They're back, again. Mayo are into the 2020 All-Ireland SFC final, after they routed Tipperary 5-20 to 3-13 at a misty Croke Park yesterday. Cillian O'Connor was the driving force behind their semi-final victory, as he produced a remarkable return of 4-9 against the Munster champions. James Horan's side were a joy to watch going forward, if often caught short at the back, on an enthralling afternoon in Dublin. Keith Duggan writes: "Trust Mayo to bang home five goals in an All-Ireland semi-final but offer up as many chances at the other end. Tipp took three; they could have had twice that. But trust Mayo too, to keep on showing up. In a world of unbelievers, they keep the faith."Awaiting them in the final on December 19th are Dublin, after they ended Cavan's journey with a comprehensive, clinical 1-24 to 0-14 win on Saturday evening. And this morning Sean Moran has asked if Dublin's continued dominance might lead the GAA to declare the current system as broken: "Their reluctance is understandable. Breaking up Dublin, first floated by 2002's Strategic Review Committee, is a radical step given the centrality of county identity and the uncertain prospects of trying to forge entirely new allegiances."
Jose Mourinho's Tottenham remain top of the Premier League, after they beat Arsenal 2-0 in yesterday's north London derby. Spurs opened the scoring thanks to a find individual effort from the effervescent Son Heung-Min, who then turned creator for Harry Kane to double his side's lead before time. Mikel Arteta's Gunners, who languish in 15th place in the table, never looked like getting back into the match. Later in the day Liverpool thrashed Wolves 4-0 at Anfield, with 2,000 fans returning on the Kop. Elsewhere West Bromwich Albion were thrashed 5-1 by Crystal Palace at The Hawthorns, while a late Jamie Vardy winner saw Leicester City beat Sheffield United 2-1. In his column this morning Ken Early has reflected on Millwall supporters booing as players took the knee before a match against Derby County on Saturday, and suggests it provides a reminder on what the gesture was really about in the first place.
Ireland finished a difficult year on a relative high on Saturday, after they secured third place in the Autumn Nations Cup with a 31-16 win over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium. And boss Andy Farrell believes his side are in a good place with the 2021 Six Nations already looming. He said: "I suppose, everyone is talking about England and France putting in some really good rugby but if England or France beat Wales by 30 points or put 31 points on Scotland everyone would be raving about their improvements as a team." It was England who were crowned winners of the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup yesterday and they needed a golden penalty from Owen Farrell to beat a stubborn, makeshift France side 22-19 in extra-time at Twickenham.
Dundalk have ended the domestic season with silverware, after they beat Shamrock Rovers 4-2 in an epic FAI Cup final yesterday afternoon. Four second-half goals at the Aviva Stadium saw the two sides finish the 90 minutes level at 2-2 before the Lilywhites landed two killer blows in extra-time through Sean Hoare and hat-trick hero David McMillan. Elsewhere the Republic of Ireland will find out their 2022 World Cup qualification opponents later today, with the draw set to take place at 5pm.
And Min emerged from the fog to take the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown yesterday, with Willie Mullins' star landing the race for a third time. Racing was later abandoned due to poor visibility.
