Missed any of the action around Europe this weekend? Have no fear: Gab Marcotti is here to catch you up with all the talking points in the latest Monday Musings.

Jump to: Arsenal's embarrassing weekend | Real ready for clasico? | Why was Kean subbed after 19 minutes? | Inter fading in Serie A? | Barca drop points | Mourinho turning Spurs around | Juve climb back to top | Coutinho finds his mojo | Don't write Gattuso, Napoli off yet | Liverpool's unbeaten run continues | Gladbach slowing down? | Chelsea caught out | Leipzig, Schick soaring | Should game in Spain have stopped? | Unlucky Depay

Arsenal's embarrassing weekend on and off the field

Maybe it was the scale of the first-half demolition. More likely is that it had been scheduled for some time and the fact it took place just a few hours after Arsenal were embarrassed at home by Manchester City is just a coincidence. Either way, it's not a great look when your managing director (Vinai Venkatesham) and your contract negotiator (Huss Fahmy) are photographed leaving Mikel Arteta's house at 1:20 a.m. Especially when, 200 miles away and seven hours earlier, Arteta was sitting on the opposite bench.

It's not the fact that they're talking to Arteta. He was a candidate when Arsene Wenger left 18 months ago, and he may well be the leading candidate now. You hope they're going through the appropriate channels and Manchester City are fully aware of what's happening. There are issues of trust, perception and simply knowledge of a rival club in the balance here. But if that's the case, why the middle of the night? Why this cloak-and-dagger nonsense? Especially since -- news flash here! -- Arteta isn't Kim Kardashian. He doesn't have paparazzi camping outside his house, 24/7. Whoever took that picture was tipped off and that, in turn, raises other issues of trust and who might benefit from such a photo getting into the media.

As for the clash between the two, it prolongs Arsenal's run to one victory in their past 11 games. But more than the 3-0 win for Man City, it was the first half battering endured by the Gunners that should give you cause to ponder. After Gabriel Martinelli's early chance, it was as if Kevin De Bruyne & Co. simply switched off the lights.

- Dawson: Man City remain a force, Arsenal malaise continues
- Man City ratings: De Bruyne, Foden 8/10
- Arsenal ratings: Chambers 2/10 as Gunners collapse

Arsenal's woes are well-documented, as is the fact that Freddie Ljungberg can only do so much. Equally, if Unai Emery's system really did mask some of the players' individual flaw to some degree, this one seems to augment them. Matteo Guendouzi's rawness, Nicolas Pepe's defensive lapses, Calum Chambers' clunkiness, and then there's Mesut Ozil. You either commit to him or you don't, and if you do, you give him a platform to hurt others. Expecting him to disrupt City's build-up play and then getting angry when he can't (or won't) do it is unreasonable at this stage.

As for City, it wasn't just flat-track bullying. Guardiola used the opportunity to try different things, like Phil Foden (making his first league start of the season) in midfield or putting De Bruyne back in his original role out wide, with licence to roam. The gap between them and the top is 14 points; Liverpool fans won't let them forget it. Only a huge improbable sporting cataclysm and subsequent collapse will deliver us a two-horse race, but it's critical that City maintain the intensity high and continue to challenge themselves and their players. Pep wouldn't have it any other way.

Real still finding right balance ahead of Clasico

Real Madrid's trip to Valencia was a reminder that few things will come easy this season in La Liga as well as the age-old truism that goals change games.

The first half-hour or so saw Zinedine Zidane's side generate at least three clear-cut chances against Albert Celades' injury-riddled crew. But a combination of Jaume Domenech's goalkeeping and some poor luck kept them out, and the rest of the way it was Valencia with the upper hand. Dani Parejo was a monster against a midfield without Casemiro (he was on the bench with the Clasico coming up and was one booking away from a suspension), and after going ahead through Carlos Soler, they were the ones with plenty of chances to double their lead. Then came the climactic ending, with Thibaut Courtois' gigantic volleyball frame knocking the ball down off a corner, Ezequiel Garay doing the Mexican hat dance over the ball and Karim Benzema, Mr. Reliability, smacking in the equalizer.

For Valencia, the 1-1 draw was a reminder that even without half a dozen regulars, this team won't lie down, and Celades isn't afraid to trust in youth: witness the way Ferran Torres is growing into a team leader. As for Real Madrid, it ought to be a reminder (in both the positive and negative sense) that games last until the final whistle. The days of coasting are over, at least until Zidane gets his alchemy right.

Squeezing Isco and Luka Modric into midfield behind two strikers is a novel approach and one worth revisiting, but he has so many options and permutations that it's almost harder to get things right than it is to screw things up. Still, an extra creative presence in the middle of the park -- at least while Rodrygo is up front and until Eden Hazard returns -- is a bonus right now.

Kean sub detracts from good day for Everton

Everton's visit to Old Trafford rather confirmed what we already knew about Manchester United. When they can defend and play on the counter, they are extremely dangerous because Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are exceptional footballers, and, well, Daniel James is very fast (and may get there one day). When the opponents sit and park the bus, it becomes cumbersome. Particularly when, as happened in Sunday's 1-1 draw, they get little production from their full-backs.

Mason Greenwood's performance (even beyond the goal) was encouraging, and he may give them a different dimension up front, but it's worth remembering he turned 19 two months ago and it won't do him any good if he doesn't get service. Like it or not, this team needs either Paul Pogba or somebody who can do what Pogba does in terms of offering creativity.

- Ogden: Solskjaer, United still have a long way to go
- Man United ratings: Greenwood 7/10, De Gea 4/10

Everton's feel-good postgame was marred somewhat by Duncan Ferguson's substitution of Moise Kean one minute from time (and only 18 minutes after sending him on). The Everton boss was heavily criticised for blanking Kean as he came off the pitch and the disconsolate youngster wandered straight down the tunnel.

Ferguson said it was "nothing personal" and he that was simply trying to waste time with the substitution. (He also said Kean ''couldn't handle the pace,'' which raises the question: which is it?) If that's the case, then maybe a handshake when he comes off -- witness what Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp did this season with Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson respectively -- might have been more apropos. If, on the other hand, it was some kind of message/warning/punishment to Kean, then he needs to have the guts to own it postmatch.

I have to confess my bias here: Ferguson was one of my favorite footballers, thanks in part to moments like this. I'm going to chalk this one up to managerial inexperience.

Inter's fatigue costs them lead in Serie A

In many ways, Inter's 1-1 draw at Fiorentina, which cost them their two-point lead over Juventus, mirrored their defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League. They created plenty early but failed to convert enough chances so that when the legs started to tire in the second half, they became vulnerable. There's not much more to it than that, and it won't change with this midfield, which was overworked once again: you need Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella in particular back.

If you want to call it Antonio Conte making excuses, fine. But it's also true: the way Inter play, if they're asked to defend high up the pitch and attack after the hour mark, they will struggle. So they either score enough early -- like squirrels saving nuts for the winter -- that it won't matter, or they will always be vulnerable late.

Dropping points at Sociedad no surprise for Barca

Real Sociedad (two wins in their past six) had been slowing down, but Barcelona's trip to the Anoeta was always going to be tricky. On a day when neither Lionel Messi nor Marc-Andre ter Stegen was superhuman (but Igor Zubeldia was) and a couple officiating decisions could have gone the other way, a 2-2 draw is anything but a bad result. Chuck in Antoine Griezmann's third goal in five games and the fact that Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique already have their Clasico faces on, and the glass is half-full.

- Barca ratings: Griezmann dazzles, Pique 8/10

As for La Real, Mårtin Odegaard and Mikel Oyarzabal continue to shine. The former, of course, is on loan from Real Madrid and the latter has already been linked to a number of moves. It's the cruel reality of modern football that everybody who does well, apart from the very wealthiest, is in danger of being gutted year after year. So enjoy it while you can.

Mourinho is making it happen for Tottenham

The "Jose Mourinho" effect continues in the Premier League. Since taking over Spurs, they've risen nine places in the table and the gap between them and the Champions League spots has shrunk from 11 points to just three. Sunday's 2-1 win away to Wolves with Jan Vertonghen's last-minute heroics may have been a touch fortunate, but he's winning the broader narrative. And if he wins next weekend against Chelsea as well, then he'll be back in the top four, his natural habitat.

- Spurs ratings: Moura 8/10 in lucky late win

What strikes you about this Mourinho side is that how "un-Mourinho" it is, and not for lack of trying. They've kept one clean sheet in all competitions while giving up nearly two goals a game. Even putting Vertonghen at left-back and tinkering with the midfield hasn't changed that. The challenge is maintain the attacking output of the likes of Heung-Min Son, Dele Alli and Harry Kane while solidifying the back line.

Juve back atop Serie A despite midfield mess

Juventus are back at the top of Serie A, level on points with Inter, following their 3-1 demolition of Udinese. Maurizio Sarri played Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo together, and all three sparkled. Ronaldo bagged two goals -- he's now reached double figures in 16 consecutive seasons -- and Higuain served up a particularly delightful assist, but it was Dybala who stole the show.

You can't help but wonder why those three can't play together more often, since Juventus are averaging a goal every 20 minutes when they're up front. Sarri is evidently working on that option (we saw it against Bayer Leverkusen as well), but the impression is that you can only do that once you sort out the midfield. And right now, there's a messy rotating cast of characters in the middle of the park.

Coutinho, Bayern thrash helpless Bremen

Was this the game in which Philippe Coutinho regained his mojo in Bavaria? The Brazilian playmaker followed up his good performance against Tottenham in midweek with an individual masterclass on Saturday, notching a hat trick and three assists in the 6-1 demolition of Werder Bremen. He needs to continue making it work from a wide position like the one he's been playing because his days in the hole appear to be over under Hansi Flick -- and rightly so.

The big win had more to do with Bremen's (many) deficiencies than Bayern's merits. In fact, there were plenty of concerns in the first half, particularly at the back with Jerome Boateng. With Niklas Sule out for the season and Lucas Hernandez unlikely to be back until mid-February, Bayern may need to act in the January market.

Napoli lose but don't write Gattuso off yet

I wrote about why Carlo Ancelotti is no longer the Napoli boss and how football is only part of the story. Well, the score was only part of the story in Napoli's first match under his replacement, Rino Gattuso. They lost 2-1 at home to Parma, thanks to Gervinho's injury-time winner, and got booed off the pitch.

Napoli did more than enough to get a result in terms of chances and effort despite Gattuso's decision to start Lorenzo Insigne (who was terrible). It almost felt as if Gattuso was giving the Napoli skipper enough rope to hang himself. This is the sort of defeat that comes along when you overdo it, when you try so hard to win that you lose sight of basics. Gattuso is obviously a downgrade, but there is enough talent there to turn things around. Don't write him off after 90 minutes.

Liverpool's mind-boggling unbeaten league run continues

Liverpool departed for the Club World Cup in Qatar having won 26 of their past 27 Premier League matches, which is simply mind-boggling. Saturday's 2-0 victory over Watford saw them pace themselves for much of the match before pulling away, which is exactly what you want to see if you're Jurgen Klopp: every ounce of energy counts going forward.

That got me thinking of who Klopp's least-replaceable player is. Virgil Van Dijk would have been the automatic answer until recently, but now I'm not so sure. I'm tempted to lean toward Trent Alexander-Arnold, at least against other top sides. You might make a case for Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino or possibly Fabinho as well.

Gladbach tiring out in title race?

Borussia Moenchengladbach's 2-1 defeat at Wolfsburg cost them the top of the Bundesliga. It also showed some of the (more than understandable) limits of a young side that's been going at full throttle all season.

Wolfsburg hadn't won at home since early October but created plenty against Marco Rose's crew. This is the stage when the legs are heavier and the mind gets a little cloudier. How they react to this in the two games left before the winter break will tell us plenty about whether they can really challenge for the title.

Chelsea caught out by Bournemouth

Bournemouth had lost five straight Premier League games and were riddled with injury when they traveled to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, so the fact that they emerged with three points via a late 1-0 win ought to be a serious concern to Frank Lampard. Against an opponent that sat and looked to hit on the counter, Chelsea created a lot less than you would have expected. You're bound to have ups and downs with younger players, but this might be a time for Lampard to rotate a bit more, perhaps bringing back Pedro or giving Callum Hudson-Odoi, who hasn't started a Premier League game in nearly two months, a run in the side. (Imagine if that happened under last year's manager ...)

- Chelsea ratings: Mount 4/10 in shock defeat
- Pulisic Watch: U.S. star 5/10 vs. Bournemouth

One more point about VAR. Dan Gosling's winner was struck off for offside before being correctly overturned. Without that decision, they would have been two points above the drop zone, with one victory since September. Chew on that the next time you hear moaning about VAR and spontaneous celebrations and "not knowing what's going on" and all that tripe.

Leipzig getting the most out of Schick

Leipzig's 3-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf was nowhere near as comfortable as it should have been, but the pattern is holding. They scored plenty and, an added bonus, kept their first clean sheet since early November.

Julian Nagelsmann is also getting a contribution from Patrik Schick, who has started each of the past three games and scored twice. Schick has an unusual skill set and while in the past two seasons has failed to produce (five league goals over two years), he's still just 23. If Nagelsmann can unlock his potential, he's an added alternative to Yussuf Poulsen and Timo Werner up front, something that could prove key down the stretch.

Should Rayo vs. Albacete have been abandoned?

It was the first time that a match in Spain's top two divisions was abandoned for abusive chanting, and it likely wasn't what you might have expected. The referee in Rayo Vallecano vs. Albacete applied the protocol after the home fans directed heavy abuse at the visiting Ukrainian striker Roman Zozulya, suspending the game after half an hour. Then, at half-time, Albacete refused to come out for the second half. But here's the twist. Zozulya wasn't being racially abused: he was being called a "Nazi" by the left-leaning Rayo fans.

There's a backstory here. Zozulya has long denied being a Nazi sympathizer, although photographs circulating on the internet appear to show a certain proclivity for far-right symbols. Two years ago he joined Rayo on loan only for the fans to rise up in protest, eventually forcing him to sit out half a season.

The key element here though is the abuse. The protocol is reserved for racist, homophobic, religious or sectarian insults. Those aren't things you choose, unlike your political views. We'll find out more once the Spanish FA complete their investigation, but backing a walkout over this sets an important precedent and, potentially, a massive can of worms.

Awful news for resurgent Depay

The way Memphis Depay turned things around at Lyon after struggling so badly at Manchester United has been one of the game's feel-good stories. He was enjoying a monster season for an otherwise struggling team, carrying them into the Champions League knockout phases and was already up to 14 goals in 18 outings this campaign. He was set to spearhead the Dutch attack at Euro 2020, but that seems incredibly unlikely now after the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered on Saturday. Ronald Koeman will need to pull something out of his hat if they are to make a run.

Former ICC chief executive David Richardson will be in charge of a committee that will study the domestic system in South Africa and advise if it needs a restructure or not.

Earlier this year, Cricket South Africa's members council - made up of the 14 provincial presidents - voted to remove the franchise system and replace it with a 12-team provincial structure. The South African Cricketers' Association took the board to court over this claiming 70 cricketers could lose their jobs as a result of the restructure.

Richardson's committee - which will consist of the director of cricket, the chief financial officer of CSA and a representative from SACA - is expected to look into the matter and recommend a way forward. This decision was taken at a special sitting of the members council and the board on Monday. A CSA press release said "the committee is expected to report back to the board at its next meeting in the first quarter of 2020"

"Domestic cricket is an important part of our talent development pipeline in ensuring that top quality players come through the system to maintain the Standard Bank Proteas as a major force in the world game," CSA board chairman Chris Nenzani said.

CSA has been under strife recently over the way it has conducted business and the situation was such that ahead of this meeting, the board was under pressure to resign, but they did not. There has been progress over the past few days though with Graeme Smith being appointed director of cricket and Mark Boucher taking over as head coach and the captain Faf du Plessis calling for focus to shift to on-field activities with a home series against England starting next week.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Joe Burrow's Heisman Trophy acceptance speech has inspired more than $150,000 in donations to a food pantry in his Ohio hometown.

The effort started on Facebook on Sunday, with nearly $156,000 pledged to the Athens County Food Pantry. Many donations have come from Louisiana.

When the LSU quarterback accepted the award as college football's best player on Saturday, he talked about growing up in Athens. His father, Jimmy, was the defensive coordinator at Ohio University in Athens from 2005 to 2018.

"Coming from southeast Ohio, it's a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average," Joe Burrow said Saturday night. "There's so many people there that don't have a lot and I'm up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here, too."

Athens High School and Ohio University graduate Will Drabold said he started the fundraising effort at about 11 a.m. Sunday, with a goal of $1,000. It quickly gained momentum on social media and took off when donations started coming from Louisiana. The average donation has been $33.

At least two other efforts were started, one by Burrow's former teammates at Athens High School, and Burrow retweeted the links to his more than 137,000 followers. The money is for the Athens County Food Pantry, which serves 5,000 families in the country every year and 9,000 meals every month.

"I started this because, like everyone else from Athens, I cried during Joey's speech and felt like there had to be a way to harness that," Drabold wrote in a Facebook post.

Burrow graduated from Ohio State in three years. In 2018, with Dwayne Haskins the apparent starter in the fall, Burrow took his final two years of eligibility to LSU.

After finishing strong for the Tigers in 2018, he broke out this season. He set a Southeastern Conference record with 48 touchdown passes and is leading top-ranked LSU (13-0) to its first College Football Playoff appearance.

He won the Heisman in a record-breaking landslide, becoming the first LSU player to win the trophy in 60 years.

"That was as cool a night and moment as I've ever been around," said Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who was there with his Heisman finalists, Justin Fields and Chase Young. "Joe, although he thought that out, that was just him being himself. ... Talk about class. There's not a classier guy out there. I was humbled to be in the room and just be a part of the journey."

Dates, disciplines and scoring info has been confirmed ahead of the fifth edition of the global tour

Dates and disciplines for next year’s seven-meeting World Athletics Indoor Tour have been confirmed, with prize bonuses and wildcard entries for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing up for grabs.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe describes the series as kicking off “an exciting and ground-breaking year” for the sport, with the tour starting in Boston on January 25 and ending in Madrid on February 21.

The fifth edition of the tour features 11 point-scoring disciplines, including the men’s 60m, 800m, 3000m/5000m, pole vault, triple jump and shot put and the women’s 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump and long jump. The scoring disciplines rotate each year.

“The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Tour will be the first one-day meeting series to be held under our new banner and will kick off an exciting and ground-breaking year for track and field,” said Coe.

“We will take the World Indoor Championships to China for the first time, and launch the Continental Tour which will create new opportunities for our athletes to compete internationally on the way to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“The indoor tour continues to gain in popularity. Some of next year’s events are already sold out and we will welcome Lievin into the fold as a new meeting host.

“After the stunning performances we witnessed at the World Championships in Doha just two months ago – many from athletes just starting out on their professional careers – it will be fascinating to see how those emerging stars are progressing in the Olympic year.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Arrow McLaren SP has announced that veteran IndyCar engineer Craig Hampson will join the team in the role of Race and R&D Engineer beginning Jan. 1.

Hampson comes to Arrow McLaren SP with more than 25 years of frontline experience in the sport with leading teams. During his race engineering career to date, he has more than 30 wins, four Champ Car titles and two Indianapolis 500 victories to his name.

“Recruiting someone of Craig’s experience and expertise is an important step for the team as we build towards the next level of competitiveness,” said Taylor Kiel, Managing Director, Arrow McLaren SP. “He is not only an accomplished and well-respected engineer but a strong technical leader who will be a key member of our established team.”

“I am very excited to be joining the highly capable group of talented team members that Arrow McLaren SP has already assembled,” Hampson said. “There are people there who I have worked with in the past, plus others who I have previously regarded as formidable competition. I am eager to integrate into the projects, preparation, and momentum that they already have underway for the 2020 season. This will be a year of growth and learning, but I’m confident that this team has the expertise, commercial backing, access to technology, and wilful ambition that makes it possible to plot a course where in due time we will regularly challenge for race wins, Indy 500 victories, and season championships.”

The Ilya Kovalchuk experiment is over for the Los Angeles Kings.

The team issued a statement Monday saying that he "has left the team and been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract with the club."

The move comes a day after the 36-year-old received a $2.65 million roster bonus.

Kovalchuk had nine points in 17 games for the Kings this season, and Los Angeles is last in the Pacific Division.

He had returned to the NHL last season after a five-year hiatus in the KHL. The Kings gave him a three-year deal with a cap hit of $6.25 million, but the situation never really worked out. He had 16 goals and 34 points in 64 games last season.

Kovalchuk was a three-time All-Star in his previous stint in the league. He scored 40 or more goals six times.

Kovalchuk was the first overall pick in the 2001 draft. He signed a 15-year, $100 million deal with the Devils in 2010 but then retired from the NHL in 2013.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper will spend a record $325 million to bring Major League Soccer's 30th franchise to Charlotte, sources have told ESPN.

A Tuesday 10 a.m. ET news conference for what Tepper Sports and Entertainment called a major announcement is scheduled at the Mint Museum in Charlotte. Joining Tepper at the event will be MLS commissioner Don Garber and Charlotte mayor Viola Lyles.

Last week, the Charlotte city council pledged $110 million to help secure the bid against other cities. The $325m Tepper will spend far exceeds the $200m for the 28th and 29th expansion franchises.

The plan is to start playing games within the next two years at Bank of America Stadium, the home of Tepper's NFL franchise, on which he spent an NFL-record $2.275 billion to purchase in 2018.

The stadium, according to reports, will need renovations before hosting pro soccer matches.

Tepper said it was his goal to bring professional soccer to Charlotte when he purchased the Panthers from founder Jerry Richardson. He immediately hired Tom Glick, who has worked with pro soccer in the United States and the United Kingdom, to oversee the team's day-to-day operations on the business side.

With the addition of a team in Charlotte, 20 clubs will have joined MLS since 2005, fulfilling a vision for strategic expansion that has transformed the landscape of professional soccer across North America.

FC Cincinnati joined MLS as the 24th team this season. Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF will debut in 2020 followed by Austin FC in 2021 and St. Louis and Sacramento in 2022.

Mikel Arteta is set to be named the next Arsenal manager in the coming days as the London club has stepped up its chase of the Manchester City assistant coach. Talks have begun between the two clubs and are positive, according to sources.

Chief negotiator Huss Fahmy and managing director Vinai Venkatesham travelled to Manchester after Arsenal's defeat to City on Sunday afternoon and spent more than two hours at Arteta's home in Cheshire. They discussed the job with the former Gunners club captain.

Arteta, 37, spent five years at the Emirates under Arsene Wenger (2011 to 2016) before spending the last three-and-a-half years as Pep Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad. He still has a contract with City until the end of the season but he is keen on rejoining Arsenal.

Things could go really quickly now as well. Arteta is set to meet Josh Kroenke, the son of owner Stan Kroenke, today. The American was at the game on Sunday and will interview the Spaniard alongside Raul Sanllehi, the head of football at the club and Venkatesham and Fahmy.

Arteta was nearly handed the job 18 months ago, but Unai Emery was preferred by then-CEO Ivan Gazidis.

Freddie Ljungberg has been interim manager since the sacking of Emery last month but the Swede, who pleaded with the club to resolve its manager situation quickly, has struggled to have an impact. The former Gunner could remain in Arteta's staff, though, if the Spaniard does indeed replace him.

Arteta certainly lacks managerial experience as he has never been in charge of a club's first team before but he is highly thought of by the Arsenal hierarchy and by the people who have worked with him at Manchester City.

The Gunners are in crisis at the moment with just one win in their last 12 matches in all competitions. Yet, they are still only seven points from fourth place in the table and sources say Arteta believes he can turn things around once in charge.

Paarl Rocks 148 for 2 (Davids 77*, Pretorius 43) beat Tshwane Spartans 147 for 6 (De Villiers 51, Udana 2-24, Shamsi 2-26) by eight wickets

Paarl Rocks were crowned champions of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) after a convincing eight-wicket win over Tshwane Spartans in front of a sell-out crowd at Boland Park. The home team chased 148 inside 15 overs and bossed the final from start to finish. Though the result was never in doubt, it was the Rocks' first victory over the Spartans in five matches across both editions of the tournament to date. Here's how the new MSL winners earned their prize.

Home-town hero

Henry Davids, who hails from Pneil - a town 20 minutes away from Paarl - set up the Rocks' victory with the fastest fifty of this MSL, off just 22 balls. Davids' array of strokes included a cracking cover drive in the first over off Imran Manack, four fours off Morne Morkel's opening over where he was majestic on the pull and a trio of sixes, over midwicket, cover and backward square leg to knock the wind out of the Spartans' sails as early as the end of the Powerplay. The Rocks were 72 for 0 after six overs, with no sign of stopping. Davids also featured in the highest first-wicket stand for the Rocks' in this tournament of 78 runs, with Cameron Delport.

Test-ready Dwaine Pretorius

A fracture to his right hand three weeks ago did not stop Dwaine Pretorius from having his best day of 2019. Not only did he recover from the injury in time to play in the final, but he made a telling contribution to the Rocks' victory. Pretorius was sent in at No.3, ahead of his captain Faf du Plessis, and he made the most of his promotion. He sent Dean Elgar over cover for six, and then dispatched David Wiese for back-to-back maximums, over long-on and deep midwicket. Pretorius finished with 43 runs off 21 balls and took the Rocks to the brink of victory. He wasn't there at the end but still had a day to remember, after also being named as one of six uncapped players in South Africa's Test squad to play England.

Don't drop AB

South Africa's greatest entertainer, AB de Villiers, was in early after Tony de Zorzi was bowled by an Isuru Udana slower ball in the third over and showed his intent almost as soon as he had the opportunity. Though Elgar kept most of the strike until the sixth over, de Villiers hit Ferisco Adams for back-to-back leg-side fours off his first two balls to remind the Rocks of the damage he could do. But de Villiers' innings could have ended two overs' later when lobbed a simple return catch to Tabraiz Shamsi off his second ball. Shamsi spilled the chance and de Villiers, then on 21, went on to add another 30 runs to his total, including a boundary over Shamsi's head. Shamsi redeemed himself somewhat when he had Elgar caught at cover the ball after the dropped catch and later had Heinrich Klaasen caught at long-on to finish with figures of 2 for 29.

Remember the name - Kerwin Mungroo

Little-known Kerwin Mungroo has not made a splash on the wicket charts or the economy rates before this match but his presence, at a little under two metres tall, always suggested something special was coming. In the final, the man from Pietermaritzburg made a name for himself on the other side of the country - Paarl - with a composed performance that kept the Spartans' to a chaseable total. Mungroo opened the bowling and created pressure with two overs that cost only nine runs. De Zorzi was dismissed in the middle of his first spell. He returned in the 16th over and kept the brakes on a Spartans side whose run-rate had stagnated at just over seven to the over and then bowled the last over, that started with the wicket of Wiese and ended with the run-out of Pite van Biljon to finish with 1 for 21 from his four overs.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson topped all players in this year's Pro Bowl fan voting.

Jackson, the favorite for NFL Most Valuable Player, received 704,699 votes, nearly 165,000 more than any other player. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson finished second with 539,768 votes and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was third with 468,838 in the voting, which ended last week.

In his first full season as a starting quarterback, Jackson leads the NFL with 33 touchdown passes and broke Michael Vick's single-season rushing record for quarterbacks with 1,103 yards.

Jackson was among the seven Ravens who led their positions in the fan voting, joining tight end Mark Andrews, fullback Patrick Ricard, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., guard Marshal Yanda, cornerback Marcus Peters and kicker Justin Tucker.

Players for the game are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced Tuesday.