Steven Naismith heaped praise on “lethal finisher” Lawrence Shankland after the talismanic striker’s 50th goal for Hearts secured a 1-0 away win over St Johnstone.
The 28-year-old, who joined from Belgian club Beerschot in the summer of 2022, has taken just over one-and-a-half seasons to bring up his half-century in maroon.
“He is at the peak of his career, his numbers are the best of his career,” said manager Naismith after Shankland’s McDiarmid Park strike.
“That’s partly down to him and the team, he’s a lethal finisher. He’s got the finesse and the touch to take his chances when they come along.
“He’s showed why he’s the best striker in the league. He’s driven, he’s got drive – he’s got the Euros (in the summer with Scotland), he’s hunting down top goalscorers.
“He’s in a good moment and as a group we’re in a good moment.”
Victory in Perth kept the in-form Jambos 12 points clear in the fight for third place in the cinch Premiership. It was their sixth win in a row in all competitions and their 12th in 15 league games since the start of November.
“I think it was deserved,” said Naismith of the hard-fought win. “I think there was a level of respect shown the way they set up with the low block.
“It was up to us to break that down and stay solid, but we created some good chances.
“We needed to move the ball quickly in the second half and once we got the goal we controlled the game.
“We have been good at working it out, understanding what’s working and what’s not.
“What we need to add now is more goals, but it’s a good place to be winning these games.”
St Johnstone manager Craig Levein – a two-time former Hearts boss – took encouragement from the way his side competed against the form team in the country.
“I was really pleased with our performance, we matched Hearts in every department,” he said.
“They are by far the third best team in the country but I was pleased to see us play some good football.
“I thought we had possession for long periods and that pleased me.
“The fact we lost 1-0 to a good Hearts side, with Lawrence Shankland scoring a goal that I don’t think anyone else on the field would have a chance of scoring, the way we played pleases me.
“I thought we were in it for long periods and our goalkeeper had very little to do.”
Former Scotland manager Levein believes Shankland – who has not always been guaranteed a place in Steve Clarke’s squads – deserves to go to this summer’s European Championship with the national team.
“I don’t think anyone would say he doesn’t, his record speaks for itself,” said Levein.
“In a lot of games this season he’s been the difference for Hearts. I’m a big admirer.”
Matt Turner came good for Nottingham Forest as he was the hero in an FA Cup fourth-round replay penalty shoot-out win against Bristol City which set up a mouth-watering tie with Manchester United.
Turner has made several high-profile mistakes in recent weeks which saw boss Nuno Espirito Santo sign a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window.
But the United States international kept Bristol City at bay throughout 120 minutes and then saved Sam Bell’s spot-kick as Forest won the shoot-out 5-3 after the tie had ended 1-1.
Divock Origi’s first goal for Forest since his summer move from AC Milan had given them an early lead but the spirited Championship side troubled their Premier League hosts throughout and levelled through Jason Knight.
They could have won the tie in both normal time and extra time had it not been for Turner, who pulled off a string of saves throughout the night.
Forest’s reward is a fifth-round match against Manchester United at the City Ground in three weeks, though they will have to improve immeasurably considering they have laboured past League One Blackpool in the third round and now the second-tier Robins.
Forest, who made eight changes from the side that drew at Bournemouth in the league on Sunday, had designs on an easy night when they took an eighth-minute lead.
Morgan Gibbs-White forced Max O’Leary into a stunning one-handed save down to his right, but from the resulting corner Origi glanced home to break his Forest duck.
However, it quickly became apparent that a long night was in store as the Robins levelled six minutes later.
Turner tipped Andy King’s shot from distance on to one post, the ball rolled across the line and hit the other post, where Haydon Roberts collected it and teed up Knight to tap into an empty net.
Turner then had to get down well to save Anis Mehmeti’s effort and did even better to keep out Tommy Conway’s low shot as Forest were on the rack.
Mehmeti had another effort saved by Turner early in the second half as the Forest goalkeeper was kept busy.
Forest sent on Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi to try and wrestle control of the game.
And they began to build some pressure in the final 10 minutes.
Nuno Tavares saw a drilled effort parried by O’Leary before Hudson-Odoi teed up Neco Williams but he shot just wide as the game went to an additional period.
Both sides had chances in extra time as the impenetrable Turner again denied Mehmeti with a stretching save while Moussa Niakhate sent a free header wide.
It was the Championship side who were pushing for a winner in the second half of extra time as Nahki Wells was somehow denied on the line after a good move down the left while Matty James whistled a shot over from a corner.
But the game was decided from the penalty spot and Turner denied Bell, which allowed Awoniyi to fire home the winning kick.
Second-half goals from Mikael Mandron and Toyosi Olusanya helped 10-man St Mirren to a 2-0 home win over Dundee in the cinch Premiership.
James Bolton was sent off for the home side late on after Mandron had put them in front but the visitors could not capitalise on the man advantage and conceded a second goal to Olusanya late on.
The victory extended fifth-placed Saints’ advantage over Dundee to nine points albeit having played a game more.
Manager Stephen Robinson went with the same starting line-up that thrashed Hibernian 3-0 at the weekend, with returning Australia international Keanu Baccus named among their substitutes.
Dundee, in turn, made just one change from their defeat to Hearts, with former Saints striker Curtis Main replacing Amadou Bakayoko in attack.
Kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes after the Dundee team bus was caught in traffic on their way to the stadium from their hotel.
It was the home side who had the first real chance, with Mandron’s turn and shot well off target.
Elvis Bwomono then unleashed a long-range effort that similarly flew over the crossbar.
Dundee responded with a Jordan McGhee header that was also off target before Trevor Carson was the first goalkeeper called into action to save Mandron’s low effort at the other end.
Alex Gogic then came close to opening the scoring with a flicked header from Greg Kiltie’s corner but it drifted just wide of the far post.
James Scott launched a shot that nearly sailed over the stand as St Mirren turned up the pressure without giving the Dundee defence too much to worry about.
The visitors almost forged in front on a counter-attack following a St Mirren corner.
Luke McCowan sent Owen Beck running clear from just outside the Dundee box but he was tracked all the way by Hyeok-kyu Kwon, on loan from Celtic, who did well to block the Liverpool loanee’s shot. Beck then pulled his second effort wide.
Saints had the first chance of the second half but Bolton’s header from Caolan Boyd-Munce’s corner lacked the power to beat Carson.
Gogic then headed wide from Kiltie’s free-kick before Baccus’ drive from the edge of the penalty box touched the top of the crossbar before going over.
St Mirren’s pressure finally told after 73 minutes when they went ahead. Mandron’s strike looked to be covered by Carson but the Northern Irishman could only push his shot into the net.
Mandron then passed up a gilt-edged chance to double the home side’s lead before substitute Lewis Jamieson saw his low driven shot well saved by Carson and Kiltie blazed an effort wide at the far post.
St Mirren played out the last five minutes with 10 men after Bolton was sent off for a heavy tackle on Owen Dodgson before Olusanya sprang the Dundee offside trap to score their second goal in stoppage time.
Kylian Mbappe put speculation over his future to one side to fire Paris St Germain into the Coupe de France quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Brest.
Talk over a potential move to Real Madrid this summer has again intensified in recent days, but Mbappe grabbed his sixth goal in this competition and took his overall tally for the season to 30 with a 34th-minute opener.
Danilo Pereira doubled PSG’s advantage soon after and while Steve Mounie reduced the deficit with 65 minutes played, Lilian Brassier received his marching moments later for Brest before substitute Goncalo Ramos sealed the hosts’ success in stoppage time.
Brest had fought back to earn a 2-2 draw at Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 last month, but PSG were boosted by the return of Achraf Hakimi after his Africa Cup of Nations disappointment with Morocco.
Luis Enrique shuffled his pack with Danilo, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola brought into the team from Friday’s league win over Strasbourg, which extended their lead at the summit to eight points.
Visiting Brest started strongly and they forced a number of corners during the opening exchanges before Gianluigi Donnarumma made a fine save to deny Hugo Magnetti.
It was to prove crucial with Mbappe able to open the scoring moments later.
Warren Zaire-Emery played a key role, nipping in to find Mbappe, who turned in the area and sent a powerful strike into the corner.
PSG were in the ascendancy and it was 2-0 with eight minutes of the first half remaining.
Dembele did well out wide and crossed in for centre-back Danilo to tap home from close-range.
It was almost three for the hosts before the break but Mbappe thundered an effort against the crossbar following a slick break and Dembele then hit a post from a tight angle.
Those squandered chances kept Brest in the contest and a double change by Eric Roy helped the away side reduce the deficit.
Romain Del Castillo and Mathias Pereira Lage were introduced on the hour mark and the latter quickly made his mark when his cross was headed home by Mounie with 65 minutes on the clock.
Any chance Brest had of restoring parity were hit when Brassier received a second yellow for a poor challenge on Mbappe, who was able to carry on after some treatment.
Mbappe went close to securing the victory with two late efforts, which were saved by Gregoire Coudert before PSG did grab a third.
While Mbappe was involved, it was Hakimi who played the telling pass to the back post where substitute Ramos tapped home in the second minute of stoppage time to book PSG’s place in the last eight.
Adam Idah netted two penalties on his first Celtic start as a stoppage-time VAR decision at Easter Road earned the Irishman the chance to make himself an instant hero.
Idah secured a 2-1 victory over Hibernian after Joe Newell was adjudged to have fouled Kyogo Furuhashi just after the Celtic substitute shot into David Marshall’s arms from 18 yards.
Referee Nick Walsh made the call after being called to his monitor by video assistant Andrew Dallas as the Japanese striker hobbled to his feet.
Idah also netted a 10th-minute penalty, which came at a heavy price as Alistair Johnston was carried off on a stretcher.
The game was a tight affair until Dylan Levitt volleyed an equaliser on the hour mark and brought the game to life.
Hibs had the better chances to claim three points before the late drama allowed Brendan Rodgers to savour his first win at Easter Road in his fifth visit as Celtic restored their three-point lead over Rangers, who have one game in hand in the cinch Premiership title race.
Nicolas Kuhn also made his first Celtic start in a new-look front three that featured Daizen Maeda following his return from the Asian Cup, while Stephen Welsh replaced Maik Nawrocki in central defence.
Hibernian lined up with a 4-5-1 formation, with Lewis Miller and Martin Boyle also back from the Qatar tournament, and Nick Montgomery’s side sat deep in the opening moments.
But their attempts to frustrate Celtic came unstuck when Nectarios Triantis was late on Johnston in an aerial challenge. Walsh pointed to the spot before the Canada international was carried off on a stretcher after about five minutes of treatment.
Anthony Ralston came on before Idah sent David Marshall the wrong way from the spot.
Hibs remained disciplined in their shape and they had a good chance midway through the half when Jordan Obita’s cross caused difficulties for Celtic, with both Joe Hart and Alexandro Bernabei unable to deal with it. The ball broke invitingly for Elie Youan eight yards out but the wide player shot well over, although Walsh gave a corner after Liam Scales threw himself in front of the effort.
Idah missed chances either side of the break but was flagged offside each time before being played in again by Matt O’Riley and being foiled by a good save from Marshall.
Hibs levelled after Joe Newell’s free-kick was headed back to Levitt by Will Fish. The Wales midfielder showed excellent technique to guide his strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
The home fans suddenly found their voice and Hart parried Myziane Maolida’s overhead kick before Boyle went flying in the box as he took on Bernabei. The winger was booked for diving.
The Celtic defence looked vulnerable and Rodgers brought on Nawrocki for Welsh.
Ralston made two important blocks as Hibs continued to press before Rodgers brought on Furuhashi in the 71st minute.
Celtic had a better spell but both Idah and Furuhashi failed to get shots away after Bernabei’s cross ultimately set both of them up for good chances.
Miller missed a glorious chance for Hibs when he sent Newell’s deep cross beyond the far post and Fish then turned on the edge of the box and shot just wide.
The game was on a knife edge but it went Celtic’s way as Idah again sent Marshall the wrong way.
Sebastien Haller fired hosts Ivory Coast into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations and to within one match of the ultimate redemption after beating DR Congo 1-0.
The Elephants had been on the brink of elimination at the group stage, sacked their manager before being reprieved two days later as the fourth best third-placed finishers.
They then came back from behind to beat Senegal in the last 16 and needed a 90th-minute equaliser and a winner with the last kick of the match to get past Mali in the quarter-final.
Now Haller’s goal has seen them reach the final for a fifth time and if interim boss Emerse Fae, who replaced Jean-Louis Gasset after the humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, can inspire them to victory over Nigeria on Sunday it will cap surely the most remarkable turn of fortunes in any major international tournament.
DR Congo, winners in 1968 and 1974, posed a potent threat and thought they had scored after nine minutes but Cedric Bakambu had kicked the ball out of the hands of goalkeeper Yahia Fofana before bundling it home.
Ivory Coast, also two-time winners, created their first opportunity from semi-final hero Simon Adingra, the Brighton winger rising at the far post and heading across goal and wide.
Former West Ham striker Haller then tried an extravagant overhead kick which flew over the top of the Congo goal.
Haller, now with Borussia Dortmund, missed the chance of the first half with a free header in front of goal, eight yards out, from Wilfried Singo’s tempting cross, which he sent horribly wide.
Moments later Franck Kessie’s low drive from the edge of the area clipped the far post to leave the hosts frustrated at half-time.
Congo sent on Theo Bongonda as a half-time substitute and the Spartak Moscow wideman almost had an instant impact with a mazy run into the area, beating three defenders before lashing his shot into the side-netting.
Kessie stung the hands of Congo keeper Lionel Mpasi with a fierce drive with what was Ivory Coast’s first shot on target. It was their second that broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.
It was unorthodox, and a tad fortunate, Haller hooking Max Gradel’s cross into the ground and watching it bounce and loop over Mpasi into the net.
Incredibly it was the first time Ivory Coast had scored first in a match since the group opener against Guinea Bissau.
Haller should have doubled the lead with an easier chance but sent his lob over Mpasi and wide, but the Elephants held on to book a spot in the final which looked unthinkable a fortnight ago.
NB: Catch the exciting final between Ivory Coast and Nigeria on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax app.
Chelsea stunned Aston Villa with a 3-1 win to march on in the FA Cup and ease the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino.
Enzo Fernandez’s sensational free-kick added to first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson.
Moussa Diaby’s injury-time strike failed to ruin Chelsea’s night and the Blues now host Leeds in the fifth round.
Having been humbled 4-2 by Wolves and thumped 4-1 by Liverpool in their two previous games there was an expectation Chelsea would lurch further into crisis in their fourth-round replay at Villa Park.
Instead, while fans sung for former owner Roman Abramovich, their side rolled back the years with a dominant performance akin to those during the Russian’s reign.
With progress in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool to come at the end of the month, despite a wretched Premier League campaign Chelsea could still salvage success.
For Villa, Unai Emery had already labelled this week – with Manchester United visiting on Sunday – as crucial to their hopes as they challenge for the top four.
But with a second straight home defeat – coming after inconsistent home displays against Sheffield United and Burnley – there will be rightful questions over Villa’s staying power.
Initially, the hosts listened to the manager’s words and there were alarm bells for Chelsea in the opening three minutes when John McGinn roughed up Axel Disasi before Alex Moreno fluffed his lines.
Half chances for Cole Palmer and Fernandez hardly hinted at what was to come and it took just 10 minutes for the Chelsea fans to chant Abramovich’s name – yet a minute later the visitors struck.
Jackson teased his way into the area to find Noni Madueke, a constant bright spark for the visitors, and the forward had enough presence of mind to hold the ball up for Gallagher.
There was still plenty for the midfielder to do but he avoided the massed ranks to pick out the top corner from 16 yards.
Villa sought an instant reply and Leon Bailey shot at Djordje Petrovic, with the goalkeeper also turning Ollie Watkins’ drive over.
The hosts’ 11-month unbeaten home league run ended last week, a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle, but they would have expected better against a fractured Chelsea who had lost six of their last seven away outings.
Yet, with the lead, Pochettino’s side came to life and doubled their advantage with an excellent, flowing, move after 21 minutes.
It was built down right with Disasi and Madueke involved before Malo Gusto was released to brilliantly cross for Jackson, who directed a precise header into the corner.
As against Newcastle, Villa were falling apart with Chelsea exploiting the flanks. Madueke continued to taunt the hosts and his strong run ended with Emi Martinez pushing away Palmer’s effort.
Petrovic tipped McGinn’s drive over in stoppage time after Ben Chilwell’s foul throw saw Villa break but it was a rare moment of concern for the visitors.
The hosts needed a response but – just like against Newcastle – they conceded a third soon after the break.
Fernandez may have been fortunate to earn a free kick while being shadowed by Youri Tielemans but there was nothing lucky about his 25-yard strike which arched into the top corner.
With a cushion Chelsea eased off which gave Villa brief cause for optimism but they never launched a recovery, despite Diaby’s stoppage time consolation.
Premier League chief football officer Tony Scholes admits the in-stadium supporter experience of VAR is “nowhere near good enough” and believes reviews are taking too long.
Video assistant referees were introduced in the English top-flight for the 2019-20 campaign, yet there are persisting problems surrounding its implementation.
The Premier League say that most supporters they have surveyed are in favour of VAR, but Scholes acknowledges “that majority is not as big a majority as I would like to say it is”.
The league’s chief football officer says “clearly everything in the world of VAR is not perfect” and pinpointed two particular areas for improvement.
“If the objective of VAR is to improve the accuracy of decision making, it is being a significant success,” Scholes said. “We don’t rest on this. Further development, further improvement is always required.
“The two elements that I believe affects the whole reputation of VAR, given what I’ve just said about the improvement in the accuracy, is the time that it takes to do the reviews, or to do the checks.
“We’re doing too many checks, we’re taking too long in doing them as well.
“It’s to a degree understandable given the level of scrutiny these guys are under, from ourselves, from you guys (in the media) as well and from supporters.
“But the reviews are taking too long and it’s affecting the flow of the game and we’re extremely aware of that and the need to improve that speed, whilst always maintaining the accuracy.
“The second area where the VAR experience is poor is the in-stadium experience for the supporter. It’s nowhere near good enough. We know it’s not.
“It affects supporters’ enjoyment of the game, and we know it needs to change.”
In terms of improving reviews, Scholes says the Premier League is ensuring they “are doing all of the training and development to reduce the review times and the check times”.
The introduction of semi-automated offsides will also aid the speed of decision making and Scholes hopes to go to clubs for a decision on that later in the year after the test phase.
As for fan experience, Scholes says the Premier League’s desire for increased transparency is restricted somewhat by International Football Association Board rules.
“IFAB are very clear on their rules as to what we can and can’t say, both during the VAR process and post the VAR process,” he said.
“They’re very clear at the moment we cannot use the audio, we cannot play the audio.
“My personal view is we’re on a journey and that will come and we’ll get to a point where both the video and the audio is played live and then played afterwards to explain the decision.
“How far away from that, I don’t know. That’s not in our hands, that’s decided by IFAB.
“But we will continue to lobby them to get to a place where VAR is as open, transparent and informative to supporters and all stakeholders as it is possible to do.
“One development that we are expecting to come in imminently, of course, is that the referee will announce their decision, post-VAR review to the crowd on the pitchside.”
Nigeria reached an eighth Africa Cup of Nations final after winning a drama-fuelled last-four clash with South Africa on penalties.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the hero for Nigeria after he saved efforts by Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa in a 4-2 shoot-out win, which only told half the story of an extraordinary clash where VAR was at the forefront of the action.
Nigeria thought they had booked their place in the final when Victor Osimhen tapped home in the 85th minute to add to William Troost-Ekong’s second-half penalty, but referee Amin Omar was told to intervene.
A review of the goal showed South Africa’s Percy Tau had been fouled inside the penalty area at the start of the move and the score went from 2-0 to Nigeria to 1-1 when Mokoena made no mistake from 12 yards.
South Africa defender Grant Kekana also received his marching orders towards the end of extra-time before Nwabali made the difference to fire the 2013 winners into another final.
Osimhen had been declared fit ahead of the match but not even a minute had been played when he went down in pain after a tackle by Siyanda Xulu.
The Napoli forward was able to carry on but a quiet opening period occurred.
South Africa had spent the majority of the first quarter of an hour on the back foot but had penalty appeals waved away with 27 minutes played when Khuliso Mudau’s cross hit the elbow of Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, but his arms were tucked into his body.
It was South Africa firmly in the ascendancy now with Tau squandering a promising position with a weak shot straight at Nwabali before he almost got in again minutes later but his touch was too heavy.
Nigeria had struggled to create chances after a bright start, but Osimhen provided a reminder of his threat when he headed wide from a corner at the end of the first half.
The Nigeria talisman played a decisive role in the opener when he turned away from Aubrey Modiba with a wonderful pirouette, burst into the area and was brought down by Mothobi Mvala.
It was Troost-Ekong who stepped up for the spot-kick duties and his low effort went under the body of South Africa’s last-eight penalty shoot-out hero Ronwen Williams to break the deadlock with 67 minutes gone.
South Africa immediately pushed for a leveller and Makgopa flashed an effort wide before a dramatic finale to normal time occurred.
First, Williams dived at the feet of Ademola Lookman, who had been played through on goal, but Nigeria were able to celebrate in the 85th minute when Osimhen tapped home at the back post.
The Super Eagles’ jubilation would quickly turn to disbelief when referee Omar was told to review the goal by VAR.
Omar was shown a replay at the start of the move of Nigeria substitute Alhassan Yusuf catching Tau inside the area, which resulted in the goal being disallowed and South Africa awarded a penalty.
Amid the pandemonium, Mokoena kept his cool from the spot with 90 minutes on the clock, but it could have been even better for South Africa after Khuliso Mudau fired over with only Williams to beat in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Nigeria impressively regrouped with Lookman testing Williams before a snapshot by Osimhen was also well saved.
Osimhen headed over soon after before Nigeria boss Jose Peseiro decided to replace him with Terem Moffi, whose first involvement resulted in Kekana being sent off.
VAR was again required with referee Omar eventually deciding Kekana had fouled Moffi, but the contact was just outside the area.
It ensured penalties were required where Nwabali stole the show before Kelechi Iheanacho rolled home to send Nigeria through to another final.
NB: You can watch the exciting action of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax App. Download the app from the Google store or the App store.
Derek Adams has resigned as Ross County manager after less than three months in charge after a 5-0 defeat at Motherwell hastened the end of an unhappy third spell at the club.
The cinch Premiership club announced Adams would leave with immediate effect, less than 24 hours after their Fir Park thrashing saw them stuck in 11th place and six points behind the team who had been immediately above them in the league.
Adams cast doubt over his future after the match after admitting Motherwell could have scored more goals.
In a statement, chairman Roy MacGregor said: “We have agreed to accept his resignation in the best interest of both Derek and the club.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Derek, and we wish him well for whatever he chooses to do in the future.”
Adams returned to County on November 20 after leaving Morecambe to replace the sacked Malky Mackay.
The 48-year-old revealed his decision came “after much consideration in recent weeks”.
He added on the County website: “Over my 12 league games in charge, we moved six points clear of the team directly below and have been extremely close to gaining more victories and draws along the way.
“Ross County Football Club is close to my heart after twice playing here and managing for a third time.
“I would like to take the opportunity to thank chairman Roy MacGregor and (chief executive) Steven Ferguson and wish them well for the future.”
Adams secured seven points from his first three games in charge but the Dingwall side have only collected two points from a possible 24 since and exited the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a 3-0 home defeat against Partick Thistle.
Adams claimed his former club Morecambe were 100 times better than County after losing a late winning goal against Dundee in his fifth match in charge and launched a scathing attack on the “shocking” standard of Scottish football.
The former Plymouth and Bradford manager then hinted after the cup defeat by Thistle that he would have had second thoughts about taking the job for a third time had he done more homework.
In an interview with BBC Scotland at Fir Park, he admitted he would “think things through” and “look at the bigger picture” for the club and himself.
Adams signed seven players in January but the reshaping of his squad did not have any immediate positive effect and he was hit by long-term injuries to the likes of defenders Jack Baldwin and Connor Randall.
County will now look for a solution ahead of their next game against Rangers at Ibrox on February 17 with the backroom staff remaining in position.
In a shocking turn of events, Jamaican rallycross sensation Fraser McConnell has been left without a seat in the Extreme E Championship as X44 Vida Carbon Racing Team, founded by Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton, officially withdraws from the series.
The announcement came as a surprise to the motorsport community, especially after X44 had proudly unveiled the signing of McConnell in March 2023.
X44 released a statement Wednesday on their decision to exit the series after three successful years. The team expressed gratitude for their time in Extreme E, highlighting their achievements, including multiple race victories and a world championship. The departure signifies the end of an era for X44, leaving behind a legacy of success on the track and a commitment to sustainable racing.
The team's statement read, "After three years as part of the Extreme E family, we're today announcing that X44 will be departing the series. We've had an incredible three seasons competing as X44, winning multiple races and even a world championship."
X44 acknowledged the contributions of their drivers, including McConnell, stating, "Thank you to our drivers @cris_tortu, @frasermcconnell, and @sebloebofficiel, and all our talented teammates who worked hard to help us achieve everything we did."
In March 2023, X44 had proudly announced the signing of McConnell for the upcoming season. The Jamaican driver, recognized as the most competitively successful Jamaican driver in international rallycross racing, was set to replace the experienced Sebastien Loeb.
However, with X44's sudden withdrawal from the series, McConnell finds himself without a team for the upcoming season. The team assured fans that they would continue to support the series from the sidelines and expressed interest in the developments at Extreme H, the series set to replace Extreme E.
McConnell expressed his gratitude for the opportunity afforded him by X44, stating "Thankful for the opportunity and the memories we made together. I will be forever grateful."
It was recently revealed that Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 Formula One season and will join Ferrari in 2025.
Milton Harris is to appeal the decision of the British Horseracing Authority’s Licensing Committee to rule he is not a “fit and proper person” to hold a training licence.
The Warminster handler had his licence suspended by the BHA in November pending a hearing in January, with the BHA saying it was “a result of a breach of the conditions on his licence and related matters”.
The Licensing Committee said the concerns of the BHA surrounded “the nature and extent of MH’s admitted breaches of the conditions which already exist on his licence, which were imposed in 2018 and MH’s failure to be candid in his dealings with the BHA in respect of those breaches, particularly when the BHA was seeking to provide opportunities for MH to remedy those breaches”, “misconduct in his dealings with others, including fellow licence holder Mr Simon Earle” and “in respect of safeguarding arising out of MH’s conduct with young persons employed at his racing yard”.
A spokesperson for the BHA said on Wednesday: “The BHA can confirm that Mr Harris has formally notified the BHA of his intention to appeal against the recent decision of the Licensing Committee. We will provide further details regarding the appeal in due course and will make no further comment at this time.”
Contacted by the PA news agency, Harris said: “I have appealed. I need to respect the Licensing Committee’s decision, which I do, but some of the information they have been given was not correct.”
Harris, who started his training career in 2001, had a seven-year enforced absence from 2011 to 2018 due to financial issues.
Since returning to the sport he had saddled some notable winners, highlighted by Knight Salute, who claimed the 2022 Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree along with three Grade Two victories that season.
Emma Raducanu’s bid to reach the last eight of the Abu Dhabi Open was ended in straight sets by world number six Ons Jabeur.
Britain’s Raducanu has been making encouraging strides on her comeback after eight months out following surgery on her wrists and ankle.
The 21-year-old briefly pushed three-time grand slam finalist Jabeur in a close opening set.
But Tunisian Jabeur, the runner-up at Wimbledon in the previous two years, was ultimately too strong in a 6-4 6-1 victory.
Raducanu dropped serve in the first game of the match and was soon a double break down at 5-1.
But the 2021 US Open champion gradually began to remind everyone of just how cleanly she strikes a ball at her best.
She saved three set points before breaking Jabeur’s serve to trail 5-3, and then a gritty hold brought her to within one game.
However, Jabeur comprehensively held serve in the next to take the first set in 50 minutes.
The second seed converted a third break point to take the initiative at the start of second set.
This time Raducanu, who last reached a quarter-final in September 2022, had no answer to the flurry of winners – Jabeur hit 35 in all – as she bowed out.
“She didn’t make it easy for me, obviously,” Jabeur, 29, said in her on-court interview.
“Emma is such an amazing player, I wish her all the best because I know she can play much better. I am a big fan of hers.
“Emma had an amazing experience at the US Open and everybody followed her. She’s had an amazing career.
“Everyone has a different story, we struggle a lot, we go through a lot of things. But a lot of amazing women play on the tour.”
Rehan Ahmed is loving life as Ben Stokes’ leg-spin wildcard, admitting he finds bowling maidens “boring” and may have struggled to find his place in a different era of English cricket.
Ahmed became the country’s youngest ever men’s Test cricketer when he claimed a five-wicket haul on debut in Karachi, but has had to wait almost 14 months for his next opportunity on turning pitches in India.
After playing a supporting role in the opening game at Hyderabad, the 19-year-old enjoyed a more central part in the second Test, claiming three wickets in each innings and volunteering himself for promotion in the batting order as the so-called ‘nighthawk’.
Spurred on by the attacking instincts of captain Stokes, Ahmed has been given full licence to make things happen without worrying about his economy rate and looks well placed to resist England’s historic aversion to wrist-spin.
“I don’t like bowling maidens. I think that’s just boring. I’ll try and change things,” he said, refreshingly honest about his role in the side.
“The leadership and the back-up we have has been very good. They just don’t care about how bad things can go, it’s always about what good you can get out of it.
“If I bowl four bad balls and get a wicket, that’s better than bowling 16 good balls in a row. I think that says more about the team and how comfortable I feel with this team.”
The story of talented English leg-spinners is a brief and largely unhappy one, with the likes of Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield, Scott Borthwick and Matt Parkinson all failing to turn potential into a long-term place.
But the one that really got away in the Test arena is Adil Rashid: a two-format World Cup winner in white-ball cricket and record T20 wicket-taker, but owner of just 19 red-ball caps and 60 wickets.
He helped mentor Ahmed when he first emerged on the international scene and the pair are still in regular contact.
While fans may wonder how a player like Rashid would have fared under the current regime, Ahmed realises he is lucky to operating in a different environment.
“Rash was in England cricket at a different time to me,” he said.
“The way he grew up and the way he played is how England cricket was then. Leg-spinners were always felt to not be the controlling ones. Obviously he would have wanted to play more Test cricket, but the time he played didn’t allow that.
“He’s had an unbelievable career and had a huge influence on a lot of players where I’m from, he has done so much for me in cricket.
“(But) Rash grew up with more traditional leg-spin. In this new era with attacking, positive mindsets, I think I fit into this team whereas he fit into that team. It’s just two different players at two different times.”
As well as helping Ahmed with his craft, Rashid and Moeen Ali also helped pave the way in making their Muslim faith an everyday part of life in camp.
Ahmed sat out an optional training session ahead of the second Test as he was fasting and earlier excused himself from a team together that clashed with prayers.
“My faith is obviously much more important than cricket, that’s first in my life,” Ahmed said.
“As long as I’m ticking that over properly, I’m fine whatever happens in cricket. I think that’s what helps me be so calm on the field. Stokes is so good with that.
“He messaged me and said ‘come to me whenever you want about this kind of stuff, I understand it fully’ and he’s stuck by his word. Every time I pray, he is so respectful and understanding. Everyone is on this tour.”
One thing that may prove more divisive is Ahmed’s views on the squad’s favourite pastime, which will feature heavily in the coming days as they take a break in Abu Dhabi ahead of the third Test.
He added: “Golf? Nah. I’m not sure how anyone plays that. It’s a shocking sport.”
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