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Jeffrey Schlupp's late strike salvaged a deserved 1-1 derby draw for Crystal Palace and prevented Tottenham from going three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Vicente Guaita's howler gifted Harry Kane a 15th goal of the season midway through the first half to silence the 2,000 fans who were allowed to return to Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Schlupp spared his goalkeeper's blushes nine minutes from time, though, prodding in from close range when Hugo Lloris failed to deal with Eberechi Eze's inviting free-kick.

Eze struck the post in the first half and Guaita, who made a string of fine saves, was almost embarrassed again when a Ben Davies cross looped over him and hit the crossbar.

Neither side could force a winner and although Tottenham are now unbeaten in 10 matches, Liverpool - who they play next Wednesday - could replace them at the top of the table with a win at Fulham later on Sunday.

Spurs started with a swagger and Guaita made a great reflex save to keep out Tanguy Ndombele's first-time strike.

Guaita was left red-faced 23 minutes in, though, when he totally misjudged Kane's right-foot shot from around 30 yards out, which he could only palm into the net.

The Palace keeper responded well by producing a fine double save - the second from Ndombele - before Palace finished the first half strongly, Eze hitting the far post with a measured effort from just inside the Spurs penalty area.

Schlupp wasted a golden opportunity to equalise when he blazed over from close range after Luka Milivojevic's free-kick caused havoc in the Tottenham penalty area.

Spurs offered little going forward in the second half and were relieved when Christian Benteke headed onto the roof of the net, but Schlupp bundled home after Lloris was undone by Eze's in-swinging free-kick.

Davies could have won it in bizarre fashion when his cross hit the bar and Guaita again reacted well to a lapse with a sharp reflex save when Kane got his head on Serge Aurier's shot. 

Guaita then superbly saved Eric Dier's free-kick in a dramatic finale as both sides had to settle for a point.

What does it mean? Spurs can have no complaints

Tottenham had conceded just one goal in six top-flight games before making the trip across the capital and looked set for another clean sheet.

They can have no complaints not to have secured maximum points, though, as Palace posed a far bigger threat in the second half and deserved something from an entertaining game.

Although Jose Mourinho's side have the best defensive record in the league - shipping only 10 goals in 12 games - they invited pressure after the break by not showing enough ambition going forward and were made to pay.

Kane and Son combine yet again

Spurs' talismanic skipper Kane and Son Heung-Min combined for a goal for the 12th time this season, the South Korea international's pass giving his fellow forward a sight of goal.

Only lethal Blackburn Rovers duo Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton have combined for more goals in a top-flight season (13) in England - back in the 1994-95 campaign.

Redemption for Guaita

Palace keeper Guaita will never want to see Kane's goal again, but he produced some brilliant saves in a lively encounter.

Guaita showed a combination of agility and bravery to frustrate the leaders and his acrobatic stop to somehow keep out Dier's free-kick right at the end was out of the top drawer.

Key Opta Facts

- Despite surrendering their lead in the second half, Spurs are unbeaten in their last nine away games in the Premier League (W5 D4); their longest such run since April 2018 (also nine).

- Following 1-1 draws in both of their meetings in 2020, Crystal Palace have avoided defeat in consecutive Premier League games against Spurs for the first time since the 2014-15 season (W1 D1).

- Spurs have only lost one of the 21 Premier League games in which they've opened the scoring under Mourinho (W15 D5), with that lone defeat coming against Wolves back in March.

- Palace's equaliser was the first goal Spurs have conceded in the Premier League since the start of November (v Brighton), ending a run of 475 minutes without conceding in the competition.

- Since Mourinho's first game in charge of Spurs, Kane has been directly involved in more goals in all competitions than any other Premier League player (43 – 29 goals, 14 assists). 

What's next?

Spurs face a trip to Merseyside to take on champions Liverpool at Anfield in midweek, while Palace have another derby at West Ham.

Premier Soccer League side Chippa United have signed Ugandan goalkeeper Ismail Watenga for a contract that will last for 19 months.

The Chilli Boys confirmed the arrival of the Cecafa Cup-winning goalkeeper after he had trained with rivals and PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

After leaving Sofapaka in January, the former Vipers SC custodian remained clubless as reports indicated he was headed to the PSL, specifically to Mamelodi Sundowns where his international captain Denis Onyango is the current number one.

In fact, Watenga had stated his desire to join Onyango, who he is fighting to dislodge at the national level.

“Uganda national goalkeeper, Ismail Watenga, has officially signed for Chippa United and is available with immediate effect,” Chippa United announced on Twitter.

“The 25-year-old joins from Sofapaka F.C (Kenya) having signed a 19-month-contract with the club and is already training with the team in Port Elizabeth.”

Injuries took their toll on Watenga’s time at Batoto ba Mungu but when he left, he revealed the main reason for ending his short stint with the Kenyan side was due to match-fixing issues.

“I decided to quit Sofapaka due to match-fixing which I did not abide by while at the club. Several agents that included the club's officials approached me to give away matches,” Watenga said in an earlier interview.

“I once refused a bribe of $20,000. I have big dreams as a goalkeeper and a bribe can't ruin my future dreams so I had to move and find another challenge elsewhere.”

Watenga had been signed by the 2009 Kenyan Premier League champions to replace Justin Ndikumana, who had left to join Bandari.

The two-time Uganda Premier League (UPL) winning goalkeeper left Vipers in 2018 after he failed to renew his contract and joined Bunna in Ethiopia.

At the Venoms, where he enjoyed a successful seven-year stint, Watenga also won a domestic trophy and on the international front, he won the 2015 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Ethiopia.

Posnet Omwony, who is now at Roses United, a South African National First Division club, is another Ugandan goalkeeper who made his name in the PSL at Bloemfontein FC and at Black Leopards.

To get back to the national team, the 25-year-old star has to pull up his socks to see off competition from Onyango and KCCA FC’s Charles Lukwago who are the first and the second choice goalkeepers the Cranes, respectively.

Liverpool are set to be without forward Diogo Jota after the Portuguese star suffered a knee injury midweek.

The former Wolves attacker featured for the Reds midweek as Liverpool settled for a 1-1 draw with Midtjylland.

That match is set to be his last one in quite awhile, as Jurgen Klopp revealed ahead of Sunday's clash with Fulham that the Reds will be without Jota due to injury.

Jota is set to miss six to eight weeks, which will keep him out for several vital Premier League matches.

"Yeah, it’s worse than we first thought and better than we then thought," Klopp said

"All the potential surgeons had a look on it, no surgery needed. But he will be out for a while. We don’t know exactly but one-and-a-half, two months. We don’t know exactly. It’s pretty similar with Kostas Tsimikas, by the way. Unbelievable.”

Klopp added: “It was first after the game. We saw the situation when he got it; him himself, nobody would have thought something happened there.

"We got him off the pitch and he said ‘I feel a little bit’ and next day, scans and then a surgeon has to look at it. That’s how we do it, different information. In the end, it’s strange but we were happy that we heard the final diagnosis.”

The good news for Liverpool is that Jota should be back in time for the return of the Champions League, which kicks back off on February 16.

However, with Jota's injury, the Reds lose out on yet another top star ahead of a busy run of fixtures as the club will continue to play on without the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, who are long-term absences.

With fixtures piling up during the holiday period, Jota will miss some key matches against several title hopefuls.

The Portuguese forward will miss two clashes with Tottenham, with the first coming December 16 and a second coming on January 27.

One week prior to that second Tottenham clash, the Reds will face rivals Manchester United, who will travel to Anfield for the first meeting of the two longtime rivals this season.

Should Jota be out closer to that eight-week mark, the Liverpool star could miss out on a highly-anticipated clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.

In total, there are 12 Premier League fixtures to be played over the next two months, as well as an FA Cup third-round clash with Aston Villa.

Jose Mourinho has described Hugo Lloris as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League following his blunder in Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

Spurs looked to be hanging on to claim three points thanks to Harry Kane’s first-half goal, but Lloris failed to deal with Eberechi Eze's free kick and Jeffrey Schlupp pounced to grab a point for the Eagles.

Asked by Sky Sports about Lloris’ part in the Palace equaliser, the Portuguese said: “My goalkeeper is the best in the Premier League.”

In his post-match press conference, Mourinho added : "My goalkeeper is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. Period. So I would never be critical of the best goalkeeper in the Premier League."

Tottenham began the weekend at the top of the Premier League, and Mourinho felt it was a hard-won point - while admitting it could be seen as two dropped given how late Palace equalised.

"We have one more point than we had,” he said. “In that way, a point is a point and we know how difficult they are to get in the Premier League. 

“We [also] lost two points. If I look to the last 10 minutes of the game, yes, if I look at the first 45 minutes, yes, but from 45 to 75 minutes we couldn't play or build from the back and we made lots of mistakes. 

“A team like them, they can create and fight in the box. If I split the game into three parts - we lost two points."

Mourinho has suggested he saw Palace’s fightback coming, and felt his side did not execute his plan.

“At half-time I spent a good few minutes telling them what could happen in the second half,” the Tottenham boss, who earlier revealed Gareth Bale was absent due to illness , said. “These guys, to control the game [against Palace] you need the ball. If you give them the chance to put balls in the box you put yourself in the line between victory and draw.

"There are no lessons to learn. We knew what the game could be. At half-time we predicted what could happen."

Up next for Spurs is a trip to champions and title rivals Liverpool, which is followed by games with Leicester, Stoke City [in the Carabao Cup] Wolves and Fulham before the turn of the year.

Veteran Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is set to make his return to the football pitch in the Blues' Premier League 2 meeting with Tottenham.

The former Czech Republic shot-stopper hung up his gloves at the end of the 2018-19 season after four seasons at the Emirates Stadium following his brilliant decade with their London rivals. 

Chelsea, however, caused a stir in October by announcing the 38-year-old as one of their registered goalkeepers for Premier League action in 2020-21 . 

And he will now don the gloves once more by keeping for the west Londoners' development squad in Monday's match. 

Cech is fifth in the Blues' goalkeeping pecking order, meaning that an appearance in the senior team is highly unlikely. 

But he remains in training, having rejoined Chelsea as a technical and performance adviser under former team-mate and current manager, Frank Lampard.  

“It’s true that it would have been a professional error to do this if I wasn’t at Premier League level, but that’s not the way we work here," the Chelsea legend told  Telefoot  of his surprise return to the senior team in November.

"I know I’m 100 per cent ready to help if needs be. I’m fit, and with the two months of training, I’ve seen I have the same quality.

“Furthermore, I rested for a year without playing football. It really gave me energy, my body recovered after playing 20 years as a professional. If the circumstances put me on the pitch, I’m ready."

Lampard had also left the door open for his long-time colleague, praising his physical condition despite his advancing years .

"Petr has been training with the goalkeepers for a little while now. He has been training a lot of days with them which is valuable for experience [of the other goalkeepers] and that he is passing on that quality to them," the manager explained to reporters following Tuesday's 0-0 Champions League draw with Sevilla at Stamford Bridge.

"We had that space in the squad and we know this year, it looks like no other because of Covid and isolation so it was a very easy one. Pete still does his day job and he is there if we need him.

“He is fit, very fit. He is still relatively young. He finished playing when he possibly could have carried on. He has taken on his role at Chelsea very well and he has been very helpful to me and we work closely together. He trains fairly regularly and he is fit." 

Moses Simon and Moussa Konate were on the scoresheet as Nantes played out a 1-1 draw against Dijon in Sunday’s Ligue 1 game.

The forward was handed his second start since he returned from a thigh muscle strain and impressed, helping his side avoid defeat at La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau.

The winger formed a three-man attack for Enache Costea’s side along with Renaud Emond and Marcus Regis Coco.

The Nigeria international opened the scoring in the 24th minute, converting from the penalty spot for his second goal of the season.

Senegal international Konate then levelled proceedings for Dijon in the 54th minute after he was set up by Gabon international Ibrahim Ndong.

The draw helped Nantes to end their recent unimpressive form after two consecutive losses to Olympique Marseille and Strasbourg.

Simon featured for the duration of the game while his teammate and Algeria international Mehdi Abeid played for 63 minutes before he was replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.

Konate, on his part, was on parade for 76 minutes in his seventh appearance this season before making way for Alex Dobre.

With the draw, Nantes are 14th on the league table with 14 points from 14 games while Dijon remain at the bottom of the league with nine points from the same number of matches.

Simon has made 11 appearances for the Canaries in the 2020-21 campaign, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

The forward will be expected to continue his impressive performances when Nantes take on Reims in their next league game on December 16.

Simon teamed up with the Canaries permanently in the summer from Spanish club Levante after delivering convincing showings during his loan stay.

Kerala Blasters remain winless in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season following a 4-2 loss to rivals Bengaluru in their fifth-round fixture. 

Lacklustre defending cost the Yellow Army the game as the Blues bulldozed past Kibu Vicuna's team, hammering four goals in the process. 

Coach Kibu Vicuna pointed out two incidents which proved to be the turning points of the match. He said, "There were two turning points in the game. One was when we conceded the first goal and then when we conceded two goals in a row. It is true that we conceded too many goals tonight. We have to be more solid defensively. Now we have to be brave and work harder."

Full-back Lalruatthara was slotted in as a makeshift centre-back in place of suspended central defender Costa Nhamoinesu and the move backfired for the Spaniard as the Mizo defender was at fault during two of the four goals the Blues scored.

Explaining his decision to field Ruatthara as a central defender, Vicuna said, "He (Lalruatthara) is training as a central defender and he was performing well so I thought he was the best option to partner (Bakary) Kone. 

The I-League winning former Mohun Bagan coach suggested that they started the game well but conceding four goals completely spoiled the game plan.

"It is difficult to see positive points now. We started well and scored two goals against Bengaluru - it is difficult to score goals against Bengaluru. But we received four goals so we are upset, we have a lot of work to do," said Vicuna

The Spanish boss gave an update on the replacement of injured midfielder Sergio Cidoncha and also suggested he is hopeful that their star Indian player Sahal Abdul Samad will be available for selection in their next match.

"We are trying to complete the team. We are working on it. Hopefully, he (Sahal Abdul Samad) is going to be available for the next game," said the former Legia Warsaw manager.

Leon Balogun, Joe Aribo and Bongani Zungu were in action as Rangers stretched their unbeaten start to the 2020-21 Scottish Premiership season with a 2-1 victory over Dundee United on Sunday.

The triumph stretched the Gers' unbeaten run to 26 matches across all competitions this campaign, with 17 of them coming in the Scottish top-flight.

First-half goals from James Tavernier and Connor Goldson were enough for Steven Gerrard's side to outclass their hosts at Tannadice Park, despite Liam Smith's 33rd-minute equaliser.

After helping Rangers to a 2-0 win over Lech Poznan in Thursday's Europa League outing, Aribo and Zungu were dropped to the bench as the latter continues to wait for his first start in the Premiership since his loan signing from French side Amiens.

Nigeria's Balogun partnered Goldson in the heart of Rangers' defence and he was on parade for the duration while Aribo and Zungu were introduced in the final 10 minutes of the encounter.

Although he did not make any tackles, Balogun produced a solid presence in the defence by managing the most clearances (three) and the second-highest interceptions (two) for the Gers.

Aribo, on his part, could only manage three touches in the encounter while Zungu completed 10 passes with a 50 per cent accuracy.

In his post-game reaction, Gerrard defended the late introduction of the South Africa international who made his third league appearance.

"In-terms of game management, I thought bringing Cedric Itten and Bongani Zungu into the game really helped us control the final part of the game,” Gerrard told the club website.

"And look, I can't ask for any more from these players. We park the league up for a week now and the challenge is to get them rested and ready for a big quarter-final match on Wednesday."

Sunday's victory to take Rangers' tally at the top of the Premiership table to 47 points from 17 matches, with a 15-point gap separating them from second-placed Hibernian.

Next up for Gerrard's men is a trip to St. Mirren for their League Cup quarter-final outing on Wednesday before they welcome Motherwell to Ibrox Stadium for a league fixture on December 19.

Ghana prodigy Mohammed Kudus could make a quicker-than-expected return from injury, Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has revealed.

The 20-year-old has been in the treatment room since sustaining a meniscus injury on his Champions League debut against Liverpool in October.

An Ajax statement after the incident indicated he would be out of action "for many months", but media speculation suggested he faced a four to six-month spell on the sidelines.

"He is in his final phase of his rehabilitation," ten Hag said after his club's 4-0 victory over PEC Zwolle in the Dutch Eredivisie on Saturday, AD reports.

"There is a chance that he will come into action quickly.”

Kudus is among a long list of Ajax injury absentees from Saturday's game, the others being David Neres, Noussair Mazraoui, Zakaria Labyad, Lassina Traoré, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, ​​Jurrien Timber and 18-year-old Dutch-born striker Brian Brobbey, who is currently in discussions with Ghana about a possible switch of international allegiance from the Netherlands.

"I hope that some of those players [[injury absentees against Zwolle] will be able to play against FC Utrecht again on Wednesday," ten Hag added.

Kudus joined Ajax from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland on a five-year deal reportedly worth €9 million in July, having been linked with AC Milan, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Everton and Newcastle United.

He has scored once and provided three assists in four competitive appearances for the Eredivisie outfit.

"The operation went well. I have received nice messages from everyone. I want to thank everyone for those boosts," said Kudus in a video interview with his club last month.

"It |injured leg] is almost back to normal now. I can do almost everything again, such as driving and walking without crutches. I am doing rehab and it is now back to normal."

Ghana are keeping a close eye on Kudus' injury situation ahead of the resumption of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March next year, when the Black Stars engage South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe the qualifiers.

His has been unable to join Ghana’s squad for their last four matches.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa has confirmed the removal of Mathare United and Zoo FC from the Premier League.

The removal of the two clubs come after they were expelled due to their objection to the broadcasting deal which FKF signed with StarTimes.

Zoo and Mathare had been given a 48-hour ultimatum to sign the deal but upon the period elapsing on Friday, FKF cited its constitution and an accompanying National Executive Committee decision that sealed the fate of the two sides.

“We have opened a 14-day transfer window for Mathare United and Zoo FC players to move clubs after they were suspended from the league. We have also amended the table to 16 teams,” Mwendwa told Goal on Sunday.

“There will be no room to add any other team as that remains the final decision.”

The expulsion of the two clubs comes after Mathare United CEO Jacktone Obure claimed FKF was favouring Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars in the ongoing impasse around the StarTimes deal.

Both Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars are the clubs who are yet to ratify the broadcasting deal.

“When FKF wrote the letter of suspension to us, they wrote to Ulinzi warning them that they must endorse the deal in 72 hours but accompanied the letter with some KSh2 million,” Obure stated in an earlier interview.

“Zoo and Mathare United have not signed and have not received a single coin and the question is: how comes that Ulinzi protested as we did but were only warned and given the money.

“Mathare United, unlike Ulinzi Stars, were removed from the Covid-19 programme tests because we had not signed the deal. We had to cover the costs of testing as a club.

“Ulinzi Stars wrote a letter requesting for more time to gloss over the deal but in the same afternoon, FKF wired KSh2 million to their account. Mathare wrote a similar letter but it was not replied to.

“The question is the four clubs have not signed the deal but there are those [Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars] who have been given preference and have been scheduled to play already.

“Ulinzi were given 72 hours after being warned whereas Mathare United were given 48 hours or face expulsion. Is there equality?”

The clubs have not yet stated what actions they will take against the decision of expulsion from the top-tier.

Mwadui FC coach Khalid Adam has conceded he will have to sign new players since the majority of the existing ones cannot give him the results he needs. 

The Shinyanga-based side fell 5-0 to Yanga SC in their home game played at Sokoine Stadium on Saturday.

Burkinabe striker Yacouba Songne scored a brace and set up goals for Deus Kaseke and Tuisila Kisinda before Lamine Moro scored the fifth in favour of Timu ya Wananchi. 

The tactician has promised changes will be made in the forthcoming Tanzanian transfer window.

"I have young players in the team who are still gaining experience," Adam told reporters.

"The players I have will not give me the results we need as a team and I will definitely bring in players. I do not want to say the number of players we will sign. I will bring on board as many quality players as the club can allow."

The tactician has also explained the plan the team had in the match against Timu ya Wananchi and how everything crumbled. 

"Yanga is a good team and we knew winning against them would be a tall order," Adam added.

"Our plan was to try and contain them and ensure we do not concede in the first half. However, it did not happen because we conceded early. 

"From that point, everything spoiled and did not go according to plan and we ended up conceding five goals."

Mwadui goalkeeper Mussa Mbise went on to explain what he thought contributed to the huge loss against Wananchi.

"We have new players and we are still creating a chemistry which I believe will be better as we continue playing games," the custodian said.

"Of course it is heartbreaking to be suffering defeats by a big margin but the coach has also seen it and I am confident he will get a lasting solution."

Mwadui are second last on the table with 10 points from 15 games. They have managed to get three wins, a draw and 11 losses. They have conceded 33 goals in the process and scored 11.

Yanga are enjoying a 10-point lead on the table.

Sami Khedira has revealed he remains in dialogue with Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti, with Goal able to reveal that there is optimism from both Juventus and the player that his contract will be terminated in January.

The former Germany international has found himself out of the picture under new Juve boss Andrea Pirlo, and has been linked with a move away from Turin.

Khedira said recently he has spoken to Ancelotti and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, who he has worked under before.

Ancelotti has spoken in glowing terms of the 33-year-old, recently saying: "I have a good memory of Sami Khedira, he was with me at Real Madrid and was a fantastic professional. 

"I would love to work with him.”

And it appears Khedira is open to linking up with his former manager once again.

“We spoke on the phone and wrote,” Khedira told Bild. “You know my situation.”

Khedira is keen on a move in January, as he says he is fit and hungry to be playing regularly every week.

“I'm open to a new sporting challenge,” Khedira said. “I have had a difficult time and want to play football again, fighting for three points week after week. That's what I long for.

"At the moment I still have so much strength and energy, so I am not dealing with summer 2021, but with December and January. A change is realistic, my full focus is on that."

Khedira began his professional career at Stuttgart and he is not ruling out bookending his time in the sport with a side who returned to the top tier in Germany last season.

“Stuttgart are back in the Bundesliga, and I can't rule out anything in the Bundesliga,” he said. “VfB is on a good and promising path.”

The holding midfielder says he has plenty still to give, and would relish a role where he could help nurture young players coming through the ranks.

“I would have great fun working with many young players whom I could help and share [knowledge with] as a mentor on the pitch,” he added.

For the moment, Khedira can only watch on from the sidelines in Turin. Juventus have four more games - Genoa, Atalanta, Parma and Fiorentina - before the transfer window opens in January.

Negotiations over a contract termination are expected to resume in the coming days.

NorthEast United held Chennaiyin to a goalless draw in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Sunday at the Tilak Maidan, Goa.

The Marina Machans had enough opportunities to break the deadlock but they failed as the Highlanders' unbeaten streak continued.

Three changes were made to the NorthEast United lineup as Idrissa Sylla, Lalengmawia and Ninthoiganba Meetei replaced Kwesi Appiah, Lalrempuia Fanai and Rochharzela. 

The Chennaiyin lineup also underwent two changes as Memo Moura replaced the injured Enes Sipovic and Edwin Vanspaul came in place of Rafael Crivellaro. 

The first half saw action at both ends as teams had their fair share of chances to break the deadlock. Chennaiyin had more possession of the ball but were wasteful in the attacking third. 

Lallianzuala Chhangte was a livewire on the left flank and had even come close to scoring at the very beginning of the game. Benjamin Lambot, on the other end, had a couple of chances to find the back of the net from setpieces but failed to find the back of the net. 

The Marina Machans should have broken the deadlock at the beginning of the second half when Chhangte found Jakub Sylvestr with a through ball inside the box but the forward failed to keep his shot on target.

Around the hour mark, Chhangte himself squandered the best chance of the match when he blasted the ball above the crossbar from a very close range. Fatkhullo found Sylvestr inside the box with a pass and the Slovak turned well inside the box and unleashed a shot which Gurmeet managed to parry away. Chhangte had an empty net in front of him from the rebound but he blasted his effort into the stands. 

For the Highlanders, Idrissa Sylla was unlucky not to score, as his curling shot from the edge of the box nearly went in but Vishal Kaith's brilliant save kept the deadlock intact. 

NorthEast remained second on the league table after the match while Chennaiyin sit at the eighth position.

RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has confirmed his club’s interest in RB Salzburg forward Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Hungarian has emerged this season as one of the most talked about players in Europe, with his penchant for the spectacular goal catching the eye of a number of teams across the continent.

He increased his stock in his native Hungary last month when netting a spectacular winning goal against Iceland to propel the nation to next summer’s European Championship.

After netting his stunning goal, Szoboszlai said: "There were four defenders in front of me, then I just thought I'd shoot from 20 yards in the last minute.

"Thank God it went in!"

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been credited with a strong interest, as have Serie A sides AC Milan and Napoli, and Leipzig’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.

The Red Bull connection between Leipzig and Salzburg has suggested the Bundesliga side were front-runners to secure Szoboszlai’s signature.

It appears a January transfer has shifted into focus following Salzburg’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League, and Mintzlaff has added fuel to the fire.

“He is someone we find very interesting,” Leipzig chief Mintzlaff told Sky Germany. “I can say that we are concerned with him.”

It has been claimed a deal to take Szoboszlai to Saxony could be concluded before Christmas, but Mintzlaff was giving nothing away on that front.

“You can gaze into a crystal ball and know more than I do,” he said. “We are not the only ones [who are interested].”

It does appear that Leipzig are well ahead in the chase for the Hungary international. 

Szoboszlai has a reported €25 million (£22.9m / $30.3m) release clause, which Leipzig are ready to trigger and tie him to a five-year contract.

It remains to be seen if Leipzig get the deal over the line before Christmas, but all the signs indicate that he will be their player early in the new year.

There is sure to be an adaptation process, whichever team he ends up at, but Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig are well placed to bed the 20-year-old in slowly as they are level at the top of the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Nicolo Barella, Danilo d'Ambrosio and Romelu Lukaku scored in the final 13 minutes to ease the growing pressure on Antonio Conte as Inter left it late to beat Cagliari 3-1 in Serie A.

A goalless Champions League draw against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday saw Inter knocked out of European competition for the season to leave head coach Conte's long-term future in doubt.

For long periods at Sardegna Arena it looked as though the situation would become even bleaker, with goalkeeper Alessio Cragno in inspired form, and Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Alessandro Bastoni all wasteful.

Riccardo Sottil's expert 42nd-minute finish had Cagliari on course for three points but Barella's wonderful effort preceded D'Ambrosio nodding in from close range and Lukaku completed the comeback to make it four straight Serie A wins for Inter, who are two points adrift of leaders Milan having played a game more.

Cragno made a fine double stop from Lukaku and Christian Eriksen - making a first start since October 31 - and denied the latter again after Bastoni wastefully blazed over from seven yards.

Sanchez saw a point-blank header saved by the keeper's feet and Cragno kept out the Chilean forward's stinging effort shortly after.

Barella was just off target with an acrobatic effort and Inter were punished after 42 minutes when Sottil finished brilliantly on the volley after his initial effort was blocked.

Leonardo Pavoletti should have added a second from close range before the break, while Cragno again came to Cagliari's rescue when palming away substitute Ashley Young's bending effort on the hour.

Samir Handanovic's save from Joao Pedro was crucial as Barella brilliantly volleyed home against his former club from a cleared corner in the 77th minute and another set-piece proved Cagliari's undoing when D'Ambrosio met Barella's corner six minutes from time.

Alberto Cerri scuffed wide as Cagliari almost replied but Lukaku ran the length of the field to place into the empty net when Cragno had come up for a last-gasp corner to complete the turnaround.

What does it mean? Conte earns more time to build his skyscraper

Previewing this fixture, Conte - whose side finished second and reached the Europa League final in his debut campaign in charge - pleaded for patience from Inter's success-hungry fanbase, saying he needed time to build a "skyscraper" having laid some initial foundations.

Had they lost here after their Champions League exit the time may not have been afforded but a late revival was just the tonic Inter needed. They had 21 shots, 11 of which were on target, and almost 58 per cent of possession - in truth it was a deserved win.

Classy Cragno unfortunate for Cagliari

The margins in football are fine and on another day this could have been a resounding Inter win. As it was Cragno produced a performance of the highest order, making eight saves in total to keep Inter at bay before the visitors finally found a way through.

Barella sparks the fightback

Barella came through the youth ranks at Cagliari and opted not to celebrate against his former club - a nice touch but it was a shame his excellent strike was met with a muted reaction.

It was from his corner that D'Ambrosio scored a minute after entering the fray, and in total he had two shots on target, claimed an assist and had a passing accuracy of 82 per cent.

Key Opta Facts:

- Only Manchester United (15) have gained more points from losing position than Inter (10) in the top-five European Leagues this season.
- Inter have scored 29+ goals in their first 11 Serie A matches for the first time since 1958-59 (30 in that case).
- For the first time in hus career Nicolo Barella has both scored and provided assist in the same Serie A match.
- Since 2015-16 only Aleksandar Kolarov (17) has scored more than Danilo D'Ambrosio (16) among defenders in Serie A.

What's next?

Inter face a tricky task at home to Napoli on Wednesday, the same day Cagliari travel to Parma.