Football: Spurs tighten grip on top-four spot as Arsenal, Man Utd lose

LONDON -- Tottenham thumped Aston Villa 4-0 on Saturday to tighten their grip on fourth spot in the Premier League after Manchester United and Arsenal both slipped up.

Third-placed Chelsea ended a tough week by hammering Southampton 6-0 while Leeds climbed nine points above the relegation zone with a comfortable 3-0 win at Watford.

Six wins in seven league games for free-scoring Spurs have made them firm favorites to qualify for next season's Champions League along with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Son Heung-min scored a hat-trick for Antonio Conte's men at Villa Park, with Dejan Kulusevski also chipping in as Spurs put their opponents to the sword.

The impressive Harry Kane provided two assists while Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made seven saves in the opening 45 minutes to keep Villa at bay.

The win takes Spurs to 57 points -- three clear of fifth-placed Arsenal and six ahead of West Ham and Manchester United.

"I'm very happy because I have a group of players who want to show me that they will improve in many aspects," Conte told the BBC.

"When you have this you have to be happy to work with them and to try to do something important at the end of the season. Seven games to go and we are showing that we are deserving to stay in the race for a place in the Champions League."

In the early kick-off Frank Lampard's Everton beat misfiring United 1-0 to climb four points above the relegation zone while Arsenal slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Brighton -- their third loss in four games.

The decisive moment at Goodison Park came midway through the first half when Anthony Gordon hit a shot that took a huge deflection off England defender Harry Maguire and wrong-footed David de Gea in the United goal.

Lampard said he was proud of his battling side, who are trying to maintain Everton's record of being ever-present in the English top flight since 1954.

"Beautiful football can come later on," he told BT Sport. "I have ambitions for this club to stay up, play well, but in the position we are in, fighting comes first and foremost."

United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who has a two-year contract to remain as a consultant at United beyond this season, was asked whether speculation over the club's next manager was creating a state of limbo.

"I don't think this should be an excuse for anybody," he said, with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag touted as a strong favorite to be the next permanent boss.

"We're Manchester United, we've got a lot of international players."

-Arsenal stumble - 

Arsenal are having a wobble at the wrong time after putting themselves in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League -- they have not played in Europe's elite competition since the 2016/17 season.

Brighton took the lead at the Emirates Stadium when Leandro Trossard turned home a low cross from Enock Mwepu and the Zambian midfielder himself added a second. Martin Odegaard scored a late consolation.

"It has been a difficult week and we've lost some big players, but if you get what you want, not everything is going to be with a blue sky," Mikel Arteta told the BBC. 

"This is our team in the good moments and especially the defeats. There are many games to play but we have to be concerned about that performance, especially first half."

Chelsea suffered a shock 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brentford last week before losing 3-1 against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

But they restored confidence on Saturday, racing into a 6-0 lead in the 54th minute, with two goals apiece for Mason Mount and Timo Werner.

"The performance changed, the commitment and the discipline," said Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. "This is how we want to play and we gave an answer finally because you could see it on the scoreboard."

Manchester City and Liverpool go head to head at the Etihad on Sunday in a top-of-the-table clash.

Agence France-Presse

Xbox Kinect hacks set innovation in motion

London (CNN) -- Microsoft's popular Kinect for Xbox 360 has inspired countless ingenious "hacks" since its launch at the end of 2010.

The motion-sensing device has been modified to produce everything from real-time light sabers to nifty trash bins which catch your garbage (however bad your aim), proving a catalyst for creativity and invention.

Today, Kinect's reach extends far beyond its gaming origins, spurring advances in medical treatment.

Researchers at the UK's University of Southampton, for example, are using the technology to help patients recovering from a stroke.

A specially devised algorithm enables therapists to remotely track patients' hand and finger movements and guide them through exercises which compliment a wider program of physiotherapy.

"It widens our opportunities to make rehabilitation more accessible to people in their homes," says Cheryl Metcalf, lecturer in Biomechanics at Southampton.

"(Patients) can just plug it into their TV and be monitored over the internet," she said. "The whole tele-medicine idea opens up so many different avenues to be able to look and measure progress objectively."

Aided by electrical engineering company Roke Manor Research, Metcalf and colleagues have created a prototype which is currently being assessed against the traditional laboratory-based system.

It's an accessible technology which people are more willing to accept, says Metcalf, and Microsoft have been very supportive.

"We're very grateful to them for releasing the (Kinect for Windows) SDK (software development kit) and making it more accessible to people," she said.

The kit has been a hit with developers with downloads in the "hundreds of thousands" since its release 18 months ago, according to Microsoft.

The company itself has been busy looking at ways to exploit the technology through its network of research laboratories around the world.

At Microsoft Research's UK base in Cambridge, scientists are currently trialing a new imaging tool for surgeons.

"Touchless Interaction in Medical Imaging" gives surgeons the power to manipulate scans and medical images on a computer screen using hand gestures.

Doctors at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and London's St Thomas' Hospital have been impressed with the equipment, says Helena Mentis, one of the Microsoft Research team working on the project.

"They've all been extremely excited to be able to have hands-on manipulation of imaging data that they are so reliant on, particularly with the push towards minimally invasive surgery," Mentis said.

Dr Tom Carrell, vascular surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, says Kinect has the potential to radically change surgery.

"With Kinect, we could revolutionize the way we do complex operations. Patients will spend less time in theater, and surgeons will be more in control of the information they need," Carrell said in a statement.

Kinect's influence could extend further says Mentis, manipulating 3-D models of the brain for neurosurgery and expanding touchless interaction into a whole suite of surgical tools.

Back in Southampton, the same optimism persists about the progress that can be made using Kinect for Windows.

Metcalf predicts that a commercially viable tool for stroke patients will be achieved within five years and that this flurry of activity is only the beginning.

"The other work that's going on around the world in different domains means we can all learn from each other as well," she said. "It just pushes the whole field forward."

source: CNN