struggled with her serve against the gritty determination of local wild-card entry Ash Barty, the 2011 Wimbledon junior champion who spent nearly two years out of tennis pursuing a career in cricket following her previous appearance at the Brisbane International in 2014.

Kerber closed out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win with an ace, her fifth of the match, to progress to a quarter-final match against sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina — the only player who beat both the No. 1-ranked women (Kerber and Williams) in 2016.

“I’m so, so happy to be back in Australia — that was my breakthrough last year,” Kerber said. “I’m feeling good. I mean, I have great memories from last year. Of course, it was a completely different situation like 12 months ago, but to being here, starting here, that’s a good thing, I think.

“It will be a different year than in 2016, but I think that I’m ready for that.”

It was not entirely smooth for Kerber, who launched her breakout season with a run to the Brisbane final last year and went on to win the Australian Open, the US Open and reach the finals at Wimbledon and the Olympics.

She fended off three break points in the first set but, with five double-faults in the second, was broken twice and allowed Barty to even the match.

Kerber regained her rhythm in the third and cut down her errors, and Barty’s challenge ran out of steam.

On the men’s side, second-seeded Stan Wawrinka and No. 3 Kei Nishikori advanced.

Wawrinka, the US Open champion, beat Viktor Troicki 7-6 (5), 6-4 in his debut match at the tournament to move into the quarter-finals against Kyle Edmund.

From 2014-16, Wawrinka won the Chennai tournament in India without dropping a set.

“For sure it’s a bit different conditions, but I don’t think it will change much for the preparation for Australia,” said Wawrinka, who won his first major title at Melbourne Park in 2014. “When you’ve been on the tour for so long, to play some new tournaments, it makes you a little bit fresher mentally.”

He extended his record to 7-0 against Troicki, recovering an early break to dominate the match.

Nishikori was rusty against Jared Donaldson but found enough to hold off the American qualifier 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Eighth-seeded David Ferrer did not make it that far, saving four match points on serve late in the third set before losing to Australian wild-card entry Jordan Thompson 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

In his first ATP quarter-final match, Thompson will play Nishikori, a former US Open finalist and a three-time semifinalist in Brisbane.

Sixth-seeded Lucas Pouille was trailing Edmund 6-3, 3-1 when he retired from their second-round match because of blisters.

A day after becoming the first player born in the 2000s to win a main draw match at an elite WTA event, Destanee Aiava lost to two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3 in the women’s second round.

“It’s pretty scary [but] I learned a lot out of that match,” said the 16-year-old Aiava, adding that she had gained “confidence, maybe, in my game and myself, knowing that I do belong here”.

Aiava will return to her hometown Melbourne, where she will play an exhibition tournament next week to continue preparations for her first Grand Slam event. She has a wild-card entry for the Australian Open, where she is set to be the first player born this millennium to play a Grand Slam main draw match.

Kuznetsova will play French Open champion and fourth-seeded Garbine Muguruza in the quarter-finals.

Second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova rallied from a set and a break down to beat Zhang Shuai 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in her first competitive match since winning the season-ending WTA Finals.

LONDON — Formula One goes into the New Year braced for change on and off the track, even if Lewis Hamilton will again start as top dog at Mercedes and firm favourite to take his fourth world championship.

After winning 19 of a record 21 races in 2016, starting all but one on pole and retaining both titles for the third year in a row, there is just a chance that Mercedes will be less dominant.

They will be without newly crowned champion Nico Rosberg for starters, after the retirement bombshell that dropped jaws around the world only days after he won his first title.

The German came good as never before this year, winning the opening four races and nine in total on his way to joining Britain’s Damon Hill as only the second son of a champion to take the crown.

If that success was a shock to those who expected him to finish runner-up again, as might have been the case without Hamilton’s blown engine in Malaysia and other issues, it was nothing to what followed next.

“I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right,” Rosberg said after telling stunned team bosses that he was calling it a day.

Mercedes will not name a replacement until January at least, with Finn Valtteri Bottas favourite to move from Williams into the hot seat.

Rosberg was not the only one heading for the exit, with Ron Dennis ousted as McLaren boss and 2009 champion Jenson Button making way at the team for Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne.

Felipe Massa also retired but that could be as short-lived as Rosberg’s reign if Williams coax the Brazilian back in Bottas’ place.

Hamilton, who won more races with more poles than any other driver and became the first to take 10 victories in a season and not the title, had a roller-coaster year with a bizarre “meltdown” with the media in Japan.

Verstappen show

While Rosberg made the biggest breakthrough of 2016, Red Bull’s Dutch teenager Max Verstappen provided another as the sport’s youngest race winner at 18.

The “Verstappen show”, as Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff dubbed the driver’s sensational drive in a wet Brazil, came of age after his move from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing in May.

The teenager won on his debut for the senior team, helped by Hamilton and Rosberg colliding on the first lap, in Spain as Red Bull eclipsed Ferrari to emerge as Mercedes’ closest rivals.

Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo also stood on top of the podium, and brought with him the dubious delight of the “Shoey” — champagne poured into his boot for others on the podium to share.

Other novelties in the longest of seasons were the US-owned Haas team scoring on their debut, Renault’s low-key return as a manufacturer team and the first Grand Prix in Azerbaijan.

Next year, with new rules bringing wider tyres and faster cars with more aggressive handling, promises even more excitement.

More significant change has already started off the track with Liberty Media, led by US cable mogul John Malone, taking control of the sport in a deal valued at $8 billion.

The deal is due to be completed by the first quarter of 2017 and Liberty are talking already about a new era in the longer term, including measures to give more back to the fans while limiting the amounts teams spend.

That could also make for some lively headlines as Formula One’s 86-year-old commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has no intention of moving aside, and new Chairman Chase Carey figure out a way forward.

In a year filled with stunners, sports certainly went along for the ride.

From the Golden State Warriors squandering a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals after a record-breaking season to little Leicester City defying insurmountable odds to capture the Premier League title, there were plenty of shocking outcomes in our arenas and stadiums.

Heck, the Chicago Cubs even won the World Series for the first time in 108 years.

Let’s take a look at the games and events that left us aghast in 2016:

Not so golden

The Warriors started the season with a 24-game winning streak and finished 73-9, the greatest regular season in NBA history. Led by the incomparable Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Golden State rallied to beat Oklahoma City for the Western Conference title and was poised for its second straight championship. But, in an astounding twist against Cleveland, the Warriors became the first team ever to blow a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals — dropping the last two games in Oakland, no less. “It will haunt me for a while,” Curry said while the LeBron James-led Cavaliers celebrated the first championship in franchise history.

Cubs win! Cubs win!

The Chicago Cubs did not win their first title, but it sure seemed like it. Baseball’s lovable losers were favoured to finally break through after assembling a powerhouse team that led the majors with a 103-59 record. This being the Cubbies, of course, they had to make their first title since 1908 as difficult as possible. They fell behind 3-1 to another Cleveland team, the Indians. Then, like the Cavaliers, Chicago rallied to win the last three games, including the final two on the road. Game 7 was a classic that all other classics will be measured by — the Cubs prevailing 8-7 in 10 riveting, rain-delayed innings after squandering a four-run lead. “We did it,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “I can’t believe it.”

Foxy champions

If that seemed unbelievable, check out Leicester City, perhaps the most improbable champion in the history of any major sport. The Foxes began the season as a 5,000-to-1 longshot to claim England’s top football title, which seemed about right for a club that had been playing in the second division two years earlier and barely avoided relegation in 2015. But Leicester City, with a payroll that was spare change compared to the Premier League’s big spenders, romped to the first league title in its 132-year history — clinching with two weeks to spare. “Nobody believed we could do it,” captain Wes Morgan said, “but here we are.”

Beating the G.O.A.T.

Michael Phelps was poised to close his career in a blaze of glory. Then he swam against a boyish, 21-year-old from Singapore who grew up idolising the most decorated athlete in Olympic history. Joseph Schooling won his country’s first gold medal with an upset victory in the 100-metre butterfly. Phelps finished in a three-way tie for second, giving him a silver to go along with five golds in what was again billed as his final Olympics. Phelps was not the only star to falter in Rio: Kerri Walsh Jennings failed to win gold in beach volleyball for the first time; Serena and Venus Williams took their first loss ever in Olympic tennis doubles; and the US women’s football team missed out on a medal of any colour and, thanks to Hope Solo, came off like sore losers.

Serena slips Down Under

The Olympic defeat was not even the most disappointing of the year for Serena Williams, who was knocked off in the final of the Australian Open by Germany’s Angelique Kerber. After barely advancing past the opening round, the No. 7 seed took advantage of a rash of unforced errors by Williams to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 . Williams came back to capture Wimbledon, tying Steffi Graf’s record with 22 career major titles, and Kerber added her second major of the year at the US Open. There was also a huge upset in the men’s game when two-time defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic lost in the third round to Sam Querrey, ending a 30-match winning streak in Grand Slams.

Icing the English

Iceland, a country of roughly 300,000 people, did not figure to stand a chance against mighty England at the Euros, the most prestigious football prize outside the World Cup. But the team playing in its first major international tournament overcame an early deficit for a 2-1 victory. It was one of the humiliating defeats in the history of English football, leading to the immediate resignation of manager Roy Hodgson.

In another European football tournament, the Lincoln Red Imps defeated perennial Scottish champions Celtic 1-0 in a first-leg qualifying match of the Champions League. Not bad for a team from Gibraltar that featured a firefighter, a police officer and a taxi driver who had just completed their day jobs. Celtic came back to win the next leg 3-0 to eliminate the part-time pros with a 3-1 aggregate score.

Alexander the Great

The 100th Indianapolis 500 was snatched away by Alexander Rossi, a 24-year-old American competing in the race for the first time. After the other leaders pitted for a splash of fuel, Rossi gambled that he could make it to the end. He coasted across the finish line for one of the most stunning gulps of milk in the history of the illustrious race.

Notorious no more

After Ronda Rousey’s defeat the previous year, Conor McGregor became the face of mixed-martial arts. The Notorious looked unbeatable and certainly talked a good game, brutally mocking anyone who got in his way. Then he faced Nate Diaz in a bid to hold UFC titles in multiple weight classes. Despite taking the fight with less than two weeks’ notice, Diaz stopped the Irishman with a rear-naked choke submission.

Spieth takes a bath

After making a run at the Grand Slam in 2015, Jordan Spieth was cruising towards his second straight Masters title when he made the turn on the final day with a commanding five-stroke lead. Not so fast. The young Texan dunked two balls in the water at the par-3 12th for a quadruple bogey that handed the green jacket to England’s Danny Willett.

Raiders turn the Spartans blue

Michigan State went into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as a popular pick to go all the way. The Spartans did not even make it past their opening game. Middle Tennessee State , a No. 15 seed, shot 56 per cent from the field and knocked down 11 3-pointers for a stunning 90-81 victory that gave the Blue Raiders one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Big Dance. It fit right in with the rest of 2016.

Honourable mention

Western Bulldogs captured their first Australian Football League title since 1954 by knocking off the top three teams in the league standings during in the postseason.

AMMAN — Jazira maintained their leading heading into the final week of 2016 as Week 9 of the Jordan Professional Football League kicks off Friday. 

Jazira beat That Ras 4-0 to stay six points clear of all-time rivals Wihdat and Faisali who remained second and third after Wihdat scored a 3-2 win over Shabab Urdun while Faisali beat Sarih 1-0. 

In the upcoming week, Jazira play Ramtha, who beat Sahab 2-1 to move to 8th while Wihdat take on That Ras and Faisali are up against Hussein Irbid, who held Ahli 2-2.

Manshieh climbed to fourth after a 2-0 win over Baqa’a ahead of their upcoming match against Sahab. Ahli, who are now 6th, next play last placed Baqa’a as Shabab Urdun take on Sarih.

Jazira have so far scored three convincing wins over former champions Faisali, Wihdat and Shabab Urdun. Jazira’s Syrian pro Mardig Mardigian leads the scorers list with six goals. 

Meanwhile, in Round 3 of the Jordan Cup this week, Hussein upset Jazira 3-2, Wihdat beat That Ras 3-0, Faisali beat Baqa’a 1-0, Ramtha beat Manshieh 1-0, Sahab held Ahli 1-1 and Shabab Urdun beat Sarih 2-0. Round 4 resumes on January 9.

Ahli won the first major competition on the 2016/17 football calendar, making history when they beat reigning league champs Wihdat 2-1 to win the 34th Super Cup. In the Jordan Football Association Shield — back on the calendar after four years — Shabab Urdun scored a major 5-1 win over Faisali. It was Shabab Urdun’s second Shield title after they first won in 2007.

Last season, Wihdat retained the title with Faisali, Ahli, Jazira and Shabab Urdun in top five spots. It was Wihdat’s third consecutive and 15th league title since they moved up to the Professional League in 1975. Faisali beat Wihdat to clinch the Super Cup while it was Ahli, who after years in the backstage, beat Shabab Urdun to win their first Jordan Cup final.

LONDON — Toppling forward, Henrikh Mkhitaryan looked like he had misjudged the right-wing cross as he surged into the box seeking a clinching goal for Manchester United.

What came next brought Old Trafford to its feet — and underlined Mkhitaryan as perhaps the next cult figure at the English giant.

With an acrobatic flick of his right heel, the Armenian somehow managed to turn a ball that was behind him into the far corner from eight metres out, before plunging to the ground. Paul Pogba was the first United player to celebrate with Mkhitaryan and walked away shaking his head in disbelief.

It was a goal-of-the-season contender in the English Premier League, another piece of art from a player who is coming into his own after a tough start to life at United when he struggled to adapt to the fast pace of English football following a move from Borussia Dortmund.

Mkhitaryan sealed a 3-1 win for United over Sunderland on Monday and a fourth straight league victory for a side that is beginning to motor under Jose Mourinho. United might still be 13 points behind Chelsea, who won a club-record 12th straight game to extend their lead to seven points, but a finish in the Champions League qualification places looks increasingly likely.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the cross for Mkhitaryan’s goal, set up Daley Blind for United’s 39th-minute opener and scored the other goal for his 16th goal of the season in all competitions. Mourinho will be delighted to see his trio of high-profile offseason signings — Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan and Pogba — looking the real deal.

Monday marked the opening batch of games in the first of three Premier League rounds over the festive period. All the title-chasing teams won.

Chelsea 3, 

Bournemouth 0

Two goals from Pedro and Eden Hazard’s penalty kick ensured Chelsea bettered a run of 11 victories set over two seasons in 2009.

Only once — Arsenal in 2001-02, with 13 straight wins — have a top-tier club had a longer winning streak in one season since World War II.

Hazard starred in the absence of suspended duo N’Golo Kante and Diego Costa as the league leaders recorded their 10th clean sheet of the 12-match winning run.

Hull 0, Manchester City 3

City wore down last-placed Hull, with all its goals coming late in the game.

Yaya Toure converted a penalty in the 72nd minute after Raheem Sterling was tripped as he drove into the area. Up until that point, City lacked inspiration going forward as Hull defended valiantly and in numbers, but more spaces opened up to allow the visitors a second goal.

Kevin De Bruyne played in David Silva, whose pinpoint cross was tapped home by Kelechi Iheanacho at the far post in the 78th. In the third minute of stoppage time, Sterling weaved his way into the area and sent in a cross that was deflected into his own net by Curtis Davies.

It was a third straight win for City, lifting the team into second place ahead of Liverpool by two points. Liverpool play their game in hand against Stoke on Tuesday.

Arsenal 1, West Bromwich Albion 0

Olivier Giroud marked his first league start of the season with a late winner as Arsenal avoided another stumble after back-to-back losses on the road.

The France striker headed home Mesut Ozil’s cross in the 86th minute to end West Brom’s stubborn resistance at the Emirates Stadium.

Fourth-place Arsenal are tied for points with Liverpool.

Swansea 1, West Ham 4

American coach Bob Bradley’s future at Swansea looked increasingly fragile after the team lost again to remain in relegation trouble.

Angry Swansea supporters turned on Bradley as Swansea slumped to a seventh loss of his 11 games in charge, with a chant of “We want Bradley out” reverberating around the Liberty Stadium.

“I don’t have regular dealings with the board,” Bradley said after goals by Andre Ayew, Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll sunk Swansea. “As a manager, when results go bad you understand there will be discussion. It’s not anything you control.”

Swansea are in next-to-last place, tied on points with Hull.

Other results

Former England coach Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of Crystal Palace ended in a 1-1 draw at Watford, Burnley beat Middlesbrough 1-0 to continue their strong home form, and Leicester lost 2-0 at home to Everton in the latest result of its stuttering title defence.

Leicester are only three points above the relegation zone nearly half-way through the season.

AMMAN — Jordan Motorsport, the sporting authority for all motorsport events held within the Kingdom, on Tuesday announced a new point system for the Speed Test events.

The 2017 season will have five Speed Test events, including one event to be held under the title Power Speed.

Othman Naseef, Jordan Motorsport CEO, told The Jordan Times that the new system is in favour of the driver. 

“We have created new point system in which driver’s points are calculated as one factor while in the Power Speed as 1.5 depending on a driver’s results in the event,” he said.

“Meanwhile, additional 10 points will be added to the general total of points of the Jordan Speed Test Championship when a driver also participates in the Rumman Hill Climb,” he added.

In addition, 10 points will be added to the total when a driver participates on tarmac rallies whether as a driver or co-driver with the condition of finishing the rally. Two points will be added in the general standing of the Speed Championship to each driver who finishes in the 13th position and above.

According to Naseef, the points will be calculated to the driver and not the car and if a tie is reached the system will calculate the number of the first place wins by the driver taking into consideration the number of events and best positions. 

“The new point system will give 25 points to first place, 22 to the second, 20 third, 14 fourth, 16 fifth, 14 sixth, 12 seventh, 10 eighth, 8 ninth, 6 tenth, 11 eleventh, 4 twelfth and 3 to the 13th,” he said. 

In 2016, Mohammed Tayseer captured the Speed Test Championship title after winning the fifth and final round held in Aqaba with the participation of 59 drivers from Palestine and Jordan. 

Tayseer topped the standings with 98 points, followed by Ayman Najjar with 80 points and Ghaith Wraikat with 60 points. Ibrahim Al Bajeh from Palestine won the Palestinian participation cup and Sultan Shadeed from Aqaba won the city’s participation cup.

In the final round, Tayseer clocked 1m02:35s in his Mitsubishi Evo 6, followed by Ayman Najjar with 1m03:37s in his Mitsubishi Evo Proto and Khatchik Shadian with 1m03:65s in his ALF3 Cosworth.

MANCHESTER, England — In one sense, normality has returned to the English Premier League after the craziness of Leicester’s improbable surge to the title last season.

The top six on Christmas Day are the teams most pundits predicted would be challenging for the title: Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United.

There is nothing normal about Chelsea’s current form, however.

After 11 straight wins, Chelsea leads the league by six points from Liverpool, heading into the hectic period of festive fixtures that is unique to British football. Only once — Arsenal in 2001-02, with 13 straight wins — has a top-tier club had a longer winning streak in one season since World War II.

In the first year of the “super-coach” era in the Premier League, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is standing head and shoulders above the rest, although it needed a September switch to his favoured 3-4-3 formation to get the team to click.

With a stingy defence (two goals conceded in the last 11 games), a dynamic midfield marshalled by N’Golo Kante and a forward line led by the league’s top scorer, Diego Costa, there are no apparent weaknesses in Conte’s line-up. On current evidence, it is hard to see how the team from southwest London can be stopped.

One thing is for sure, there will be no miracle sequel for Leicester in the Premier League. Languishing in 15th place in the 20-team standings, the reigning champions are closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League qualification spots.

It is back to the heavyweights challenging for the title. And Chelsea is the big favourite.

Title race

One factor is particularly helping Chelsea and Liverpool in their quests for the title: No European competition.

Such was the extraordinary nature of last season that neither team qualified for the Champions League or even the Europa League. That failure is now allowing them to focus purely on the domestic games, give their players more rest, and have a full week of preparation for Premier League games.

Chelsea has not dropped a point since a 3-0 loss at Arsenal on September 24, during which Antonio Conte changed formation to a 3-4-3 and has not looked back. Like Chelsea, Liverpool has two losses so far.

Man City is in third place, a point behind Liverpool, as coach Pep Guardiola gets to grips with the physical and non-stop demands of English football, including no rest at Christmas. Arsenal is a further two points back on 34 points in fourth, Tottenham has 33 and Jose Mourinho’s Man United has 30. For United, some 13 points behind Chelsea, the target has already switched from winning the league to securing Champions League qualification with a top-four finish.

Chelsea has three tough away games left — at Spurs, Liverpool and United — and is proving adept at eking out 1-0 wins. Four of its last six games have finished with that scoreline, including the last three.

Pick of the players

While Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho, Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante and Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez have starred in patches, Diego Costa has been the only player to have had a consistent impact this season.

Last season, the Spain striker appeared to be more interested in picking fights than scoring goals. Costa is a changed man, though, and has scored a league-high 13 goals while providing five assists.

Five of the goals were winners (against West Ham, Watford, Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace), an overhead kick earned a draw at Swansea, and another goal sparked a come-from-behind win at Man City in December.

Emerging talent

There is another “Harry” making a splash at White Hart Lane.

The 20-year-old Harry Winks is a central midfielder who is getting a run in Tottenham’s first team, starting four of the past eight games at the expense of internationals like Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier. He scored against West Ham on his full league debut in November and is an intelligent passer with a good technique.

Mauricio Pochettino is renowned for giving youth players a chance to shine during his time at Southampton and now Tottenham. Harry Kane has matured into one of the best strikers in the Premier League under Pochettino, and Winks could be next in line.

Surprise team

When it was announced in August that West Bromwich Albion had been bought out by Chinese investors, the future of manager Tony Pulis looked precarious despite his record of never having been relegated from the Premier League.

The new owners were wise to keep hold of the 58-year-old Pulis.

Away from the likely title contenders, West Brom is proving to be the best of the rest in the Premier League and at one point early in December was in the top six.

Known for setting his teams out with a solid defensive structure, Pulis has added some flair up front in forwards Nacer Chadli — a club-record signing in the offseason — and Matt Phillips, who operate behind Salomon Rondon. The Baggies have scored three or more times in four games this season, testament to their new-found attacking approach.

Points to prove

The season started with rival coaches Pep Guardiola and Mourinho expected to be battling it out for the title. The way things are going, they will be fighting just to secure Champions League qualification.

Both coaches have had tough spells in the first season with their respective clubs, with Mourinho in particular criticised for public outbursts against his players and a run of poor results over September and October. United has won its last three league games to get back on track, but a current position of sixth is not good enough.

Mourinho explained how happy he was with his Manchester United project on Friday, acknowledging that it was “easy to feel at home” with one of the world’s biggest clubs.

It was not the most comfortable nor consistent of starts for Mourinho at Old Trafford as he struggled to find his best team and the Portuguese coach often cut a distracted figure as he bemoaned the pitfalls of living alone in his Manchester hotel.

Guardiola started his City tenure with 10 straight victories but has only won six of his next 17, raising questions about his tactics, the team’s defensive stability and whether Guardiola can get to grips with English football.

It will help Guardiola to have Sergio Aguero on the field. The Argentina striker has missed seven of City’s 17 league matches through suspension, and needs to make amends in the second half of the season.