[imagesource: Getty Images]

Each Monday, I’ll be putting together a wrap of the weekend’s sporting action, standout moments, and major talking points, with a focus on football, cricket, and rugby.

So, off we go…

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited sporting event of the weekend saw English Premier League champions Liverpool taking on Manchester United, in a top of the table clash, but that proved to be something of a letdown.

0-0, with precious few gilt-edged chances, although Liverpool ‘keeper Allison did pull off two impressive saves near the end to deny Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.

It’s interesting to see the mercurial Frenchman solidifying his spot in United starting lineup, given what his agent, Mino Raiola, had to say about his desire to move just last month.

Luke Shaw was probably United’s standout performer, with Fabinho the pick of Liverpool’s players.

You can watch highlights from that match via Liverpool’s YouTube channel here.

There were no goal celebrations on display at Anfield, so we never got to see if the players were taking on board the advice of Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters.

He said that teams should refrain from hugging as part of their goalscoring celebrations, and that’s something Leicester City’s James Maddison poked fun at after scoring in his team’s 2-0 win over Southampton.

See from the 40-second mark below:

🔊 James Maddison on…

😂 Socially distant celebrations
⚽️ Arshavin-style winner
🦁 England hopes

Excellent stuff from the Leicester star! 🦊

🎙 @TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/mjhDEZVWx4

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 16, 2021

Never mind that the players spend a huge amount of time cooped up on team buses and inside changing rooms…

Air high fives, air handshakes – hey, whatever it takes to keep the Premier League ticking along.

Spurs’ match with bottom-placed Sheffield United, fresh off their first win of the season against Newcastle United (of course, who else?), did produce a few cracking finishes, the finest of which came from Tanguy Ndombele.

No look, and casually lobs Southampton’s Alex McCarthy:

Nobody.

Absolutely no one.

Tanguy Ndombele… #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/5Qo6EMrtQK

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 17, 2021

Manchester City also put in a stellar performance, trouncing Crystal Palace 4-0 (a shoutout to all the Fantasy Premier League managers with John Stones in their teams), although the low point of the weekend was undoubtedly this video.

If you’ve seen the Sea Shanty meme doing the rounds, it will make sense:

Just clearing out the vocal chords ready to cheer on the boys tonight. pic.twitter.com/kedYuMN4ga

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 17, 2021

I’d say there are grounds for docking them points.

Over in Spain, the Super Cup final ended in defeat for Barcelona, who went down 3-2 to Athletic Bilbao.

The real headline-grabber was the red card dished out to Lionel Messi, the first in his club career, which spans 753 matches.

In the dying seconds of extra time, Messi lashed out at Asier Villalibre, with VAR intervening en route to the skipper being sent off:

Messi sees red for an off-the-ball swing. pic.twitter.com/PAW8cm95OR

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 17, 2021

He will now miss at least four domestic games, just as Barcelona were looking to find form, and the incident will do little to dispel reports that he may well leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Given that he is in the final six months of that deal, he is free to negotiate a pre-contract with clubs outside of Spain, and a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City is a possibility.

The Argentinian has said that he will wait until the end of the season before making any decisions.

Here at home, there was a rather unusual own goal for Orlando Pirates defender Innocent Maela, in the DStv Premiership clash against Black Leopards.

Moments after almost heading into his own net, Maela…headed into his own net:

Never seen anything like this before! Maela hits his own post, then scores an own goal from the resulting corner.

Madness. If at first you don’t succeed…😂 pic.twitter.com/Si1vuaR2xX

— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) January 17, 2021

Pirates lost 2-0, and Maela offered an apology on social media earlier today.

Turning our attention to rugby, and your reminder to enjoy day 443 of 1 449 as world champions.

I will not judge you if you choose to watch Chasing the Sun again. Really, it’s fine. At the very least, take in some life lessons via Rassie Erasmus.

One of the World Cup’s standout performers, Cheslin Kolbe, gave a great interview to The Daily Maverick’s Jon Cardinelli. You can read it in full here, but I like this response from the fleet-footed winger:

“I play this game to prove people wrong,” he says. “A lot of people told me that I was too small to play pro rugby. They said I would never be a Bok.

“I thought about how I could use that negativity in a positive way. They couldn’t tell me who I was or why I couldn’t play. That’s the lesson, if you work hard you will reap the benefits.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not good enough. They don’t have the right to decide who you are or what you will become.”

He says he was inspired by the likes of Brent Russell, the original pocket rocket, Breyton Paulse, and later Gio Aplon.

Let’s revisit one of Russell’s greatest tries, with the sultry tones of Hugh Bladen to help wash it down with:

If you’re feeling really nostalgic, you can dive down the Brent Russell highlights wormhole here.

Back to matters at hand, and man mountain Eben Etzebeth was in fine form for Toulon against Racing 92 in the PRO14 this weekend, helping his team to a 29-23 victory.

With ball in hand, he was at his destructive best:

Etzebeth also played a big role in the build-up to Toulon’s first try pic.twitter.com/nGpnktxnpP

— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) January 18, 2021

You’ll find a full rundown of how our foreign-based rugby talent performed this weekend here.

Test cricket also put on a show, with the Sri Lankans rallying back from a poor first innings showing against the English to rack up 359 in their second dig, forcing the Poms to bat again.

After an initial stutter, Joe Root’s men knocked off the 76 required for victory, and it was the skipper’s double ton in England’s first innings that saw him named man of the match.

The real story, though, is the incredible endurance shown by English cricket fan Rob Lewis, who goes by Randy Caddick.

He has spent 10 months in Sri Lanka, after England’s tour of the island nation last March was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally got his chance to see the boys in action.

When Root reached his double ton, he paid tribute to Caddick, saluting in his direction (see the second video):

ICYMI…pic.twitter.com/jf0pPsiOFo

— England’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) January 16, 2021

For a diehard fan, that’s about as good as it gets.

Down under, the fourth and final test match between Australia and India has been a humdinger, although the fifth day may well be ruined by the weather.

With the match delicately poised, and India on 4/0 and needing a further 324 runs to win, rain is forecast, and it’s very unlikely that the scheduled 98 overs will be completed.

India are sitting pretty in the World Test Championship table, and given the extent of the injuries they have suffered on this tour, getting away from the four-match series with a 1-1 draw will be very credible, as well as seeing them retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Nathan Lyon, playing in his 100th test, needs a further three wickets to join the 400 club, so keep an eye out for that, and also note that non-stop sledger and general all-round dickhead Matthew Wade made a duck in the second knock, which I consider the highlight of the match thus far.

UPDATE: India pulled off one of the greatest run chases in history to take the series 2-1. Just bloody marvellous.

A reminder that the 2021 Australian Open is off to a really bumpy start, with many of tennis’ biggest stars now confined to their hotel rooms in the lead-up to the tournament.

This weekend also saw the world’s most gruelling motorsports event, the Dakar Rally, come to an end. France’s Stephane Peterhansel, also known as ‘Mr Dakar’, claimed his 14th title, a full 30 years after his first win.

South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers came in eighth, having teamed up with Spaniard Alex Haro.

Tragically, French motorcyclist Pierre Cherpin died from injuries sustained on this year’s seventh stage, meaning 27 competitors have now lost their lives since the race launched back in 1979.

You can read more on Peterhansel’s success here, and I would also recommend a quick look at the Guardian’s Dakar Rally 2021 gallery.

Finally, American Football bid farewell to one of its greatest quarterbacks yesterday, as Drew Brees’ New Orleans Saints went down to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady is certainly a divisive character, but cameras did capture a touching exchange between the two superstars after the dust had settled:

As Tom Brady and Drew Brees hug and say goodbye after a long talk on the field, Brady throws a touchdown pass to Brees’ son. One walks off to play in the NFC championship, the other stays to play with his kids. pic.twitter.com/wdWDro9YD4

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 18, 2021

It’s all very Friday Night Lights.

That’s a wrap, so please spare a thought for me this evening as I once again suffer through watching another 90 minutes of Newcastle United.