Max Verstappen equalled Alain Prost’s tally of 51 victories with an emphatic triumph at the Mexican Grand Prix – as Sergio Perez’s home race came to a sorry end after just 14 seconds.
Verstappen’s remarkable winning sequence, which now includes a record 16 in one season, continued in the breathless Mexico City air following two pulsating starts after Kevin Magnussen’s high-speed crash resulted in a reg flag at the midway stage of Sunday’s 71-lap race.
Verstappen mastered both getaways to draw alongside four-time world champion Prost, with only Lewis Hamilton (103 wins), Michael Schumacher (91) and Sebastian Vettel (53) ahead of the all-conquering Dutchman in Formula One folklore.
Hamilton impressed to finish runner-up, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Lando Norris drove from 17th to fifth, passing George Russell with four laps remaining on a strong afternoon for the Brit, in an event that Perez will want to forget.
As Verstappen sliced through the middle of pole-sitter Leclerc, and his Ferrari team-mate Sainz on the 830 metre charge to the opening bend, 130,000 Mexican hearts sank when an over-eager Perez crashed into Leclerc.
Perez, who started fifth, ran line astern with Leclerc and Verstappen as the trio stamped on the brakes from 200mph for the opening bend – and Perez, occupying the racing line, sensed his opportunity for glory. But his banzai move was badly misjudged.
The 33-year-old turned into Leclerc, and was sent airborne before landing back on four wheels and spinning into the run-off area. Perez limped back to the pits but the damage sustained to his machine left his race in tatters.
Perez banged his steering wheel with both hands in frustration. Children were left seeking comfort from their parents in the grandstands.
Perez’s Red Bull mechanics attempted a quick fix to get their man back on track. But after a handful of laps they conceded defeat. Perez departed his Red Bull cockpit to watch team-mate Verstappen gallop to victory.
Question marks hang over Perez’s future at Red Bull. He has one year to run on his deal, but the paddock is awash with rumours that he could be replaced next year.
Daniel Ricciardo is mooted as a possible candidate, and Perez’s first-corner disaster – coupled with the Australian out-performing his modest AlphaTauri machinery to take the chequered flag in seventh in just his fourth comeback race, will do little to dampen the speculation.
Perez last won a race in Azerbaijan on April 30, and his failure to finish at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez leaves his second place in the championship under threat from Hamilton. Indeed, the seven-time world champion reduced the gap from 39 points to 20 with his strong display.
For Verstappen, this was his 32nd victory – remarkably the same tally double world champion Fernando Alonso has managed throughout his entire career – from his last 41 appearances, dating back to his controversial triumph over Hamilton in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Hamilton, who has not won a race during that period, crossed the line a close second to Verstappen in America a week ago before he was disqualified for running his Mercedes too close to the floor.
He started sixth here, swiftly promoted one position after Perez’s crash. On lap 11 he blasted past Ricciardo for fourth.
Verstappen gave up his lead on lap 19 after he stopped for new rubber, with Hamilton in five laps later. Then on lap 34, the race was suspended.
Magnussen lost control of his Haas at 130mph through Turn 8. The Dane ended up in the wall following a suspected rear suspension failure. He swiftly emerged from his cockpit before his mangled machine caught fire.
The safety car was deployed but with significant damage to the tyre barrier, repairs were required, and the race was halted, leading to a 22-minute delay.
“That’s a joke,” complained Verstappen. “A red flag for what?”
The drivers lined up on the grid for the second standing start of the afternoon with Hamilton the sole man in the top five on the quicker, medium rubber.
But it was Verstappen who produced another scintillating getaway to leave the others trailing in his wake.
He set about building his gap, with Hamilton intent on taking Leclerc for second, and on lap 40, he did just that following a bold and gutsy move.
On the fastest straight of the year, Hamilton jinked to Leclerc’s right, dropping two tyres on to the turf and kicking up dirt at 225mph, before holding his nerve under braking for the first corner to make the move stick.
The British driver nursed his tyres to finish runner-up to Verstappen, 13.8 sec back.
Prost was 38 when he claimed his 51st and final win 30 years ago. Verstappen turned 26 only last month, with Vettel’s 53 triumphs now on his radar before the close of the year with races in Brazil and Las Vegas to follow ahead of the final round in Abu Dhabi on November 26.
Napoli came alive in the second half of their 2-2 draw with AC Milan after Olivier Giroud twice headed home for the visitors before the break at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Milan looked to be in complete control after the Frenchman bagged his brace in the opening period, but the momentum swung completely in the opposite direction after the restart when Matteo Politano halved the deficit in the 50th minute.
Giacomo Raspadori’s stunning free-kick from 25 yards ensured it was all square after 63 minutes of a thoroughly entertaining contest in the Campania capital.
Napoli were forced to play the final few minutes with 10 men after Natan was sent off, but neither side could find a winner despite both teams having late chances.
The evening opened with an excellent piece of defending by Amir Rrahmani to block a close-range Giroud effort after the ball had deflected favourably in the Frenchman’s path.
There was bad news for the Rossoneri when centre-back Pierre Kalulu went down and was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh issue, with boss Stefano Pioli was short of options with Malick Thiaw serving a suspension and Simon Kjaer suffering a muscle problem.
On came 20-year-old Marco Pellegrino, making his Serie A debut and himself forced off late on, but it was a man 17 years the debutant’s senior who would provide the spark Pioli’s side needed.
Giroud’s opener came thanks to a superb delivery from Christian Pulisic to set up the 37-year-old for a glancing header that caught the fingertips of Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret before going in.
AC Milan soon extended their advantage, this time Davide Calabria providing the cross for Giroud to nod into the bottom left corner after winning an aerial battle with Rrahmani.
The visitors were cruising and had multiple chances to make it 3-0 before the break, while Napoli had not managed a shot on target.
Napoli boss Rudi Garcia made a triple change at half-time and the switch quickly seemed to pay dividends for the hosts when Politano thundered a left-footed strike under the crossbar from the edge of the area.
Milan, who had dominated the first half, were suddenly on the back foot, somehow surviving a relentless spell from Napoli that would have left them ruing their earlier missed chances when Raspadori curled home the equaliser from 25 yards.
Natan was sent off after his clumsy challenge on Giovanni Simeone resulted in a second booking, but the visitors could not capitalise on the man advantage through four minutes of added time, coming closest through captain Calabria’s header into the side-netting.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia nearly snatched victory for the home side, but Milan keeper Mike Maignan reacted quickly to keep out the Georgian’s sharp effort and ensure the points were shared.
Ben Youngs enters Test retirement comforted by the belief that England’s future is in safe hands after an encouraging World Cup.
Youngs made his 127th and last appearance in Friday’s bronze final victory over Argentina and ends his 13-year international career as the nation’s most capped men’s player.
Courtney Lawes has also confirmed he is bowing out of the Test arena and Jonny May is very likely to follow suit, while Dan Cole and Joe Marler are nearing the end of their time at the top.
The departure of so many experienced stars – three of them cap centurions – points to an uncertain future, but Youngs believes England can leave the World Cup with confidence.
“There will still be a lot of guys playing who have vast experience and who will be playing with the guys that will now start learning Test rugby,” the Leicester scrum-half said.
“We have some really good leaders, some guys who have been there and done it and dragged the others along with us, along with coaches who gave us a really clear plan.
“It was a plan that suited the team and what we needed right now, which was stripping it back a little bit.
“Marcus Smith is not inexperienced because he’s got a huge amount of experience for someone of such a young age and he’s now finding playing full-back a little bit different for him.
“You’ve got Freddie Steward, Ollie Chessum, George Martin, you’ve got a lot of guys who are going to continue to grow.
“You then marry that up with the guys like Maro Itoje, Ellis Genge and Jamie George who will still be there.
“It’s about getting that blend and continuity in the group, and also we’ve got good coaches.
“And there is that Englishness in us when our backs are against the wall. It’s a bit of bloody-mindedness – ‘right boys, we’ve got no option, we’ve got to roll our sleeves up’.”
Marseille’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon was called off on Sunday evening after the visiting team’s bus was attacked on its way to the stadium, with head coach Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo “directly hit and seriously injured in the face”.
Footage on social media appeared to show stones being thrown at the OL bus, with Grosso pictured on a stretcher and with a bloodied face.
French football’s governing body, the Ligue de Football Professionnel, confirmed the match, which had been due to kick off at 1945GMT, was postponed after an emergency meeting.
Its statement read: “During the crisis unit meeting following the incidents that occurred outside the Stade Velodrome on the route of its bus, Olympique Lyonnais made known its opposition to taking part in the match given the circumstances.
“In consultation with Olympique de Marseille and the public authorities, the OM-OL match will therefore not be played this evening at 8.45pm.”
OL issued a statement strongly condemning the attack, adding that they had initially looked for the match to go ahead, before realising the conditions of Grosso and Longo were “much more serious than expected” and due to the “mental state of the players”.
The club said: “This Sunday evening, at the entrance to the Velodrome stadium, several individuals violently attacked the Olympique Lyonnais bus, as well as its staff and players.
“Six buses of Olympique Lyonnais supporters were also targeted. If in the past, attacks of this type had already taken place, which Olympique Lyonnais has always regretted, this Sunday, October 29, a new step towards the worst was taken.
“In fact, several secure windows were broken by heavy projectiles of unknown nature. These same projectiles penetrated the interior of the bus.
“Coach Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were directly hit and seriously injured in the face during this attack. Present with them on the bus, the players and staff were also deeply affected by the violence of this attack, which Olympique Lyonnais strongly condemns.
“Initially, as indicated by the OL representative at the start of the crisis meeting, driven by their courage, the coach and the players wanted the meeting to be able to take place.
“Subsequently, the OL representative was informed of the physical condition of Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo, much more serious than expected, but also of the negative medical opinions and the mental state of the players. She then announced a change in the situation, indicating the impossibility of playing the match.”
OL said it was “clearly impossible” for the match to take place, adding that they planned to “file a complaint in the coming days” before calling on the authorities to take action.
They concluded: “Finally, Olympique Lyonnais regrets that this type of situation occurs every year in Marseille and invites the authorities to take stock of the seriousness and repetition of this type of incident before an even more serious tragedy occurs.”
Marseille issued a statement of their own, criticising the perpetrators and wishing 45-year-old Italian Grosso well.
“Olympique de Marseille deplores the unacceptable incidents which took place this evening around the Stade Velodrome, against the professional team bus as well as Olympique Lyonnais supporter buses,” the OM statement read.
“The club wishes a speedy recovery to Lyon coach Fabio Grosso and strongly condemns this violent behaviour which has no place in the world of football and in society.
“Due to a handful of mindless people, the game planned for this evening was spoiled and deprived 65,000 supporters of attending a football match.
“The club complies with the decision taken by the LFP and remains at its disposal so that the match which was scheduled for this Sunday, October 29, takes place as quickly as possible and under the best possible conditions at the Stade Velodrome.”
South Africa retained the men’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday evening with a nail-biting 12-11 victory over New Zealand at Stade de France.
Here, the PA news agency picks a team from the best performing players in the tournament.
15. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand): Two-time world player of the year set the standard for a playmaking full-back.
14. Damian Penaud (France): Daredevil wing who topped the try-scoring chart until Will Jordan ran amok against Argentina.
13. Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji): The Islanders’ skipper stood out in a backline full of lethal runners.
12. Bundee Aki (Ireland): A player of the tournament candidate through his powerful running, clever lines and slick footwork.
11. Will Jordan (New Zealand): Ruthless finisher who is in the company of greats such as Jonah Lomu after amassing eight tries.
10. Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand): The game’s most complete fly-half with the creativity to match his game-management.
9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand): One of the World Cup’s smallest players is also among its smartest.
1. Ox Nche (South Africa): The Springboks’ strongest scrummager may be on the bench but what an impact he makes.
2. Mike Tadjer (Portugal): A front row all-rounder who was especially influential in the shock victory over Fiji.
3. Ben Tameifuna (Tonga): Monster tighthead prop weighing in at 23st 11lbs yet has the carrying prowess to match his scrummaging.
4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa): A snarling enforcer and still the game’s dominant second row despite an off-night against England.
5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland): Ever-present for Ireland who provided fight whether playing at lock or in the second-row.
6. Courtney Lawes (England): A back-row warrior with a sharp rugby brain excelled in the biggest games.
7. Jac Morgan (Wales): Blockbusting flanker who showed maturity beyond his years to lead Wales into the quarter-finals.
8. Ardie Savea (New Zealand): Pushed very close by England’s Ben Earl but Savea is a class apart.
Marseille’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon has been postponed after the visiting team’s bus was attacked on its way to the stadium.
Footage on social media on Sunday evening appeared to show stones being thrown at the OL bus, with head coach Fabio Grosso pictured on a stretcher and with a bloodied face.
French football’s governing body, the Ligue de Football Professionnel, confirmed the match, which had been due to kick off at 1945GMT, was off after an emergency meeting.
Its statement read: “During the crisis unit meeting following the incidents that occurred outside the Stade Velodrome on the route of its bus, Olympique Lyonnais made known its opposition to taking part in the match given the circumstances.
“In consultation with Olympique de Marseille and the public authorities, the OM-OL match will therefore not be played this evening at 8.45pm.
“It will now be up to the Competitions Commission to decide on the fate of this match by application of article 544 of the competition regulations.”
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland revealed he used chants of “Keano” from Manchester United’s fans as motivation during his side’s 3-0 win at Old Trafford.
The chants were thought to be a reference to the history between Haaland’s father Alf-Inge Haaland and former United captain Roy Keane, who was sent off for an horrific foul on Haaland senior in the Manchester derby in 2001.
Asked about his effusive reaction to scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot, Erling Haaland told BBC Sport: “There were so many people singing ‘Keano’, I don’t know why, but I used it as motivation and gave them a good celebration.”
Haaland, who doubled City’s lead with a header early in the second half before setting up Phil Foden for the third, said his father had enjoyed a memorable weekend after also seeing his former club Leeds thrash Huddersfield 4-1 at Elland Road on Saturday.
“He was in the away stands,” Haaland added.
“I think he was yesterday at the Leeds game and today with the away fans here so it was an incredible two days for him.”
Erik Ten Hag insisted Manchester United were still “on the up” despite being comprehensively outplayed by rivals Manchester City in Sunday’s derby.
Erling Haaland struck twice – the first from the penalty spot – and Phil Foden added another as treble winners City eased to a 3-0 win in a one-sided Premier League encounter at Old Trafford.
The result underlined City’s superiority over their neighbours – the gap between the sides now being nine points after 10 games – and emphatically ended any suggestion United might have turned a corner after winning their previous three matches.
Manager Ten Hag nevertheless put a on brave face on what proved a chastening afternoon for the club’s fans.
The Dutchman said: “The three games before we won and the spirit is very good. The fighting spirit is very good.
“I think we are on the way up. The start was difficult, but now we are on a way up.
“We have to be patient, but I’m happy some of our injuries are coming back and then our side will be stronger.”
Ten Hag felt United were competitive in the first half, which they ended trailing only 1-0 after Haaland’s 26th-minute penalty.
He said: “When you see first half, it’s toe-to-toe. Just the penalty changes the game.
“But even then we could have got back in the game, for instance with that shot of Scott McTominay just before half-time.
“So, I think from chances it was very toe-to-toe.”
Ten Hag did admit, however, the second half was “absolutely not” close.
He said: “We were losing and I decided to bring more offensive power in and we made a mistake that was not according to the game plan.”
Ten Hag repeatedly said he had “no comment” to make on the penalty decision, which was awarded for a foul by Rasmus Hojlund on Rodri following a VAR review.
Opposite number Pep Guardiola claimed his side’s victory had not been as straightforward as it looked.
City strongly asserted their authority in the second period as an unmarked Haaland headed his second and teed up Foden for the visitors’ third 10 minutes from time.
Guardiola said: “It looks easy but it’s not, really it’s not.
“We have a lot of respect for United, for what they do, but we were at our best, especially in the second half.
“The second goal helped us a lot. We were saying at half-time they will be more aggressive and they were, but we made two incredible two build-ups.
“Bernardo (Silva) and Jack (Grealish) made a good action and Erling scored the second goal. That was the key point of the game.”
Guardiola admitted he did not anticipate his side dominating the local scene as much as they have when he arrived in Manchester in 2016.
He said: “I know what we have done. I don’t know what United have done because I’m not here, but I didn’t expect it when I arrived here with Jose Mourinho, with (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, with the top, top players of (Romelu) Lukaku and the squad.”
Marcus Thuram struck a late winner as Inter Milan returned to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 victory over Roma at San Siro.
The hosts completely dominated the first half but failed to score when chances from Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu and Benjamin Pavard went begging.
The only team with the intention of winning the game were Inter and it started to look like it was not their day until Thuram turned home with 10 minutes remaining to condemn Jose Mourinho to defeat against his former employers.
Inter’s intent to attack Roma was clear from the outset and they almost had the opener six minutes in when Calhanoglu’s rifled effort from 20 yards bounced off the crossbar.
Denzel Dumfries’ cross found Thuram inside the area and after seeing his initial header blocked, his second stabbed effort was saved magnificently by the legs of Rui Patricio.
It was wave after wave of Inter attacks as Roma continued to sit back and defend, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan next to go close when his effort from 12 yards flew wide of the target before volleying over from outside the area a couple of minutes later.
Half an hour into the contest, defender Pavard found himself with space inside the area but shot well wide of the target.
The second half started with the same pattern as the first with Inter on the front foot and Thuram headed over from Calhanoglu’s free-kick.
After an hour, Roma had failed to register a single shot but Inter had their second on target after Thuram chested a cross into Lautaro Martinez, with his resulting effort deflected softly into the hands of Patricio.
Roma, who had former Inter striker Romelu Lukaku up front, had a chance to hit the target in the 65th minute as Stephan El Shaarawy was brought down by Alessandro Bastoni on the edge of the box, but Leandro Paredes sent the resulting free-kick straight into the wall.
The away side finally started to create a few opportunities and came close to an opener of their own when Bryan Cristante powered a header towards goal but Yann Sommer was alert to keep the score 0-0.
The game became a little stretched for the first time and Inter went down the other end and could have scored but Calhanoglu’s shot was deflected wide.
Back came Inter as they looked to crank up the pressure, but Federico Dimarco’s cross into the six-yard box could not be turned home by Thuram.
The decisive moment of the game came 80 minutes in when Thuram pounced on Dimarco’s cross and turned in to finally give the hosts a deserved lead.
Carlos Augusto almost added a stunning second, unleashing a 30-yard effort which struck the crossbar.
Roy Keane insisted Bruno Fernandes should be stripped of the Manchester United captaincy after they were outclassed by Manchester City in a one-sided derby at Old Trafford.
Erling Haaland struck from the penalty spot after 26 minutes and then headed home shortly after the interval before Phil Foden put an emphatic stamp on a 3-0 victory for Pep Guardiola’s visitors.
While City laid down a marker in their Premier League title defence, United’s defeat was their fifth in just 10 matches this season and left them 11 points adrift of leaders Tottenham.
Assessing what United can do immediately in an attempt to rectify their failings amid a turbulent time for the club both on and off the field, former skipper Keane suggested taking the armband off Fernandes, who assumed the role from out-of-favour defender Harry Maguire ahead of the campaign.
Keane, who captained United from 1997 to 2005 during one of the club’s most successful periods, told Sky Sports: “After today, having watched him again, I would definitely take the captaincy off him.
“One hundred per cent. I know it’s a big decision, they’ve changed the captaincy with Maguire. But Fernandes is not captaincy material.
“I think he’s talented player, no doubt about it, but what I saw today…his whinging, his moaning, his throwing his arms up in the air constantly, it really isn’t acceptable.
“What we saw today, I would take that off him. The manager is capable of doing that. He’s the opposite to what I would want in a captain.”
A late goal by substitute Danilo gave Rangers a dramatic 2-1 win over Hearts at Ibrox and breathed life into the title race.
Celtic drew 0-0 at Hibernian on Saturday and are now five points ahead of the Light Blues at the top of the cinch Premiership.
Elsewhere, Aberdeen lost 2-0 at Kilmarnock, Motherwell came back to draw 3-3 at home to Ross County and there were wins for Dundee and St Mirren, the latter victory having huge implications for St Johnstone boss Steven MacLean.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the weekend.
Rangers battle back to clinch crucial victory
Philippe Clement was taking charge of Rangers for only the third time and saw their resilience tested to the limit against Hearts. Captain Lawrence Shankland gave the Jambos the lead after just five minutes and Gers supporters’ disgruntlement slowly increased as their side huffed and puffed, with skipper James Tavernier hitting a post with a penalty just before the break. The Light Blues kept going in the second half without any joy initially, but just when it looked like Hearts would escape with a famous victory, Tavernier was handed a second chance from the spot and made no mistake before substitute Danilo headed in a winner to close the gap behind league leaders Celtic to five points. If nothing else, Clement knows his players will keep going to the end.
Brendan Rodgers wary of wholesale changes
The Celtic manager picked the same team at Easter Road that played the bulk of Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Atletico Madrid. But the champions lacked tempo and a spark until showing more urgency when the likes of James Forrest, Mikey Johnston and David Turnbull came on. The goalless draw maintained Celtic’s unbeaten league record but they may have to rotate their team for the visit of in-form St Mirren.
Mika is Motherwell’s saviour
Mika Biereth sparked an unlikely Motherwell comeback as they twice came from two goals down to force a 3-3 draw with Ross County. The on-loan Arsenal striker won and scored a penalty and set up Conor Wilkinson to net before teenager Luca Ross grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser. Well have missed Biereth during a knee injury lay-off and his Premiership record is attention-grabbing: in 50 minutes of action he has provided two goals and two assists.
Steven MacLean departs St Johnstone
There was no real surprise when it emerged on Sunday that the Perth side had parted company with manager MacLean. Saints remain bottom of the league without a win following their 4-0 defeat by St Mirren on Saturday. MacLean claimed some players “chucked it” during the defeat in Paisley but in the end it was the former Perth striker and first-team coach Liam Craig who paid the price for a poor start to the season.
Aberdeen continue their league struggle
The Dons put up a good fight against Greek outfit PAOK in their Europa Conference League game on Thursday night before losing 3-2 at Pittodrie. However, they were well off the mark when they travelled to Rugby Park on league duty on Sunday. Goals from Killie skipper Kyle Vassell and fellow forward Marley Watkins gave Derek McInnes’ side a deserved 2-0 win and took them into fourth place in the table. Aberdeen are 10th with just nine points from nine fixtures and have only won two league games.
England head coach Matthew Mott has rejected former captain Eoin Morgan’s suggestion that his team are “unsettled” behind the the scenes despite watching yet another heavy World Cup defeat.
Mott worked with Morgan when he took over the white-ball side 18 months ago, but the Irishman headed into retirement soon after, passing the baton to Jos Buttler.
As the man who led England’s World Cup triumph in 2019, Morgan’s word still carries plenty of weight and he has made some eye-catching observations about his old team-mates.
Speaking to Sky Sports prior to England’s 100-run loss to India in Lucknow, their fifth loss in six games of an abject title defence, he said the side were “definitely unsettled” and responded to the idea they were simply off form by saying “there’s something else going on, there has to be”.
Having then watched England’s latest collapse against the hosts, which kept them rooted to the foot of the table, Morgan said he would have laughed in the face of anyone who had predicted such a plight at the start of the tournament.
Responding to those comments after the latest setback, Mott said: “Eoin’s entitled to his opinion. He’s obviously been away (from India) for a couple of weeks with the birth of his child and he hasn’t been in and around the rooms.
“But I’ll certainly take that up with him and have a chat to him. We’ve got a really good relationship with him so if he’s seeing something I’m not I’ll definitely have that conversation.
“I don’t think that (is the case) at all. Anyone inside our tent at the moment would say, despite our results, we’re an incredibly tight-knit unit.
“There’s every opportunity when you’re losing to splinter and go other ways but I can only say from my opinion that the group has been incredibly strong.
“You see our training sessions and they are full of fun, people are putting their arms around each other trying to help them. It’s easy to do that when you’re winning but a lot harder when you’re losing and I’m proud we just keep trying to get up.”
Chris Woakes also stood up for the unity of the squad, telling Sky: “I can firmly say there is nothing wrong with the dressing room.”
Regardless of morale, there is no disguising just how badly things have gone for an England side who arrived as close second favourites and have since put together their worst ever run of form in a chequered history at the World Cup.
Things have got so bad that they have played their way into potentially missing out on a place at the next major 50-over global competition.
It has come to light that places at the 2025 Champions Trophy will be allocated based on performances in this competition, with hosts Pakistan joined by the seven highest finishers.
With three matches to go England sit in 10th spot, behind both the Netherlands and Bangladesh.
Remarkably, Mott admitted he was not aware the qualification process had moved away from its previous link to world rankings until media reports which landed midway through the India defeat.
The decision was ratified by the ICC board in November 2021, when the England and Wales Cricket Board was being led by previous chief executive Tom Harrison, but the information appears to have been waylaid in transition.
Asked in his post-match press conference when he learned about the potential Champions Trophy issue, Mott said: “About an hour-and-a-half ago.
“The ICC do change the rules quite a bit with qualification but to be honest I don’t think it would affect in any way the way we’ve played in this tournament, so it’s not a big deal.
“It’s plenty of motivation for us to pick ourselves back up off the canvas and keep trying to throw punches. It gives us a lot of focus that we need to make sure we can’t just ‘turn up’. We’ve got to win these games.”
Philippe Clement believes his Rangers side answered his questions about their mettle in the last-gasp 2-1 win over Hearts which cut Celtic’s lead at the cinch Premiership summit to five points.
Jambos captain Lawrence Shankland gave the visitors the lead after five minutes before home skipper James Tavernier smacked the post with a penalty at the end of the first half after Toby Sibbick’s foul on Todd Cantwell.
Gers midfielder Nicolas Raskin was taken from the field on a stretcher after sustaining an injury in shooting after the break but the game ended on a high for the Light Blues, under the tutelage of Clement for the third time.
The hosts were awarded a second spot-kick in the 90th minute for a Peter Haring foul on Connor Goldson after a VAR check by referee John Beaton, and this time Tavernier slammed it in, with substitute Danilo completing the turnaround by heading home the winner in the third of nine added minutes.
“I am curious if there comes a moment, and it always comes, where the scenario is not going our way, how they would react,” Clement said after the match. “Clearly they had the reaction that I wanted.
“Our strength needs to be that whatever happens in football, we never give up and we keep on repeating what we are doing because they are doing already good things together.
“Of course we need to still make better a lot of details but if we show the right mentality over and over again in every action and in the reaction afterwards then we are a really good team.
“That is what we showed together, not with 11 but with the whole squad, also the players who came in to give this energy.”
The Belgian continued: “Was it perfect? No. But for me it is a reference game in the way that they have seen if they never give up a lot of good things can happen.
“It is not a guarantee that you win every game because not even the best teams in the world manage to do that but we are going to win much more games than we have done until now. It is a big step forward for me and in that way Tav was an example today.
“Missing the penalty, getting the stick because of that, that moment you can lose confidence, you can go down, you can stop taking responsibility.
“But he took the second penalty, he scored it and afterwards he gave the assist for the second goal.
“I want to see a lot of players with that mentality in my dressing room.”
Hearts boss Steven Naismith had his own question marks over both penalties.
The former Rangers striker said: “The game hinges on the penalty decision. I don’t think it is a penalty.
“At every corner there was blocking, where Rangers players were not even interested in the ball. All they are doing is looking at our man, blocking our player.
“I spoke to officials during the game who said if that happened and it was given as a goal, it would be given as a foul.
“Lo and behold, at the end of the game there is a clear block on our man.
“John Lundstram is not even interested in the ball, all he is doing is looking at our player and he blocks him and then it is given by VAR.
“I spoke to the referee who said he never gets shown any video footage of any block happening. He said it (video) didn’t go that far back but it is pretty obvious.
“Clear blocking, clear obstruction, it should be our foul.
“VAR should see there is a foul happened before the two players (Haring and Goldson) make contact.
“Then the penalty in the first half. There is two minutes added on and that is given in the 48th minute. Small details can have a big impact.”
Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp said preparation for Sunday’s 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest had been “the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life”.
Reds forward Luis Diaz did not feature in the Premier League clash at Anfield after reports that his parents had been kidnapped in Colombia and Klopp said the player had returned home to be with family members.
Liverpool confirmed an “ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz” earlier on Sunday and Colombia’s president said Diaz’s mother “has been rescued” but his father remains missing.
Klopp said: “The game preparation was the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t expect that, I wasn’t prepared for it.
“I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was, but definitely, we tried to help Luis with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help and we cannot really help.
“So the only thing we can do is fight for him and that’s what the boys did.”
Liverpool secured their fifth straight home Premier League win to move three points behind leaders Tottenham.
But Klopp said: “How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult. I’ve never struggled with that in my life.
“We heard late last night about it. We spoke to Luis, he wanted to go home…Then we got the news with his mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really.
“We are obviously the first people to get involved and we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don’t want to disturb in any way the important people there, we just want to support, that’s it.”
Liverpool said in a statement that they were supporting the player. It read: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia.
“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”
Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”
The country’s football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz’s father.
“The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” they said.
“From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”
Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.
The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.
Diaz was an unused substitute for Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win against Toulouse after starting the Premier League victory over Everton last weekend.
He was not in the 18-strong squad that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp named for Forest’s Premier League visit to Anfield.
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