George Russell finished fastest in opening practice for the concluding round of the Formula One season in Abu Dhabi.

Triple world champion Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton sat out the first running with 10 rookie drivers blooded at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Three Britons were among them with Zak O’Sullivan, 18, and Jake Dennis, 28, making their Formula One weekend debuts for Williams and Red Bull respectively.

Ollie Bearman, 18, who in Mexico made history by becoming the youngest British debutant at a Grand Prix, was handed his second practice appearance by Haas.

Dennis, in a Red Bull machine which Hamilton has described as the fastest ever seen in Formula One, finished 16th of the 20 runners, 1.1 seconds off the pace.

O’Sullivan was 18th – seven tenths behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant – with Bearman 20th and last, albeit only a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen in the other Haas.

Mercedes are facing up to ending the season without a single victory – the first time that has happened in 12 years.

But the troubled Silver Arrows will take some confidence from ending the opening running at the top of the order.

Russell finished 0.288 sec clear of Aston Martin stand-in Felipe Drugovich – who finished highest of the substitute drivers – with Daniel Ricciardo third for AlphaTauri.

Valtteri Bottas was fourth in his Alfa Romeo, ahead of Lance Stroll and Oscar Piastri.

The day’s concluding session – which will see the return of Verstappen, Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris – gets under way at 5pm local time (1pm GMT).

Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold believes performances this season provide encouraging evidence they can again push Manchester City all the way in another epic title battle.

After a summer midfield rebuild following a fifth-place finish it was generally expected the realistic aim was to regain their Champions League status but just one controversial defeat sees Jurgen Klopp’s side head into Saturday’s match at the home of the Premier League leaders in second place.

The tantalising prospect is Liverpool will at the very least sustain a challenge like that of 2018-19 and 2021-22, when City pipped their north-west rivals by just a single point, or even go one better like in 2019-20 when they won their first title in 30 years.

But to do that they will have to continue to produce an unerringly-high level of consistency and Alexander-Arnold is well aware of that.

“Last season wasn’t good enough. We brought new players in, it was about adapting as quick as possible and making sure we laid a good foundation at the start of the season,” he said.

“We are in a really strong position and results and form-wise we are doing enough to stay as close as possible to the top of the table.

“So far we’ve performed in a way that is how you would expect someone who can win the league to perform and if we carry this on we should be in and around it come May.

“If that wasn’t the case I would be here saying ‘I want to get back in the top four,’ because, genuinely, there is nothing wrong with that for this team, a team that has just finished outside the Champions League places.

“There is a rebuild going on, a lot of senior players have left, and it would be very normal to say ‘Get back in the top four and push on from there,’ but it (challenging for the title) is something that we believe we can achieve.

“If it doesn’t happen, we have ourselves to blame. We have built a great foundation, it is just about consistency.

“The hardest thing in football is consistently winning games but we have shown we are more than capable of passing (that test).”

While outside observers may have lowered their expectations of Liverpool after their slump, by their own high standards, last season that has not been the feeling within the squad.

Despite the changes made to the personnel – with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch creating a whole new midfield – Alexander-Arnold said there were plenty of players who had gone head-to-head with City enough times to know what is required.

“Our aim as a team is to win the league and that’s the aim again this season,” he added.

“Our ambition is to be as successful as possible and to maximise the potential we have got as a team and as a club.

“At the start of last season it was the same as at the start of this season: our ambition was to win the league.

“We were nowhere near good enough to get anywhere near that last year and that’s where we needed to put it right this year.

“I think the players who are experienced in being successful with the club all understand what it takes and what’s needed to even challenge a team like City.

“It was about getting that message across as quick as possible to the new players and young players coming in; that responsibility of we need everyone to perform and if we do get players who play really well over the course of the season it will get us closer to the top of the table.

“Last season there were too many of us guys who never hit the levels we were expected to and demand of each other, ultimately that’s how you end up being in fifth place.”

What the papers say

Manchester United are keen to add reinforcements at centre-back with 23-year-old French defender Jean-Clair Todibo and Portuguese defender Goncalo Inacio, 22, reportedly on their list. They are seen as ideal replacements for Raphael Varane, according to The Sun.

Sky Sports reports that Real Betis winger Assane Diao, 18, has emerged as a target for Brentford, with the Premier League club looking to make a move for the Spain Under-21 international in the January transfer window.

Wolves are keen to sign striker Rafiu Durosinmi, but they are not the only ones, the Telegraph reports. Eintracht Frankfurt are also interested in the Nigerian 20-year-old.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Rayan Ait-Nouri: Chelsea have added Wolves’ Algeria international to their list of possible targets, according to 90min.

Pedro Neto: Manchester United, Arsenal and several Saudi clubs are all eager to sign the 23-year-old, but keenness may wane as Wolves demand a fee of at least £60m, TEAMtalk reports.

Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from playing professional football, on this day in 2016.

The announcement came a little over a week after the former Liverpool captain, then aged 36, had left LA Galaxy, the only other club on his resume.

In a statement, he said: “I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football. I have had an incredible career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy.”

It marked the end of a playing career which saw Gerrard come through the academy system of his hometown club to become a European champion and play for England more than 100 times.

In 2000-01, the midfielder was part of a Liverpool side that won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

Four years later, Gerrard inspired a remarkable comeback as he captained his side to victory in the Champions League final against AC Milan, as Liverpool came from 3-0 down to win on penalties in Istanbul.

Gerrard was a two-time FA Cup winner and lifted the League Cup three times in all, but would never take a Premier League title.

The all-action midfielder played 114 times for England, featuring at three World Cups and three European Championships, before retiring from international duty in 2014.

He was part of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ and captained his country, but was unable to progress beyond the quarter-finals of any major tournament, with his international career ending when England failed to advance from the group stages at the 2014 World Cup.

In announcing his retirement, Gerrard added: “I am excited about the future and feel I still have a lot to offer the game, in whatever capacity that may be.

“I am currently taking my time to consider a number of options and will make an announcement with regards to the next stage of my career very soon.”

Gerrard would return to Liverpool as a youth-team coach only a matter of months after his retirement, before he achieved great success in charge of Rangers, helping them win the Scottish Premiership title for the first time in 10 years in 2021.

He would later depart Ibrox to become Aston Villa manager but was sacked after less than 12 months in charge of the Premier League club in October.

In July of this year, Gerrard was named manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq where another former Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, is among his players.

Dak Prescott threw for four touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys eased to a 45-10 Thanksgiving victory over the Washington Commanders.

Tony Pollard added a seven-yard touchdown run while DaRon Bland rounded things off with a 63-yard interception return for a score – his fifth of the season to set an NFL record.

The win lifts the Cowboys to 9-3 and stretched their home-winning run to 13 matches.

For the Commanders, who have lost eight of their last 10 matches, Sam Howell threw for 300 yards and ran for a touchdown.

The Green Bay Packers beat NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 29-22.

Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson from 53 yards on the first play of the game and ended with three touchdown passes.

Opposite number Jared Goff struggled against the Packers defence, fumbling three times – one of which was returned for a touchdown by Jonathan Owens.

Novak Djokovic told rowdy British fans to “shut up” after leading Serbia to a 2-0 victory in the Davis Cup quarter-finals in Malaga.

The world number one showed his annoyance with a section of the 5,000-strong British support by cupping his ear and blowing ironic kisses at the end of the first set of his 6-4 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie.

When the same group of fans began drumming during Djokovic’s on-court interview, the Serbian responded: “Learn how to respect players, learn how to behave yourself,” before adding, “no, you shut up, you be quiet”.

It was a sour end to what was a disappointing evening for Britain, with the writing on the wall once Jack Draper fell to a 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) defeat by Miomir Kecmanovic in a opening rubber that was a must-win.

On his spat with the supporters, Djokovic said: “In the Davis Cup, it’s normal that sometimes fans step over the line but, in the heat of the moment, you react too, and you show that you don’t allow this kind of behaviour.

“They can do whatever they want, but I’m going to respond to that. I was trying to talk and they were purposely starting to play the drums so that I don’t talk and they were trying to annoy me the entire match. So we had a little bit of a chat in the end.”

Britain’s dramatic success against France in Manchester in September had sent them through to the final eight event for the first time in the revamped format.

The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.

The near-capacity crowd, which also included a sizeable number of Serbian supporters, gave the event the sort of authentic Davis Cup feel that has so often been missing since the switch from the home-and-away format.

Among those sat in the stands at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena was Dan Evans, who had hoped to build on his brilliant performances in Manchester before a calf injury prematurely ended his season.

But even the British number two would have had his work cut out against an inspired Kecmanovic, who was chosen ahead of the higher-ranked Laslo Djere and fully justified the decision.

Draper had the better form coming in having reached his first ATP Tour final this month and had beaten Kecmanovic – ranked five places higher at 55 – earlier this year, but the Serbian was dominant on serve and edged two tie-breaks.

It was only the 21-year-old’s second Davis Cup rubber and he admitted knowing Djokovic was looming added to the nerves he felt.

“That’s seemingly a must-win match for me,” said Draper. “It’s definitely a tough challenge to go out there knowing that there is a lot more pressure on me to win the match.

“That’s the kind of pressure that, if I want to be a top player, I have to cope with and have to perform under. It’s tough not to get the win today. I gave it all I had mentally. I didn’t do a few things as well as I wanted to, but he played a great match.”

Djokovic had lost only six of his 61 previous matches this season, with just one defeat since the Wimbledon final, while his Davis Cup record is utterly formidable.

It is 12 years since he lost a singles match in the competition, and even that was by retirement, with now 21 straight wins and only four sets dropped.

Norrie had managed only a single set in three previous meetings and has endured a miserable run since the clay-court swing back in the spring, but he was captain Leon Smith’s only option once Andy Murray pulled out with a minor shoulder injury.

He did not put in a bad performance by any means, but was fire-fighting from the moment he was broken at 2-2 in the opening set and won only eight points on Djokovic’s serve during the contest.

While Serbia are a step closer to the trophy, Britain must start again in February in the qualifiers – barring an unlikely wild card through to September’s group stage.

Novak Djokovic ended Great Britain’s hopes of winning another Davis Cup title as he led Serbia to a 2-0 quarter-final victory in Malaga.

Britain’s dramatic success against France in Manchester in September had sent them through to the final eight event for the first time in the revamped format.

But they fell at the first hurdle, with Miomir Kecmanovic defeating Jack Draper 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) before Djokovic comfortably saw off Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 to send a jubilant Serbia through to a semi-final against Italy on Saturday.

Given the presence of Djokovic, who cemented his position at the top of the sport by winning a seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday, Britain’s hopes depended on Draper winning the first rubber.

The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.

There were around 5,000 British fans in a near-capacity crowd, giving the event the sort of authentic Davis Cup feel that has so often been missing since the switch from the home-and-away format.

Among those sat in the stands at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena was Dan Evans, who had hoped to build on his brilliant performances in Manchester before a calf injury prematurely ended his season.

But even the British number two would have had his work cut out against an inspired Kecmanovic, who was chosen ahead of the higher-ranked Laslo Djere and fully justified the decision.

Draper had the better form coming in having reached his first ATP Tour final this month and had beaten Kecmanovic – ranked five places higher at 55 – earlier this year, but the Serbian was dominant on serve and edged two tie-breaks.

Draper hung on during the first set, saving two break points at 3-4 and then two set points at 4-5 with some gutsy play only to double fault twice in the tie-break.

His chance came when he recovered from 2-5 to level at 5-5 in the second tie-break but, despite saving a match point, he could not force a decider.

It was only the 21-year-old’s second Davis Cup rubber and he admitted knowing Djokovic was looming added to the nerves he felt.

“That’s seemingly a must-win match for me,” said Draper. “It’s definitely a tough challenge to go out there knowing that there is a lot more pressure on me to win the match.

“That’s the kind of pressure that, if I want to be a top player, I have to cope with and have to perform under. It’s tough not to get the win today. I gave it all I had mentally. I didn’t do a few things as well as I wanted to, but he played a great match.”

Djokovic had lost only six of his 61 previous matches this season, with just one defeat since the Wimbledon final, while his Davis Cup record is utterly formidable.

It is 12 years since he lost a singles match in the competition, and even that was by retirement, with now 21 straight wins and only four sets dropped.

Norrie had managed only a single set in three previous meetings and has endured a miserable run since the clay-court swing back in the spring, but he was captain Leon Smith’s only option once Andy Murray pulled out with a minor shoulder injury.

He did not put in a bad performance by any means, but was fire-fighting from the moment he was broken at 2-2 in the opening set, throwing everything he had at Djokovic to fight back from 0-40 in his next service game.

The Serbian lost just three points on serve in the first set – and only eight in the match – and blew kisses towards a vocal British fan who had been warned by the umpire after clinching it to love.

Norrie promptly dropped serve to start the second set before again hanging on grimly, this time saving five break points at 1-3, but Djokovic was able to stay in his comfort zone through to the finish line.

While Serbia are a step closer to the trophy, Britain must start again in February in the qualifiers – barring an unlikely wild card through to September’s group stage.

Great Britain’s hopes of reaching the Davis Cup semi-finals were hanging by a thread after Jack Draper lost the opening rubber to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in Malaga.

Draper’s 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) defeat left Cameron Norrie needing to hand Novak Djokovic just his seventh loss of the season to send the tie to a deciding doubles.

Serbia sprang a surprise by picking Kecmanovic, ranked five places above Draper at 55 in the world, ahead of their number two Laslo Djere, but the 24-year-old fully justified the decision with an impressive display.

Twenty-one-year-old Draper was unable to impose his big game on the match and came out on the wrong end of two tie-breaks in a contest lasting two hours and two minutes.

The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.

Around 5,000 British fans, including Dan Evans, who was forced out of the event through injury after playing the leading role in qualification, made up the majority of a virtually full crowd at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena.

The International Tennis Federation’s decision to move away from the traditional home-and-away format and to a World Cup-style event has been unpopular with players and fans, but this was the sort of occasion they would have envisaged.

It was a huge moment for Draper, who only played his first match in the competition in September in Manchester and now found British hopes depending on him given the presence of Djokovic in the second rubber.

He could draw on better recent form than Kecmanovic, having reached his first ATP Tour final in Sofia earlier this month while the Serbian had lost his last four matches, and also won their only previous meeting on clay in May.

But Kecmanovic is a quality player who was ranked in the top 30 at the start of the year and, despite three aces in his first service game from Draper, it was the Serbian who was the more impressive in the early stages.

Draper had to dig deep to save two break points in a long eighth game and then found himself facing two set points at 4-5, which he again fought off in gutsy fashion.

But two double faults cost him dearly in the tie-break and left him with a lot of work to do to turn the match around.

Neither man faced a break point in the second set, but again it was Kecmanovic who looked the more convincing on serve.

After losing five points in a row from 2-0 up in the tie-break, Draper did well to level at 5-5 and then save a match point with a volley that just caught the line, but a wayward forehand gave Kecmanovic a second chance and this time the British youngster netted a return.

Luis Enrique is confident his Paris St Germain squad have the depth needed to cope without injured captain Marquinhos and France starlet Warren Zaire-Emery as they prepare to face Ligue 1 rivals Monaco.

Brazil defender Marquinhos picked up a hamstring problem during the World Cup qualifier defeat against Argentina, which PSG expect to see him sidelined for at least 10 days and so will also miss next week’s Champions League match against Newcastle.

The Ligue 1 leaders were already facing up to 17-year-old midfielder Zaire-Emery missing for the rest of 2023 with an ankle injury suffered while he scored on his senior France debut against Gibraltar.

Enrique, though, feels there is enough cover to see his side produce the required performance when they host third-placed Monaco on Friday night.

“We have a squad that is the best of the (Ligue 1) championship, in my view. The only thing that every time a player gets hurt, it’s sad, because they won’t be able to play,” Enrique said.

“However, the number of players is very broad and is at a very high level.”

Enrique told a press conference: “We are used to it (injuries), but we have to make sure that the players get back.

“We take stock of what happened to the players, and we advise according to each one to have the best possible recovery.”

Monaco sits just three points behind PSG and Enrique warned against complacency as his side look to maintain their seven-match unbeaten domestic run.

Enrique said: “Monaco is a team I really like. They don’t waste time calculating, they don’t ponder about the result, they press hard.

“They always play at a good level and are the team that has created the most chances behind us.”

The PSG boss added: “It is an important match because they are a direct rival, but there is lots of time left to go in the league and there are many games to be played.

“It is not decisive, but we want to play to a better level than our opponent and have more chances,

“It is going to be a difficult match – but I have never seen an easy match in Ligue 1.”

Monaco boss Adi Hutter is expecting an open encounter at the Parc des Princes.

“We are not going to change our style of play, even if it is PSG, the leader and favourite for the title,” he told a press conference.

“They are very dangerous because they have already scored 29 goals, compared to 25 for us, which is not so bad.

“They are on five consecutive victories, so it will certainly be an open match for both sides.”

Monaco look set to welcome back Brazilian right-back Vanderson for the first time since late September.

Former Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu is also stepping up his recovery following groin surgery, but is not expected to feature against PSG.

Rasmus Hojlund has not been ruled out of Manchester United’s Premier League game at Everton on Sunday, but Christian Eriksen will play no part.

United boss Erik ten Hag has issued an injury update on the Denmark pair, who missed out for their country during the international break.

Hojlund (muscle strain) and Eriksen (knee) both sustained injuries in United’s previous top-flight fixture, a 1-0 home win against Luton on November 11.

Ten Hag told United’s official website: “Christian will take a little bit longer. It will take some weeks until he will return.

“Rasmus Hojlund, not too bad. Everton will be a close finish, but we’re working on that.

“We’re not sure if he can make that but, hopefully, in the next week, he will return to the squad.”

Both players were withdrawn in the closing stages against Luton. United initially confirmed Eriksen would be out for a month, while Hojlund was hoping to return before the end of November.

Should Hojlund fail a fitness test before Sunday’s game at Everton, he could make a timely return to action in next Tuesday’s Champions’ League fixture against Galatasaray in Istanbul.

Fellow forward Marcus Rashford will miss that must-win group game through suspension following his red card in the recent defeat in Copenhagen.

United have confirmed that Ten Hag will serve a touchline ban at Everton this weekend having accumulated three yellow cards.

Ben Curry’s greatest ambition in rugby is to play alongside twin brother Tom in England’s back row.

Ben, Sale’s captain for their home Gallagher Premiership clash with Bath on Friday night, has won five caps but each of them have come when Tom has been on British and Irish Lions duty or injured.

The World Cup and its programme of warm-up fixtures could have seen his dream realised only for hamstring surgery to rule him out of the tournament in France.

“The day I can’t play for England with Tom I would seriously consider my options because that’s one of the biggest things that motivates me,” Ben said.
“I’ve done it myself, by myself, but I want to do it with Tom. You talk about what are your goals for your career and that’s something that’s a goal of mine.”

The likelihood of Ben adding to his five caps in the Six Nations has increased after Tom was earlier this week ruled out for the rest of the season by hip surgery.

The identical twins live together near the AJ Bell Stadium and Tom’s setback will result in changes at home – once help has been sought from Sale fly-half George Ford.

“When I had my injury, Fordy knew someone who put me up in a hotel for two nights. I was in the night before and then the night after (the operation),” Ben said.

“So the first thing I told Tom was to text Fordy and get a hotel for two nights! You’ve just had surgery and you are lying in a hotel room with everyone doing stuff for you.

“On the back of that we are going to have to change rooms. We still live together, and he’s on the top floor and I’m on the second floor, so we might have to change rooms.

“I’m probably going to have to do a bit of stuff to help out, unfortunately!

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“The only bit of advice I’d give to him is to take the first few weeks to recover, not just physically but mentally.

“Take it for what it is, take your time away from the game so that when you come back, you properly go after it.

“It’s a good opportunity to get better, bigger, stronger, faster – all of those cliches.

“You’ve got five months at it, so it can make a difference to how he plays and also his longevity as well if he gets it right.”

Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel is the latest high-profile manager to take issue with the football calendar after admitting his players are physically and mentally tired.

Tuchel’s mood has not been helped by the Bundesliga scheduling their fixture at Cologne for Friday night.

Pre-weekend matches in Germany are generally designed to help teams with Champions League fixtures the following week but coming immediately off the back of an international break does not appear to have done Bayern too many favours.

“People want to see the best players play football with joy and desire,” Tuchel told a press conference.

“The calendar is at the absolute limit, if not over it. The boys are tired. They’re mentally tired, they’re emotionally tired, they’re physically tired.

“There are two more Champions League games next year, there’s a tournament in the summer (Euro 2024), that’s just at the limit.”

Some of Tuchel’s internationals only arrived back in Munich on Thursday, just 24 hours before kick-off.

“It’s our second Friday match. Minjae Kim and Alphonso Davies are only back from their travels today,” he added.

“It’s very unfortunate scheduling, particularly in a sporting sense, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. I don’t want to go on about it.

“We’ve opted for a short trip on Friday morning so that the players can sleep at home. We want to win and we’ll prepare to do that.”

Tuchel will be without defender Matthijs de Ligt and forward Jamal Musiala while defender Raphael Guerreiro is a doubt with a minor problem.

“We’re looking closely at which internationals have had a big workload like Konrad Laimer, Minjae Kim or Alphonso Davies. We’ll decide late on the line-up for tomorrow,” said Tuchel.

Veteran forward Thomas Muller is in the final year of his contract and has seen reduced playing time this season but the 34-year-old has stressed he wants to continue playing next season.

Bayern are understood to want to keep Muller but they have yet to come to an agreement.

“We want him in the team. It’s clear he wants to keep playing. He’s a footballer through and through. Why shouldn’t he keep playing at the very highest level?” said Tuchel.

“I have a very positive impression of him. He’s in top shape and it’s all good. Thomas is a club icon, a living legend. He gets the maximum respect from us.”

A trip to Newbury on Saturday week is a possibility for Dysart Enos having delighted Fergal O’Brien at Huntingdon earlier this month.

Unbeaten in three starts in bumpers, including when blitzing the field to claim Grade Two honours at Aintree in the spring, she enhanced her perfect record on her hurdles debut with a thoroughly impressive display in the hands of Paddy Brennan.

She scorched seven and a half lengths clear of her rivals on that occasion and her handler is now considering a shot at Listed glory in the Play Coral “Racing-Super-Series” For Free Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on December 2, with the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival remaining the five-year-old’s ultimate aim.

O’Brien said: “She will be entered for Newbury and we’ll have a look and see what’s about. We are just trying to pick our way to try to get her to Cheltenham.

“She’s in great form and has come out of the race at Huntingdon well and we keep our fingers crossed.

“There was a lot to like about it, she was a bit keen and a bit novicey at some of her jumps, but at the important part of the race she quickened up nicely.”