Daizen Maeda was back to his sensational, nuisance best as title-chasing Celtic dispatched Falkirk. Fans may well be wondering where this version of the Japan forward has been all season.Prior to his first-minute opener against St Mirren in the Scottish Cup semi-final last week, Maeda had not scored since the start of January against Dundee United.He has now netted three goals and assisted twice in six days, showing his worth to a Celtic side who are targeting a fifth successive league title.Hearts and Rangers will play their latest part in the engrossing race on Sunday, but for now Celtic sit level on points with Derek McInnes' men and a point clear of Danny Rohl's.Maeda was the catalyst for Martin O'Neill's side stepping up when it counted and piling pressure on the other two in the first post-split round of fixtures.'It was the Maeda show'After the season of his life last year, scoring 33 goals for Celtic, Maeda has failed to match that form, only crossing the double-figure threshold with his double against Falkirk in Saturday's 3-1 win.In both his interim stints as manager this season, O'Neill has struggled to find a solution to the striker conundrum that has left Celtic void of a clinical edge up front.Maeda's contribution against the Bairns, though, could be timely, with Celtic in the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline next month and trying to pip Hearts and Rangers, who both boast a superior goal difference, in a sprint finish to the league."I thought we saw it through and Maeda was fantastic," said O'Neill."He got us a goal last week out of nothing in the first minute of the game, he scores two today, he's been fantastic."He's really coming back to form and it's a good time for us at this minute. He was outstanding today."A game-high five shots, three on target, and 0.75 xG (expected goals), Maeda was a nuisance for Falkirk all game.Celtic's opening two goals came from his tenacity and pressing. First, he caught Keelan Adams dwelling on the ball to steal in and fire past Nicky Hogarth from range for his first league goal in 13 games.Then he robbed Ben Broggio of possession, quickly exchange of passes with James Forrest, and slid in Kieran Tierney for a thumping goal.Maeda's second, Celtic's third, was instinctive striker play as he dropped off his marker to swing around in the box and convert a driven Sebastian Tounekti cross.He seemed certain to bag a hat-trick in the dying minutes but pushed his shot wide, although replays show he was offside, saving him from a scolding in the changing room."I was pleased the one that he missed was actually offside, otherwise I'd have killed him," added O'Neill. "No, you couldn't have done that today to him."At the interval, with the hosts two up, BBC Sportsound pundit Andy Halliday was full of praise for the energetic forward."The difference has been Maeda," the Motherwell midfielder said. "His energy levels are remarkable. He plays with such enthusiasm. It's been the Daizen Maeda show."Following his stellar campaign last year, Maeda's prospective move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg collapsed as Celtic were unable to bring in a replacement."It may well have been that move to the Bundesliga may have affected him at the time," added O'Neill."Maybe he thought he was all set up. I think he had maybe done his job here and felt 'Well, maybe I deserve to go to the Bundesliga'."And when it didn't happen, and apparently it may have been at the 11th hour, there will be a natural disappointment."But he's come roaring back. He deserves any accolades that have been bestowed on him over the past few weeks."Where does Celtic win leave title race?O'Neill admitted he will be keeping a keen eye on Sunday's matches, with Hearts in derby action at Hibernian and Rangers hosting a slick Motherwell side.After roaring into a two-goal lead at the interval, many in a bouncing Celtic Park hoped for a rare 90-minute performance and spree of goals.St Mirren fought back from two down last weekend to force extra time and Celtic have toiled after the break in many games this season.Falkirk grew in momentum and threatened a comeback when Kyrell Wilson's brilliant angled finish halved the arrears, only for Maeda to restore calm."You've got a two-goal lead, you're in decent mode at that stage in the game, you think you're okay, but you're never okay," said O'Neill."When Falkirk got the goal, the momentum starts to swing against you. And they're in control then for a while and of course then they started to play some little balls through us as well too, so we had to gather in again, which we did."Having won 13 of the past 14 league titles, Celtic have experience and nous on their side. However, the pressure of a three-horse race poses a different challenge to a team more accustomed to winning it with time to spare."There are certain players at Celtic that know what it takes," former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said on BBC Radio Scotland."But they haven't been under this pressure, that's the difference. It's all about mentality, it's psychological."An in-form Maeda will be crucial if Celtic are to emerge from a chaotic season with one of their most remarkable title triumphs.Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views

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Pictures of Declan Rice saying "it's not done" went viral in the aftermath of Arsenal's defeat by Manchester City last week and the Gunners have proved him right by putting the pressure back on their rivals in the Premier League title race.Eberechi Eze's excellent strike was enough to secure a crucial 1-0 win over Newcastle to move them three points clear of Manchester City in the opening exchanges of what, after the loss to Pep Guardiola's side last week, Mikel Arteta called "a new league".And now it is advantage Arsenal after "game one"."I'm really happy for the win," Arteta said. "We talked about game one and how important that was. We did the job."We had to do what was in our hands and we discussed that. "Game one is in our hands, what we do and how we approach the game? Are we able to win it? We've done it, we wanted bigger margins, it's not been possible but we certainly have done the job."City's win against Burnley in midweek saw Arsenal slip to second place for the first time since October, with the two teams level on points and goal difference but Guardiola's side going top by virtue of goals scored. That put a huge amount of pressure on an Arsenal side who were coming into the game with Newcastle after back-to-back defeats for the first time this season. The relief of ending that run with victory was visible as players fell to the floor on hearing the final whistle. And looking aheads to the four league games to go, Arteta said he was was ready to deal with the pressure of attemtping to end the club's 22-year wait for the title. "I don't expect, after 22 years of not winning it, that it's going to be a path of roses and beautiful music around it," he said. "It's going to be like this and we are ready for it."Where does it leave Arsenal in title race?Arsenal would move six points clear of second-placed Manchester City if they beat Fulham in their home game next week, though City, who were in FA Cup semi-final action this weekend, would have two games in hand. That is because Manchester City were playing in the FA Cup semi-final earlier on Saturday against Southampton and are not back in league action until Monday, 4 May when they play Everton. Having that buffer of points built up by the time of City's next game at Everton on Monday 4 May would be a huge boost for Arteta's side given they went into this weekend off the top for the first time since October. According to Opta, Arsenal have a 72.44% chance of lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of the season compared to the 27.56% chance of Manchester City. "You can't question their fight. Arsenal have given absolutely everything on that pitch today," former Crystal Palace and Brighton striker Glenn Murray said on BBC Radio 5 Live."Another huge three points for Arsenal to keep them top of the league."Arsenal are without a major trophy since the FA Cup triumph of 2020 which came in Arteta's first season in charge. And captain Martin Odegaard said that the effort the players put in is because every member of the team is doing what they can to get over the line. "It was tough, very intense, very physical," he told Sky Sports. "We did everything we could and we got the win, the most important thing was to bounce back with a win and get over the line with the three points."But for Odegaard, who played the full 90 minutes, and the rest of the squad attention quickly switches to the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. "This schedule is crazy," Odegaard added. "We just have to keep going. It is the end of the season, just leave everything out that we have inside, fight every single game and we just have to keep going."That's where we want to be but it is going to go all the way to the end. We are ready for it and we will fight every single day."Tired bodies and injuries for Arsenal This was not a perfect Arsenal performance. The Gunners had an xG of just 0.64 against Newcastle, their second-lowest in a Premier League game at Emirates Stadium this season. The lowest of 0.57 came in a 0-0 draw against Liverpool in January.There were desperate scenes towards the end of the game as the Gunners did everything they could to defend their goal and they were almost punished late on when substitute Yoanne Wissa fired over from close range.The effort took a toll. Kai Havertz went off in the first half with a "muscular" problem, while Eze also had to be withdrawn after the break with a similar problem but Arteta said he hoped the pair will be available for Wednesday. The Gunners attack did not click once Viktor Gyokeres was brought on to replace Havertz not that they were creating freely before the German's injury.Instead, Arsenal needed a moment of magic from Eze to get them over the line. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Eze's 10 goals from outside the penalty area are more than any other player in the Premier League. With at least six matches to go, the Gunners will have to juggle resources. As they tried to see out the match here, Arteta brought on Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfielder for Martin Zubimendi who had been suffering with illness. Lewis-Skelly has mainly played for the first team at left back but came through the Gunners academy as a midfielder. But with results the most important thing at this point of the campaign, Arteta is doing whatever he can to lead his side to silverware.Latest Arsenal news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Arsenal - what do you want to know?

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Ravens Made the Call, Lane Got His MomentWhen Ja'Kobi Lane's phone finally rang, it wasn't just another draft moment it was the landing spot he had been hoping for throughout the entire process. The Ravens' third-round pick made it clear Baltimore was already at the top of his list after his Top 30 visit.On what his emotions were like after getting the call from the Ravens and if Baltimore was an ideal destination for him, Lane said:I definitely wanted to end up here. I think my Top 30 visit here was great. I enjoyed it the most out of all my Top 30 visits. Really just throughout this whole process of the draft, I've kind of been wishing my name was called by [the Ravens], so to hear it was just a blessing. I'm super grateful. His familiarity with the organization from the predraft process should ease the transition, while his eagerness to be in Baltimore speaks to a strong fit on both sides. If that enthusiasm carries over onto the field, Lane could quickly become another dynamic piece in the Ravens' evolving offense.For Lane, this wasn't just about getting drafted it was about landing where he felt most comfortable. The Ravens didn't just pick a receiver; they got a player who already felt like Baltimore was home before his name was even called.This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: JaKobi Lane is 'super grateful' to be a Raven

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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 25: A view of New England Patriots helmets on the bench before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesWith the 2026 NFL Draft winding down, teams began turning their attention to rookie free agency. The New England Patriots were no exception, and they will once again be quite busy: the team of head coach Mike Vrabel and quasi-general manager Eliot Wolf has several open spots on its 90-man roster available to be filled.Even though Vrabel will not be part of the process this weekend for personal reasons, the Patriots remain an attractive landing spot for UDFAs. Just last year, for example, two of their rookie free agent signings WR Efton Chism and ED Elijah Ponder were given an opportunity to receive quality snaps in training camp and preseason, and both eventually ended up on the initial roster.Every year is different, of course, but the Patriots under Vrabel and his predecessor Bill Belichick nonetheless remain an organization willing to give unheralded players a fair shot. Who will get that shot in 2026 will be seen, but we will track all of the signings as well as additional news and rumors right here.Welcome to the 2026 edition of our Patriots Undrafted Free Agency Tracker.Patriots undrafted free agency signingsTBDPatriots rookie minicamp invitesTBDPatriots UDFA rumors trackerTBD