Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has plenty of admiration for Mauricio Pochettino’s appetite to take on a “big challenge” but has suggested he would never allow others to take complete control of recruitment.
Pochettino’s Chelsea visit Spurs on Monday with the west London club struggling for a second consecutive season despite an outlay of £1billion since Todd Boehly took over with his Clearlake Capital consortium last year.
While Pochettino has failed to hit the ground running and acknowledged at the end of September he would “need to be more involved now” with regard to the January transfer window, it is a different story for Postecoglou and his summer transfers.
“I haven’t come across him,” Postecoglou said of the former Spurs manager.
“From afar, great admiration. I think the impact he had at Southampton and at Spurs is unquestionable.
“He has taken on some pretty big challenges post-Spurs as well, which I’m all for. I like managers who take on big challenges, so great admiration and respect for his work.”
Paris St Germain was Pochettino’s destination after his departure from Tottenham, but a plethora of signings under his watch were made by PSG sporting director Leonardo.
This summer Chelsea spent more than £350million during Pochettino’s first transfer window, although he has been left with a bloated squad of big-money additions which lack experience.
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By contrast Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have quickly settled and Postecoglou said recruitment is a big factor for him, especially at the start of his tenure.
He added: “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve made sure that I have the biggest say over recruitment. I don’t do all the work, but I really think it’s an important part of my function and particularly when I first go into clubs.
“When you first go into a club, there are two measures that people will always put up against you.
“One is the results, that tells its own tale, but as a manager, and I’ve certainly had that experience, you can’t always guarantee the results early on.
“The other thing you get measured on is the people you bring in. Because at least if the results aren’t there, then people will say ‘okay, there’s something building here’.
“From my perspective, it’s the one area I really want strong control over.”
Spurs’ new technical director Johan Lange started work at the club on Wednesday and Postecoglou has already spent time with the ex-Aston Villa transfer guru, but a day earlier his focus was elsewhere.
Postecoglou and his wife Georgia were opening-night guests of Sir Kenneth Branagh on Tuesday at Wyndham’s Theatre to witness Shakespeare’s King Lear, a tale of a king seeking love from his three daughters, which ends in devastation.
The Aussie enjoyed the play but is eager for a different ending on Monday night.
“Sir Kenneth is a big Spurs fan and was kind enough to invite my wife and I to the theatre the other night,” Postecoglou revealed.
“We enjoyed it. I did have to swot up on King Lear. It wasn’t part of the curriculum at Prahran High!
“You always learn from life and the appreciation of seeing people excel at what they do is inspiring. You walk out of there thinking, ‘I don’t know how they do it’.
“Sir Kenneth was good after it. I caught up with him briefly, he was very kind with his time.
“He was all over how it’s going and gave me some little bits of advice, which I’ll ignore like he’ll ignore my advice on acting, mate! It was good. It was much appreciated.
“There was a fair bit going on in that play, mate! I definitely want a better ending than Sir Kenneth had.”
Pep Guardiola hopes anger at missing out can fuel more sensational performances like that of Jeremy Doku at the weekend.
Doku took centre stage as Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 to return to the top of the Premier League on Saturday, opening the scoring and setting up four other goals.
That came after Jack Grealish was preferred to him for last week’s derby victory over Manchester United, and manager Guardiola now wants the England midfielder, in turn, to come back firing.
Guardiola said: “I want Jack angry and I want him to play good, and then Doku – be angry that he hasn’t played the last two games. This is the way to maintain the consistency at that level.”
Grealish has had a frustrating start to the season after missing a month due to a dead leg, but Guardiola has no doubt he will get back to his best.
“Jack is back,” he said. “The way he played at Old Trafford, to give us more composure and more powers in that position, it was decisive for us.
“We need everyone. There are a lot of games and everyone has to compete.
“As much as Jeremy and Jack perform, and I can play both at the same time, but when they don’t, train better the next day because the moment is coming, and when you are mentally there in the head you will perform well.
“Then we will win games and you will be happy and everyone will be happy. This is what we have to do.”
City will check on the fitness of star striker Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Young Boys. The Norwegian was removed at half-time on Saturday after twisting his ankle.
Guardiola was pleased his side managed to score six without any contribution from the prolific Haaland but admits he wants him back as soon as possible.
He said: “It’s good that Jeremy has this threat to score goals and Bernardo (Silva) and Phil (Foden). We know it.
“I know Mateo (Kovacic) is not a goalscorer, but we have now more players involved, with and without Erling – but I want Erling on the pitch.”
Holders City cans secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages for an 11th successive year with victory over the Swiss side this week.
Guardiola said: “It’s so important, more than you can imagine, because we can park the car until February and focus on the Premier League and others. We have to close it on Tuesday.”
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident he will not repeat Ron Atkinson’s Mr Bean-esque gaffe of standing in the wrong dugout on his return to Tottenham.
‘Big Ron’ unwittingly provided entertainment at the City Ground in 1999 when he mistakenly took his place in front of the away team’s bench in his first match since being appointed Nottingham Forest manager.
Pochettino was asked about that famous blunder ahead of going back to Spurs on Monday evening but initially confused veteran boss Atkinson with near-namesake Rowan Atkinson, creator of comedy character Mr Bean.
Following the brief misunderstanding, the Argentinian, who managed Tottenham between 2014 and 2019, insisted he will not make a similar error as he helped design the layout of his former club’s stadium.
“Ah, Mr Bean? Ron Atkinson is the actor?”, Pochettino replied to the original question, before the mix-up was explained.
“Ah, OK, OK – I was thinking the actor. My wife will kill me! She will say, ‘I told you, remember that is the name’.
“No (I will not make the same mistake). I know very well the away dugout. I know very well because I designed where it was, I was there with the architect.
“On the right is the local (home) and the away is on the left.”
Pochettino is preparing for a special occasion on his first reunion with Tottenham since being sacked four years ago.
He holds fond memories of his spell with the north London club, which included reaching the Champions League final just months before his dismissal.
Despite being desperate for victory, the 51-year-old rejected any notion of seeking revenge in response to the nature of his departure.
Mid-table Chelsea are in great need of points to kickstart their season following just three Premier League wins from 10 games, while unbeaten Tottenham are among the early pacesetters.
“I want to win,” said Pochettino, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer. “I want to beat them.
“But when I play with my kids, I want to beat them, or my dad, or my brothers, or my friends – I try to kill them!
“I want to win because we are competitive, I am competitive.
“It’s not a special thing. I don’t want to go there and (people) think it’s a revenge. For what?
“For me, it’s going to be important because we need to win, Chelsea need to win because we need the points.
“But not because it’s special because it’s against Tottenham.”
An early goal from Fabio Miretti proved decisive as Juventus held on for a 1-0 win at Fiorentina on Sunday.
Miretti struck in the 10th minute but Juve also owed much to a strong defensive effort as they claimed a victory that lifted them to within two points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Fiorentina controlled much of the play at the Artemio Franchi Stadium but were unable to find a way past Wojciech Szczesny in the Juve goal.
The game had gone ahead despite some calls for it to be postponed following the storms that have devastated parts of the region in recent days. Players from both teams stood together in tribute to the victims prior to kick-off.
When the game got under way, Juve seized the advantage with their first attack.
Fiorentina’s defence were caught out as the visitors broke with speed and Fabiano Parisi missed a chance to intercept as the ball was slipped to Filip Kostic on the left of the area.
Kostic made the most of the opening and slid a pass across the box which Miretti met with a firm first-time strike at the near post that Pietro Terracciano could not keep out.
The hosts responded well to the setback but continually met with frustration in their attempts to find an equaliser.
Antonin Barak got into a good position but fired well over before Nicolas Gonzalez shot straight at Szczesny.
Gonzalez forced a better save from the former Arsenal goalkeeper with a volley and Cristiano Biraghi tested the Pole with a free-kick before the interval.
Juve tried to break out and make the result safe early in the second half, but Moise Kean was denied by a Luca Ranieri block and Fiorentina continued to dictate the pace.
Rolando Mandragora dragged an effort wide and Giacomo Bonaventura also missed the target with a fierce strike before Szczesny saved from Christian Kouame.
Fiorentina fought to the end but they were unable to create any more clear-cut chances after M’Bala Nzola headed over with three minutes remaining.
Andrea Cambiaso almost added a second for Juve in stoppage time but Terracciano saved.
Former Scotland boss Craig Levein has been confirmed as the new manager of cinch Premiership bottom club St Johnstone.
The McDiarmid Park outfit have announced the 59-year-old has signed a contract which runs until May 2026.
Levein, whose previous clubs include Hearts, Dundee United and Leicester, succeeds Steven MacLean, who left the Perth club last week.
Chief executive Stan Harris said in a statement: “I am delighted to welcome Craig to St Johnstone.
“Craig joins with vast experience having managed over 600 games, including having the highest honour of managing Scotland.
“We identified the need for experience to help guide St Johnstone through this difficult spell. We believe we have found that by appointing Craig.
“We wish Craig all the best in his new role and have no doubt we have picked the right candidate for the job.”
MacLean left Saints last week following a 4-0 defeat at St Mirren.
Interim boss Alex Cleland oversaw a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock on Wednesday but Saints remain three points behind second-bottom Livingston as Levein takes charge.
His first game will be the visit of Motherwell on Tuesday.
Levein, who has left his role as club adviser at Brechin City, told SaintsTV: “I am delighted to be sitting here as the new St Johnstone manager.
“I believe we have a great squad here that can kick on and start to climb up the league.”
Andy Kirk has also joined the club as Levein’s assistant.
Daniel Ricciardo said he was thankful to be alive after he narrowly avoided being struck by a flying tyre in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
The race in Sao Paulo was suspended after a chaotic start which saw the loose carcass hit Ricciardo’s rear wing following a collision between Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg.
Albon, 13th on the grid, drew alongside Hulkenberg ahead of the first corner, but the two machines made contact, sending the London-born driver into Hulkenberg’s Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen and then into the barrier.
The force of the impact tore the left-rear off Albon’s Williams, with the bouncing tyre, which weighs 13 kilograms, narrowly flying over the top of Ricciardo’s head before smashing into the back of his AlphaTauri.
Footage from Ricciardo’s cockpit shows him turning sharply to the left to avoid the airborne rubber.
“I saw a big crash in front of me and lots of debris,” said Ricciardo.
“I felt I was getting through it and then saw a tyre off the rim coming at me like a frisbee through the air and it started getting closer.
“I remember ducking my head. I didn’t feel anything hit me, so I was happy, but I checked my mirrors and saw my rear wing was pretty much off, so I assumed the tyre hit the wing, and that was frustrating. But looking back, it is nice it did not hit me.
“My immediate relief was turned into disappointment because I realised the race could be over. When you are in race mode you don’t think about it, but in hindsight I am thankful we all got out of it safe.”
Ricciardo, 34, was able to limp back to the pits for the repairs following the fortunate escape, while both Albon and Magnussen emerged unscathed, albeit out of the race.
Hulkenberg was able to carry on before a 25-minute delay ensued as the tyre barrier on the approach to the opening bend was repaired.
The red flag allowed Ricciardo’s mechanics to fix his machine, but he was a lap down for the restart.
Ricciardo continued: “The team did a great job fixing the car so we were ready to go and then I was told I would start a lap behind. All the excitement to race again gets zapped out of you.
“Common sense should be used and we should not have been a lap down because there was not one lap of green-flag racing. It is frustrating that they ruined our day from the beginning.”
Luis Diaz has spoken of his desperation and distress in an emotional call for the release of his father.
The Liverpool winger’s parents were kidnapped at gunpoint in Colombia last week.
His mother has since been found, but his father remains missing.
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The National Liberation Army (ELN), a left-wing guerrilla organisation, is behind the abduction.
Diaz made his appeal after coming off the bench to score a stoppage-time equaliser for the Reds in a 1-1 draw at Luton on Sunday.
The 26-year-old marked the goal by revealing a T-shirt bearing a message reading ‘Freedom for Dad’, and he followed that up with a post on Instagram.
It read: “Today the footballer is not speaking to you. Today Lucho Diaz, the son of Luis Manuel Diaz, is speaking to you.
“Mane, my dad, is a tireless worker, a pillar in the family and he has been kidnapped.
“I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to work together for his freedom.
“Every second, every minute, our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling. This suffering will only end when we have him back home.
“I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.
“In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to recover him.
“I thank Colombians and the international community for the support received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult time that many families in my country find themselves living.”
Diaz’s appearance as an 83rd-minute substitute at Kenilworth Road was his first since the kidnappings on October 28.
Jurgen Klopp said fans who directed chants at Liverpool supporters that indirectly referenced the Hillsborough disaster during his team’s game at Luton should be ashamed.
The taunts were sung by some home fans during the second half of the 1-1 Premier League draw at Kenilworth Road.
Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher also condemned the chants, saying: “We’re better than that.”
Liverpool manager Klopp has previously spoken out against so-called ‘tragedy chanting’ between rival supporters and in July the Football Association issued a new charter outlining rules for dealing with the problem.
It followed the arrest of a Manchester United supporter at last season’s FA Cup final for wearing a shirt that mocked the victims of Hillsborough.
After the Luton match, Klopp said he did not hear the chanting, which occurred while the game was still goalless shortly after half-time, but added: “Shame on everyone who said it.”
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “At the start of the season I was involved in something with supporters coming together about tragedy chanting.
“I’ve just heard that a couple of times in this game. As supporters you’ve got to have rivalry, there is no doubt. But we’re better than that.
“It’s happened two or three times in the game. All clubs have been guilty of that over the years at different times.
“But the world we live in right now, I think we’re better than that.”
Liverpool earned a dramatic point five minutes into added time when substitute Luis Diaz cancelled out Tahith Chong’s 80th-minute goal for Luton.
Lewis Hamilton all but wrote off his chances of challenging for a record eighth world championship for the next two years following Mercedes’ “inexcusable” performance at Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
As Max Verstappen extended his winning record to 17 races in the most dominant season Formula One has ever seen, Mercedes endured an abysmal afternoon.
Hamilton took the chequered flag in eighth, an eye-watering 63 seconds behind, with George Russell forced to retire the other Mercedes.
Performances at the previous two rounds had afforded Hamilton and Mercedes hope that they were closing the gap to Verstappen’s Red Bull team.
Armed with a new floor, Hamilton finished second in Austin, before he was disqualified after his Mercedes failed a post-race scrutineering check. He was runner-up again in Mexico seven days later, this time with a legal car, 14 sec adrift of Verstappen.
But the Silver Arrows were dealt a grizzly reality check here.
Far from being any closer to Red Bull, Mercedes were slower than McLaren, Aston Martin, Ferrari and the mid-table Alpine team, with Pierre Gasly embarrassing the former world champions when he batted aside Hamilton and Russell.
Hamilton admitted after Saturday’s sprint race – where he laboured to seventh, 35 seconds behind Verstappen – that he was counting down the days until the end of the season.
Twenty-four hours later he expressed his fear that he will not be in a position to take on Verstappen before his £100million two-year deal expires at the end of 2025.
Hamilton, 39 in January, said: “All I can do is try to remain optimistic. But the Red Bull is so far away, they’re probably going to be very clear for the next couple of years.
“I knew it would be a tough one. In the moment, it is a setback. But as a team we will just come together and try to push forward.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff could not hide his despair at the result.
“An inexcusable performance,” the 51-year-old Austrian said.
“There are no words for it. The car finished second last week and the week before and whatever we did to it was horrible.
“Lewis survived out there. I can only feel for the two driving. It is a miserable thing. The car is on a knife’s edge and we have to develop it better for next year because in seven days you cannot have one of the quickest cars (in Mexico) and then you are nowhere.
“The car almost drove like it was on three wheels and not on four. This car doesn’t deserve a win.”
The start had been mildly encouraging for Hamilton. The seven-time world champion started third, up from his grid spot of fifth, when the race resumed after Alex Albon crashed into the wall and his loose tyre narrowly missed striking Daniel Ricciardo on the head.
But Mercedes’ abject pace was soon laid bare for all to see. Fernando Alonso wasted no time in racing past Hamilton at the Curva do Lago on lap four.
With Russell one place behind Hamilton, and having no luck in calling on Mercedes to move his team-mate out of the way, the black-liveried duo started tumbling back through the field.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz made light work of the two Englishmen. Gasly was next, leaving Hamilton in eighth and Russell one place back. Russell was then told to retire his car with an engine failure 12 laps from the end.
Hamilton now trails Perez by 32 points in the race for runner-up in the championship after the Red Bull driver failed to take the final spot on the podium.
Perez got ahead of Alonso on the penultimate lap only for the Spaniard to blast back past the next time round. The two drivers then went toe to toe on the 200mph drag to the chequered flag, with Perez finishing just 0.053 seconds behind.
Lando Norris took second, following another fine drive. He even threatened Verstappen for the lead on lap eight before the Dutchman reasserted his authority.
The 26-year-old’s latest triumph ensures he will end the year with the greatest win ratio ever seen over a single season.
Verstappen has won 85 per cent of the races, and with just rounds in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi to follow, he will post a greater one-campaign ratio than Alberto Ascari’s 71-year record which stands at 75 per cent.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reiterated his support for Luis Diaz after the forward scored a stoppage-time equaliser which snatched a 1-1 draw at Luton.
Diaz missed Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend after returning to Colombia following news that his parents had been kidnapped, but he returned to training this week and came off the bench to earn the Reds a point at Kenilworth Road.
The forward’s mother has been released but he is still waiting for news on his father. After scoring, Diaz lifted up his shirt to reveal a white T-shirt which read ‘libertad para papa’ – ‘freedom for my father’.
Liverpool boss Klopp lauded the player after his header looped over Hatters goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to cancel out Tahith Chong’s earlier strike.
“It’s wonderful, it’s emotional and it’s fantastic,” Klopp said.
“We wanted to give him the chance to be a little bit distracted from things. He cannot do anything, he’s waiting all the time and so he trained a few times and he was in a good mood, which is good.
“The signs from Colombia are positive and optimistic but not the one thing we want to hear.
“He brings the quality with the 15-20 minutes he played.
“I think not many people (can) imagine what he has going on now – even us, we are close to him of course, we are supporting him, we feel his pain, but for him it is a different level.
“Football sometimes in dark moments can bring joy to people, can bring joy to somebody who is struggling, and I think football is bringing a slice of joy to him at this time.
“We are together with him, for whatever he needs. He came, trained, came to the game, scored a fantastic goal for us that was really important and we are with him 100 per cent.”
The hosts stifled Liverpool in the first half.
And German boss Klopp highlighted his frustration with a lack of counter-pressing which he felt was “personal”.
He added: “What I didn’t like was that in the first half we had no counter-pressing.
“That’s something I take personally and I’ve told the boys that’s really not OK.
“I told them at half-time to be patient and that if they could add counter-pressing into the play then that would be really helpful.”
Luton almost played the perfect game, only to concede late on.
And manager Rob Edwards felt pride at full-time after his team’s efforts gave them an important point in their survival bid.
“My overriding feeling is pride,” Edwards said. “Of course we wanted to win the game but maybe they would have felt hard done by if we had won that.
“We had a plan and the players committed to it and we got close. The feeling is pride.
“The players gave everything.”
A second-half own goal from Lucas Ness earned spirited part-timers Cray Valley a 1-1 draw at Charlton in an absorbing FA Cup first-round tie.
The Addicks opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Slobodan Tedic left Karoy Anderson’s pass and it allowed Scott Fraser to slot home after rounding Cray Valley goalkeeper Sam Freeman.
The hosts had more first-half chances but Tedic saw a right-footed strike from the edge of the box tipped over by Freeman while Chem Campbell headed wide from Fraser’s corner.
Tedic lifted the ball over from close range after being picked out by Charlie Kirk shortly before the interval.
But the Isthmian League South East Division side levelled in the 48th minute when a sliding Ness put the ball into his own net from an excellent cross by Kyrell Lisbie, the son of former Charlton striker Kevin.
Kirk had a huge chance to restore the home team’s lead shortly after but Freeman saved with his legs.
Charlton brought on Alfie May and Miles Leaburn to try and find a breakthrough but Cray Valley defended resiliently and deservedly set up a replay.
Stephen Kingsley claims he was confident VAR would save him from the red card he was initially handed in Hearts’ 3-1 Viaplay Cup semi-final defeat by Rangers at Hampden Park.
The Light Blues were leading through a James Tavernier double, one from the spot, and a Scott Wright drive when referee Nick Walsh introduced another layer of drama to the occasion.
With around 10 minutes remaining Walsh showed already-booked Kingsley a second yellow and a red card for diving inside the Rangers box.
However, VAR intervened and after checking his pitch side monitor, Walsh deemed Gers substitute Ben Davies had tripped Kingsley and rescinded the second yellow and pointed to the spot, with Lawrence Shankland slotting in the penalty.
Kingsley said: “I got in front of my man and as soon as I got the touch on the ball I felt the contact on my left ankle so I knew it was a penalty.
“When he gave the second yellow I was very confident, I knew it was a penalty.
“I was hoping that VAR would do its job and thankfully it did.
“Nick Walsh said at the end of the game that he was glad that the right decision was arrived at and I said that’s what it’s there for.
“But right now we are disappointed with the result.”
Max Verstappen completed an emphatic victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix after Daniel Ricciardo escaped injury when his car was struck by a flying tyre.
Lando Norris finished second for McLaren, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso holding off Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by just 0.053 seconds for third.
But it was an abysmal afternoon for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton eighth and George Russell forced to retire his car with an engine failure 12 laps from the end. Hamilton crossed the line an eye-watering 63 seconds behind.
The race in Sao Paulo was suspended following a chaotic start which saw a loose tyre hit Ricciardo’s rear wing following a collision between Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg.
Albon, 13th on the grid, drew alongside Hulkenberg ahead of the first corner, but the two machines made contact, sending the London-born driver into Hulkenberg’s Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen and then into the barrier.
The force of the impact tore the left-rear off Albon’s Williams, with the bouncing tyre – which weighs 13 kilograms – narrowly flying over the top of Ricciardo’s head before smashing into the back of his AlphaTauri.
Footage from Ricciardo’s cockpit shows him turning sharply to the left to avoid the flying rubber.
“I tried to miss it, but the tyre was in the air and it clipped my rear wing,” he said.
The Australian driver, 34, was able to limp back to the pits for the repairs following the fortunate escape, while both Albon and Magnussen emerged unscathed.
Hulkenberg was able to carry on before the race was red-flagged for 25 minutes as the tyre barrier on the approach to the opening bend was repaired following Albon’s shunt.
Norris lined up in second place for the restart following a fine getaway by the British driver from sixth. Hamilton made up two places from fifth to take third on the grid for the second start.
Verstappen mastered the getaway to keep his Red Bull ahead of Norris before Alonso made light work of Hamilton to gazump the British driver at the Curva do Lago.
On lap eight, Norris was suddenly in Verstappen’s slipstream and for a handful of corners it looked as though he could do the unthinkable and take the lead.
Norris drew alongside Verstappen at the outside of Turn 4 to provide the Dutchman with a rare fright. But by the start of the lap, Verstappen had established a lead of more than one second, and for Norris, Verstappen was out of DRS range.
Behind, and it was starting to unravel for Mercedes. Performances at the previous two rounds had afforded Hamilton and the grid’s once-all-conquering team hope that they were closing the gap to the top. But they were dealt a desperate reality check here.
On laps 14 and 18, Perez cruised ahead of Russell and Hamilton respectively before Russell bemoaned that he was being held up by his team-mate.
“Are we working together, or are we just doing our own races?” Russell asked.
Hamilton stopped for rubber, with Russell following his team-mate in on the next lap. Perez came in three laps later than Hamilton and had to re-pass the seven-time world champion, which he did with ease on lap 23. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll then blasted his way past the out-of-sorts Mercedes pair.
Russell, now seventh, was growing increasingly frustrated with Hamilton struggling for pace. Russell wanted Mercedes to order Hamilton out of his way.
“Do you want me to race or concede positions?” he asked.
Later, he added: “I haven’t been on the radio because I thought it was quite obvious about the pace.”
Mercedes were unmoved as Russell tried and failed to make his way ahead of Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz was soon all over the back of the squabbling Mercedes men, cruising past Russell on lap 35, and then Hamilton two laps later.
The Silver Arrows tumbled back through the field, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly moving ahead of Russell for eighth on lap 43.
Russell stopped for a second time on lap 45 with Hamilton in a lap later, only for Gasly to take another position off Hamilton to leave the seven-time world champion in eighth – that is where he would finish.
Hamilton now trails Perez by 32 points in the race for runner-up after the Mexican failed to take the final spot on the podium.
Perez got ahead of Alonso on the penultimate lap only for the Spaniard to blast back ahead on the last lap. The two drivers then went toe to toe on the drag to the finish line, with Alonso narrowly remaining ahead.
Luis Diaz ended a traumatic week by coming off the bench to save Liverpool from a shock defeat at Luton with a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
Substitute Tahith Chong looked to have secured a sensational Hatters win when he finished off a superb break to slot past Alisson 10 minutes from time.
On their first league visit in more than 30 years, Liverpool appeared rocked by a raucous atmosphere inside Kenilworth Road and were never at their free-flowing best against a side that dug in, ground out and waited for their chance.
And Chong’s goal looked to have been decisive until Diaz, who came off the bench seven minutes from the end for his first appearance since his father was kidnapped in Colombia, got his head on Harvey Elliott’s cross five minutes into added time to deny Luton a famous win.
Diaz lifted his shirt in celebration to reveal a message on a white T-shirt that read ‘libertad para papa’ or ‘freedom for my father’.
Liverpool sought the victory that would move them second in the table, but the first half was a test of their patience as Luton executed an organised, determined plan to stymy their attacking advances.
Darwin Nunez tested the reflexes of goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski early on, striking from outside the box and drawing a diving save from the Luton goalkeeper low to his left.
Nunez went closer still when his first-time effort struck the top of the crossbar from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb pass from deep in midfield.
Mohamed Salah sliced an effort over after Luton failed to clear Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick, but on the whole the hosts contained Liverpool well during the opening 25 minutes.
Ryan Gravenberch looked to inject urgency into a ponderous attacking display with a bursting run through the centre, laying the ball off to Diogo Jota who had made a smart run, but after an intelligent dash into space his shot was too close to Kaminski.
From the resulting corner, Alexander-Arnold hit a first-time drive that was blocked inside a crowded penalty area, encapsulating Liverpool’s half.
At the other end, Alfie Doughty and Chiedozie Ogbene linked up well down the left and worked the ball into the middle where Ross Barkley had found space. Unmarked and with a free hit at goal, the former Everton midfielder thumped his 20-yard effort over the bar as Luton’s best opening of the half came and went.
The second half brought with it a growing sense that a single goal might decide things, and Edwards’ side were credible candidates.
In the 63rd minute, Ogbene, a thorn in Liverpool’s right-hand side throughout, raced away from Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate and cut the ball back for Carlton Morris.
It looked for a moment like his contact would be sufficient to beat Alisson, but Liverpool’s goalkeeper had narrowed the angle between Morris and the goal, and the ball spun to safety.
Salah and Nunez conspired between them to miss the game’s best chance so far with 20 minutes to go.
The Egyptian was left unmarked six yards out and nodded towards his team-mate despite Kaminski being exposed. Nunez had time and space but not the composure required to crack the game open, and he ballooned horribly over.
Yet Liverpool’s threat was undoubtedly growing. Nunez made a better job of his next chance, hammering towards the near post from Salah’s pass but again Kaminski was his equal to fist it over the top.
With 10 minutes to go the moment for which home fans had patiently waited arrived, and it began with Liverpool on the attack.
It was Barkley that collected the ball as a corner routine for the visitors broke down, carrying it up over the halfway line with Liverpool committed and pushing it wide on the right into the path of Issa Kabore.
His low cross into the box landed perfectly for Chong who did not even break stride as he guided the ball with consummate cool past Alisson to send a shockwave of noise around Kenilworth Road.
It was all Liverpool after that and they snatched an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Elliott’s ball into the box was delivered well, and as Luton lost concentration there was Diaz to nod home and rescue his side.
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