MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has branded Scott McTominay "undroppable" after the midfielder's performance in the 2-1 win over Tottenham.

McTominay missed three games through injury but made himself available to face Spurs after completing just one training session 24 hours before kick-off.

"You can almost say he is undroppable at the moment," said Solskjaer.

"The physical presence he gives us, the leadership he gives us in midfield, he also releases Fred.

"He trained yesterday [Tuesday] and that was just a light session with the reserves but he's a tough boy.

"There was no chance he was going to say 'no thanks' if he felt OK.

"It's probably the first time I've really really pushed players that haven't had the foundation but he's so fit anyway."

Solskjaer also lauded the impact of Marcus Rashford, who scored both United goals to make it 12 in his last 13 games for club and country.

"The boy is 22 and he played like he was in his back yard or playground with his mates," said Solskjaer.

"He's played all the games, more or less this season. The boy is getting fitter and fitter, more and more experienced. What a performance. Two goals, he creates them himself, he should have had two more, bur for great saves by the keeper."

United moved up to sixth in the table after ending a run of three games without a victory on Jose Mourinho's return to Old Trafford.

With some questioning Solskjaer after the club's worst start to a season since 1988-89, the win was a major boost.

"The three points are massive for us. We've had too many draws this season and given too many points away from winning positions," Solskjaer said.

"We've made decisions that we had to and we're looking to build this club to be better again and I can't think short-term when I'm trying to do that," he said.

"When we turn the corner and win three or four games on the run, they will get that Man United feeling again."

Solskjaer faces another big test on Saturday when his team travel to the Etihad Stadium to face champions Manchester City and he may have to do it without Anthony Martial, who did not feature against Tottenham because of injury.

"I don't know [about Martial] for Saturday -- not sure," said Solskjaer. "Of course, you want to have your first XI all the time. I've been able to do that once against Chelsea, maybe Wolves but it's a squad game. With the injuries we've had it's made it hard for us.."

Jose Mourinho conceded his former club Manchester United had deserved their 2-1 Premier League victory over his new team Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday and hailed the performance of Marcus Rashford.

Mourinho took over as Spurs manager last month, nearly a year after he was fired by United.

"I think they deserved the victory by their first half. We didn't start well at all," said Mourinho, whose side fell behind to a seventh-minute goal from Rashford.

"I think for the first 30 minutes they were the best team, and I think because of that, for this strong 30 minutes where we were not there, and also because of the way we conceded the second goal, I think they deserved to win," he added.

Mourinho noted that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, held by Aston Villa and Sheffield United in their last two league games, had delivered their best displays against the top-rated teams.

"United results against the best teams this season have been good. Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester," he said.

"For the way they play it is easier for them. They are not afraid to have a defensive approach. It is easier for them against better teams, against teams who want more of the ball," he added.

The Portuguese, sacked by United after two and a half seasons in charge, had plenty of praise for his former forward Rashford.

"When he plays from the left he is really dangerous and I knew that and gave the players the best information about it. His first goal is a typical Rashford goal coming on the inside. Our boys knew that clearly," he said.

Solskjaer was unsurprisingly even more fulsome in his praise of the 22-year-old England international, who delivered a performance of real quality.

"It's the best he's had under me. He was mature, strong against good Premier League players," the Norwegian said.

"It's like he was back on the playground or in the back garden. We want them to have fun, there's nothing dangerous out there -- just 75,00 people, wanting to see the best," he said.

MERSEYSIDE, England -- In the 15th minute of the Merseyside derby, which Liverpool eventually won 5-2, Reds defender Dejan Lovren played a pass back to Adrian, then dashed out to the right-back position as Richarlison closed the Liverpool goalkeeper down. Adrian assessed his options, looked left and right and chose to return the ball to Lovren by chipping it over Richarlison with the outside of his right foot. It spun perfectly to Lovren's foot and allowed him to launch an attack. For most it would have been a little early for showboating, but not this Liverpool team.

About 20 minutes later, Lovren picked up the ball a little further upfield, looked up and pinged a millimetre-perfect pass over the top of the Everton defence into Divock Origi's path, with the unlikely hero of last season's Champions League win leaping to bring it down at about hip-height before casually lobbing a helpless Jordan Pickford to make the score 3-1. Imagine those two players combining like that in any other team.

At times this season, which has now reached its 15th game with Liverpool only dropping two points, the Premier League leaders frankly haven't played that well. Some performances have been stodgy and uninspired, they've sailed extremely close to the wind with late goals and they've enjoyed slices of luck. None of this applied to Wednesday night's win. They were inspired, playing with a swagger and a devastating brio that we all knew they were capable of, but hadn't seen in a while. It was as if in previous weeks, it hadn't quite occurred to them they were European Champions and eight points clear at the top of the Premier League in December, only for someone to let them know before stepping out to face Everton. This was the reaction, and result, we've been waiting for.

Oh, and all of this was accomplished with half a second-string team. Of their first-choice XI, Alisson was suspended following his handball outside the box against Brighton, Joel Matip and Fabinho are injured while Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah were all rested. In order, that's one of the top three or four goalkeepers in the world (No. 1, according to the 2019 FC 100); probably the most improved central defender in the Premier League; the midfield glue that has held the team together for a year; the team captain; the man most regular observers will tell you facilitates all their attacks; and their top-scorer for the last two seasons.

Some of those who started this game are regular deputies, but this was just Adam Lallana's second league start of the campaign and Xherdan Shaqiri previously had just 14 competitive minutes under his belt since the summer. "Really?" said a genuinely surprised Jurgen Klopp when it was pointed out this was the Swiss forward's first start in seven months. "Sorry Shaq."

When you can dismantle your (admittedly beleaguered) local rivals so emphatically and with such confidence while fielding half a team of reserves, it would be a great sign for their prospects at any time, but it's particularly valuable now considering their upcoming schedule.

"Good. Really good, especially in the circumstances I pretty much created for myself with the line-up," said Klopp about Liverpool's performance. "Making five changes can lead to some problems: I didn't see any of them. We have to make changes, that's clear."

He's not kidding. Liverpool are in the middle of a back-breaking run of fixtures -- 14 games in 42 days -- and their next five games are in four different competitions in three different countries on two different continents. They will need every one of those back-up players to excel if they're to reach the middle of January -- basically the next time they can draw breath and have a bit of a sit-down -- in ship shape and still in charge of the title race. Klopp is essentially drawing on his second string's sense of F.O.M.O., harnessing the sure knowledge that something very special is happening at Liverpool and that everyone will want to be a part of it. Every one of those players will want their own little section of the inevitable YouTube compilations of this season that will emerge; at the moment, that form of motivation is working very well.

"It was always clear that this period in the year is where we need all the boys," said Klopp, "and I hope they will be in the shape like Shaq and Div tonight, or Adam. It gives us the feeling that we can do it more often. You hope [it will work], and when the boys deliver like they did tonight it's the best feeling you can get as a manager. You don't expect...not perfection, but [for them to play] in that manner."

Having said all that, the best player on the pitch (in the first-half at least) was very much a first-choice player. Sadio Mane has seemed to improve with every game, not just since joining Liverpool, but way before that too. Now he's blossomed into one of Liverpool's many world class performers, and some of his touches here could be ranked among the absolute finest.

Take the pass for Liverpool's opener, scored by Origi. It was an exquisitely judged slid ball that, because of the angles and respective positioning of Everton defenders and the intended recipient, could only have succeeded if placed in about one square yard of space behind the Everton backline and in front of the keeper. Some passes are more spectacular, but you'll be hard-pressed to see a better one this season, or really any other.

His approach play for the second was exceptional too, bringing down Trent Alexander-Arnold's fizzing cross-field pass, delicately semi-juggling it infield before slipping a delicious reverse ball for a run from Shaqiri that nobody else had spotted. He missed two simple scoring chances in the second half, but considering how good he was in the first, he could have spent the entire 45 minutes in a hammock next to the Kop and still been man of the match. At the final whistle, Klopp strode straight to Mane and gave him a colossal hug, lifting him off his feet like a kid grabbing one of those huge teddy bears you win at the fair.

Klopp has a delicate task in these coming weeks to marry squad rotation with getting the best from the big guns, but on this evidence -- albeit with the caveat that Everton were, and are, a mess -- that won't be much of a problem. It's as if confidence is just part of the air at Melwood these days; next to nitrogen, oxygen and the other gases, the atmosphere is also comprised of absolute faith in this team, and everyone takes a big deep breath before every game and plays accordingly.

"It was was an intense game," said Klopp, "then we scored a sensational fifth goal and... job done. All good."

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saluted all corners of Old Trafford after Manchester United had beaten Tottenham, and Jose Mourinho, with perhaps their best performance of the season in a 2-1 victory.

United's manager had gone into the game with the first noises emanating from around the club that his time at the helm could be running out, so the manner of the win, and the timing, may explain Solskjaer's uncharacteristic decision to milk the moment at the final whistle. After all, despite the victory, United are still only as high as sixth in the Premier League table and eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification.

Solskjaer celebrated as though his team had qualified for the Champions League final, but it was against Mourinho, his predecessor, and during a week when some headlines were claiming he had two games to save his job, so his celebrations were understandable.

It is too soon to suggest that this win, secured by two goals from Marcus Rashford, will prove to be a turning point for United, but it should certainly be a high watermark for the standards now expected of this team.

Under Solskjaer, they have been wildly inconsistent and the manager and his coaches have warned the United hierarchy that, with such a young and inexperienced team, there will be plenty of peaks and valleys throughout the campaign.

The battle for Solskjaer is to ensure that there are enough peaks to keep him in a job. Until this victory, the valleys were beginning to become a little too regular, hence the question marks over his future.

So far this season, United have lost four league games, with each defeat coming against teams currently below them in the table. No points against Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle and Bournemouth and unconvincing performances, and draws, against Sheffield United and Aston Villa in recent weeks have contributed to a tale of woe that has seen United drop 12 points from winning positions.

But conversely, United are currently unbeaten against their Big Six rivals, with Solskjaer's men also beating second-placed Leicester and drawing with fifth-placed Wolves this season.

Beating Spurs was another tick in that box, but Mourinho said after this game that United's counter-attacking is currently better suited to playing superior opponents rather than supposedly weaker ones.

"Against the best teams, United have had results, like they did against Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester," Mourinho said. "It's easier for them [against the top teams] with the way they play.

"They are not afraid to be at home and they have lots of young players with energy and a good mentality, so [they] are comfortable in this approach with a low block and a fast counter-attack."

When faced with opponents who are less inclined to take the game to them, United's approach has proven to be ineffective, but Saturday will be an acid test of their tactics when they travel across Manchester to face City. So far this season, United have played all of their Big Six rivals at home, so it will be an interesting examination of their approach when they face Pep Guardiola's men away from Old Trafford.

This game was all about United's pace on the break with Daniel James and Rashford, and the England forward deserved more than the two goals he scored.

His first, on six minutes, was a 20-yard effort which beat goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga at the near post. Rashford also had a 25-yard strike tipped onto the crossbar by the Argentine before he netted from the penalty spot three minutes into the second half.

Mourinho knew what to expect from Rashford, but it seems his Spurs players failed to heed their manager's warning.

"When he plays from the left he's really, really dangerous and I knew that and I gave the players the best possible information about it," Mourinho told the BBC. "The first goal is a typical Rashford goal, coming to the inside and shooting with the right foot and also the way he attacked our defenders in the second goal so, our boys, they knew it, they knew it clearly."

Rashford has enjoyed a resurgence under Solskjaer after struggling for form in the latter days of Mourinho's reign and his current manager admitted that the 22-year-old is now performing better than ever.

"It's the best [performance] he's had under me," Solskjaer said. "He was mature and strong against good Premier League players. His penalty was calm and composed, and his [first] goal, we know he's got those strikes in him and he had three or four chances.

"It's like he was back on the playground or in the back garden."

If all of his players had improved as much as Rashford has, Solskjaer would not be facing questions about his future, but this United team is still clearly a work in progress and they desperately need reinforcements in January.

But for now, Solskjaer is happy.

"You are always happy when you win," he said. "The boys are learning and improving all the time but tonight we were fantastic for long, long spells."

"The three points are massive for us. We've had too many draws this season and given too many points away from winning positions. It's a great lesson the last two games [Sheffield United and Aston Villa] and we came back in a great manner.

"We've started the rebuilding. We've made decisions that we had to and we're looking to build this club to be better again and I can't think short-term when I'm trying to do that.

"When we turn the corner and win three or four games on the run, they will get that Man Utd feeling again."

BOSTON -- Miami coach Erik Spoelstra missed the Heat's game Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics to return home to be with his wife for the birth of their second son.

Assistant coach Dan Craig, who grew up about 40 minutes away from TD Garden in Chelmsford, directed the Heat.

"In the morning, the coach got the message from his wife that she was having contractions," Craig said. "He got on flight early this morning, fortunately got back there safely and he's with her now."

The 37-year-old Craig said he'd been texting with Spoelstra but didn't have any update.

Craig rooted for the Celtics when he lived in the area. He grew up in upstate New York, but his family moved north of Boston when he was 12.

"It worked out kind of funny," he said. "I'm back home and I'm going to coach this game. It's pretty exciting."

In March 2018, Craig also coached the Heat when Spoelstra was with wife Nikki for the birth of his first son. The Heat lost that game.

All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell returned to the Warriors' lineup Wednesday night after missing nine games with a sprained right thumb, giving Golden State's injury-ravaged backcourt an important boost.

Russell worked out in the morning shootaround before the game against Charlotte, getting final clearance to make his return. Russell was named an All-Star for the first time in his five-year career last season. He's averaging 24.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his first season in Golden State.

Warriors forward Draymond Green, who was ruled out of Monday night's game against the Thunder with a sore right heel, also returned to the starting lineup Wednesday.

Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry is out until at least February with a broken left hand that required surgery, while Klay Thompson is recovering from surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee suffered in a Game 6 NBA Finals loss to the champion Toronto Raptors.

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Kevin Thomas Jr. will return to the KT Motorsports No. 9k USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series machine next season, sporting sponsorship from McDonald’s and Dr. Pepper.

Thomas made his USAC National Sprint Car debut aboard the No. 9k in 2009, won his first career USAC Sprint race in the car in 2012, and reeled off five victories during a strong 2017 campaign with the team.

The 2018 series runner-up and 28-time USAC National Sprint Car feature winner is excited to be back with the family-owned team to kick off the new decade of the 2020s.

“I kind of feel like when we run under our own banner, that’s where we get our best results,” Thomas said. “We’re going to go with what got us here and do things on our own. It was a decent season last year, but I think we can build off of it.”

Thomas won twice in 2019, including a thrilling last-lap victory during Indiana Sprint Week at Bloomington Speedway.

Thomas is aiming to challenge for the title following three top-four finishes in the standings in each of the past three years — third in 2017, second in 2018 and fourth in 2019.

“We want to run for a championship and for as many wins as we can,” Thomas stated. “Under our family name, with my dad as car owner and me as a driver, we have a lot of pride in what we do with this race team.”

Thomas will also return to the Petry Motorsports team for a run at the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget championship.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Pit Pay, the only mobile pit pass app for the motorsports industry, launched today in the Apple app and Google Play stores.

Motorsport participants can purchase pit passes in advance using the Pit Pay app on their Apple and Android mobile devices, saving time when they arrive at the race track. The Pit Pay app organizes and simplifies the sign-in process, helping tracks get participants into the pits quickly and efficiently.

Pit Pay provides its users – racers, crew members and other attendees – with a simple, hassle-free experience in the app and at the track.

With hundreds of tracks and thousands of events, users can quickly and easily purchase pit passes in advance using the app.

Once they arrive at the track, users proceed directly to the dedicated Pit Pay check-in area, present the mobile pit pass on their device and receive their armband or credential, saving valuable time standing in line, signing waivers and exchanging cash.

The Pit Pay app safely and securely stores credit card information and users’ favorite tracks and series to make purchasing a pit pass as simple as a few clicks on their mobile devices.

“We’re excited to launch Pit Pay and get feedback straight from the racers and promoters,” said Frank Bolter, president of Pit Pay. “My goal with the Pit Pay app is to utilize technology to provide a better experience for racers, while helping tracks and insurance providers streamline their processes. I’ve been involved in motorsports for over 25 years, and I saw a need for the pit pass sign-in process to be standardized and simplified at the track.

“I think the Pit Pay app can help with that, improving the participant experience,” Bolter added. “Initial feedback from tracks and racers has been overwhelming, and I’m excited to see where the Pit Pay app can go as we continue to work to expand our presence and give back to the motorsports community.”

Pit Pay is currently adding new tracks to the app, and mobile pit passes will be available for select events beginning in January 2020.

Developing Pit Pay to satisfy the needs of tracks and insurance partners was a collaborative effort with leading motorsports attorneys, industry leaders and insurance providers.

“Pit Pay provides a best-in-class digital solution for executing and storing liability waivers, which we all know is a hassle at every track,” said Lauri Eberhart of Apollo Sports & Entertainment Law Group and legal advisor to Pit Pay. “It provides an authenticated, digital paper trail that is easier to access and protect than our current paper waiver system. We collaborated with leading insurance companies and legal experts in our industry to be sure Pit Pay not only meets, but exceeds, current legal standards.”

“Pit Pay is the future, and with many benefits to the racers, track owners and promoters, it will be a real gamechanger for the motorsports industry,” said Jeff Ladd, president of Sport Insurance Specialists. “Tim Troester, Don DeWitt and the Reel Racing MGA Team, along with Ryan Slagle and my team here at SIS, saw the vision in the Pit Pay technology right away, so we are excited to have contributed our efforts to get this platform introduced to the industry. It will be a winner.”

Pit Pay is free to download.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets claimed center Nick Shore off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Shore had two goals and an assist in 21 games for the Maple Leafs this season. The 27-year-old former University of Denver player signed with Toronto in the summer after spending last season with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Shore has 17 goals, 39 assists in 257 career NHL games with Los Angeles, Ottawa and Calgary.

The Hero World Challenge got started a day early, and there's a pair of major champs at the top of the leaderboard. Here's how things stand in the Bahamas, where Patrick Reed and Gary Woodland are both off to a strong start:

Leaderboard: Patrick Reed (-6), Gary Woodland (-6), Chez Reavie (-4), Justin Rose (-3), Justin Thomas (-3), Rickie Fowler (-3), Henrik Stenson (-3)

What it means: Scoring was difficult for much of the day as winds swept across Albany Golf Club and put the elite, 18-man field to the test. Woodland got off to the best start of the bunch as he looks to cap a season that already includes a U.S. Open title, while Reed joined him with a strong close. Only 10 of the 18 players were able to break par on a blustery afternoon.

Round of the day: Reed landed at Albany with a set of new, undisclosed irons. But whatever weapons he's wielding, they clearly worked in the opening round. The former Masters champ carded five birdies in a six-hole stretch from Nos. 11-16 to grab a share of the lead. It's the second straight year that Reed leads here after the opening round. He'll look to parlay that into something better than last year's 11th-place result.

Best of the rest: Woodland started quickly, with birdies on four of his first six holes including a chip-in on No. 5. Making his second straight appearance in the Bahamas, he tallied eight birdies and posted a bogey-free 32 on the back nine.

Biggest disappointment: Tony Finau was a runner-up at this event last year, but he's unlikely to replicate that result this time around. Finau's struggles included a triple bogey on the par-3 eighth, and his 7-over 79 left him in last place, three shots worse than the next closest competitor.

Main storyline for Friday: All eyes remain on the tournament host. Tiger Woods made a charge down the stretch, at one point reaching 3 under on his round despite a wobbly start. But a bogey on No. 17 and a sloppy double on the final hole dropped him all the way back to an even-par 72, six shots behind the co-leaders, meaning there's work to be done if he's going to challenge for a sixth Hero title.

Shot of the day: Woods appeared in position for an easy birdie on the par-5 15th when he went one better, holing a pitch from just in front of the green for eagle.

Quote of the day: "Got myself kind of right there in the mix, and then hit bad shots on 17 and 18." - Woods