La Liga champions Barcelona's long winning streak came to an abrupt halt when they fell to a shock 3-1 defeat away to Levante on Saturday after taking the lead but then conceding three times in the space of seven minutes in the second half.

Barca had returned to the top of the table by thrashing Real Valladolid 5-1 in mid-week for a seventh straight victory in all competitions and put themselves in a comfortable position when Lionel Messi converted a penalty in the 38th minute.

Their problems began when Luis Suarez was taken off injured a few moments later and they collapsed in the second half, with Levante scoring with all of their first three shots on target.

Jose Campana levelled in the 61st minute following a quick-fire counter-attack after winning the ball in Barca's half, then former Real Madrid striker Borja Mayoral put them ahead in the 63rd with a superb curling strike from outside the area.

Nemanja Radoja gave the home side extra breathing space with a third goal in the 67th on the volley following a free kick, while Messi put the ball in the net later to briefly give Barca hope but the goal was ruled out for offside by Antoine Griezmann after a VAR review.

It was Barca's third defeat of the campaign and they still lead the standings on 22 points after 11 games but Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid can both climb above the Catalans if they win their matches later on Saturday.

Levante, who have won three of their last four home fixtures against Ernesto Valverde's side, moved up to eighth in the table on 17 points.

"It was an even game but they took advantage of those seven minutes. It wasn't a great performance from us but the result is excessive," Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets told reporters.

"We didn't create much but in the second half we did ourselves a lot of harm with that spell when they scored three times.

"They committed a lot of players forward and got themselves into better positions than us. We're going to try and stay positive, we were on a great run which has now been broken but we're still top and we have a lot more games to come."

Barca coach Valverde made four changes to his team from the Valladolid game, bringing 120-million-euro signing Griezmann back into the line-up at the expense of teenager Ansu Fati while starting without Busquets, Jordi Alba and Arthur.

The manager, who has won the title with Barca for the last two seasons, was asked after the defeat if he was considering his position but emphatically ruled out stepping away.

"Of course I'm not thinking about that, this is only one defeat. We have to react, we always do and it won't be any different this time," he said.

"Our aim was to try and go for a second goal after taking the lead but we weren't able to create enough danger. We lacked organisation after the second half and had little control."

Griezmann struggled to explain Barca's collapse after the interval.

"When you concede three goals in a few minutes then it could be a problem of everything, attitude and our style of play. We have to do everything to stop this happening again," said the French forward.

"We didn't start the second half well but there's nothing we can do about it, we can only improve and learn. Anything can happen in a game but it's how you react, and we didn't react properly today."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers will be without sack leader Mario Addison on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans as the outside linebacker continues to deal with the death of his brother.

Addison was ruled out on Saturday, the day after he laid to rest Gjamal Antonio Rodriqcus, who was shot to death last Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama.

Addison has been in his hometown all week. General manager Marty Hurney and Mark Carrier, the executive director of the Panthers' football staff, went to Birmingham on Friday for the funeral and to show support for Addison and his family.

Coach Ron Rivera said Friday this was "bigger than football" and that the decision on whether Addison played was up to him, noting that this has been an emotional time for the 32-year-old.

Addison on Friday posted a picture on Instagram of him standing next to his brother's coffin with the message, "I love u Geeski. This one F---ed ur Big Bruh up. #LongLiveGeeski."

On Monday, Addison posted on Instagram a picture of him and his brother with the words: "This pain is real. Half of my soul gone wen u killed my baby brother last nite. Please live through me n Rest well lil bruh."

Rivera has kept in touch with Addison and provided "positive messages of support."

"He's been a big part of what we've done and the success we've had and the success we're having," said Rivera, whose 4-3 team had won four straight prior to Sunday's loss at San Francisco. "He's most certainly missed, and we most certainly do think about him and pray for his family."

Addison ranks 11th in the NFL in sacks this season with 6.5 for a Carolina team that ranks second in the league in sacks with 30, one behind the New England Patriots, who have played one more game.

He learned of his brother's death after the 51-13 loss to the 49ers. The shooting happened at 7:15 p.m. in Birmingham. Police found Rodriqcus and a woman inside a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds.

Rodriqcus was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Birmingham police on Tuesday reportedly charged 22-year-old Darius Frazier of capital murder for the death of Rodriqcus and attempted murder for the shooting of the woman.

Liverpool avoided a first Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday as they came from behind to beat newly promoted Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.

While the visitors dominated possession in the first half, it was Villa who took the lead, with Trezeguet meeting a John McGinn cross at the back post on 21 minutes.

A VAR check for offside saw the goal stand and there was more VAR misery for Klopp and his players minutes later.

Roberto Firmino found the net for Liverpool, but was denied the equaliser as VAR reinforced the linesman's decision to raise his flag.

Liverpool, whose Trent Alexander-Arnold was making his 100th appearance for the club, had their chances to equalise throughout the second half, but were wasteful as Mohamed Salah, Firmino and Adam Lallana all missed from promising positions.

The visitors finally struck with three minutes remaining, however, as left-back Andy Robertson forced a header past Tom Heaton after Sadio Mane's cross.

Mane produced again in added time to give his team all three points, stooping to head in Alexander-Arnold's corner.

The Reds stayed top of the table on 31 points with the result, while second-placed Manchester City similarly came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 with a late winner.

Mane, booed every time he touched the ball after appearing to dive in the Villa penalty area, was Liverpool's driving force, missing a header in the first half then seeing Heaton save a couple of chances in the second prior to his winner.

"It was a perfect delivery from the corner and in the end I was even a bit lucky the ball went in," Mane said.

"Today was not our best performance but we deserved the three points. Aston Villa have been the team that pushed us harder so far, that's why this is the best league in the world, every single game can be like this one."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Injured Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry "absolutely" still plans to make himself available to play for USA Basketball during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, his father, Dell Curry, told ESPN's The Undefeated.

Curry will be out at least three months after having surgery to repair a broken left hand and the second metacarpal on his index finger on Friday in Los Angeles. The Warriors said an update on the six-time All-Star's status will be provided in three months.

The three-time NBA champion has won gold medals for USA Basketball at the 2014 World Cup and 2010 World Championships, but he has never played in the Olympics.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics begin on July 24, 2020.

"Absolutely. That was definitely a goal coming into this year. He wants to play in the Olympics," Dell Curry told ESPN's The Undefeated on Friday night. "This is a little setback, but hopefully it's a goal he can strive for through his rehab."

Stephen Curry, who has had his share of ankle injuries in the past, could be out for the most extensive period of his NBA career. He missed 40 games during the 2011-12 NBA lockout season. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player has played in 698 regular-season games and 112 playoff contests with the Warriors.

Dell Curry, a 16-year NBA veteran, believes his son should be patient with his current injury.

"Anytime you have a major surgery like that, even with a hand, he's doing the best he can," said Dell Curry, now a television color commentator for the Charlotte Hornets. "It was a tough, tough injury, but he's doing the best he can. Three to four months, not sure when he is going to come back. Has to take his time and come back with it. ...

"He's been through injuries before with the ankle. He understands the rehab that it takes to get through it. He knows about injuries and what goes through that. He's got to be patient and make sure he is fully healthy before he comes back."

HOUSTON -- It wasn't the home run that flipped the script of Game 7, let alone the moment everyone will remember, but Juan Soto's seventh-inning walk was perhaps the fulcrum around which the entire inning unfolded. It also showed why the 21-year-old breakout star of the World Series could be the next player who rises to the level of Albert Pujols or Mike Trout.

With one out and Zack Greinke cruising with a 2-0 lead, the Nationals had the meat of their order facing the Astros right-hander for the third time: Anthony Rendon, Soto and Howie Kendrick. You don't want to walk Rendon because that would bring up Soto -- who already had homered three times in the series -- as the tying run. The Astros didn't have a lefty in the bullpen, so that meant going after Soto with a right-hander -- whether it was Greinke or reliever Will Harris.

So with Soto looming, Rendon homered off a 1-0 changeup from Greinke to make it 2-1.

Suddenly Soto represented the tying run. He had singled in the second, the only hit off Greinke until Rendon's home run, then struck out in the fifth on a sequence that included a slow curveball and a changeup that Soto struck out on with a checked swing.

In the seventh, Soto took a fastball for a ball, swung through a curveball and took a changeup for a ball. Greinke threw another changeup, a good one at the knees. It was called a ball. Yes, Soto caught a break -- the pitch had a 92% strike probability -- but he had learned quickly. He had missed that changeup in the fourth. He was going to lay off it this time. The next pitch was a 3-1 curveball off the plate for ball four.

Plate discipline. It's a beautiful thing in such a young player. Soto had the 11th-lowest chase rate in baseball in the regular season. It would be understandable for a young player who possesses light-tower power, trailing by one run late in Game 7 of the World Series, to swing for the fences. Soto took the walk.

"You look at a 21-year-old kid that's just out there having fun like he's playing stickball in the backyard," manager Dave Martinez said. "That's who he is. He loves the moments. He loves going up there and picking up his teammates."

Soto can certainly have fun -- note his home run in Game 6, when he carried his bat to first base, mimicking Alex Bregman's home run trot from earlier in the game -- but his teammates and opponents praised Soto's mature approach throughout the postseason. He showed that in that Game 7 plate appearance.

With Soto on base, Astros manager AJ Hinch had a tough decision with Greinke, and opted to bring in Harris. Hinch said after the game that he targeted this point in the game for Harris, to face Kendrick and Asdrubal Cabrera. Note that Hinch didn't mention Soto. That's because he didn't have a good option for Soto. Heck, earlier in the series he gave Soto an intentional walk -- after not issuing one the entire season. It might have been nice if the front office had given Hinch a left-hander in the bullpen just for this type of situation.

Kendrick, of course, homered off Harris to put Washington in front, and the Nationals later tacked on three insurance runs. Soto added a two-out RBI single in the eighth that made it 4-2.

Soto's final World Series line: .333/.438/.741 with three home runs and seven RBIs. He became the youngest player to hit three home runs in one World Series. He had a crucial two-run double off Gerrit Cole in Game 1, the go-ahead home run off Justin Verlander in Game 6, and the walk and RBI single in Game 7.

Soto's postgame response to winning the World Series: "It makes you dance!" Then he started dancing.

His overall postseason line: .277/.373/.554. The website thebaseballgauge.com keeps track of a statistic called championship win probability added, which factors how the result of each at-bat affects the odds of winning a particular game and of winning the World Series. Kendrick's home run off Harris was the single biggest play of the postseason, but the player who led the entire postseason in total CWPA was Soto.

"As far as how he rises to the occasion, I think he's just a really talented player," teammate Ryan Zimmerman had said before Game 7. "People that usually have success in the playoffs and are really talented do it the entire year as well. It's just not as many people see it. Now once the whole world sees it, everyone talks about it."

Indeed. Nationals fans have been watching Soto the past two seasons. Die-hard fans know the numbers. The back-to-back .400 on-base seasons at the unheard-of ages of 19 and 20. The .282/.401/.548 season this year with 34 home runs and 110 RBIs.

Is it fair to compare Soto to Pujols or Trout? Maybe not. We're talking about two of the best hitters of all time, and two outstanding all-around players. Pujols hit .331 over his first 10 seasons. Trout has led his league four times in OPS and six times in OPS+. Soto ranked sixth this season in OPS and eighth in OPS+.

But maybe it is fair. Soto just turned 21 a few days ago. The list of comparable players through his first two seasons includes names like Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Trout, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mel Ott. As Zimmerman said, "The scary thing is he's only going to get better with the more experience that he gets and as he learns himself as a player and as a hitter. So, yeah, the sky's the limit for him."

The next Pujols or Trout? Joey Votto with more power? The plate discipline of Ted Williams with a modern flair? Let's just call him the first Juan Soto.

World number one Novak Djokovic will play Denis Shapovalov in the Paris Masters final after Rafael Nadal withdrew because of injury.

Second seed Nadal, yet to win the Paris title, withdrew before the start of his semi-final with 20-year-old Shapovalov.

Djokovic earlier beat Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

The 32-year-old four-time champion, beaten in last year's final by Karen Khachanov, took an hour and 38 minutes to secure victory.

It was his ninth win in 10 meetings with world number 27 Dimitrov, who won the last of his eight titles in 2017.

Canadian Shapovalov, ranked 28th in the world, sealed his first ATP title last month with victory in the indoor Stockholm Open.

OSWEGO, N.Y. – Tyler Thompson and Jason Simmons Racing will make their first competitive trip to The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s World Finals on Nov. 7-9, armed with a new Bicknell Racing Chassis big-block modified.

Thompson is eager to continue his run of premier events this fall, which has already seen victories in Oswego Speedway’s Budweiser International Classic and Lucas Oil Raceway’s Supermodified Fall Brawl, as well as an appearance at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s World Series of Racing.

“It has been a busy and successful fall and we are excited to wrap it up next weekend at the World Finals,” said Thompson.  “Running in front of that crowd, with the Super DIRTcar Series will be awesome.  Our team has been hard at work preparing the new Bicknell, so we should be in great shape come qualifying on Thursday.”

Qualifying for both Friday and Saturday’s events will take place on Thursday evening next week at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.

INDIANAPOLIS — My friend Ken Squier, the Hall-of-Fame broadcaster, says racing’s real draw is that it showcases “common people doing uncommon things.”

Sometimes, if the occasion calls for more flowery language, Squier will dress up his description: “ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” he’ll say.

I don’t know who Squier had in mind the first time those phrases rolled off his tongue, but either could serve as an epitaph for Mike Stefanik, maybe the most ordinary extraordinary champion I’ve ever known.

He died in mid-September, test-hopping an ultra-light aircraft for a friend. Aviation had been his kick since he’d put away his fire suit in 2014. He had a kit-plane of his own and he loved buzzing through the skies of Rhode Island, where he lived, and neighboring Connecticut, where tracks such as Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park were the foundation for what turned into a legendary career.

But on this flight, something went wrong, and Stefanik went down in a wooded area achingly close to the private airport he used as a base.

The newspapers and the TV accounts reported he was 61 years old, married and a father of two grown girls. Just a common obituary line to sum up the loss of an uncommon guy.

The racing records he left will go unmatched for a while. He remains the winningest driver in the history of NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour. Seven times — in 1989, ’91, ’97, ’98, 2001, ’02 and ’06 — Stefanik was the Whelen Modified Tour champion. Remarkably, in both 1997 and ’98 he also topped the standings in what was then the NASCAR Busch North Series. Through it all he was that common, regular guy, maybe because his biggest heroes were regular guys, too.

First, there was Bob Stefanik, Mike’s older brother, who was a three-time track champion at Riverside Park Speedway in western Massachusetts but earned his living as a short-haul trucker. Next came three-time NASCAR national modified champ Bugs Stevens, often hailed as a party guy — and, yes, Bugsy did love a good time — but someone who took very seriously both his racing and his weekday role as owner of a thriving salvage yard.

Then there was Richie Evans, nine times a NASCAR national champion and another fellow who raised more hell than most, but at his core a professional racer who traced his success to endless hours spent in his shop.

Mike Stefanik studied people and from those three he’d have learned a simple lesson: You could have a grand time racing, whether locally or regionally, but behind all the fun there was hard work.

Early on, he drew a fabricator’s paycheck at a Connecticut chassis shop. By the time he was good enough to support himself and his family as a paid driver, that workman’s mentality was locked in. He looked at the job and he planned accordingly. If a race was 200 or 300 laps long, he positioned himself close to the front, settled in for the ride and stayed on top of his car’s handling; when it was time to fight for the win, he usually had something in reserve.

On the other hand, if he entered a 30-lap weekly main with the fast guys handicapped to the eighth and ninth rows on the starting grid, Stefanik could pull out the stops and go for broke. His game had no weaknesses.

He played a huge role in one of the best races I’ve ever seen, a 100-lap NASCAR modified special at Riverside Park in the late ’80s. Nothing went according to plan for Stefanik or his primary foe, Reggie Ruggiero, yet they put on a battle for the ages.

In those days, before tire rules took a lot of the mystery out of things, these 100 lappers were full of suspense. If a yellow flag waved at the right time — halfway was ideal — guys like Stefanik and Ruggiero would pit for soft tires and make banzai charges back to the front.

This time, they didn’t get the timely caution they needed and by lap 75 each of them was hopelessly short on grip. Fortunately, all the other would-be contenders had worn out their own tires trying to catch them.

Riverside was a tight quarter-mile oval and for the last 25 laps their two cars skated through its banked turns. Stefanik would dive beneath Ruggiero, slide up, ricochet lightly off of Ruggiero’s left-side nerf bar and find himself in the lead.

On the next lap, Ruggiero would use the same move on Stefanik and again they’d trade places. They might have come together a dozen times.

It was clear to see, just from watching their arms sawing away at their steering wheels, that each of them was doing everything in his power not to hit the other guy.

For a decade they’d been fierce rivals, but they also shared a huge mutual respect. Neither was going to knock the other fellow out of the way just to take home another trophy.

As it happened, Stefanik made the last ricochet pass and he won that 100-lapper. He said later that when he got back to the pits and saw Ruggiero, “both of us just burst out laughing.”

That didn’t happen right away, of course. For a while, Mike Stefanik was busy with the victory lane interview and the photos that went with it. One more time, this ordinary guy had done something extraordinary.

Manchester United's mini winning run came to an end as their difficult season continued with a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth. The Cherries took the lead courtesy of a great piece of play from former United forward Josh King towards the end of the first half, which turned out to be the winning goal for Eddie Howe's side.

The hosts remained calm and composed throughout, condemning United to another loss in the Premier League to further damage their hopes of a top-four finish.

Positives

Whenever Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men were able to string together a few through balls and get in down the flanks, they had some success. They slowed the pace of the game down to suit their tempo at points, and in the first half hour, their defensive structure held up fairly well.

Negatives

The visitors were too static whenever the rhythm of their play was disrupted and for large periods of the game, they didn't have an answer for that. Every final ball was weak and they were too happy to go down when put under pressure. Elsewhere, they continually stood off Bournemouth and invited far too much pressure.

Manager rating (out of 10)

6 -- Solskjaer had the right intentions with what was a fairly attacking setup from United, but they were far too conservative in their approach. He clearly noticed the holes and made some attacking changes, but many will continue to question his suitability as this club's boss.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK David de Gea, 7 -- The keeper wasn't able to do much about Bournemouth's opener but did produce a few good saves in the second half and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

DF Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 6 -- Made several important interceptions, especially in the first half, but was at fault for King's goal.

DF Victor Lindelof, 5 -- There's always an element of nervousness to Lindelof's game, which makes it difficult for fans to trust him. Appeared to panic for the goal and picked up a needless yellow card.

DF Harry Maguire, 6 -- There were questions about Maguire's fitness and understandably so, as the Englishman failed to bring much stability to the back four.

DF Ashley Young, 5 -- Poor judgement both on and off the ball and played with a negative style that didn't allow his side to push forward or build any real momentum. Will be suspended for the next match against Brighton after picking up a fifth yellow of the season.

MF Scott McTominay, 6 -- Kept things ticking along at times but couldn't drive his side down the pitch as many others have over the years. Still has a lot to learn in the middle of the park.

MF Fred, 4 -- Was sloppy in possession, couldn't bring other players into the game and often served as a detriment to his own team. Once again had people questioning his £52 million price tag.

MF Daniel James, 6 -- Started brightly but faded and was neutralised by Bournemouth's defensive strength.

MF Andreas Pereira, 5 -- Was one of United's more active players up top but the quality just wasn't there. He missed a great opportunity in the third minute, looked off the pace, and only really had any joy when linking up with James.

FW Marcus Rashford, 6 -- Looked lively and constantly tried to create openings, but he couldn't rediscover his goal-scoring touch in the league after his double against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

FW Anthony Martial, 5 -- Showed decent movement on the ball but was largely marked out of the game.

Substitutes

DF Brandon Williams, N/A -- Was introduced too late on to really make much happen.

MF Jesse Lingard, 6 -- Looked lively when coming on and seemed to create a bit of urgency that United were lacking.

FW Mason Greenwood, N/A -- Got into the right positions and showed that instinctive touch that will make him an important player in the years to come.