The Week in Sports: Rosberg continues to fight, Arsenal and Spurs continue to slump

It was another terrific week of sporting brilliance last week. Here are some of the most captivating events that enthralled fans from across the globe.

#5 Football: Arsenal and Spurs dealing with a crisis in confidence

The story of football this past week was about a couple of defeats that underlined the gnawing pain for Arsenal and a deepening crisis at Tottenham Hotspurs. Swansea put the shackles on the visiting Gunners through a late burst of goals at the Liberty Stadium, clinching a 2-1 victory.

Importantly for Arsenal, it was the second game inside a week when they failed to protect a lead. They were up 3-0 over Anderlecht on Tuesday before surrendering a draw, and the defeat at Swansea isn’t going to help their morale.

The story of Spurs is beginning to acquire tragic hues. The manager Mauricio Pochettino is under increasing duress after leading his team to a third defeat in four outings. The Spurs are languishing in 12th place on the table after managing just 14 points from 11 games.

#4 Tennis: Ramkumar Ramanathan celebrates his birthday in style

The rising star of Indian tennis shone bright under the warm sun of Raipur. In the final, played on his birthday this previous Saturday, Ramkumar showed why he is rated so highly with a consummate performance against Saketh Myneni.

The Chennai lad turned 20, icing his cake with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Saketh in a one-sided affair. It was an ideal end to a long season for the 223rd-ranked Indian, who is looking to ride the wave and surge up the rankings next season.

#3 Chess: Magnus Carlsen deals a body blow to Viswanathan Anand

Going into the World Championship, there were stories about how Carlsen might be feeling spent after a relatively difficult season on the board. He put any such fears to rest by forcing Anand on the backfoot with some intelligent middle game manoeuvres in the very first game.

Anand needed to be sharp to avoid any damage, eventually forcing the draw with white pieces. But in the second game the relentless Norwegian bared his claws and tore into Anand, breaching his defences to inflict a damaging defeat on the Indian.

Carlsen has a one point advantage, but it is Anand who will have the edge from white pieces when they resume battle on Tuesday.

#2 Formula 1: Nico Rosberg pushes title race to Abu Dhabi

The German driver has been under some pressure in recent weeks, as he watched his teammate Lewis Hamilton rack up five straight victories. A good result was essential for Rosberg when the circus travelled to Brazil.

Under the circumstances, the German showed great poise and determination to keep Hamilton from drawing further away in the race to the title. He won the race under pressure and in the face of some incessant chasing from his rival. His victory has set the stage for a pulsating finish to the title race this season.

#1 Cricket: Team India too strong for struggling Sri Lankans

A young team of aspiring Indians combined effectively to dominate the visiting Lankan team. The one-day international series has turned into a one-sided affair, as the Indian team lead by Virat Kohli put on a brilliant show to tame the Lankan Lions and take an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the five match series.

While Kohli has been showing promising signs as a natural leader, the form of players such as Ajinkya Rahane, Shikar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu augurs well in the run up to the World Cup. The emergence of Akshar Patel as a bowler with international potential will serve Indian cricket well too.