Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool's defeat at Nottingham Forest was inexplicable as he condemned the finishing by his players at the City Ground.
After back-to-back 1-0 wins over Manchester City and West Ham in the Premier League, Liverpool went down by the same scoreline on Saturday, with former Anfield reserve Taiwo Awoniyi getting the only goal.
Klopp pointed the finger of blame at Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk for spurning great chances, as the Merseyside club lost to a team who began the day at the foot of the table.
A third league loss in their opening 11 games was a jolt for a Liverpool team who had been looking to close an early-season gap to the top four.
"The performance I can kind of explain, the result not," Klopp told BT Sport. "I never saw a game where one team has four or five no-brainers from a set-piece, where we have to finish it off.
"The way they defend, we were perfectly prepared for that. We had always a free player: Bobby in the first half, Virgil two or three times – they have to put the game to bed."
Forest's goal also came from a free-kick, with Awoniyi firing in from close range after Liverpool gave away the set-piece near the halfway line, described as "a big mistake" from his players by Klopp.
"Apart from that, all the chances they had we gave them, because we kept playing the wrong passes in the centre," Klopp said.
"Result-wise, we should have showed consistency today. Result-wise, we could have had it by finishing the situations off."
Regarding Forest, Klopp was frugal in his appreciation, saying: "Giving a team six clear-cut chances after a set-piece, I am not sure where I should put the praise on.
"They're a great team and Steve [Cooper] is a fantastic manager, but for us we had to win here. We didn't, so credit to him and Nottingham.
"In the situations, it was us against the goalie or us against ourselves, and not us against Nottingham Forest, because nobody defended Bobby in these moments and nobody defended Virgil in these moments.
"They were just free, but we didn't use it, so if we used all of them you would be asking a different question."
Match-winner Awonyi revelled in giving Forest a second league win of the campaign.
He said: "I think it's a good game for my team. We had a plan to play compact and at the end to find a way to get a goal. At the end we won and I'm very happy about it.
"I'm honoured to get a game against Liverpool because they brought me to football. They signed me when I was 18. It was an emotional game for me. As a team we stick together as our own family, and we have to thank the fans. We just have to keep on going."
Man of the match Ryan Yates, a key figure in Forest's midfield, said: "It's what we needed. We've been putting in good performances in recent weeks and not been getting the results we wanted, but we thoroughly deserved that today.
"It's got to be [a turning point]. We've got to build on this. If we can beat Liverpool, we can beat anyone."
Taiwo Awoniyi's goal handed Nottingham Forest a famous Premier League win over Liverpool at the City Ground, as last season's runners-up saw their dismal away form continue.
Jurgen Klopp's side struggled to carve out openings in an even opening period and fell behind when former Liverpool youngster Awoniyi tapped home his third Premier League goal shortly after half-time.
Virgil van Dijk went closest to equalising for desperate Liverpool, who have failed to win a single away league game this season after once again falling short of last term's lofty standards.
While the result lifted Forest off the foot of the table, it left Liverpool 11 points adrift of leaders Arsenal, dealing another blow to the Reds' increasingly forlorn title hopes.
Dean Henderson stood firm to deny Fabio Carvalho from a tight angle as Liverpool controlled possession early on, before Roberto Firmino headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner.
Forest grew into the contest as the half progressed, though both Cheikhou Kouyate and Jesse Lingard failed to seriously test Alisson from promising positions.
The Reds' below-par performance continued after the break and they were duly punished by Awoniyi after 55 minutes.
The Nigeria striker initially prodded Steve Cook's right-wing delivery against the right-hand post but was on hand to convert the rebound, sending the City Ground into raptures.
Henderson denied Liverpool a quickfire equaliser when he turned Harvey Elliott's powerful effort away from the top-right corner.
Forest were indebted to Henderson once more when the Manchester United loanee stopped Van Dijk's point-blank header in stoppage time, before Brennan Johnson clipped the post with Alisson up the other end during a frantic finish.
Cristiano Ronaldo's refusal to come on for Manchester United against Tottenham was wrong, but Erik ten Hag is to blame for the Portuguese striker's awkward situation, according to Rio Ferdinand.
Ronaldo walked down the tunnel before full-time in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Tottenham, a game in which United produced arguably their finest performance in more than a year.
Ten Hag vowed to "deal with" Ronaldo the following day and United subsequently released a statement confirming the 37-year-old was to be dropped for Saturday's trip to Chelsea as a consequence of his behaviour.
Around a similar time, media reports suggested Ronaldo also refused to come on against Spurs, with Ten Hag confirming that to be the case in Friday's pre-match press conference.
It was the latest example of Ronaldo's future being called into question under Ten Hag; he did not go on United's pre-season tour for personal reasons shortly after it was claimed he wanted to leave for Champions League football, and then he was one of several players to leave Old Trafford early during a friendly against Rayo Vallecano.
The Portugal forward has also routinely looked off the pace when used by Ten Hag this term, yet his former United colleague Ferdinand – who considers himself a "mate" of Ronaldo – says the manager is the issue.
"I wouldn't have been happy as a player," Ferdinand told BT Sport.
"Ronaldo mentioned he would have handled things differently. Any emotions attached to it; it takes control. I probably would have been in the queue asking him about it.
"There's always another side to it. When you're dealing with Cristiano Ronaldo, he's Ronaldo. The way of treating him is different to everybody else.
"Communication. That's probably the first time in his life where that's not upheld by the manager.
"I'm not saying he was right but there are special players sometimes in a squad that things work differently for.
"It's important for the team to see that he is communicated with. He's 37. He probably needs that more than ever."
It was put to Ferdinand that the manager's decision should be final and respected, but again the former centre-back questioned Ten Hag's communication, suggesting the situation was simmering after Ronaldo was only introduced as a late substitute in the recent 6-3 defeat to Manchester City.
"I'm preparing myself to play games, communicate that [only playing a few minutes] to me," he continued.
"It was disrespectful to bring [Ronaldo] on against Man City for a few minutes. Foresee this happening before it happens. With the way it's panned out, you can see how a player can react.
"He's my mate, I want him to do well, but I would be on to [Ten Hag] and say, 'What are you doing?'
"If communication isn't there, problems arise."
Fabio Quartararo cannot conceive a strategy for starting the Malaysian Grand Prix from 12th after a dramatic qualifying session saw Jorge Martin claim pole.
Defending MotoGP champion Quartararo trails Francesco Bagnaia by 14 points in the standings, which he once led by 91 points, with two races to go.
Bagnaia could claim a first world championship this weekend, and Monster Energy Yamaha's Quartararo did not help hopes of denying his rival as he could only manage a best lap of one minute and 59.215 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit.
Yet the damage for Quartararo was limited as Ducati rider Bagnaia and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, who is third in the title race and not yet out of the mix, both crashed.
Bagnaia will start ninth while Espargaro, who trails the Italian by 27 points, joins Quartararo and 2020 champion Joan Mir on the fourth row of the grid in 10th.
Martin claimed a second successive pole and his fourth of the season with a lap record of 1:57.790. The Pramac rider has not won this season despite his strong qualifying efforts.
Enea Bastianini starts second for Gresini, with six-time world champion Marc Marquez third for Repsol Honda.
“I think starting from P12, you have no strategy," Quartararo said. "The strategy is to try to go as fast as possible, and then see how it's going. But I think there is not a specific strategy."
Quartararo crashed in FP4, suffering a fractured middle finger, but denied that hindered him in qualifying or that he was feeling the pressure of a title defence.
"In the qualifying it [the finger] was not a problem,” Quartararo added.
"Maybe I was not as focused or I don't know, but the first run is something I still don't understand.
"To be honest I don't really feel the pressure, but it's really strange how we are having these last races
"I don’t know if we work in the correct way or not, but we are missing many things and maybe we should do something different. But really strange last races."
CLASSIFICATION
1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) 1:57.790
2. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) + 0.456
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) + 0.664
4. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) + 0.700
5. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.785
6. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing) + 0.789
7. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) + 0.864
8. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.976
9. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) + 1.072
10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 1.145
11. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) + 1.355
12. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +1.425
Karim Benzema faces time on the Real Madrid sidelines after the Ballon d'Or winner was revealed to be suffering with muscular fatigue in his left leg.
With one month to go until France begin their World Cup campaign against Australia, the news of Benzema's exertions taking their toll may be of some concern to Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps.
For now, there is no suggestion Benzema will not be fit to play a full role in the Qatar 2022 tournament, but the injury announcement is a reminder all players are susceptible amid a packed fixture schedule for Europe's top clubs.
A Madrid club statement read: "Following tests carried out today on Karim Benzema by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with muscular fatigue in the quadricep muscle of his left leg. His recovery will be monitored."
Reports in Spain said that, as well as missing Saturday's game against Sevilla, Benzema was also expected to be absent for the Champions League fixture at RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
However, Benzema could be back for the LaLiga clash with Girona on Sunday, October 30, sports daily Marca reported.
Benzema won the Ballon d'Or for his feats last season, when his 44 goals in 46 games helped Madrid triumph in LaLiga and the Champions League.
He scored in last Sunday's 3-1 win over Barcelona as Madrid went clear at the top of the Spanish top flight, before netting again on Wednesday in the 3-0 victory at Elche, where he played the full 90 minutes.
Devon Conway's majestic 92 not out and a superb raft of bowling performances helped New Zealand inflict a shock rout upon Australia with an 89-run win in their T20 World Cup opener in Sydney.
Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee returned terrific figures in a superb performance to leave the hosts stunned in the first match of the Super 12 stage at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
For the Black Caps, it was a performance to emphatically banish the ghosts of last year's final in the United Arab Emirates, where they buckled against a destructive Baggy Green performance led by Mitchell Marsh.
Here, they clocked a near-perfect start, with opener Finn Allen lashing a destructive 42 off 16 balls before Conway took command following the former's dismissal by Josh Hazlewood through the off-stump.
The wicket-keeper's shrewd knock pushed them to 200-3, setting Australia a difficult target to chase down - and swift dismissals for David Warner, Aaron Finch and Marsh, to reduce them to 34-3, effectively stymied their response.
From there, New Zealand effectively mopped up, working their way through the tail - and when Pat Cummins skied Southee at the start of the 18th over, an easy catch ensured a 111 all out demolition to get their tournament off to a flyer.
Conway throws down marker to rivals
The pyrotechnic performance of Allen came to an end with a choice ball from Hazlewood, the best of the Australia bowlers, but it was Conway's steady presence that built the bedrock.
Left-hander Conway carried the bat through a sumptuous 58-ball innings that included seven fours and two sixes. It is his third half-century in his last five T20I matches - few players are in finer form.
Hosts humbled in poor start
Having downed the Black Caps to crown themselves champions a year ago, this was a performance without bark and bite from Australia.
It is early doors in this competition, but in a group that also contains an England side in rich form, it is a result that could have seismic ramifications for their title defence.
Although Tyson Fury's proposed bout with Anthony Joshua appears to be dead in the water, the latter remains in the WBC heavyweight champion's head.
That is according to Fury's next opponent, Derek Chisora.
The Gypsy King will defend his title against Chisora on December 3 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what will be the third fight between the pair.
Fury beat Chisora when they first met in 2011, before also defeating him almost eight years ago.
A deal recently seemed to have been reached for Fury to face Joshua, with both parties appearing optimistic about contracts being signed.
However, after missing a deadline imposed by Fury, the champion's camp called negotiations off and instead turned attention to a bout against Chisora.
Despite being the new contender, Chisora has claimed Fury is unable to take his focus off Joshua, and defended AJ's decision not to sign the deal.
"AJ is living in Tyson's head rent-free," Chisora said. "Tyson wakes up every day thinking about AJ and cannot do an interview without mentioning AJ.
"AJ is off living his life, doing his own thing. I don't know why Tyson keeps talking about AJ.
"AJ could not take the fight because there were so many complications with sponsors and promoters.
"The fighters always want to fight, just fight, but the complications come from the business people around them who get in the way."
The Denver Broncos have listed quarterback Russell Wilson as questionable for their Week 7 meeting with the New York Jets.
Wilson injured his hamstring during the Broncos' 19-16 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, a game in which the 33-year-old started brightly before Denver collapsed.
Wilson finished the first quarter with a perfect 10 completions, including a touchdown, but completed just five of his subsequent 18 passes as the Chargers fought back.
Things then went from bad to worse for the Broncos as Wilson confirmed he had played through the pain barrier after straining his hamstring in the latter stages of the game.
On Friday, the Broncos listed Wilson as questionable for the clash with the Jets, while head coach Nathaniel Hackett said the team will make a "game-time decision" on his involvement.
Wilson was already managing a shoulder injury sustained in the Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and has been seen wearing a wrap under his pads in recent outings.
The Broncos enter their meeting with the Jets with a 2-4 record for the season, with nine-time Pro Bowl QB Wilson completing just 58.6 per cent of his passes since arriving in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
Former Brazil forward Ronaldo admits he would "love" to see Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti take the reins of the Selecao, stating it would be a "historic" move.
With the Qatar 2022 World Cup set to start next month, Tite's side are bidding to break a two-decade European hold on the sport's greatest prize, led by talents such as Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo.
But regardless of their ultimate tournament performance, the 61-year-old's tenure in charge could well be coming to an end, with pundits floating the Manchester City and Real Madrid bosses as potential successors.
In a country where the national team has always been led by a native, there is significant pushback to the suggestion of an outsider - but Ronaldo believes it could prove a watershed moment for the Selecao.
"I would love it," Brazil great Ronaldo told The Guardian. "A European not just with the Brazilian national team but the entire Brazilian football industry.
"A Pep or an Ancelotti could be historic, it could change our history for 100 years."
Brazil last won the World Cup at Korea-Japan 2002, and entered the 2014 edition - which they hosted - as home favourites, before a stunning 7-1 semi-final collapse against Germany.
As a squad headlined by Neymar - who is closing in on Pele's Selecao goalscoring record - prepares for their latest tilt however, Ronaldo sees no reason why they cannot break their barren run this time around.
"There's been a European dominance," he acknowledged. "France, Spain and Germany are always there. England produced a great Euros [campaign].
"But Argentina have gone 35 unbeaten. Brazil look very good, although that doesn’t count for anything.
"In Brazil, we want to win. Let's see what Tite does. He has options up front, very good ones.
"Vinícius has to start – he would start in any team in the world. On the right, Raphinha is playing incredibly, but we have Rodrygo, who would get in anywhere. Then there's Neymar. He's got the desire."
Reece James has described the knee injury that threatens to rule him out of the World Cup as "devastating", but says he will do everything in his power to feature in Qatar.
The right-back sustained the injury in Chelsea's Champions League win at Milan last week, and was ruled out for eight weeks after seeing a specialist.
If James were to miss the tournament, it would represent a severe blow for England manager Gareth Southgate, who is facing the prospect of a selection crisis on the right of his defence.
Manchester City's Kyle Walker is also battling to be fit after suffering an abdominal injury earlier this month, while Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under fire for his recent performances.
However, Chelsea boss Graham Potter said last week that James would "fight" to return in time for the tournament, and the defender has now made a similar pledge.
"It's obviously devastating and you know the World Cup is only a month away," James said on his YouTube channel. "As a kid, growing up, I always wanted to go and this is my first opportunity.
"I'll do everything I can to try to be there, but I'm obviously devastated. Just [the] injury came at the wrong time. But every day, we need to be grateful and thankful.
"I'll keep you updated with what's happening on a day-to-day basis, and I'll touch base soon."
England begin their World Cup campaign in less than a month's time, facing Iran in their Group B opener on November 21.
Lisandro Martinez believes Manchester United are on track to compete for honours under Erik ten Hag, but says the Red Devils must remain grounded following their turnaround in fortunes.
United began the campaign with humiliating back-to-back losses to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford, but have won six of their eight subsequent Premier League fixtures to sit fifth in the table.
Ten Hag's team could now leapfrog Chelsea into a top-four spot when they face the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, having won three of their last four away league games.
United claimed one of their most impressive results of the season last time out, as goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes downed Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford, and Martinez says that display was the culmination of much work from Ten Hag's team.
Asked whether Wednesday's win represented their best performance of the season, Martinez told Sky Sports: "I think so. We did a great job.
"We controlled the game, the whole 90 minutes. I think they had only one chance in the first half and then we were solid in defence.
"I am really happy because we tried really hard to play at this level. We want to play this way. It is fantastic to do it."
Martinez was heavily criticised for his own role in United's early-season woes, with detractors suggesting the Argentina international did have the necessary physical attributes to thrive in England.
But the former Ajax man stressed the importance of remaining calm as he added: "Sometimes we have to be patient, you know. Especially in the beginning, we know that we did not play how we wanted.
"But it is part of football, we learn. It is experience. We have a new team, a new system. Now we have to keep going.
"It is difficult. Especially in football, you don't have time. If you lose you are a really bad player or a really bad team. But we know what we are. We have to be calm, we have to be patient, and always try hard.
"For sure, our ambition is to win titles, to put Manchester United where they deserve [to be].
"I think we are in a good way to do it. But we have to keep our feet on the ground, we have to be humble and take it step by step."
Martinez was also asked to name his defensive role model, and selected another fiery Argentine, one who participated in a Premier League title win with United in the 2006-07 season.
"Gabriel Heinze is my idol," Martinez added. "I love him. I love the way he played, very aggressive, good mentality, good mentality in the duels.
"[He played] every game as a final. He was a top player. I try to play like him. We are a bit different as well, but I like his mentality."
United are bidding to improve on a poor record at Stamford Bridge – their 20 per cent win rate (6/30) in away Premier League games against Chelsea is their worst record against any side they have faced more than twice on the road.
England will face Denmark, China and an as-yet undecided qualifier at next year's Australia/New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup, as holders the United States face fellow 2019 finalists the Netherlands.
The Lionesses, heading into their first major tournament since claiming Euro 2022 glory on home turf, will compete in Group D following Saturday's draw in Auckland.
Sarina Wiegman's side will meet fellow UEFA outfit Denmark alongside Asian Cup holders China, plus one of Chile, Senegal or Haiti, who are due to complete their qualification battle in February next year.
All eyes will be on Group E however, where the USWNT will meet Wiegman's old team once more, four years on from defeating them in the final at France 2019.
They are joined by Vietnam, as well as another unknown qualifier who will be confirmed at the start of next year.
Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland face hosts Australia in Group B, along with Canada and Nigeria, while co-hosts New Zealand take on Norway, Switzerland and the Philippines in Group A.
Japan, finalists in 2015, have been pitted against Spain, Zambia and Costa Rica in Group C, while France, Jamaica and Brazil - alongside the third and final remaining qualifier - make up an intriguing Group F.
Sweden, downed by England in the Euro 2020 semi-finals earlier this year, headline Group G alongside South Africa, Italy and Argentina. Germany are in Group H with Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.
The tournament begins on July 20 next year, before reaching its climax with the final at Sydney's Stadium Australia four weeks later on August 20.
Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins will miss up to six weeks of action following knee surgery.
The 23-year-old, who was the 55th overall pick for the Ravens in the 2020 draft, missed the whole of the 2021 season after suffering a knee injury in his team's final preseason game.
Dobbins returned to action in Week 3 of the 2022 campaign against the New England Patriots, and has played four games in all, scoring a touchdown in the 23-20 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.
However, he did not practice all week after not playing in the second half of the 24-20 defeat at the New York Giants in Week 6.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Dobbins will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the next few days that will keep him out for "four to six weeks".
The 3-3 Ravens, who face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, will have to turn to Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill over the next few weeks to maintain their impressive running game, spearheaded by quarterback Lamar Jackson, who himself has rushed for 451 yards in six games this season.
Baltimore rank seventh in the NFL for rushing yards (934) but are first for average yards (5.95).
Cristiano Ronaldo remains "an important part" of Erik ten Hag's plans at Manchester United and the Dutchman hopes he can "count on him" through the rest of the season.
The forward is absent for Saturday's Premier League clash against Chelsea after he was dropped for disciplinary reasons following his refusal to come on as a substitute during Wednesday's 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Ronaldo left the game early, heading down the Old Trafford tunnel before the final whistle, echoing his pre-season actions when he departed a friendly with Rayo Vallecano before the end.
Speaking ahead of his side's trip to the Blues, Ten Hag stressed it would be a one-and-done sanction for the Portugal forward and that he believes he can rely on the veteran across the remainder of the campaign.
"It is for this game and then we continue," he stated.. "I am open to that. For me, it is a strike.
"What we said in the statement is that Cristiano remains an important part of the squad and I count on him for the rest of the season. We want to fulfil our ambitions.
"What I said is I don't want to miss him. I want him to be in the squad and be involved for every game because he has an impact."
However, Ten Hag felt Ronaldo must accept the consequence of his actions, regardless of his standing within the sport.
"He has to be aware that you get justified [judged] by the moment and how you are acting today," he added.
"In top sport, it is about today -- it is not about age or reputation. When you have top sport, you get justified and judged by the moment and how you act.
"That is normal. Everyone has to be aware of it and not just Cristiano. We have to be aware of it as a team, a manager and a club."
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