Calvert-Lewin advances England claims by scoring in 6th straight game for Leeds. Spurs beat Palace

With each goal in his career-best scoring run, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is advancing his claims for a recall to the England squad ahead of the World Cup.

The striker netted for the sixth straight game to earn Leeds a 1-1 draw at Sunderland, which missed a chance to climb to fifth place in the Premier League on Sunday.

By staying injury-free and being on the hottest streak as a professional, Calvert-Lewin is making a convincing case to be Harry Kane's back-up for England for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

His equalizer at the Stadium of Light came in the 47th minute and was a trademark close-range, one-touch finish, turning in a cross from U.S. forward Brenden Aaronson.

Calvert-Lewin has eight goals in the league, more than any other English player.

“I am feeling good, feeling fit, strong and enjoying playing with the lads,” said Calvert-Lewin, who last played for England as a substitute at the European Championship in 2021 and experienced injury issues before leaving Everton over the summer.

“Lots of ups, lots of downs, you know, tests of character and I have hung in there and kept going and kept pushing back myself, and here I am now.”

Simon Adingra gave Sunderland the lead in the 28th minute by running onto a clever pass behind the full back by Granit Xhaka and bending a right-foot shot inside the far post.

It was a match between two promoted teams, with seventh-place Sunderland faring the better so far this season.

Leeds is, though, now on a five-match unbeaten run and has moved seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Tottenham picked up a second win in nine league games by beating Crystal Palace 1-0 away thanks to Archie Gray's first-half header.

The victory eased some of the pressure on Spurs manager Thomas Frank and lifted the team to 11th — four points off fifth-place Chelsea.

Gray nodded home in the 42nd minute after a corner to the far post was headed back into the middle of the area.

Palace has lost three league games in a row and might be struggling to deal with its increased fixture load brought about by its involvement in the UEFA Conference League.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tottenham's head coach Thomas Frank waits for the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur in London, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Tottenham's Archie Gray controls the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur in London, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Sunderland's Simon Adingra, center, scores their side's first goal of the game past Leeds United goalkeeper Lucas Perri during the English Premier League soccer match in Sunderland, England, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Sunderland's Omar Alderete battles for the ball against Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, right, during the English Premier League soccer match in Sunderland, England, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, center, celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match in Sunderland, England, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

TOUBAB DIALAO, Senegal (AP) — Twenty-five dance companies from across Africa descended on a Senegalese fishing village over the weekend for the African Dance Biennial, the continent’s largest showcase of contemporary African dance.

Dozens of dancers in vivid oranges, greens and blues stomped, leaped and collapsed into the sand of the sun-baked village of Toubab Dialao, an hour from the capital Dakar.

Founded in 1997, the African Dance Biennial has spent nearly three decades rotating across African cities — most recently Maputo, Mozambique, in 2023 — with the aim of raising the visibility of choreographic work on the continent.

The three-day event, which closed late Sunday, was held at the École des Sables, or School of Sands, in Toubab Dialao.

The school has become the continent’s most prominent professional dance training institution in recent years. It was founded in 1998 by Germaine Acogny, who is widely regarded as the mother of African contemporary dance.

Its open-air sand studio, a hallmark of Acogny’s nature-rooted teaching philosophy, has drawn dancers from dozens of countries for intensive courses blending her original contemporary technique with traditional West African and Black modern dance styles.

The École des Sables gained international attention in recent years as the home of the first African production of Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring,” which toured globally from 2021 to 2025.

The biennial comes as the school faces an uncertain future. A billion-dollar deep water port project overseen by Dubai Ports World, under construction just south of the fishing village, threatens to expropriate surrounding land, including property the school acquired to protect its natural ecosystem.

Arts institutions in the area have formed an association to resist the development.

This version corrects the company name to Dubai Ports World.

People attend a dance workshop at the Biennale of Dance in Africa, held at Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

People attend a dance workshop at the Biennale of Dance in Africa, held at Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

People attend a dance workshop at the Biennale of Dance in Africa, held at Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A lady performs at the Biennale of Dance in Africa, held at Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A lady attends a dance workshop at the Biennale of Dance in Africa, held at Ecole Des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)