England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley threw down the gauntlet to Harvey Elliott after his brilliant brace.

The Liverpool midfielder scored twice as the Young Lions breezed past Northern Ireland 3-0 at Goodison Park.

Reds team-mate Tyler Morton, on loan at Hull, opened the scoring as Carsley’s men recorded a routine Euro 2025 qualifying win.

Elliott now has five goals in Group F, with England second behind Ukraine, and Carsley wants to see more of the same.

He said: “It’s important he keep scoring and assisting because he’s going to be that kind of player.

“His stats and data for us are very, very high in terms of his attacking actions around the box, the amount of chances he creates for other players but more importantly, his work rate and the way he presses the ball.

“He has to keep scoring and assisting, it’s a big part of his game. The most important thing for a lot of the players is just staying in the race.

“Making sure you keep yourself fit, making sure your attitude is in the right place and you’re trying to make yourself selectable.

“Then, when you get the opportunity, taking it. To be a young player and to play in the Premier League week in, week out is a big ask so making sure you’re putting yourself in a position to do that is a big thing.

“He’s come into camp looking really fit, really sharp. He’s doing the right things. That’s all he can do. When he’s come on for Liverpool he’s made a really good impact and I see that continuing.”

Morton opened the scoring after 31 minutes when he drilled in from the edge of the box as Northern Ireland finally buckled after a frustrating opening for the hosts.

They had to wait until five minutes after half-time for a second when Elliott curled a fine free-kick into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

The 20-year-old added a third with 10 minutes left, latching onto Morton’s pass and chipping goalkeeper Josh Clarke.

Carsley added: “You have to be patient and you have to keep probing. In the first 20 minutes I thought we were a little bit too safe.

“Once we got the first goal I thought we saw a different level.”

Gareth Southgate says England will be away from the tournament hubbub next summer with plans in place for a quiet European Championship base camp.

Monday’s 1-1 draw in North Macedonia rubber-stamped the Euro 2020 runners-up a place among the top seeds in the December 2 draw in Hamburg.

Southgate will be in attendance for a draw that will not only provide clarity on opposition and pathways but where England will be based during their stay in Germany.

This tournament is being regionalised for sustainability purposes, with priority given to teams whose preferred base camps are closer to their match venues.

England have registered their interest in a number of options across Germany and Southgate suggests their base will be off the beaten path.

“Really somewhere where we can be a little bit on our own,” he said looking ahead to his fourth major tournament in charge.

“We need that nice contrast of relaxation and areas where we can work.

“You want to minimise travel where you can but we are really, within the FA, our staff are really good at picking those venues that I think the players will enjoy and will feel comfortable in.

“You basically want to be somewhere where everything that’s going on around you, you can zone out from really but somewhere with facilities that are good for working.”

The camp sounds similar to the quiet, laid-back surrounds of Repino – a secluded area around 30 miles from downtown St Petersburg that provided England’s base during the 2018 World Cup.

It certainly will not be anything like the base for their last major tournament in Germany, with Baden-Baden becoming a media circus during the 2006 World Cup.

“I wasn’t involved in that tournament so I don’t know how all that was but we have a great environment with our players,” Southgate said.

“We want their families to be able to go and enjoy the tournament as well. We normally welcome them in at various times.

“It changes the dynamic of the hotel, especially if the kids come in, and I think those elements are important for the players.”

The Football Association has been scouring through the Euro 2024 base camp guide and has visited a number of potential destinations as it edges closer.

England will be sweating on the draw to see if they get their venue of choice, with Southgate saying there are various things that go into it.

“There is basically a catalogue and you’ve got to get in early, if you like, on certain venues or you can try and go off the catalogue and do something different,” he said.

“We’ve had both options available to us and we are looking forward to finalising all of our plans.”

As for the potential opposition in Germany, the pots could prove cruel or kind and Southgate is ready whatever the outcome.

“There looks like being really strong teams in pot two and pot three looks like it could be very strong,” he added.

“In the Euros we had Croatia in with us, who proved to be one of the best teams in the world over the last few years and we managed to navigate that, so we’ve just got to be ready for whatever comes our way.”

France’s hopes of ending their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 100 per cent record were denied as Didier Deschamps’ men were held to a 2-2 draw by Greece in Athens.

The visitors struck the woodwork twice in injury time, with Odysseas Vlachodimos tipping a Kylian Mbappe effort on to the crossbar as the play-off bound Greeks withstood a late surge.

Randal Kolo Muani had given France a half-time lead but a swift double from Anastasios Bakasetas and Fotis Ioannidis turned the game on its head before Youssouf Fofana fired France back level.

Deschamps’ men had gone into the game bulging with confidence in the wake of their record-breaking 14-0 win over Gibraltar at the weekend.

But it was quickly clear they would not find the sturdy Greek rearguard so accommodating and Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Vlachodimos dealt easily with early efforts from Ousmane Dembele and Theo Hernandez.

Antoine Griezmann came closer after 15 minutes with an effort that the Greek keeper turned round the post, but Greece fired a warning of their own just before the half-hour mark when Konstantinos Mavropanos headed just over.

Ioannidis also saw a half-chance go begging before Muani opened the scoring three minutes before the interval when he fired home from a tight angle.

With nothing to lose, Greece started the second half with freedom, Ioannidis blazing a chance over the bar before Bakasetas let fly from the edge of the box in the 56th minute to pull his side level.

Five minutes later Greece were in front when Ioannidis latched on to a fine cross from Dimitrios Giannoulis to make it 2-1 to Gus Poyet’s side.

Deschamps responded by bringing on big guns Mbappe and Kingsley Coman straight after the goal, but it was Fofana who hauled his side level with a superb long-range effort with 16 minutes left.

Coman thought he had grabbed a winner in stoppage time but his effort was ruled not to have crossed the line, before Mbappe was denied by heroics from Vlachodimos.

Matt Garbett ruined James McClean’s farewell party as the Republic of Ireland were held to an embarrassing friendly draw by New Zealand.

Both McClean – who was making his 103rd and final senior appearance for his country – and manager Stephen Kenny, out of contract on the final whistle and with seemingly little hope of an extension, might have hoped for a rousing conclusion at the Aviva Stadium.

But a paltry crowd of 26,517 saw NAC Breda midfielder Garbett cancel out Adam Idah’s first-half opener to claim a 1-1 draw on a night when Ireland, who have slipped to 58th place in FIFA’s world rankings table, were at times out-played by a side some 45 places below them.

A review of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which ended fruitlessly for the Republic with Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by the Netherlands, will be considered by the Football Association of Ireland’s board next week, but evidence of the progress Kenny believes has been made was in painfully short supply once again.

Ireland, starting with a flat back four, made an uncertain start as the All Whites enjoyed early possession in their opponent’s half, but as McClean and Celtic winger Mikey Johnston got the bit between his teeth down the left, they started to make an impression.

New Zealand defender Michael Boxall had to be in the right place at the right time to deny first McClean and then – from the resulting corner – central defender Shane Duffy, with the home side pinning the visitors back.

Kenny’s men continued to dominate possession but found space at a premium as the All Whites defended their box resolutely until the 28th minute when they were finally pierced, if with an element of controversy.

Sligo defender Nando Pijnaker felt he had been caught by Mark Sykes – making a first start for his country – as he dispossessed him, but his appeals for a free-kick went unanswered as the midfielder found striker Idah, who made no mistake.

The visitors might have been back in it seven minutes later when, after the Irish defence had struggled to deal with Tim Payne’s cross, skipper Chris Wood diverted Marko Stamenic’s shot wide with his knee as it sped across goal to the relief of goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Kelleher was called upon for the first time three minutes later when he clawed the excellent Sarspreet Singh’s curling attempt out of his top corner and he saw the same man fire into the side-netting after being released by Liberato Cacace in a strong finish to the first half by Darren Bazeley’s men.

The Liverpool goalkeeper departed at the break to be replaced by Mark Travers and the newcomer suffered a scare within four minutes when Singh picked out Garbett with a cross and saw the striker lift a shot wastefully over the top.

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Jayson Molumby fired just wide after being set up by Johnston and Duffy headed a McClean corner straight at goalkeeper Max Crocombe with Ireland responding, but they were rocked with 59 minutes gone when Singh again stretched the home defence and when the ball fell to Garbett on the edge of the box, he smashed it past the helpless Travers to level.

Singh tested Travers with a 64th-minute strike and Kenny chose that moment to make two significant changes, the first to replace Idah with Evan Ferguson and the second to hand McClean a standing ovation as he made way for Ryan Manning as his international career drew to a close.

Andy Moran was handed a senior debut as Kenny looked for inspiration, but Travers had to rescue defender Andrew Omobamidele after substitute Max Mata went for goal and substitute Ryan Manning prevented Mata from winning it at the death, while the final whistle came as a merciful release for the home fans.

Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner scored in either half to ensure Austria a 2-0 victory over 10-man Germany in Vienna.

The home team broke the deadlock in the first period thanks to Sabitzer’s strike at the near post before Leroy Sane was sent off after shoving the head of Philipp Mwene.

The second half was largely dominated by Austria with the extra man and they made their opponents pay when Baumgartner sealed victory at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion.

Austria enjoyed a bright start to the match and had the first shot on target of the match a quarter of an hour in when Michael Gregoritsch’s effort from inside the area tested Kevin Trapp in the Germany goal.

The home side broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark when Baumgartner picked out Sabitzer, who finished expertly at the near post.

Germany looked to respond instantly and Sane’s drilled strike looked to be going into the bottom corner but Austria keeper Alexander Schlager did well to deny the Bayern Munich winger.

Germany’s Serge Gnabry then let fly from outside the area but his audacious effort flew way over the crossbar.

Austria came close to a second three minutes before the break, Sabitzer looked to repay Baumgartner for his earlier assist and fed him but the latter’s effort missed just wide of the top right corner.

Germany faced an uphill battle to get back into the match when they were reduced to 10 men just four minutes into the second period. After Mwene was fouled by Sane, the German sprung to his feet and pushed the defender in the face and received an inevitable red card.

Austria sought to make their man advantage count and almost had a second but Stefan Posch’s low shot from outside the area went a whisker wide of the post.

The hosts continued to create chances and for a while it seemed only a matter of time before Germany would concede a second after Gregoritsch and Posch both missed half-chances within a minute of each other.

Midway through the second half, Trapp was called upon again to deny Gregoritsch’s goal-bound effort and keep the deficit to just one.

Austria’s second arrived in the 73rd minute. After setting up the first, Baumgartner raced through on goal and dinked the ball cleverly over Trapp to make Austria’s advantage more comfortable.

The closest Germany came to a consolation goal was when Jonathan Tah flicked on for Thomas Muller but the veteran’s header was magnificently saved by Schlager.

Wales are heading to the Euro 2024 play-offs after drawing 1-1 with Turkey on a dramatic night in Cardiff.

Neco Williams’ seventh-minute goal – his third for Wales – offered hope they could bridge the two-point gap between them and Croatia for the second automatic qualifying spot.

But Yusuf Yazici’s controversial penalty 20 minutes from time – awarded after Wales had three stronger spot-kick appeals rejected – handed Turkey a share of the spoils and the point required to top Group D.

In the end, Yazici’s leveller did not matter in denying Wales qualification as Croatia kept their side of the bargain by beating Armenia 1-0 at home.

Wales go into the March play-offs where a home semi-final against Finland, Iceland and Ukraine awaits.

Thursday’s draw will determine who Wales will play, with Poland and Estonia contesting the other semi-final.

Wales had lost control of their destiny by drawing in Armenia on Saturday, with a performance that was as poor as the result.

Boss Rob Page reacted to that disappointment by making three changes, one of which was enforced with Chris Mepham suspended and Luton defender Tom Lockyer making his first competitive appearance for Wales since September 2021.

Brennan Johnson and Nathan Broadhead were also introduced on the back of Wales’ makeweight attack in Yerevan.

Turkey skipper Hakan Calhanoglu, the Inter Milan midfielder, was absent through illness but Vincenzo Montella had started his managerial reign with three victories – including taking the scalps of Croatia and Germany – and their travelling support was as noisy as ever.

Wales showed an intensity that was missing in Yerevan as Broadhead seized on a mistake and curled wide of the far post.

But Wales did not have to wait long for the breakthrough as Harry Wilson found Williams in space on the left.

Williams cut inside on his favoured right foot and with perfect placement found the corner of Ugurcan Cakir’s net from 16 yards.

Turkey were visibly rattled, losing Lockyer at a corner and letting discipline slip with some unnecessary shoving as tempers threatened to boil over.

Wales had no fewer than three penalty appeals in a frantic nine-minute spell.

Wilson went down in a tangle of legs with with Abdulkerim Bardakci and Johnson was floored by a sliding Samet Akaydin tackle when the defender did not make contact with the ball.

Akaydin then flattened Johnson from behind in a crowded goalmouth, the challenge somehow escaping the notice of Slovenian referee Matej Jug and VAR.

Turkey sent on Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir for the injured Cakir and fashioned their first opening three minutes before the interval when Kerem Akturkoglu fired over.

Bayindir was forced into action from Johnson, who was proving far more lively than his limp second-half showing in Armenia.

Johnson brought another full-stretch stop from Bayindir after the break, but Turkey should have been level after 58 minutes.

Akaydin met an Akturkoglu corner from six yards but planted his header straight at Danny Ward in the Wales goal.

Ethan Ampadu saw his header held by Bayindir before Turkey equalised in contentious circumstances.

Ben Davies was adjudged to have fouled Kenan Yildiz, an incredibly soft decision that was capitalised on by Yazici in nonchalant fashion. It was Turkey’s first goal in four visits to Wales.

Yusuf Sari skimmed the Wales crossbar and Johnson had the ball in the net from an offside position.

There were heated scenes at the final whistle and a rash of yellow cards.

Wales had extended their unbeaten run to six games, but that will be of scant consolation as the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification sinks in.

Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott lit up Goodison Park as England Under-21s eased past Northern Ireland.

The midfielder’s classy brace inspired the Young Lions to a comfortable 3-0 win on Tuesday.

He now has five goals in Euro 2025 qualifying while Reds team-mate Tyler Morton, on loan at Hull, opened the scoring with his first for the Under-21s.

It leaves them second Group F, three points behind Ukraine who beat Azerbaijan 1-0.

In what looks increasingly likely to be a straight shootout for the group win, the pair play each other in the penultimate game in October, and the Young Lions are in the rare position of playing catch-up.

It is clearly a chase they can achieve and, while boss Lee Carsley will say otherwise, the last game with his youngsters until March was a stroll after they dominated from the off, the gulf in class obvious.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, captain on home turf, was the first to waste a decent opening when he failed to connect with Tino Livramento’s knock-back as England struggled to find an early way past the robust Northern Ireland backline, marshalled by Ruairi McConville and Michael Forbes.

Noni Madueke curled wide after 20 minutes and Jay Stansfield miscued a half-volley from Hayden Hackney’s cross but they were half-chances, rather than the Young Lions slicing through their opponents.

They continued to dominate and press, James Trafford a spectator in goal, and Elliott shot wide but the killer touch continued to elude the hosts – until Northern Ireland finally wilted under the pressure after 31 minutes.

That it came from a misplaced cross mattered little as Madueke’s centre evaded Stansfield but was only cleared to Morton on the edge of the area and the midfielder drilled low into the corner.

From there, an England victory was rarely in doubt. Without Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis, elevated to the senior squad last week, they were perhaps missing a zip centrally but Madueke and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens offered enough on the flanks.

Indeed, Chelsea’s Madueke teed up Hackney to shoot over before Elliott doubled the lead after 50 minutes.

The Liverpool man was clattered by Terry Devlin 25 yards out before exacting perfect revenge by bending a free-kick into the bottom corner.

Madueke was denied by Josh Clarke as England hunted a third and it was Elliott who found it with 10 minutes left. The 20-year-old ran onto Morton’s pass, exposing a gaping hole in the Northern Ireland midfield, and produced a fine chip to lob the onrushing Clarke.

There was still time for Elliott to hunt a hat-trick but he was thwarted by a fine Clarke save.

The Indianapolis Colts waived former Defensive Rookie of the Year Shaquille Leonard on Tuesday, ending the three-time All-Pro’s tenure with the team that drafted him.

The surprising move comes after Leonard, who had undergone two back surgeries to repair a nerve injury, complained about his lack of playing time.

Leonard was voted to the AP All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018, then again in 2020 and 2021, but his injuries limited him to just three games last season.

“Indy, I want to thank you for accepting me and my family with open arms," Leonard wrote on social media. “These past six years has been nothing but incredible! Through the good times and the bad y'all stood by my side. I apologize for not bringing that (Lombardi) trophy back to the 317.”

A second-round pick out of South Carolina State, Leonard has been known as a sideline-to-sideline tackler with a reputation for creating turnovers.

In 70 career games, Leonard has 15 sacks, 12 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

“Shaq is the ultimate competitor and has been a fan favorite since he arrived as a rookie in 2018,” general manger Chris Ballard said in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful for his contributions to the team and the city of Indianapolis over the last six seasons.

“We wish him the best and he will always be a valued member of the Horseshoe.”

To celebrate Hayley Turner reaching the 1,000 winners mark, we have picked out six of her most notable victories.

The 40-year-old has blazed a trail for female jockeys throughout her career, but it was not too hard to narrow this list down to her two Group One triumphs, plus four Royal Ascot strikes!

Dream Ahead (2011)

Turner became the first female jockey to claim a Group One success outright when steering David Simcock’s star sprinter to victory in the July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket. The 7-1 shot had to overcome trouble in running but showed a superb turn of foot once getting clear and was half a length in front of Bated Breath at the finishing post. With regular partner William Buick required elsewhere that day, Turner said: “I’ve not sat on the horse before, so I can’t take much credit, but credit to David and the owner (Khalifa Dasmal) for chucking me up on him.”

Margot Did (2011)

Despite being 20-1, Margot Did travelled sweetly throughout the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and, after hitting the front approaching the furlong pole, she kept on strongly to beat Hamish McGonagall by three-quarters of a length. Turner became the woman to win this Group One prize over five furlongs, after Alex Greaves had dead-heated on Ya Malak in 1997. Turner said: “I am just thrilled with how the race has gone. She’s a small filly, but she’s very tough. She liked having plenty of room and just blasted.”

Thanks Be (2019)

Turner became only the second woman – and first since Gay Kelleway 32 years earlier – to ride a Royal Ascot winner when Charlie Fellowes’ 33-1 shot triumphed in the Sandringham Stakes. Thanks Be got home by a neck from the Queen’s Magnetic Charm, and Turner joked: “Fair play to Gay, she has had the bragging rights for a long time and now I can take them off her. Royal Ascot is different class – I’ve had winners all over the world and it is a buzz, but Royal Ascot is so unique and has so much history.”

Onassis (2020)

History repeated itself as Turner again teamed up with Fellowes to land the Sandringham for the second straight year, with this filly also going off as a 33-1 outsider. Turner produced Onassis from stall one on the previously unfavoured part of the track to hit the front and land a cosy triumph by a length and a quarter from Waliyak. No spectators were present due to Covid protocols, but the jockey said: “For us, nothing really changes, it’s still great to have a Royal Ascot winner whether people are here or not.”

Latin Lover (2022)

Another well-timed late surge saw this 5-1 chance pip Nymphadora in the dying strides of the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes, giving trainer Harry Eustace a maiden Royal Ascot victory with his first runner at the meeting. George Wood usually partnered the gelding but Turner proved a more than able deputy, stating: “It’s a bit unfortunate, but he can’t do the weight so it went in my favour.”

Docklands (2023)

Turner produced the Eustace-trained colt late on to land the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot, coming with a tremendous rattle up the stands rail to collar New Endeavour in the closing strides. She said of the 6-1 favourite: “I honestly didn’t know until they called the photo whether I had won or not because the two horses were so far apart. It’s such a thrill.”

Hayley Turner secured the 1,000th winner of her record-breaking riding career aboard Tradesman at Chelmsford on Tuesday evening.

Turner has been a pioneer for female jockeys since arriving on the scene as an apprentice in 2000, notching a string of landmark firsts.

After reaching the 999-winner mark with Lunar Eclipse at Newmarket earlier this month, Turner was made to wait a little longer for her 1,000th – but appropriately it came in the Dream Ahead colours of owner Khalifa Dismal for trainer David Simcock.

For it was in 2011 she broke new ground when steering Dream Ahead to victory in the July Cup at Newmarket, becoming the first woman to secure a Group One victory outright.

Dream Ahead’s triumph was quickly followed by another elite-level success on board Margot Did in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York just over a month later.

Tom Curry will miss the entire Six Nations and most likely the rest of the season after Sale revealed he must undergo surgery to repair a hip injury.

Curry has been troubled by the issue since playing a full part in helping England finish third in the recent World Cup and a visit to a specialist confirmed that a clear out of the joint is the only option.

The 25-year-old flanker, an automatic pick for England when fit, will undergo the operation the week after next.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said: “Tom has been back down to London to have further extensive x-rays under movement with a different consultant and this is the best thing for him in the short term.”

The Premier League has been defeated in its bid to ban loan transfers between associated party clubs in January.

The move was designed to prevent a club like Newcastle loaning a player from another club owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – they have been linked with a temporary switch for Ruben Neves from Saudi club Al-Hilal.

The Premier League needed 14 out of 20 clubs to vote for the ban at the shareholders’ meeting in London on Tuesday afternoon.

But the PA news agency understands the vote finished 13-7 in favour of a ban, short of the threshold to push the motion through.

Injury-hit Newcastle will now, if they wish, be able to bring in former Wolves midfielder Neves on loan to replace Sandro Tonali following his 10-month ban for breaking rules on gambling.

Similarly, Manchester City would be able to loan players from other clubs owned by the City Football Group.

In another blow to the Premier League, the clubs were unable to approve the terms of the so-called ‘New Deal’, a £900million settlement between it and clubs in the English Football League.

The Premier League had hoped to confirm the package at Tuesday’s meeting, but it is understood no vote took place.

Despite a three-hour discussion there remains a sticking point surrounding new cost control measures for both Premier League and EFL clubs.

The Premier League wants the matter resolved before the new independent regulator in English football is put in place.

The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday following another dismal performance in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns.

“Matt Canada has been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement.

“I appreciate Matt’s hard work and dedication, and I wish him the best moving forward in his career.”

The Steelers were held to 10 points or less for the fourth time in 10 games this season in a 13-10 loss at Cleveland on Sunday that dropped Pittsburgh to 6-4.

The Baltimore Ravens (8-3) are in first place in the tightly contested AFC North, with Cleveland (7-3) sitting in second and the Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) right behind the Steelers.

Canada was hired as Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks coach in January 2020 and then promoted to offensive coordinator after the 2020 season.

In 44 games since, the Steelers are 28th in the NFL in both yards per game (310.1) and points per game (18.6).

Pittsburgh also ranks 28th this season in yards (280.1) and points (16.6).

In Sunday’s crucial visit to Cleveland, the Steelers totalled 249 net yards – including only 77 net passing.

Kenny Pickett, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has passed for just 465 yards and one touchdown in Pittsburgh’s last four games.

Pickett’s 75.3 passer rating over that four-week stretch is the fifth worst in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner reportedly will share duties as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator when the Steelers visit the Bengals this Sunday.