Chelsea slumped to a third defeat in four Premier League games as second-half goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty earned Wolves a deserved 2-1 victory at Molineux.
Lemina headed in unmarked from Pablo Sarabia’s corner early in the second period, just reward after Gary O’Neil’s side had weathered early pressure and the hosts had spurned a host of chances, most glaringly from Raheem Sterling.
Chelsea laboured to find a way back, but as so often this season failed to find the key pass in the final third, with Cole Palmer noticeably out of sorts.
Then in stoppage time and with the visitors committed forward, Wolves broke and Hugo Bueno crossed for Doherty to take advantage of a poor clearance to slam home a second.
Substitute Christopher Nkunku headed his first Chelsea goal in the dying minutes, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side slipped to a third away league defeat on the spin.
Armando Broja spurned the game’s first opening. After Sterling fed Malo Gusto down the right, his low cross into the box arrived perfectly at the foot of the Albanian, playing as a lone striker with Nicolas Jackson moved to the wing. Looking to shoot first time, Broja kicked at fresh air and the chance was gone.
Sterling was Chelsea’s clearest danger in the first half, running at Wolves down either flank and pitching inviting deliveries. The best of them fell to Jackson who had found space, but as the ball dropped, his touch failed to match his movement and the pass squirmed beneath his foot and away.
After half an hour, it was the turn of his team-mates to vent their anger towards the England international. Sterling did brilliantly to harry and dispossess Joao Gomes, Wolves’ last man, who dithered on the ball deep in his own half. With the defence stranded upfield, Sterling advanced on goal with Jackson and Palmer wide open beside him. Either player would have had a tap-in; instead, Sterling inexplicably went alone and hit a weak shot straight at Jose Sa.
Wolves’ best chances of the half came in the closing seconds, first when Sarabia fired just wide from the edge of the box via a deflection, then Hee Chan Hwang raced clear of Levi Colwill from a ball over the top and lashed over.
They began the second half with similar urgency, Gomes hitting a shot that nicked off Lesley Ugochukwu and grazed the post before defender Toti got forward from the back and drew an outstanding point-blank save from Chelsea’s stand-in goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
It was a warning the visitors did not heed and the goal moments later was an almost carbon copy of Toti’s chance. Sarabia’s corner dropped into the heart of the Chelsea penalty area, but despite the obvious danger no one in blue jumped or moved to attack the ball.
That left Lemina with a simple header, climbing above the grounded Ugochukwu to nod towards the back post and in beyond the stranded Petrovic.
Pochettino sent on Nkunku for his Premier League debut, with the ineffectual Broja departing. He nearly offered Chelsea instant reprieve, denied on the goal line by Toti, who gratefully booted clear.
Sterling then went close again, set up by Palmer on the right after Nkunku had picked him out only for an heroic last-ditch block from Craig Dawson diverting the ball over Sa’s crossbar. The balance of the game was tipping in Chelsea’s favour.
Their growing confidence led to their undoing. Three minutes into added time, Bueno broke down the left, Benoit Badiashile’s attempted clearance was atrocious and Doherty crashed it home to take the roof of Molineux.
Nkunku headed in from Sterling’s cross minutes later, but barely any Chelsea fans had stayed to see it.
Patrick Mullins is delighted with the prospect of being reunited with Facile Vega in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday.
Mullins won four bumpers on the six-year-old two seasons ago, including the championship events at Cheltenham and Punchestown, and with Paul Townend at Kempton to ride Allaho he steps into the breach.
As a son of the brilliant Quevega he had plenty to live up to, but he already has four Grade Ones in the bank and that is before he has even had the chance to add to it over fences, something he looks like he was born to do.
Mullins’ father and trainer Willie feels he may be at his best when stepping up in trip, but while he is winning over two miles there seems little reason to change and he faces just three rivals, including stablemate Sharjah, a horse Mullins has also enjoyed great success with.
“I’m delighted to get back on him – we had a great season together two years ago,” said Mullins.
“I schooled him and rode him work on the Curragh on Tuesday and he worked very well, I was very happy with him.
“I got a great spin in this race a few years ago on Douvan, so hopefully this could be just as good.
“He’s not an ex-point-to-pointer or an ex-French horse, he’s a homebred who started off in bumpers, so he’s entitled to improve jumping-wise, more so than some of our other horses.
“He definitely has the physique to be a better chaser and I think in time he’ll probably go up in trip – Quevega stayed three miles well. But he has plenty of speed of two miles at the moment.
“Myself and Danny (Mullins) pick up plenty of Paul’s crumbs and I can’t wait.”
Gavin Cromwell’s My Mate Mozzie and Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty complete the field.
Juventus have given positive fitness updates on Manuel Locatelli and Alex Sandro.
The pair were substituted in Saturday’s 2-1 Serie A win at Frosinone after picking up injuries.
A Juventus statement read: “After the knock picked up in yesterday’s match against Frosinone, Manuel Locatelli underwent tests this morning at the J|Medical centre that ruled out any fracture and confirmed an oblique contusion.
“For Alex Sandro, meanwhile, an MRI scan on his right thigh ruled out muscular injuries and indicated a hamstring overload.
“Their condition will be assessed from day to day.”
Locatelli suffered a fractured rib that ruled him out of international duty in November.
Juventus are next in action at home to Roma on Saturday.
Paul Nicholls believes there are “plenty of ifs, buts and question marks” about the field for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The champion trainer targets the Christmas highlight like no one else and will be seeking his 14th success in the race as he saddles last year’s winner Bravemansgame in the Grade One contest.
See More Business was his first winner in 1997 and he regained the title two years later. Kauto Star then dominated, eclipsing Desert Orchid’s four victories by winning five between 2006 and 2011, before Nicholls sent out two more dual winners in Silviniaco Conti and Clan Des Obeaux.
The Ditcheat handler also runs 2020 big-race hero Frodon, but it is Bravemansgame who has Nicholls dreaming of more glory, despite two defeats already this term, in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
While that puts a slight mark against the defending champion, Nicholls feels the case for favourite Allaho is not totally clear, while Shishkin is on a retrieval mission after refusing to start on his seasonal bow at Ascot.
“We got outstayed at Haydock by Royale Pagaille, but he has run well there (Kempton) before and it suits him well,” said Nicholls.
“Allaho came back and won the other day from his time off, but is he as good as he was? There are plenty of ifs, buts and question marks, but we are very happy with Bravemansgame.
“I think he has got a great chance there is no doubt about it. The previous year’s winner of the race is always the one to beat and he has definitely taken a step forward since Haydock.”
Harry Cobden will be on board again and he told Planet Sport: “The track just really suits him and seems to bring out the best in him. He’s a very strong traveller and his jumping really keeps him in the race. If he can reproduce what he did last year, he’ll definitely take a bit of beating.
“Allaho looks the main danger to me. He’s a very smart horse and Willie (Mullins) doesn’t send them over for nothing. He jumps a little bit left which wouldn’t be ideal around Kempton and with Frodon in the race, he won’t have an easy time of it. Hopefully that will play into our hands.”
Ireland’s champion jockey Paul Townend has his first ever ride in the race on Allaho
“I can’t wait to ride in a Ladbrokes King George VI Chase. It is a very prestigious race which I haven’t been to before so it is all new and I am looking forward to it,” he told Ladbrokes.
“Allaho is as good a chance I will get of winning a King George. It’s a class race without it being a massive field. You can make a case for everything in it.
“My horse is a dual Ryanair winner, along with a Punchestown Gold Cup winner, so we are hoping he stays and that the track suits him. Obviously, I am disappointed to be missing some very big rides at Leopardstown, but having a crack on Allaho in this race makes up for it.”
Nicky Henderson retains full faith in Shishkin’s ability as he tackles a staying trip for just the second time under rules.
Winner of the 2021 Arkle, Shishkin won the Aintree Bowl over three miles and a furlong at the end of last season, but his refusal to race at Ascot means he comes into the King George without a prep run – and slightly under the radar, in his trainer’s opinion.
“When he won the Supreme he was a very good horse, and he is still a very good horse,” said Henderson.
“It has taken us a bit longer than it should have done to make us realise he is a three-miler not a two-miler, but if you win the Supreme, not surprisingly, you are thinking along the two-mile route, not three.
“He has proven what he can do over three miles, so let’s stick to it. He is the sort of forgotten person in the race and no one has mentioned him.
“The only thing I would say is don’t judge him on this, because I think it is very unfair coming into a race like this without a run. It doesn’t mean there aren’t bigger and better things to come. He might run very well and not quite get home.
“Kempton is not a stamina track, except in the King George you have got to stay and be fit because this is the one race where there is no hiding place.”
Patrick Neville’s The Real Whacker is the only horse who has managed to beat Gerri Colombe to date, but he was pulled up on his return to action in the Paddy Power Gold Cup when he went lame.
He will be ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies again and he told William Hill: “Among many, his biggest asset is his jumping and at Kempton the jumps come quick and thick.
“Paddy Neville is really happy with him and says he’s in good form at home despite bits and pieces going against him at Cheltenham last time.
“You can put a line through that as it didn’t really happen for him that day, but he seems to have turned a real corner since then so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do, especially now he’s got a run under his belt.”
Nicky Henderson is unconcerned about the lack of a recent run for Constitution Hill ahead of his bid for back-to-back victories in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle.
On what Henderson sees as the first day of a “new term” for his star pupil, he will belatedly get his season under way at Kempton on Boxing Day, with the weather having scuppered an intended defence of the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle.
The Seven Barrows trainer flirted with the idea of running the six-year-old in a rescheduled Fighting Fifth at Sandown seven days later, but ultimately branded the prospect of running in heavy ground just over a fortnight before his festive target as “physically not possible”.
“That (Newcastle) was the original plan and that is where he would have been, and we would have been on the same leg as last year. Unfortunately, we are not,” said Henderson.
“He was ready for Newcastle, and he is ready for Kempton. He is big and well and strong, he came in looking very well. At one stage I was a bit behind as he was so big.
“It took a bit longer to get the shape back into him, but that is long gone. He has had to do a bit more work as it is all very easy to him. His schooling is unbelievable.
“As we have always said, his temperament is such that it (journey to Newcastle) wouldn’t make any difference to him and he’s had an away day.
“If he comes through this and it goes like last year I’d be confident about the next bit. But the first day out of the year is crucial, it’s like a first day at school. He’s been good at home, but there are new kids on the block and he’s starting a new term.
“He has got to be as good as he ever was at Kempton, then we can look forward.”
With the privilege of training a horse of Constitution Hill’s stature comes no little amount of pressure, but it is something Henderson embraces.
He added: “If you guys (press) didn’t want to talk to us or there was no pressure then it would be time to give up as you have nothing to talk about.
“Sprinter Sacre was in this position when he was at his best. When he was in his first innings and at his absolute pomp, he was seriously unbeatable.”
Constitution Hill will be extremely cramped odds to dispatch of his Kempton rivals, with the Paul Nicholls-trained Rubaud seemingly his biggest threat.
The five-year-old is unbeaten in his last four starts, having landed the Dovecote at Kempton, the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr, a Listed prize at Kempton and the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton – but Nicholls is well aware his latest assignment is an extremely difficult one.
He told Betfair: “He is going to be an awesome chaser next season, but his form over hurdles is so progressive he deserves a shot at this Grade One prize.
“While he has won his last four starts I realise he probably faces an impossible task against Constitution Hill, but we are giving it a go and if he finishes second we will be delighted.”
Henderson has a second string to his bow in First Street, while Kerry Lee has declared both Nemean Lion and Black Poppy.
Alan King’s admirable veteran Sceau Royal completes the field.
Rangers beat Motherwell 2-0 at a wet and wild Fir Park and return to chasing the heels of cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.
Kieran Dowell started and finished the move for the opening goal in the fourth minute before fellow midfielder Todd Cantwell fired in a second after 16 minutes of a first half which should have brought more goals, but in a wind-affected encounter the early brace proved enough.
The Light Blues moved back to being two points behind their Old Firm rivals with a game in hand and now turn their focus to Ross County on Wednesday night, with the crucial encounter at Celtic Park on December 30 now looming large.
Philippe Clement has gone 16 games unbeaten since taking over from Michael Beale in October but, by contrast, the Steelmen have gone 15 games without a win and they remain five points ahead of second bottom Livingston.
Boss Stuart Kettlewell must wonder how and when they are going to turn it around as he prepares for the trip to Aberdeen in midweek.
An increasing injury list amid a hectic fixture schedule saw Clement make four changes, with Leon Balogun, Cantwell, Dujon Sterling and Cyriel Dessers returning with the home side unchanged.
It was a nightmare start for Kettlewell’s side who soon found themselves a goal down.
Dowell robbed Harry Paton at the edge of the Motherwell penalty area and played a one-two with Dessers before blasting the ball high past Well keeper Liam Kelly for his second goal for the Light Blues since signing in the summer from Norwich.
Well wobbled further when asked to defend.
Balogun headed a Ross McCausland cross over the bar from close range before Kelly made a save from a Connor Goldson header.
However, the second goal was on its way, arriving when left-back Ridvan Yilmaz’s cross into the box was controlled by Abdallah Sima with Cantwell running in to sweep the ball low past the diving Kelly.
A speculative drive from Callum Slattery which skipped past the Rangers goal was their only real response.
Dessers and Goldson both failed to finish from just yards out and Kelly saved a low drive from Dessers as Rangers sporadically threatened.
In the 35th minute, with the rain still cascading amid swirling wind, Dessers swung and missed the ball after Kelly had parried an angled-shot from McCausland.
Motherwell stuck to their considerable task but they could not get through to Gers keeper Jack Butland and it was Kelly who was called into action again just before the break, tipping a Cantwell drive over the bar, but the home side eventually emerged unscathed.
Motherwell, with Paul McGinn on for centre-back Bevis Mugabi, caused some problems for the Govan side at the start of the second half and Brodie Spencer headed wide from a Mika Biereth cross when he ought to have hit the target.
There was a Motherwell penalty shout in the 75th minute when Yilmaz bumped Spencer to the ground inside the Gers box but referee David Dickinson was unmoved and the Rangers escaped a melee in their penalty area moments later.
The home side’s fightback fizzled out.
Dessers had the ball in the Well net in the 82nd minute and again in stoppage time but was twice ruled offside, and there was also a VAR check for a possible penalty for handball in the Rangers box that came to nothing.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has played down fears of a left-back crisis after Kostas Tsimikas joined Andy Robertson on the injured list.
The Greece international broke his collarbone in the 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal after a challenge from Bukayo Saka saw him collide with his manager in the technical area before falling heavily.
With Robertson, who has been out since October with a dislocated shoulder which required surgery, still a few weeks away from returning, it leaves utility man Joe Gomez, the central defender who has been filling in at right-back to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a break, as the only realistic option.
Even left winger Luis Diaz, who has occupied the role this season as more of an attacking option when Liverpool were chasing the game, is an injury doubt after sustaining a knee problem against the Gunners.
The 18-year-old Luke Chambers has made Europa League and Carabao Cup appearances this season, but is unlikely to be given the responsibility at Burnley on Boxing Day, at home to Newcastle or in the FA Cup away to Arsenal, but may have to provide some support.
“Can Joe play all the games now until I don’t know when? I don’t know, we’ll have to see,” said Klopp.
“Robbo will be back (next month) and Kostas will be definitely out for a long while. I didn’t have time to think it through yet, but it is really tough for us now.
“You have injuries sometimes and you have to accept all of them, but a broken collarbone is really bad because it takes so long to heal.
“Robbo had a different injury, but it takes a long time to recover as well. We all know we need luck in these moments and now we have to just make sure we put Joey in cotton wool and make sure he is ready for the game.”
The injuries to Tsimikas and Diaz adds to an already lengthy list which includes Robertson, Joel Matip (ACL), Thiago Alcantara (hip), Diogo Jota (hamstring), Alexis Mac Allister (knee) and Stefan Bajcetic (calf).
Even with the January Premier League break, Liverpool still have at least seven matches – eight if they progress in the FA Cup – in the next month with a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham adding to the congestion at an already busy period.
But Klopp has increasingly fewer options to rotate and with Burnley buoyed by their win at Fulham, he knows he cannot afford to take their trip to Turf Moor lightly.
“I don’t need the Burnley result to understand their quality,” he added.
“Burnley could have easily had much more points because they had so many good spells in the games where they never saw the situation off, because of young players and some decisions.
“If they could finish these situations off they would definitely win more games. I respect Vinny (Vincent Kompany) a lot because he keeps pushing his idea through.
“I’m impressed with what they are doing and we know if you win once and are coming back to your home stadium you want to win again, and that is what we expect from them.”
Man of the moment Gavin Sheehan is keen to see if his Ladbrokes King George VI Chase mount Hewick has the required class to shake up the big guns at Kempton.
Sheehan has seen his career gather momentum following his link with Jamie Snowden and the pair have teamed up this season to win the Coral Gold Trophy through Datsalrightgino, with Sheehan also landing the December Gold Cup on Richard Hobson’s Fugitif.
Shark Hanlon’s Hewick was ridden to Galway Plate and American Grand National glory by Jordan Gainford, but he is currently on the sidelines with injury and while Rachael Blackmore partnered him to win at Sandown in April she is riding at Leopardstown.
After surveying his options for a few days, Hanlon sided with Sheehan and the jockey is looking forward to another big opportunity.
“He’s a nice ride to pick up. You are up against very good horses, but we are there to take our chance,” said Sheehan.
“He’s very much a people’s horse now isn’t he, and I’m looking forward to him.
“He’s got a little bit of toe, he’s run around a sharp, right-handed undulating track so a sharp flat track shouldn’t bother him and he’s got stamina as well.
“It’s just whether he’s got that class, that is what we need to find out.”
He added: “Shark is bullish, but he always is! He said the horse is in great form, he did a piece of work the other day and really surprised him.
“It’s a big race on a big day and a big ride for me – I’m looking forward to it.
“Things are going well, but you can’t count your chickens before they are hatched in this game – you just take each day as it comes.”
Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard will join the England coaching team for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Pollard becomes part of the England set-up specifically as an assistant coach for the June tournament.
The 36-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago will provide expertise of Caribbean conditions with the competition being co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
Former Somerset all-rounder Pollard helped the West Indies win the T20 World Cup in 2012 and has played a record 600-plus matches in the format.
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup will be held between June 4 and June 30 next year, with the final to be staged at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
England will defend the title they won for the second time in Australia 13 months ago in a tournament expanded from 16 to 20 teams.
Il Est Francais will bid for a milestone success for Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The five-year-old is trained in France by the young team and has been a true success story since joining the stable, running seven times at Auteuil and winning on all but one occasion.
Those victories include two Grade Threes and a Grade One, and most recently the gelding stepped up in trip to ease any doubts over his stamina when landing the Listed Prix Fondeur in heavy ground.
He now crosses the Channel to test his mettle against British-trained horses at Kempton, and George is hopeful he can make a mark.
“He’s got a very big reputation out here in France and we’re all just hoping he can show us a true running of his real ability,” the trainer said.
“It’s the first time he has travelled away from Auteuil obviously, but he is a horse who seems to adapt easily, so hopefully it won’t be a problem and he can show us how good he is.
“France Galop have been great and have accommodated us building British fences and they opened the grass gallop especially for us so he could do a grass gallop. He’s in great form and his prep has been perfect really and we can’t wait for it.
“It’s a bit of a dream and you grow up watching King George day at Kempton. I know it’s not the King George but it’s a Grade One on the same day and it would be a dream for myself and Amanda to win our first Grade One and if that was in England, then it would be amazing.”
Il Est Francais will face Paul Nicholls’ Hermes Allen in the contest, a Grade One-winning hurdler who made a perfect start to his chasing career when landing the John Francome Novices’ Chase by six and a half lengths on debut at Newbury at the start of the month.
He beat decent horses during that run and although this is a step up in class and distance, he does have three-mile point-to-point form on his side to answer the latter question.
“Hermes Allen hasn’t gone three miles yet under rules, but he has won his point-to-point over that distance and I’ve no issue with the trip at all,” Nicholls said.
“It will be exciting and he wants to be running in Grade Ones, as it was this time last year that he won the Challow Hurdle. He won well the other day having needed the run.
“I was delighted with him at Newbury and he couldn’t have done it any better. He jumped well and galloped well all the way to the line and he will improve for that run.”
Lucinda Russell will saddle Giovinco for the race, a six-year-old who made an impression on his last run when defeating the well-regarded Stay Away Fay in the Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown.
The gelding is a previous Listed winner over hurdles and has point-to-point form, but connections are mindful of the depth of the race this year.
Peter Scudamore, Russell’s partner and assistant, said: “It looks a very tough race but he’s highly rated and there’s not many places we can go.
“It looks a particularly good renewal of the race so we go in hope rather than expectation, but obviously we hope he runs a really nice race.
“He ran a good race at Sandown and he has a chance of improving a bit from there, so we go in hope.”
David Killahena and Graeme McPherson will saddle the grey Marble Sands for the race, with Emma Lavelle set to run Tightenourbelts and Anthony Honeyball represented by Kilbeg King.
Anthony Joshua moved closer to regaining a version of the world heavyweight title after his crushing win over Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia on Friday night.
Joshua, who has been without a belt since his loss to Oleksandr Usyk in October last year, dominated the 33-year-old Swede with a performance that suggested he is back to his destructive best.
Joshua had been slated to meet former champion Deontay Wilder in his next bout but, after the American was defeated by Joseph Parker, the Londoner’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed he will now target a fight against hard-hitting Croatian Filip Hrgovic.
Hrgovic is mandatory challenger for the IBF title currently held by Usyk, but the assumption is the Ukrainian will relinquish or lose the belt when he invokes a rematch clause following his undisputed fight against Tyson Fury in February.
Hearn said: “It was a tough decision between the championship and Deontay Wilder. We signed for Deontay Wilder but he lost tonight and maybe that’s a blessing, because really this guy is about championships.
“It’s going to be Hrgovic against AJ for the world title. I’m so happy to see him smiling and performing so well.
“He’s a dangerous man when he’s in that kind of mood, and 2024 is going to be very interesting and every heavyweight should be on notice – he’s back.”
Hrgovic, who needed less than two minutes to outclass Mark de Mori on the Riyadh undercard, has won all 17 of his professional fights, all but three inside the distance.
He is currently the mandatory challenger for a shot at the version of the belt held by Usyk, and must be given his shot within a time period that makes it impossible to fit in the prospective Fury-Usyk rematch.
Victory would make Joshua a three-time holder of a heavyweight title belt, having lost previous versions in defeat to Usyk and Andy Ruiz Jr.
Coming after back-to-back defeats to the Ukrainian, Joshua’s win over Wallin capped a satisfying 2023 in which he beat Jermaine Franklin Jr by unanimous decision in April before sealing a seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius in August.
While Joshua still has much to do to prove he belongs in the same category as Usyk and Fury, Hearn has no doubts that his win over Wallin will pave the way for him to prove himself as the division’s undisputed number one.
“They told me he’s back, that he’s destroying people in sparring, and I believe that this AJ is the best heavyweight in the world,” added Hearn.
“Otto Wallin is an excellent heavyweight, and he absolutely dispatched him. He broke him down and broke his nose – it was a stunning performance. In this mindset and with this team, I believe he is unbeatable, and 2024 is going to be a massive year for him.”
It could be a memorable Boxing Day for Paul Robson when he saddles Cannock Park in the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
The fledgling handler, once a member of the riding fraternity before injury forced him to quit the weighing room, has an interesting back-story and splits his time training a small string with duties in his undertaking business in the Scottish Borders.
Robson classes training great Henrietta Knight among his close circle of friends and in Cannock Park may have found just the horse to join his great mentor on the big stage.
After some encouraging runs in bumpers, the five-year-old landed a telling blow at Cheltenham on his hurdling bow and his trainer feels he is more than worthy of his place in this Grade One contest.
Robson said: “I think he deserves his shot and at the end of the day we’re taking a step up, but so is Nicky Henderson’s horse (Jango Baie), he has only run once over hurdles. We’re in the same boat as him and the only difference is we have some bumper experience behind us.
“I think he beat some nice horses at Cheltenham and I would like to see it softer but even if it is good ground, I don’t think it would bother him. We haven’t run him on anything other than soft or heavy ground, so if it is good, it will be interesting to see how he acts on it.
“Liverpool itself will definitely suit him and looking at the form of the race, it could be lively – as there are plenty of front-runners in there.
“It looks a proper Supreme trial and I’ve looked at the race two or three ways from the aspect of which would I like to be riding and, at this moment, I would still be quite happy to be on my own. He’s got a high cruising speed and he stays well.
“There is plenty of depth to the race. We’re all excited and we don’t for any second feel we shouldn’t be in it, anyway. We’re there to give it a go and he will be going there as well as we have ever had him, so there are no excuses.”
Henderson has voiced his displeasure that this newly created race has replaced the Tolworth Hurdle but he could be the first to get his name on the roll of honour with the aforementioned Jango Baie.
The four-year-old just held on to register a nose victory over Tellherthename after the duo had a ding-dong battle up the Ascot straight and both are fancied to be thereabouts in this high-class event.
Henderson told Unibet: “The form of his Ascot win has worked out nicely, and while he takes on Ben Pauling’s horse again, I’d like to think our lad has come on for that first run.
“He handles the ground and could be quite an exciting prospect. Put it this way, we’ll know where he is in the pecking order after this.”
Since finishing second in that Ascot contest, Ben Pauling’s Tellherthename has bolted up at Huntingdon, with subsequent winners galore among the beaten horses.
“He’s a lovely horse with a lot of natural speed,” said Pauling.
“The Huntingdon race looked just a run-of-the-mill race in my eyes, and I expected him to win and he did win very nicely, but actually the form has worked out very well.
“The second (Lucky Place) came out and won by 13 lengths at Doncaster, the fifth (Soigneux Bell) has won by 11 lengths at Fontwell and the seventh (West Warhorse) has won by 16 lengths at Fakenham.
“He improved a lot from his first run, when he met Jango Baie, and he does seem to be in particularly good form with himself.
“I think he’s a very exciting horse for the future, we couldn’t be any happier with him at home and I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on.
“It’s nice to see a proper Grade One contested by some nice, young horses.”
It was a novice hurdler that provided Fergal O’Brien with his first Grade One victory and now Kamsinas bids to another top-level strike, hot on the heels of the yard’s thrilling Long Walk Hurdle triumph with Crambo at Ascot on Saturday.
Whereas Poetic Rhythm’s 2017 Challow Hurdle success was built on pure stamina, O’Brien’s latest model possesses plenty of speed and showed lots of class when tasting Grade Two glory at Haydock last month, where he accounted for the reopposing Making Headway.
“We’ve loved him from day one,” said O’Brien. “He won his bumper for us and has done very little wrong since. He’s training very well and we’re really, really happy with him.
“He won his novice hurdle at Worcester and he won a Grade Two at Haydock and he deserves to take his chance.
“He’s a lovely stamp of a horse and we’re really looking forward to him. Fingers crossed he can run well.”
Gordon Elliott’s Farren Glory tasted Royal Bond success earlier this month and sets a high standard making the trip over from Ireland, while there is an international feel to the event with the addition of French raider July Flower, who will be ridden by Felix de Giles for handler Mickael Seror.
Nicky Richards’ Florida Dreams got off the mark over hurdles at Ayr recently and will seek his second big victory at the Merseyside track, having claimed the Grade Two bumper there in the spring.
Chepstow scorer Jackpot D’Athou represents Paul Nicholls, while Alan King’s Favour And Fortune has already struck at Hereford and Wetherby over timber.
Arsenal defender Ben White has hailed the influence centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel are having on the Gunners’ season.
The form of the pair has helped Arsenal to the top of the table with the joint-best defensive record and although they did not manage to keep out Liverpool, with whom they share the record, the security they offered gave the visitors the confidence to take a positive approach in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Anfield.
A week ago a struggling Manchester United side left Liverpool with a point after a dour defensive display in which the home side had 34 attempts on goal.
By contrast Arsenal restricted Liverpool to 13, the same as they had themselves.
“They are unbelievable together. They are so strong and powerful. They make it easier for everyone around them,” White said of the centre-back pair.
“They just don’t do too much wrong, do they? They are so consistent every game.
“No one is dominating them speed-wise or strength-wise. It’s hard for strikers to come up against and find anything positive to come out of the game.”
Arsenal also benefited from their willingness to take the game to Liverpool, who had won 11 in a row at home before the United draw.
“I think when you come here it’s so, so tough and to come away with a point is probably a positive,” added White.
“That’s what we have got now, we are such a positive team. We wanted to come here and win, and I think you see that from our performance.”
LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points as the Los Angeles Lakers ended their four-game losing run against the Oklahoma City Thunder, then hailed a big win for a team which had found themselves in "desperate times".
The Lakers struggled for form in the aftermath of winning the inaugural NBA in-season tournament earlier this month, losing four in a row ahead of Saturday's trip to Paycom Center.
That slide led Anthony Davis to describe the game as a "must win" for the Lakers, and they held off a late Thunder resurgence to improve to 16-14 with a 129-120 triumph,
James was 13 of 20 from the field throughout a dominant performance, hitting five three-pointers without missing while also adding seven rebounds and seven assists.
Speaking after the game, the NBA's all-time leading scorer said: "We needed this win. We didn't want to end the road trip on a losing effort.
"We came here on a tough back-to-back, started the game well then just lost energy, ran out of steam.
"This was one of the first must-win games of the season for us. We understand how well this team had been playing, but we were able to play a really good game."
On his own 40-point haul, the 75th of his storied career, James said: "It helped us get this win versus a good team in the Western Conference, one that we really needed.
"We were desperate for this win and desperate times call for desperate measures.
"To know I can go out and still make game-winning plays, can affect the game in multiple ways and can still close out a game in the fourth quarter when our team needed it… it's always a good feeling, for sure."
The Thunder had trailed by 26 points but cut that deficit to eight midway through the fourth quarter, only for James to score 11 points in the final four minutes and 30 seconds to get Los Angeles over the line.
The result dropped the Thunder to 18-9, though they still sit third in the Western Conference and coach Mark Daigneault expects them to learn from the defeat.
"They came out like a team that was desperate for a win," Daigneault said of the Lakers. "I didn't think we came out poor or sloppy or soft or anything like that.
"We just didn't amp it up to the level that we needed to, in that first half especially. We allowed them to get into a groove.
"I thought that was really the game right there. So it's a good lesson for us."
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