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)

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin came from behind to win a World Cup night slalom in tough conditions Sunday and extend her winning streak in the discipline to six races.

The American was fourth, more than half a second off the pace, in the opening session on a rapidly deteriorating course, but posted the fastest time in the evening to beat first-run leader Camille Rast.

The world champion from Switzerland finished 0.09 seconds behind. Italian-born prodigy Lara Colturi, 19, who competes for Albania, was 0.57 back in third.

“It was a really hard day today, tough conditions, a really big fight, and the pressure's on. And oh, I did my best, best possible run,” Shiffrin said in a course-side interview.

“It didn't feel like good. I didn't expect to come down with the green light. It's been one of those days, it's like: ‘Let’s refocus and be positive and try'.”

Five wins in a row matches Shiffrin's personal best start to a slalom season, after achieving the feat in 2018-19.

She won the final race of last season and then dominated the first four slaloms of the current Olympic campaign, winning them by an average margin of 1.5 seconds, before adding Sunday’s narrow win.

In the first run, Shiffrin was one-hundredth of a second ahead of Rast halfway down the Panorama course but lost considerable time on the Swiss racer in the bottom section.

“It’s a pretty tough one. I think, probably, a little bit like overskiing, too round, compared to what’s possible," Shiffrin said.

Shiffrin, who was the 2014 Olympic champion and holds the women’s World Cup record of 69 slalom victories, won the slalom in Semmering three times before, most recently in 2022 after she had triumphed in back-to-back giant slaloms in two days in the resort near the Austrian capital Vienna.

She extended her lead over second-placed Colturi to 220 points in the slalom standings. The World Cup schedule includes three more slaloms in January before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and then two in March. A race win is worth 100 points.

Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic, who won the race last season and went on to take the slalom globe, was a massive 3.75 seconds behind in eighth.

Shiffrin's teammate Paula Moltzan was seventh after the first run but straddled a gate in the second, a day after she crashed and fell on her back and head in a giant slalom on the same hill. That race was won by Austria's Julia Scheib, who does not compete in slalom.

The women's World Cup travels to Slovenia for a giant and slalom in Kranjska Gora next weekend.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin, center, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, poses with second placed Switzerland's Camille Rast, left, and third placed Albania's Lara Colturi, in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course on her way to win an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin smiles after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Albania's Lara Colturi speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Camille Rast speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)