Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal became the youngest-ever goalscorer in LaLiga history as his side came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw at Granada.

Yamal, aged 16 years and 87 days, hauled Barca back into the game after they had trailed to Bryan Zaragoza’s first-half double and substitute Sergi Roberto’s late strike rescued them a point.

Granada forward Zaragoza opened the scoring after just 17 seconds – the fastest goal in LaLiga this season – and Xavi’s side missed the chance to close to within a point of leaders Real Madrid.

Barca, who made it back-to-back Champions League wins this season with a 1-0 win in Porto on Wednesday night, were stunned by Granada’s lightning start.

The home side had hit back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Almeria last week and after winning possession from Barca’s kick-off, Zaragoza arrowed an angled shot into the bottom corner after running on to Lucas Boye’s pass.

Granada goalkeeper Andre Ferreira denied Joao Felix and Gavi as Barcelona looked to get back on level terms, but the home side struck again with their second attempt on goal.

Gerard Gumbau found Zaragoza in the penalty area and the young forward brilliantly made space before burying his finish into the top corner.

Felix saw another effort saved by Ferreira, but Yamal hauled the visitors back into it in first-half stoppage time, converting into an open goal at the far post.

Barca laid siege on Granada at the start of the second half, with Fermin Lopez volleying straight at Ferreira.

The Granada goalkeeper produced the save of the match to keep out Ferran Torres’ close-range effort in the 69th minute after Ronald Araujo had headed a free-kick back across goal.

Granada continued to frustrate the visitors and with 15 minutes left Yamal was replaced by Oriol Romeu.

But with time running out, Roberto, a 61st-minute replacement for Lopez, came to their rescue, despatching Alejandro Balde’s cross from in front of goal.

Granada protested there had been a foul during the build-up and almost snatched the lead again when Zaragoza’s shot hit a post.

In a dramatic finish, Felix thought he had won it for Barca only for his effort to be ruled out for offside and Granada held on for a point.

Danny Care saved England from disaster against Samoa on Saturday after realising he had to back up his Alan Shearer-style try-scoring celebration.

Care stepped off the bench at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to race over for the 74th minute touchdown that was converted by Owen Farrell, snatching an 18-17 victory which was kind to Steve Borthwick’s side.

Upon racing over from a five metre-scrum, the veteran Harlequins scrum-half raised his left arm aloft and looked up to the stands, mimicking England and Newcastle football great Shearer.

Care then made a crucial intervention seconds from full-time when he made a try-saving tackle on wing Neria Fomai as Samoa staged a last-ditch assault on the line that fell metres short.

“It has been on my mind that I haven’t scored many tries for England, especially recently being out of the fold for a few years you never think you’re going to get another opportunity like that,” Care said.

“I decided that if I did do it, I’ll enjoy it and if you do decide to do an Alan Shearer celebration across the stadium you better make that tackle after!

“I don’t really remember the tackle – it was a blur – but I remember thinking you can’t celebrate like Alan Shearer and not make that tackle!

“The boys put their body on the line for 80 minutes so the least you can do when you’ve been on the bench is run back and try and tackle.

“Hopefully that shows a bit about what we’re about as a team. Even though it wasn’t a brilliant performance, we work hard for each other.”

Once again England found a way to win when the game was slipping away – no mean feat for a side that in recent times was prone to imploding when the pressure came on.

And although it propelled them into the quarter-finals as Pool D winners, it was a deflating performance coming in the wake of feelgood victories against Argentina, Japan and Chile.

Borthwick claimed the full-blooded encounter against an inspired Samoa was the ideal build-up to the knockout phase and Care agrees.

“If we had won that game by 20-30 points and scored a load of tries, would that be great prep for next week? I don’t think so,” Care said.

“In a way, now we’ve probably had the perfect game to prep for next week. It was scrappy, Samoa threw everything into every breakdown, we gave away too many penalties, we lost the ball too many times and we know why already.

“We know what not to do. I hope the fans believe in us that we will be better. We have to be or we’ll find ourselves on a plane home.

“A lot of hard work starts this week but we’re four from four, in a quarter final and we can get out there and get to the next stage.”

Montpellier’s home Ligue 1 game against Clermont was abandoned in stoppage time after visiting goalkeeper Mory Diaw was stunned by a firework.

The home side were leading 4-2 when a firecracker was thrown from the stands and landed and exploded near Diaw as he prepared to take a goal-kick, leaving the Clermont player needing on-field treatment.

He was later carried off the field on a stretcher before it was announced the game was called off.

A brief statement on Montpellier’s website read: “While the HSMC was heading towards a 4-2 victory against Clermont, the meeting… between Montpellier and Clermontois was suspended in added time after the explosion of a firecracker near the Auvergen goalkeeper, Mory Diaw.”

Ligue 1 simply said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Montpellier x Clermont is suspended until further notice.”

Montpellier, seventh in Ligue 1, were heading towards victory as the game entered time added on, despite the 54th-minute dismissal of defender Maxime Esteve for two yellow-card offences.

Bottom club Clermont, without a win this season, twice equalised through Yohann Magnin and Cheick Konate after Musa Al-Taamari and Teji Savanier’s penalty had put Montpellier ahead.

Savanier, with a second penalty, and Al-Taamari both scored again as Montpellier took a two-goal lead.

Fiorentina underlined their credentials to challenge for a European place this season as they upset defending champions Napoli 3-1 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Although Victor Osimhen’s penalty in first-half stoppage time cancelled out an early strike from Josip Brekalo, Napoli had no answer after Giacomo Bonaventura restored Fiorentina’s lead in the 63rd minute, with substitute Nicolas Gonzalez adding a late third.

The result sees Fiorentina move level with Napoli on 14 points, seven behind early pace-setters AC Milan.

Fiorentina started brightly, with Lucas Martinez seeing an ambitious early overhead kick effort blocked, and those endeavours were rewarded when they took the lead with seven minutes gone.

It was Martinez again who saw his rather awkward effort off his knee bounce back off the post, but it fell for Brekalo to slot it through the goalkeeper’s legs from a tight angle.

Napoli’s desire to make amends saw them pour forward but too many of their moves were rushed, the ball pinging about on the edge of the Fiorentina box in a manner they could not control.

A chaotic move saw the ball in the back of the net after 22 minutes but they were denied an equaliser by the assistant’s flag.

Osimhen’s shot was blocked but Matteo Politano’s disguised pass found Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Fiorentina again got in a block and Mathias Olivera was offside when he sent in a cross-cum-shot that was tucked in by Osimhen at the far post.

They kept coming forward, but Pietro Terracciano made a fine save to keep out Stanislav Lobotka’s powerful drive.

Osimhen’s penalty appeals were in vain when he was bundled over late in the first half, but the officials could not ignore him in stoppage time when Fabiano Parisi’s chested pass back to Terracciano fell short and the goalkeeper collided with the advancing striker.

And, having put himself back on penalty duty, Osimhen dispatched a powerful shot from the spot.

Fiorentina nearly got back in front five minutes into the second half when Jonathan Ikone’s shot struck the right-hand post.

It was end-to-end at this point – Osimhen sent a shot across goal for Napoli, then Ikone narrowly missed the target through a crowded box.

Osimhen should have put the hosts in front just before the hour when he broke away down the left but he was too slow to shoot and Terracciano cut off the angle.

And Fiorentina made him pay for the missed opportunity as the visitors retook the lead moments later. Alfred Duncan ran into trouble but the ball bounced for Bonaventura, left in far too much space on the penalty spot, and he tucked the ball away.

Napoli pushed for an equaliser but it would be Fiorentina celebrating at the end as they hit their hosts on the counter attack in stoppage time, with Gonzalez finishing the move.

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson injured his right throwing shoulder in his team's 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Richardson was hurt with just over 4 1/2 minutes to go in the second quarter when he was tackled by two Titans on a 4-yard run. He took a hit to the left shoulder but appeared to land awkwardly on the right one.

Immediately upon being tackled he began rubbing his right shoulder and stayed on the ground while the trainers quickly came out to tend to him.

He stayed down for several minutes before making his way slowly to the injury tent. After being evaluated on the Colts sideline, he walked to the locker room with his right arm hanging down to the side as he tried to keep it immobilised.

The team officially ruled him out early in the third quarter.

X-Rays on the shoulder were reportedly negative and he is expected to get an MRI.

Gardner Minshew replaced Richardson and helped lead Indianapolis to a win - the second time this season he's done that.

In the Colts' 31-20 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 2 on September 17, Richardson suffered a concussion when he took a hard hit to the head at the end of a 15-yard touchdown run. Minshew came in and threw for 171 yards and a touchdown.

He was unable to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and missed Indianapolis' win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 before returning for last Sunday's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams - the first game of his young career he was able to complete.

Through five weeks of the 2023 NFL season, the dual-threat quarterback has shown glimpses as to why the Colts selected him with the fourth pick in this year's draft, but he's been a bit injury-prone.

In addition to exiting in the wins over the Texans and Titans, Richardson also suffered a knee bruise on a hard hit near the goal line in the final minutes of a 31-21 season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Colts coach Shane Steichen said he could have returned, however, and he was taken out as a precaution.

Prior to exiting Sunday, Richardson completed 9-of-12 passes for 98 yards. He also ran twice for 5 yards and was sacked once.

On the season, he has passed for 577 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and has rushed for 136 yards with four TDs on the ground.

Lance Stroll claimed he passed out at the wheel of his Aston Martin because of the extreme humidity in Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.

American rookie Logan Sargeant was forced to retire through illness, French driver Esteban Ocon said he vomited in his cockpit, while London-born Thai Alex Albon was taken to the medical centre with acute heat exposure as the grid’s drivers battled the intense conditions at the Lusail International Circuit.

A statement from 27-year-old Albon’s Williams team read: “Following the Qatar Grand Prix, Alex was taken to the medical centre to be treated for acute heat exposure. He has now been assessed and cleared by the medical team.”

Williams also revealed Sargeant, 22, had suffered from “intense dehydration” following “flu-like symptoms earlier in the week”.

Aston Martin’s Stroll, 24, who fell over as he made his way to conduct his media duties, said: “I was passing out in the car.

“They painted the kerbs and made the track narrower but you can’t feel the kerbs. I couldn’t see where I was going because I was passing out. I was fading in and out. The temperature was too much.”

George Russell, who finished fourth following a first-lap collision with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, also revealed he felt ill throughout Sunday’s 57-lap Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old said: “It was an absolutely brutal race and by far the most physical race I have ever experienced.

“I felt close to fainting in that race and I have never experienced anything like it before.

“I wasn’t physically sick in the car but I felt ill. I had to ask my engineer to give me encouragement to take my mind off of it.”

This was only the second staging of the Qatar race and the first of a 10-year deal. Next year’s edition will be held two months later in December when it is expected to be cooler.

Mario Andretti has moved to allay fears that Max Verstappen's dominance of the drivers' championship might put fans off Formula One, asserting there is "nothing boring" about the Dutchman.

Verstappen sealed his third consecutive world title on Saturday, finishing second in an incident-packed sprint race in Qatar to ensure he can no longer be caught by Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

After subsequently capping his title by winning the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, the Dutchman has won 14 races in 2023, leaving rivals including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz trailing in his wake.

He also put together an unprecedented sequence of 10 successive victories earlier this year, leading to suggestions the one-sided nature of this campaign may impact F1's popularity.

The sport enjoyed a surge in popularity amid Verstappen's dramatic 2021 title tussle with Hamilton, while the Netflix documentary Drive To Survive helped engage a new generation of fans. 

However, 1978 drivers' champion Mario Andretti does not believe Verstappen's supremacy will have a negative impact on how the sport is perceived. 

"There's nothing boring about Max Verstappen," Andretti told Stats Perform. "The only thing is, the next thing that is obviously of interest is who can beat him? 

"That's the point, and that's interesting. You look forward to that every weekend, whenever the race is coming on, you say, 'I wonder if he's going to still be dominant?' 

"The other teams are not sitting still with the other drivers. But right now, Max is in a very enviable position to just really keep going."

Red Bull retained the constructors' title in September, with the team boasting a massive lead over Mercedes in the team standings. Andretti, though, does not feel changes are required to make things more competitive.

The team has won 16 of the 17 races so far this season.

"I personally love Formula One the way it is because, let's look at it on the technical side, you look at the grid and sometimes there are 10 to 12 drivers inside a second [of one another]," Andretti continued. 

"Each car, each team has different engineering, and the car looks different. Everybody obviously follows the same rules, but it's like a lawyer. A good lawyer obviously interprets a law maybe just a little bit better than the next one. That's what it's all about.

"I think Formula One has it all, it's got the technical side, but also, there's something to be appreciated there as to how close they come. I think that interest is there and will be prevalent."

Mikel Arteta lauded the maturity of Arsenal after they sent a message with a first Premier League win over Manchester City since 2015.

Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected effort in the 86th minute ended the Gunners’ run of 12 consecutive top-flight defeats to Pep Guardiola’s side.

It helped Arsenal leapfrog City in the table to finish the weekend as joint leaders and while Guardiola insisted his champions are happy to chase again like they managed successfully last season, it felt like a potentially decisive early blow had been landed between these title rivals.

“A great feeling. You could sense it’s been so many years without beating them. Today I think we beat the best team in the world without a question of a doubt,” Arteta said.

“We did it in a great way because there were moments where we had to suffer and moments where we showed real desire, determination and belief to beat them, so I’m really happy.

“Certainly it sends a message to the team to keep believing in what they’re doing because they’re a fantastic group of players.

“The way they try and the chemistry that they have, you need it to be there. So, I’m really proud.

“The team showed a real maturity today, that comes from experiences. Sometimes you need that to become a better team.”

Arsenal’s winner was created by Arteta’s substitutes, with Thomas Partey’s cross-field ball headed down by Takehiro Tomiyasu to Kai Havertz, who teed up Martinelli and the forward’s first-time effort deflected off Nathan Ake and past Ederson.

It ensured the post-match narrative shifted away from Mateo Kovacic after the Manchester City midfielder was fortunate to avoid a first-half red card.

The VAR checked his late tackle on Martin Odegaard in the 29th minute but decided against upgrading a caution and referee Michael Oliver kept his cards in his pocket six minutes later when Kovacic caught Declan Rice.

Arteta added: “I saw the action live and it looked like a big challenge. I haven’t seen the replay.

“I’m not bothered actually. I just want to enjoy the win. I’ll hear if we talk about it and I understand if we have to do something about it but we won the game, thankfully.”

Opposite number Guardiola said: “Well for the reaction from everyone for a separate action? I don’t know.

“I’m pretty sure he was not sent off because it was not a sending off. I am pretty sure he would have sent him off if it was a sending off.”

Defeat for City makes it back-to-back Premier League losses – which last happened in December 2018 – and three in four in all competitions after going down to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, Wolves and now Arsenal.

Lynchpin midfielder Rodri, out due to suspension, has been a big miss in those defeats but Guardiola says his team are comfortable being behind the eight ball right now – with Tottenham and Arsenal holding a two-point advantage – in pursuit of a record fourth Premier League crown.

He said: “Rodri is a really important player, like the other ones, for the fact that last year he plays a lot of games.

“Yeah, Carabao Cup was a little bit different but of course against Wolves it was important and today as well. We know it and as a manager I have to find the moment he is not there, the way to do it.

“I have gratitude for the guys, they give everything, they fought and I know how disappointed they are because we are not used (to losing) but it is football, it happens.

“No team ever won four in a row, so for the statistics it didn’t happen, but we are in October and sometimes it is good to go behind.

“It is not the first time we are behind and the contenders are up front. Last season we were much, much behind than here, but the season is long.”

Guardiola was more coy on an incident at full-time between Erling Haaland, who failed to have a single shot, and Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover.

Words were exchanged between Haaland and Jover, with staff from both clubs involved after the full-time whistle.

“I know what happened but I won’t say anything. They (Arsenal) know it,” Guardiola smiled.

Max Verstappen's third successive Formula One drivers' championship is "only the beginning", says 1978 title-winner Mario Andretti, who feels the Dutchman could go on to break records in the sport.

Red Bull star Verstappen wrapped up his third world title in as many years by finishing second in a dramatic sprint race in Qatar on Saturday, having left his rivals in the dust throughout a dominant 2023 season. 

Verstappen capped off his championship triumph in style on Sunday by cruising to victory at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old has a long way to go to match the accomplishments of the sport's all-time greats, however, with Michael Schumacher's record haul of seven titles being equalled by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.

However, Andretti – who captured the world crown when driving for Team Lotus in 1978 – feels those are the names Verstappen will be looking to hunt down in the coming years.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Andretti said of Verstappen: "There's no question that he fits the category of the greats, and it's ongoing.

"Like you say, it's three championships in a row and he's still going. There's no sign anywhere that he has reached a peak. 

"It's really fun watching someone like that, because he's just taking advantage of every single ounce that's at his disposal under any circumstance.

"The way I look at it, records are made to be broken. I never thought that Schumacher would have any rivals, not in my lifetime.

"I think Lewis Hamilton disproved that by tying that record, and Max is on his way, no question. 

"I mean, if there's anyone that you could consider to be a record-breaker, it's going to be Max Verstappen. At 26, it's only the beginning."

Verstappen has won 14 races this season, including an unprecedented run of 10 successive victories starting with May's Miami Grand Prix and ending after he triumphed at Monza last month.

Andretti recalled Verstappen's very first race win – which came as an 18-year-old at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix – as he heaped further praise on the Dutchman for his dominant displays.

"What makes Verstappen a great driver is that he is something special," Andretti continued.

"As a matter of fact, when you say 'special', that's understating what this man is all about. He has shown something right from the very beginning. 

"I remember in 2016, what he did that day, he revealed himself. After that, obviously the rest is history. 

"He has been dominant and is taking advantage of every possibility in the best possible way. I think for any team on the grid, they're all envious of the fact Red Bull has a contract with this guy."

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott would welcome a return trip to London despite admitting his side seemed sluggish in their 25-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Buffalo, led by quarterback Josh Allen and seeking their fourth straight victory, entered Sunday afternoon’s contest on a high after beating the Miami Dolphins but found themselves up against an 11-0 deficit after the first quarter.

Though the ‘host’ Bills, who enjoyed the majority support of a raucous 61,273-strong crowd, twice found themselves a touchdown away from staging a fourth-quarter comeback it was the Jags – coming off last weekend’s 23-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley and perhaps better-adjusted to the time zone – who ultimately held on.

Asked if Buffalo, who only arrived in London on Friday, might have been affected by the travel, McDermott said: “We’ll see if, whatever comes up down the road in terms of us coming back here, but we need to evaluate everything because I didn’t feel like our energy was good enough early in the game.

“They had better energy than we did. We’re going to fly back tonight, watch the film on the way home and learn from this and we’ve got to get ourselves back where we need to be fundamentally. It’s just talking about throwing and catching, tackling, right?

“Most of the things that are at the forefront of some of the reasons why we got the result we did today.

“We would absolutely [come back]. We enjoyed just the opportunity to be over here. It’s an honour to be selected to play here and we’re certainly appreciative of our hosts in London.”

While Buffalo had not played in the UK since 2015, Jacksonville have contested at least one match in the British capital every year since 2013 save 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic prevented international matches.

With Sunday’s victory, the Florida outfit became the first team to win NFL international matches in back-to-back weeks, with some speculating they were given a boost both from their familiarity with the UK grounds and, against Buffalo, were the better-adjusted opponent due to remaining in London between contests.

The Jags certainly looked the sprightlier side in the first quarter and Trevor Lawrence the more effective quarterback, Zay Jones completing the first touchdown and Travis Etienne, who would later make two TDs of his own, adding the two-point conversion.

Buffalo, who lost key linebacker Matt Milano to a knee injury in the first quarter, rallied late in the second to make it 11-7 at the halfway point and a scoreless third quarter ensured it was all to play for in the final 15 minutes.

A game largely dominated by defence broke open, both sides adding two touchdowns apiece – the Jags’ from Etienne, while Allen and Gabe Davis added to Buffalo’s score.

Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who collected from Allen for Buffalo’s second-quarter, 15-yard touchdown, refused to blame the cross-continental trip for the result.

He said: “It’s easy to say that after the game. If we’d won would we be saying yeah, we were tired, we were this, we were that.

“It’s easy to use that as an excuse. I’m not a big excuse guy so I won’t say it, but you’re going to have to ask the other guys.

“Tired or not, you’re going to have to get up to play a football game. You get up to do this thing that you love and play this game because it’s a blessing.

“I will never use the excuse of, you can obviously look at the data or whatever, but I feel like we can play better. We will be better.”

Bukayo Saka will not join up with England for international duty next week, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed.

Saka was missing for the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Manchester City after struggling with a hamstring issue during recent matches.

The absence of Saka ended his run of appearing in 87 consecutive Premier League games and Arteta says he will now sit out England’s upcoming fixtures with Australia (October 13) and Italy (October 17).

“No, he will not make it,” Arteta said. “He has not trained for a single session. He is not available to play football at the moment.”

The 22-year-old winger limped off during Arsenal’s loss at Lens on Tuesday, having also been withdrawn in last weekend’s victory at Bournemouth.

England manager Gareth Southgate had stated on Thursday he would take no risks with Saka despite the Italy clash being a crucial European Championship qualifier.

“I can only go via what Mikel (Arteta) has said about the last few games,” Southgate said earlier this week.

“We look after the players as well as any country. There’s always a focus on our players because they are playing their club football, in the main, in England and then we are playing here as well.

“Whereas all the other countries call the players that are playing in the Premier League and nobody looks at how they look after them and how they train them.

“When we have really good dialogue with all of their clubs, I think they pretty much all would agree that we probably give better feedback than every other nation.

“They have trust in us that we make decisions that are right for the long term whenever we can. We only have 10 matches a year. And there’s been times when… Bukayo, for example, we haven’t always played.

“But there are certain key games where, if it’s possible to have your best players, then you do want to have them.

“So we’ve got that responsibility of qualifying for the country but… I’ve been a player… I’ve never ever taken a risk on a player’s physical wellbeing. And nor would I.”

A furious George Russell lashed out at Lewis Hamilton following a dramatic crash with his Mercedes team-mate at the very first corner of Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen, crowned champion of the world for a third time following Saturday’s sprint, started his title parade by racing to his 14th win from the 17 rounds so far.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri followed up his victory in Saturday’s 19-lap dash by taking second place while his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris completed the podium.

But Verstappen’s emphatic win and McLaren’s continued resurgence played second fiddle to Hamilton’s crash with Russell which left the seven-time world champion in the gravel. Russell fought back from last to fourth.

Hamilton, third on the grid, attempted to drive round the outside of Russell, one starting place higher, and pole-sitter Verstappen in a gung-ho bid for glory.

But Hamilton tagged the front-left of Russell’s machine. An out-of-control Hamilton was sent into the gravel with the right-rear wheel of his Mercedes flying off into the air.

Russell was sent spinning round before limping back to the pits for a new front wing. Out came the safety car and the inquest started.

“F****** hell,” yelled Russell, 25. “Come on! What the hell! I have got damage.”

Referencing their ding-dong battle at the last round in Japan, Russell added: “Guys, come on, f***! Two races in a row.”

Sitting in the sandtrap, Hamilton, 38, pointed the finger at his younger team-mate.

“Yeah, I got taken out by my team-mate,” he said.

Back on track and sitting at the rear of the field, Russell returned to the intercom.

“Sorry guys, I wasn’t even looking,” he added. “I was focused ahead and he came from nowhere.

“I am lost for words. Honestly. I have just seen the replays on the TV screen. I couldn’t do anything. Totally sandwiched.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is absent from this race – his second in a row – as he recovers from knee surgery. But the Austrian came on the intercom in a move to calm Russell down.

“George, let’s race now and get the best out of it,” he said.

Forty minutes after the accident, Hamilton, 38, accepted blame for the coming together.

“In the heat of the moment, it was frustrating because I felt this tap from the rear but I don’t think George had anywhere to go,” said the seven-time world champion using a towel to mop the sweat from his brow.

“It was an unfortunate scenario and I am happy to take responsibility because that is my role. I need to go back and look at it, but I don’t feel like it was George’s fault.

“Before the race, we knew we were on different tyres so we wanted to work together. I had the soft tyre and everyone around me was on the medium and I needed to get by. I tried going round the outside of Max and it just didn’t work out.

“It was not our plan to come together. It is just really gutting for the team. I feel just really sad for everybody for my part in it.”

Hamilton insisted his partnership with Russell had not been damaged by the collision.

Mercedes announced at the end of August that Hamilton and Russell will continue alongside each other until at least the end of 2025.

He continued: “The relationship is not broken. I don’t have any problems with George. We have a great relationship and we always talk about things.

“This is just unfortunate and I am sure he was frustrated in the moment, as I was, but we will talk about it offline and move forwards.”

Amid safety concerns about the Pirelli tyres, Sunday’s 57-lap race took place against the backdrop of a flurry of mandatory pit stops – with the drivers only able to do 18 laps on a single set of rubber.

Yet, the disruption had little impact on Verstappen who sealed another comfortable win, taking the flag 4.8 seconds clear for the 49th win of his career.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth for Ferrari ahead of the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.

Sergio Perez, whose crash in Saturday’s sprint officially handed Verstappen his third title, started from the pit lane and crossed the line ninth on yet another weekend to forget for the Mexican.

Perez was also handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, demoting him to 10th.

The VAR system was under the spotlight in the Premier League this weekend following the error in last week’s match between Tottenham and Liverpool.

New VAR guidelines were introduced in time for the latest round of fixtures after Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how VAR operated at each of this weekend’s top-flight fixtures.

Arsenal 1 Manchester City 0

Until Gabriel Martinelli’s late winner, referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to send off City’s Mateo Kovacic in the first half was set to be the biggest talking point at the Emirates Stadium. The VAR, John Brooks, reviewed the City midfielder’s poor challenge on Martin Odegaard, but did not advise Oliver to go to the pitchside monitor and review whether to upgrade his booking to a red card. Kovacic stayed on the pitch and avoided another yellow card shortly afterwards.

Brighton 2 Liverpool 2

Brighton’s draw at the Amex Stadium saw the VAR, Craig Pawson, called on to verify a penalty awarded by on-field referee Anthony Taylor at the end of the first half when Pascal Gross hauled down Dominik Szoboszlai by his collar. The video referee upheld the decision, but despite Gross appearing to be the last man, there was no red card shown to the Brighton midfielder.

Burnley 1 Chelsea 4

The VAR, Darren Bond, was called on twice in the second half at Turf Moor, first to check whether Vitinho’s foul on Raheem Sterling was inside the box once referee Stuart Atwell had awarded a penalty, and then to check if Sterling was onside in the build-up to scoring Chelsea’s third. Both of the on-field decisions were confirmed without controversy, although Chelsea fans made their feelings known about both delays.

Crystal Palace 0 Nottingham Forest 0

It was a quiet afternoon for VAR Michael Salisbury and his assistant Sian Massey-Ellis in this stalemate at Selhurst Park. In a game of few chances in Palace boss Roy Hodgson’s 400th game as a Premier League manager, no VAR checks or interventions were needed.

Everton 3 Bournemouth 0

There was a slightly longer check for Everton’s third goal, scored by Abdoulaye Doucoure on the hour-mark, but nothing too delaying or taxing. Five minutes later, there was a baffling check by VAR Simon Hooper, match referee for Liverpool’s defeat at Tottenham last week, for a Bournemouth handball in their own penalty area. But by the time the stadium announcer had revealed the VAR check was taking place, the decision had already been made that no offence had been committed.

Fulham 3 Sheffield United 1

It was a routine VAR performance at Craven Cottage. Paul Tierney reviewed a potential offside in the build-up to Fulham defender Antonee Robinson’s second-half own-goal, but deemed a team-mate to have been behind Blades left-back Yasser Larouci when the cross was made. Video footage supported the decision and referee Sam Barrott was able to award the goal.

Luton 0 Tottenham 1

The VAR was only called on once, in the 39th minute, at Kenilworth Road when Tom Lockyer headed in from close range for Luton before his effort was immediately ruled out. Referee John Brooks gave a foul for Elijah Adebayo’s push on Tottenham defender Cristian Romero and video replays via VAR showed his decision to have been correct with the review taking minimal time.

Manchester United 2 Brentford 1

With United trailing 1-0 in the 89th minute, Anthony Martial flicked on a cross and Kristoffer Ajer inadvertently directed the ball into his own net. Assistant referee Harry Lennard immediately raised his flag and the VAR, Peter Bankes, confirmed Martial had been offside in the build-up, ruling out the equaliser. In the end it mattered little for United as substitute Scott McTominay’s stoppage-time brace sealed a turnaround.

Wolves 1 Aston Villa 1

The VAR, David Coote, checked a violent conduct claim against Douglas Luiz when he clashed with Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, but the check was completed within a minute with video replays exonerating the Villa midfielder. There were no further VAR incidents at Molineux.

West Ham 2 Newcastle 2

Alexander Isak’s first goal for Newcastle was checked by VAR, Andy Madley. The striker looked offside when he stabbed home a loose ball, but video replays showed the ball had come off the head of West Ham’s Edson Alvarez and the goal correctly stood.