Sport: the best pictures from the last 24 hours

Carlos Vela celebrates scoring a hat-trick for Arsenal in his side's 6-0 Carling Cup demolition of Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP

Jack Wilshere in action against Sheffield at the tender age of 16 years 297 days. The teenager scored Arsenal's fifth goal Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP

Manchester United's Rodrigo Possebon reels in agony after being caught by a high challenge from Emanuel Pogatetz of Middlesbrough. Possebon left the field on a stretcher but hospital tests revealed no leg break Photograph: Tom Purslow/Getty

Luke Guttridge celebrates putting Northampton Town 2-0 up against Sunderland in the Carling Cup third-round match at the Stadium of Light Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty

The Boston Red Sox celebrate reaching the MLB playoffs after a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians Photograph: Michael Dwyer/AP

Chicago Cubs catcher Henry Blanco, right, and home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, left, look on as New York Mets's Johan Santana takes a tumble in the fifth inning of their MLB National League encounter in New York Photograph: Bill Kostroun/Reuters

World 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang of China in rehabilitation following the foot injury that forced his withdrawal from the Olympic Games last month and which may still require surgery Photograph: Dai Tanmiao/Getty

Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic, centre, shares a joke with Fernando Verdasco of Spain, right, as Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova looks on during the official reception of the 2008 China Open in Beijing Photograph: Andrew Wong/Getty