Will Rowlands says it was Wales’ “minimum standard” to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

Wales have arrived at the knockout phase for a fourth successive tournament. They went on to make the last four in 2011 and 2019.

Argentina await in Marseille on Saturday, when Wales will start as favourites following an impressive pool-stage performance that saw them collect 19 points from a possible 20 and secure a quarter-final place with a game to spare.

It is all a far cry from last season’s Six Nations, when Wales only avoided the wooden spoon by beating Italy in Rome.

“There has been a lot of confidence in the squad about what we want to do. A clear message from the coaches,” Wales lock Rowlands said.

“We train well during the week and try and deliver on the weekend. We are just playing to our strengths, and the results have been spot on for us so far.

“The performances can get better, but we are just excited now to kick on and get to the real meat of the competition next weekend.

“It feels really exciting, we want to keep going in the tournament. For us, it was the minimum standard to get to this stage.

“We were confident that if we played the right game-plan, got the right players going in the right direction, then we knew we could beat other teams. We have proved that.

“That Fiji game (opening fixture) was tough. They played really well and put us under a lot of pressure, but we got the result and we have played better and better since then.”

It is less than four years since Rowlands made his Test debut, but he has developed into a pivotal part of the Wales pack during an international career now closing in on 30 caps.

His leadership has also been to the fore, and combined with his performances it makes him undoubtedly one of the first names on Wales’ team-sheet.

Wales assistant coach and forwards specialist Jonathan Humphreys added: “He is a massive player for us.

“It is interesting to see his growth as a leader, and he drives a big part of the lineout defence.

“He is a big influence over this group, and he is a great character, he really is.

“To see him in terms of the effect he has on the game, in terms of the contacts and the physicality, he is a big player for us and he is turning into a big leader for us.”

Rowlands, meanwhile, even if he spends most of his time in close-quarter action, can readily appreciate the form of Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

Rees-Zammit has already scored five tries in the tournament, including a hat-trick against Georgia, to leave him one behind current pace-setter Damian Penaud.

“Give the ball to Zammo in a bit of space and you can almost stop running,” Rowlands said.

“Just let him run it in. He is electric and it is great to have him in the side.

“Zammo has probably been a bit frustrated the last few weeks with not getting the ball enough, but he was great (against Georgia).

“If we can get the ball to him more, then we know he will score more tries.”

Array has been supplemented for the Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday to join City Of Troy and 10 others.

Owned by Juddmonte and trained by Andrew Balding, Array was last seen winning the Mill Reef Stakes and will be having his first run over seven furlongs.

City Of Troy sets a tall standard to aim at, however. Aidan O’Brien’s colt has not been seen since creating a huge impression when winning the Superlative Stakes.

He was a late withdrawal from the National Stakes last month when Henry Longfellow stepped in to be Ballydoyle’s number one.

Henry Longfellow remains in contention along with stablemates Henry Adams, Johannes Brahms, River Tiber and Unquestionable but there is no doubting City Of Troy is O’Brien’s big hope.

Iberian looked a smart colt when beating subsequent Group One winner Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes and is well worth a shot for the Charlie Hills team, while Eve Johnson Houghton’s Indian Run, part-owned by England cricket star Jonny Bairstow, arrives off a win in the Acomb Stakes.

Alyanaabi, who came from an unpromising position to win the Tattersalls Stakes, Eben Shaddad and Haatem complete the list.

Dubai Future, Knight, Regal Reality, Spirit Dancer and Sir Busker are among 13 in the Earthlight Darley Stakes. Orne, a debut winner for John and Thady Gosden, is one of 14 in the Emirates Autumn Stakes.

A total of 40 remain in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch, headed by David Pipe’s recent Bangor winner Wordsworth.

Willie Mullins has several options at the five-day stage M C Muldoon and Lot Of Joy.

Ryan Moore is due to partner Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper, the ante-post favourite, with the 11-year-old Not So Sleepy, back to winning ways last time out, due to be partnered by Tom Marquand.

Emmet Mullins will be represented by The Shunter, a Cheltenham Festival winner over fences in 2021.

Owner JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Emmet was happy with him before the weekend and the intention then was to go.

“He ran a nice race on the Flat in the summer (fourth), Emmet was pleased with that and you’d expect him to come forward from that.

“He’ll go there in good nick, anyway, and we hope he runs well.”

Tashkhan, Tritonic, The Very Man and Jesse Evans are all engaged at this stage.

Array has been supplemented for the Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday to join City Of Troy and 10 others.

Owned by Juddmonte and trained by Andrew Balding, Array was last seen winning the Mill Reef Stakes and will be having his first run over seven furlongs.

City Of Troy sets a tall standard to aim at, however. Aidan O’Brien’s colt has not been seen since creating a huge impression when winning the Superlative Stakes.

He was a late withdrawal from the National Stakes last month when Henry Longfellow stepped in to be Ballydoyle’s number one.

Henry Longfellow remains in contention along with stablemates Henry Adams, Johannes Brahms, River Tiber and Unquestionable but there is no doubting City Of Troy is O’Brien’s big hope.

Iberian looked a smart colt when beating subsequent Group One winner Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes and is well worth a shot for the Charlie Hills team, while Eve Johnson Houghton’s Indian Run, part-owned by England cricket star Jonny Bairstow, arrives off a win in the Acomb Stakes.

Alyanaabi, who came from an unpromising position to win the Tattersalls Stakes, Eben Shaddad and Haatem complete the list.

Dubai Future, Knight, Regal Reality, Spirit Dancer and Sir Busker are among 13 in the Earthlight Darley Stakes. Orne, a debut winner for John and Thady Gosden, is one of 14 in the Emirates Autumn Stakes.

A total of 40 remain in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch, headed by David Pipe’s recent Bangor winner Wordsworth.

Willie Mullins has several options at the five-day stage M C Muldoon and Lot Of Joy.

Ryan Moore is due to partner Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper, the ante-post favourite, with the 11-year-old Not So Sleepy, back to winning ways last time out, due to be partnered by Tom Marquand.

Emmet Mullins will be represented by The Shunter, a Cheltenham Festival winner over fences in 2021.

Owner JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Emmet was happy with him before the weekend and the intention then was to go.

“He ran a nice race on the Flat in the summer (fourth), Emmet was pleased with that and you’d expect him to come forward from that.

“He’ll go there in good nick, anyway, and we hope he runs well.”

Tashkhan, Tritonic, The Very Man and Jesse Evans are all engaged at this stage.

Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher admits a “do or die” Rugby World Cup quarter-final with New Zealand is the stuff of dreams but plans to treat the biggest game of his career like any other.

Andy Farrell’s men set up a mouthwatering last-eight showdown with the three-time champions by stretching their remarkable winning run to 17 games to top Pool B ahead of title holders South Africa.

Yet Ireland have never reached a World Cup semi-final and were stuffed 46-14 by the formidable All Blacks at the same stage four years ago in Japan.

Tournament debutant Kelleher won the first of his 25 international caps immediately after his country’s emphatic exit in Tokyo, having being selected for the 2020 Six Nations campaign by head coach Farrell.

“I suppose it is something you’d dream about, on the big stage, probably the biggest game of my career so far,” the 25-year-old said of facing the Kiwis.

“As we’ve chatted throughout the week with the lads, you have to take each game as it comes.

“You just have to play the game in front of you and for me personally it’ll be treated like another Test match, just make sure I get across all my detail and preparation and, if selected, make sure I’m able to do a job.

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“We know it’s going to be a massive challenge, a huge Test match but one we’re really looking forward to. It’s obviously do or die.”

Ireland have won three of four meetings against New Zealand during Farrell’s reign.

Kelleher was part of the team which defeated the All Blacks 29-20 in November 2021 before missing last summer’s 2-1 tour success through injury.

Overall, the Six Nations champions have been victorious in five of the past eight matches between the nations, including a historic first win in Chicago in 2016 under Joe Schmidt.

Kelleher was still a schoolboy back then and suggested the run of results has helped to diminish the aura around the All Blacks.

“Yeah, I suppose,” he said. “But obviously we know how good a team they are and particularly how they play in big tournaments.

“I’m just looking forward to this weekend, we know it’s going to be a massive challenge, a huge Test match, but one we’re really looking forward to.”

Kelleher is likely to provide back up for Leinster team-mate Dan Sheehan at Stade de France after performing that role in Saturday’s 36-14 success over Scotland.

His absence from last year’s series in New Zealand came amid a string of frustrating injury setbacks which he now hopes are behind him.

“It’s great to be back out there,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to get some time in each of the games so far, so I’ve been absolutely delighted with that.

“As far as contributing, it’s been absolutely great. It’s about keeping that momentum going forward and we’re happy with where we are at the moment.”

England’s World Cup-winning former captain Eoin Morgan believes it would be “naive” to call on Jofra Archer in this year’s tournament.

Archer played a key role in securing the trophy for Morgan’s men four years ago, topping the wicket charts and delivering the nail-biting super over in the Lord’s final.

But the Barbados-born seamer has played just seven ODIs since that day, with a litany of fitness problems making him a regular in the treatment room while he has not featured competitively since the IPL in May.

He is scheduled to join up with England shortly as a reserve player – partially to oversee his continued rehabilitation from a stress fracture of the elbow and partially as a potential injury replacement if required.

Should one of England’s chosen seamers go down during the lengthy trip around India, there is hope that Archer could step into the breach and play a part in the business end of the competition, but Morgan has urged caution over that idea.

“It’s not something that I’m thinking would be a good idea,” said Morgan, who is in India as an ICC World Cup ambassador.

“Right here and now I don’t know because he’s not played and we don’t know what he’s capable of. Given the injury issue that he’s had in recent times I think it would be naive of anybody to think just chuck him in whenever you can because we’re either desperate or feel that you need an option.

“Obviously the feedback about when he’s trained with the team has been that he’s back bowling beautifully, but you would like to see that in a game, you would like to see that in a continuous performance.”

Morgan’s successor as skipper, Jos Buttler, offered no new clues about Archer’s status but confirmed he would be in the country shortly and linking back up with his team-mates.

“He’s coming out soon. The plan is obviously to finish off the rehab stages of coming back from his injury,” he said.

“He’s continuing to build up and rehab and that’s a great place for him to be able to do that in and around the squad. Obviously if he builds up and everything then should the worst case happen (to another bowler) it’s a conversation.”

Morgan, meanwhile, gave a wholehearted endorsement of Ben Stokes’ importance to England’s title defence. Like Archer, he was essential in 2019, when his never-say-die attitude carried the eventual champions back from the brink in the final.

Having reversed his ODI retirement to take part he has been laid low by a hip problem since arriving.

But Morgan believes his presence carries even more weight than it did previously, given the achievements he has racked up along the way as a T20 world champion and inspirational Test captain.

“Is he as influential as he was? Even more so I’d say,” said the Irishman.

“He just continues to deliver when the team needs and creates belief and confidence around that and if you play with a guy that has already crossed the finish line on numerous occasions, and speaks in straight lines and not riddles, it’s genuine.

“I think the thing that we can’t measure when it comes to Ben is how much he contributes in the changing room and how much he makes other players better around him.”

Hollie Doyle has been handed a one-month ban – suspended for year – having tested positive for traces of a banned substance found in a painkiller used to treat an elbow injury.

The charge relates to Doyle returning a positive test for Dihyrocodeine (DHC) following her return to riding from a lengthy injury lay-off.

Having undergone surgery on her elbow in February 2023, Doyle returned at Newcastle on March 31 having been prescribed DHC post-operatively.

Upon interview Doyle also said she had been taking what she believed to be ibuprofen tablets previously ‘over the counter’ in Japan and had used those as pain relief. These tablets are marketed as ‘Pabron Ace Pro’.

Following an investigation by the British Horseracing Authority it was thought the likely source of DHC was therapeutic consumption of Pabron Ace Pro and Doyle had attempted to check the ingredients using Google Lens.

Sarah Crowther KC, chair of the BHA’s independent disciplinary panel, said: “I agree with the BHA that in light of the investigative findings, it is appropriate to reduce the penalty from the entry point of two months’ withdrawal of licence to one-month suspension.

“The breach was unintended and Ms Doyle has been cooperative with the investigation and made appropriate and early admissions. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms Doyle’s suitability to hold a licence is affected and therefore withdrawal would serve no purpose.

“The period of one-month suspension reflects the seriousness of the breach and also the fact that there is an element of lack of care involved.

“This is a first offence and I am content that the penalty can be suspended for one year and maintain its deterrent effect. I am confident that Ms Doyle will have learned from this episode and the risk of recurrence is extremely low indeed.

“The BHA has given consideration to requiring Ms Doyle to take part in the Enhanced Sampling Programme, but in my judgement that would be unnecessary where all the evidence suggests that this was a one-off error rather than a situation of any potential underlying systemic issue and monitoring would serve no real purpose.

“I therefore approve the penalty of one-month suspension of licence, suspended for one year.”

In a statement, Doyle said: “In April, when returning to ride after my elbow injury, Dr Jerry Hill informed me that I had tested positive for traces of Dihydrocodeine, which is a painkiller used to treat moderate pain.

“I required elbow surgery in February and was prescribed dihydrocodeine, which I stopped consuming a few days after my operation as it made me feel unwell. In April I tested positive on my return to ride, and I stated that I has only been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol throughout my recovery to control some swelling.

“After some research we found that the contamination came from a packet of ibuprofen which I had purchased when riding overseas, that unknowingly contained small amounts of Dihydrocodeine. The BHA accepts that this was the likely source of the positive.

“The BHA also accepts that the breach was innocent and unintended, but due to it being a strict liability case, they found it appropriate to impose a one-month suspended suspension.

“I’m extremely grateful to my family, friends, and employers for the support and advice over the last five months. We’re all very glad it’s over.”

Marcus Smith has been completing sprint sessions with British Olympic great Daley Thompson in his effort to become one of the sport’s finest playmakers.

Smith has developed into England’s fastest player over short distances due to his searing acceleration, which has been on full display since his shift from fly-half to full-back at the World Cup.

The electric 24-year-old has made a series of influential cameos off the bench and also shone in his only start in the full-back position against Chile, producing a superb solo score as part of a two-try haul.

Smith reveals his pace is the result of sessions with Thompson, the two-time Olympic decathlon gold medallist, as he looks to emulate two famed New Zealand ringmasters.

“For the last five or six years I’ve been working hard on my speed,” Smith said.

“Guys like Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett have the ability to score not just 10-metre tries but from 50 or 60 metres out. That’s something that I’ve wanted to add to my game.

“Credit goes to people who I’ve worked with down in Brighton and Daley Thompson and the guys that I work with in America.

“They put a lot of effort into me and I’ve loved every minute training with those guys. It’s been a joy and it has definitely opened my eyes to sprinting and speed work.”

Starting Smith at full-back in Sunday’s quarter-final against Fiji is one possible change as England coach Steve Borthwick considers his response to a disappointing climax to Pool D against Samoa.

England scraped past the inspired Islanders 18-17 but it was a backwards step in the wake of three comprehensive victories.

Borthwick has more pressing concerns than whether to swap Freddie Steward for Smith in the number 15 jersey, however, after his creative axis of George Ford and Owen Farrell fired blanks within a poor team performance.

Ford is England’s form fly-half, producing man of the match displays against Argentina and Japan, but the less impressive Farrell is the squad’s captain.

If the experiment of reuniting the duo is to be abandoned, then one of them must be dropped to accommodate the other as chief conductor.

While deficiencies abounded against Samoa, in England’s favour for this weekend’s Marseille showdown is that Fiji have got progressively worse through the group stage, culminating in their shock defeat by Portugal on Sunday night.

But Fiji’s first-ever victory over the red rose at Twickenham in August remains fresh in English minds.

“Fiji were very impressive in the summer and we learnt a lot from that experience. Watching them over the last few weeks I have learnt a lot as well,” Smith said.

“They have got dangerous runners, they have got power across the field, but so do we.

“We are going to prepare as well as we can to negate their threats and put our strengths on the park.”

England are looking to put their opening game thrashing by New Zealand behind them when they tackle Bangladesh in Dharamshala in their second World Cup outing on Tuesday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues surrounding the game.

Injury concerns on sandy outfield

The conventional cricketing build-up to the game has been largely overshadowed by talk of underfoot conditions at the HPCA Stadium. The pitch itself is in good condition but away from the square the ground does not appear to be operating at international standard. A loose sand-based soil composition makes for an uneven base, while the grass coverage is patchy. The International Cricket Council have said it was rated as “average” after its first game of the tournament, but that appears a generous verdict. England can ill afford to sustain injuries in the field, but must balance any precautions against their natural instincts to chase down every ball.

Altitude six-ness

England have established a reputation over several years as a batting side who do not die wondering, but their efforts were made to look gentle by New Zealand, who easily outscored them on boundary count in Ahmedabad. They could not have pitched up at a better place to find their hitting range, with the stadium sitting 1,500 metres above sea level and benefitting from thin mountain air that can help the ball fly further. Liam Livingstone blasted nine sixes here as he struck 94 in 48 balls at this year’s IPL and he has already indicated a willingness to go for a repeat. He is unlikely to be alone.

Bairstow joins the hundred club

England opener Jonny Bairstow will collect his 100th ODI cap when the team-sheets are handed over, the 27th Englishman to do so and the sixth in the current squad. Only one of those has ever celebrated the milestone by scoring a hundred – current batting coach Marcus Trescothick in 2005. The opponents that day? Bangladesh.

A familiar foe

England place a lot of store on their engine room of all-rounders – Moeen Ali, Livingstone and Sam Curran – but it is their opponents who boast the number one all-rounder in the ICC rankings: Shakib Al Hasan. The wily left-armer first faced England as long ago as 2007 and has proved a thorn in their side over the years. He scored a fine hundred at Cardiff in the group stages of the 2019 tournament and earlier this year snapped up four for 35 in Mirpur, including three of the top four. He took three Afghanistan wickets at this ground on Saturday and will have a good feel for bowling in these conditions.

England need to reclaim safety net

Net run-rate is not the glitziest or most glamourous of concepts, but occasionally it can be the difference between reaching the knockouts and booking an early flight home. With nine group games to sort the wheat from the chaff, banking results remains the most important thing but England do have a grisly figure of minus 2.149 to contend with in the right-hand column of the standings. They were not just beaten by New Zealand, they were hammered with more than 13 overs left. At some stage they will want to work on improving that number and that means collecting a few handsome wins of their own. There is no time like the present.

Pep Guardiola lost back-to-back Premier League games for only the third time as Manchester City went down 1-0 to Arsenal on Sunday.

It has happened only six times in all competitions for City under Guardiola and here, the PA news agency looks at the Spaniard’s overall managerial record.

No points from six

Gabriel Martinelli’s winner for Arsenal followed Hwang Hee-chan’s for Wolves against City last weekend.

It was the first time City had taken no points from a pair of league games since losing to Crystal Palace and Leicester across Christmas 2018.

Luka Milivojevic’s penalty proved decisive for Palace before Kevin De Bruyne cut the final margin to 3-2, and Leicester then overcame Bernardo Silva’s Boxing Day opener to win 2-1 through Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira.

The Foxes were also the team to inflict City’s second successive loss in December 2016, Jamie Vardy with a hat-trick as Claudio Ranieri’s side won 4-2. Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were suspended after late red cards as City lost their previous game 3-1 to Chelsea.

Long run at an end

Before this weekend, City were out on their own in terms of time without back-to-back Premier League defeats.

Ten teams had suffered that fate this season – Burnley, Sheffield United and Bournemouth most recently, plus West Ham, Brentford, Luton, Manchester United, Wolves, Newcastle and Everton.

Eight more of the 20 current top-flight sides – Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Crystal Palace – lost back-to-back games earlier in 2023.

The one other exception, Brighton, last did so in October of last year – almost four years more recently than City, whose run since Boxing Day 2018 stood at 178 games.

City host Brighton in their next game after the international break.

Three in a row

Albion will be the team looking to inflict a first hat-trick of Premier League defeats on Guardiola, whose team are alone in losing no more than two in a row since his arrival in 2016.

Arsenal and Spurs are closest with their longest run being three defeats. Fulham had the longest losing run overall, nine games, with eight for Sheffield United and Palace.

Guardiola has twice lost three in a row across all competitions with City, first in April 2018 when a 3-2 league defeat to a Paul Pogba-inspired Manchester United was sandwiched between losses in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.

The other sequence spanned three competitions and two seasons – the 2021 Champions League final against Chelsea followed by the Community Shield against Leicester and the 2021-22 Premier League opener at Tottenham.

The recent Wolves loss came on the back of a Carabao Cup exit against Newcastle, while the December 2018 Premier League defeats were uninterrupted by any other competition.

The other pairs came in early 2020, to Manchester United in the League Cup and Tottenham in the league, and January of this year when Southampton knocked them out of the Carabao Cup – and denied them a shot at a quadruple – before the Red Devils beat them in the league.

Long-term pattern for Pep

Guardiola’s Barcelona side lost back-to-back LaLiga games only twice in four seasons, both in 2009 – first to Espanyol and Atletico Madrid, then Mallorca and Osasuna.

They also lost Champions League and league games consecutively twice, to Wisla Krakow and Numancia in his second and third games in charge in 2008 and to Chelsea and Real Madrid in April 2012.

With Bayern Munich in May 2015, he suffered consecutive defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg domestically and Barca in the Champions League. They won the return leg of that tie but Freiburg then made it three straight league defeats.

His only other consecutive Bundesliga losses came in April 2014 against Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund.

Gabriel Martinelli says Arsenal’s inherent belief will only be boosted by beating champions Manchester City as Mikel Arteta’s men look to go one step further than last season.

The Gunners captured the imagination during a strong 2022-23 campaign, only to ultimately finish second as Pep Guardiola’s side scooped a third straight title in a storming end to the season.

Arsenal’s inability to take a point off them was key in them finishing second and Sunday saw them finally beat City in the league for the first time since 2015, building on their Community Shield shoot-out triumph against the treble winners.

The half-time introduction of Martinelli after three weeks out with a hamstring injury proved inspired, adding extra impetus to the attack before eventually hitting a late winner that deflected in off Nathan Ake to seal a 1-0 victory.

“We know how hard it is to play against them,” the Brazil international said. “It was a great performance from the team and a great win.

“Of course (it gives us more belief we can win this season’s title). We are Arsenal and we are always believing about the title.

“To win against a big side like them is great and we just need to carry on.

“A special day for me. I tried my best, really hard, to be back with the team and it was a great moment for me.

“It’s always good to win against the big teams and we did it today. I’m so happy.”

Arsenal remain unbeaten eight league matches into the season and are level in terms of points and goal difference with leaders Tottenham, with their bitter rivals only ahead on goals scored.

“When you play for Arsenal you have to always believe and this is what we do,” Martinelli said as they look to bring the Premier League title back to north London for the first time since 2004.

“We play for Arsenal and we always believe we can win the titles.

“It’s another year. We’re going to try to improve things and try to do better than last year.

“Yeah, I think (there is more depth). We have a great team and it’s important to have a lot of options.”

Sunday’s victory win was made all the more impressive by the fact Arsenal’s star man Bukayo Saka was missing, with a muscle injury ending his run of 87 successive Premier League appearances.

“We know our potential,” Martinelli said. “We know his potential and how important he is for us.

“Today we did our best, tried to win the game for our fans, for us and for B as well.”

Arsenal return to action at Chelsea after the international break, while wounded City look to get their title defence back on track at home to Brighton.

Guardiola’s men have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, including back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time since December 2018.

City midfielder Bernardo Silva said: “It’s a setback but it’s still the beginning. We’re far away from the end of the season.

“It was not the result we wanted. Against a tough opponent it is never easy to play.

“We felt the game was tough for both teams. Both are tough and organised and tense. We had a few chances in the beginning.

“In the end it was a deflection. In my opinion we gave them too much time to think at that moment. We have to be more intense in the pressing.

“It is what it is. It’s part of football and we move onto the next one.”

City struggled to lay a glove on an Arsenal side that they had beaten in 12 consecutive Premier League meetings before Sunday.

Guardiola’s men mustered a mere four shots at the Emirates Stadium, but Silva is not getting carried away with the loss or the recent drop off.

“Some of these results we were not expecting and we didn’t want them to happen,” he told club media.

“Last season we won the treble but there was a point that nothing was going our way.

“How you overcome these moments is what defines the team and we will keep fighting for all the games. We’re going for it again.”

Birmingham have sacked head coach John Eustace despite a bright start to the season, increasing rumours of former England captain Wayne Rooney taking charge at the club.

Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, while a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday left Blues sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 fixtures heading into the international break.

While Birmingham recognised in a statement Eustace had “helped to stabilise and strengthen the club” in his 15 months at the helm, they have decided to part company with the ex-Republic of Ireland assistant.

“It is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club,” the statement on Birmingham’s official website said.

“With this in mind, Birmingham City has parted company with head coach John Eustace.

“A new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace.”

Eustace succeeded Lee Bowyer in July 2022 and helped Birmingham finish nine points above the drop zone in the second tier amid off-field issues surrounding the ownership of the club.

Despite just three defeats so far this season, it was reported over the weekend Eustace’s position was under threat as the club’s new American owners sought a big-name appointment.

Former Manchester United striker Rooney would seemingly fit the bill after he announced on Sunday he would be leaving DC United following their failure to qualify for the Major League Soccer play-offs.

“It’s just the right time,” he said in quotes reported by the Washington Post.

“I have really enjoyed my time here. But I just feel it’s the right time to go back to England. What lies ahead, I don’t know.”