Former All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to a three-year, $42million contract extension, multiple media outlets reported Saturday. The deal reportedly includes $26.5million in guarantees.

The extension ends a lengthy and sometimes bitter contract dispute between Taylor and the team that drafted him in 2020.

Taylor, 24, was activated from the physically unable to perform list earlier this week and will have a chance to make his season debut Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

While recovering from ankle surgery, Taylor missed offseason activities and training camp before being placed on the PUP list.

In his first public comments since June, Taylor told reporters Thursday that he was eager to return to the field.

“If somebody wasn’t committed, they wouldn’t be here. Right now, I’m here and my No. 1 goal is really to attack this first practice," Taylor said. "It’s been over 290 days, I believe. When you’re not doing what you love, you’re going to notice it, so my main goal has been to attack this first day.”

Taylor and Colts owner Jim Irsay engaged in a war of words through the media this summer, with Taylor bemoaning the compensation offered to running backs.

Taylor requested a trade, and the Colts eventually gave him permission to seek a trade partner after Irsay had initially said that Taylor would not be traded.

In the end, Indianapolis (2-2) keeps 2021’s leading rusher and a potent offensive weapon to pair with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Taylor ran for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021, earning AP All-Pro honours. He had 861 yards and four touchdowns in an injury-shortened season last year.

In 43 career games, Taylor has 4,643 yards from scrimmage and 36 total touchdowns.

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest settled for a point apiece after playing out a goalless draw at Selhurst Park.

Morgan Gibbs-White came closest for Forest when he clipped the inside of the far post in the first half, while Jean-Philippe Mateta narrowly missed breaking the deadlock in the second period.

Roy Hodgson’s 400th Premier League game in charge was marred by two more injuries to his severely-depleted side, with Jeffrey Schlupp and Jairo Riedewald forced off on either side of the interval.

Substitute Jesurun Rak-Sakyi was impressive in his fourth appearance for the Eagles and provided a bit of much-needed hope for the hosts – for whom the international break can not come soon enough.

The hosts should have been riding a high after walking away with all three points at Old Trafford last Saturday, but the past seven days instead saw Eberechi Eze, Joel Ward and Cheick Doucoure add to a long list of Eagles injuries, which Hodgson acknowledged had reached a “crisis” point.

Forest quickly worked their way into Palace’s final third but the hosts responded in kind. Edouard launched an effort wide before an alert Will Hughes intercepted Gibbs-White’s weak pass, leading to Palace’s first corner.

Forest earned a corner of their own resulting in the first real chance of the encounter when Harry Toffolo called Sam Johnstone into action, the goalkeeper diving to push away the potential opener.

The visitors should have taken the lead after 20 minutes when Gibbs-White’s side-foot volley from Murillo’s long ball into the box beat Johnstone, but clipped the inside of the keeper’s post but did not cross the line.

Palace barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief. Moments later, Schlupp went down in midfield and was replaced by 21-year-old Rak-Sakyi.

Jordan Ayew then found himself in space near the penalty spot, cringing as he volleyed Joachim Andersen’s delivery well over the crossbar before Palace did little to take advantage of a free-kick, followed by a timely intervention from Riedewald to nullify the threat on the counter.

Rak-Sakyi, who had previously played just nine Premier League minutes for Palace this season, looked eager to prove he deserved more with spirited first half that saw him deliver two good crosses into the area and had a chance to break the deadlock with a volley from inside the six-yard box.

Matt Turner made the save, while Johnstone twice denied Murillo in three minutes of added time to ensure it remained goalless at the break.

Neither side was able to take advantage of early set-pieces to start the second period, which saw little in the way of chances as the game ticked past the hour mark when substitute Gonzalo Montiel saw a shot blocked by Marc Guehi.

Palace came agonisingly close when Tyrick Mitchell found Edouard, who picked out Mateta on the right edge of the area, his effort inching so close the home support had prematurely started to celebrate, but the ball rolled just wide.

It nevertheless sparked something in Hodgson’s side, who continued to pile on the pressure, first through another Rak-Sakyi effort following a fine run from Guehi, then a missed chance for Ayew when he nodded over the crossbar.

Just as momentum had begun to build in their favour, Palace were forced into another substitution. This time it was Riedewald after he was attended to by staff and Chris Richards sent in to replace him.

The deadlock remained a reality, just barely, after Joachim Anderson stuck out a leg to deny Montiel from close range, Johnstone extending to save Nicolas Dominguez’s effort and ensure the points were shared.

Star Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has ended speculation over his future by signing a new three-year deal, according to the NFL.

It has been reported the 24-year-old has agreed a 42 million US dollars deal (£34.3m), of which 26.5m dollars (£21.7m) is guaranteed.

It makes him one of the highest paid running-backs in the league.

Taylor, who could make his first appearance of the season on Sunday after an injury-hit start to the campaign, had been linked with a trade away from the AFC South side during the off-season.

He was drafted by the Colts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft and set the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season with 1,811 in 2021.

Max Verstappen clinched the Formula One world drivers’ title after finishing second in the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the Dutchman’s season and overall record in numbers.

3 – Verstappen has wrapped up his third world title.

11 – he is the 11th driver to win the title three times or more, and only the fifth to do so in successive years.

10 – along the way Verstappen produced a record-breaking run of 10 consecutive race wins, from the Miami Grand Prix in May to September’s Italian GP.

13 – his overall win tally this season, from 16 races. He has finished second twice, and fifth in Singapore.

407 – Verstappen’s points tally.

184 – lead over second-placed Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

10 – pole positions.

7 – fastest laps.

2 – sprint race wins.

48 – Verstappen’s career win total ranks fifth in F1 history. He has the chance to climb to fourth or even third by the end of the season, with Alain Prost winning 51 races and Sebastian Vettel 53.

6 – clinching the title in the Qatar sprint race means Verstappen did so with six grands prix remaining, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record from 2002.

Barnsley manager Neill Collins praised the role of his substitutes in finally seeing off Exeter as the Tykes made it five away wins in a row with a 1-0 win at St James Park.

In a tight game that could easily have gone either way, the Tykes won it in the 89th minute when Owen Dodgson came off the bench to cross for fellow sub John McAtee to stoop at the near post and head home the only goal of the game.

“I am obviously delighted with the win, I try not to be dictated to by results too much, otherwise it would drive you insane,” Collins said.

“We would have taken a point in the end, it was a very tough game, but I thought we played really well in the first half and just lacked a bit of quality at times – and I am sure Gary (Caldwell) will feel the same.

“There was not a lot in it and we probably created a few better moments, but I think they started the second half better than us. Once it got to about 60-65 minutes, we were the team that looked most like winning it.

“We created a few opportunities and had more possession. It could have gone either way, but the lads put in a very professional performance to win the game for us.

“There is no question that we had quality and fresh legs on the bench and we were able to make those changes but, when you make changes and you stick them on, you want them to do the job and they certainly did that.”

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell criticised his players for not being brave enough in and around the penalty box, although they deserved more having seen Demetri Mitchell twice strike the woodwork.

“I thought we played well and were the better team, but you have to score goals,” he said.

“I said at half-time we can’t play with the handbrake on, like we were in the first half. I thought we were safe and there were too many actions where we don’t commit to passes, or don’t force it through lines with bravery.

“I said I will back my players 100 per cent if they give the ball away by playing with bravery and on the front foot, but when we go tippy-tappy and safe, then I can’t get behind the players at that point.

“We need more bravery in those actions to play forward and be aggressive in our play because that will ultimately create more chances and I thought we got a bit better second half, we created chances and hit the post twice, but it’s still not enough.

“We then committed the cardinal sin and gifted them a goal – I don’t think they did anything special to score and they were waiting on us giving them a goal and we did that.”

Max Verstappen has clinched his third world championship.

The most one-sided Formula One campaign of recent memory was dominated by the Dutch driver.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at six races which fired Verstappen on the road to glory.

Verstappen opened his championship defence with an ominous performance under the floodlights in Sakhir.

He finished 11.9 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez and nearly 40 sec ahead of third-placed Fernando Alonso.

George Russell, 55 sec back in his under-performing Mercedes, summed up the mood in the paddock when he chillingly predicted Verstappen’s Red Bull team would win all 22 races this year.

Verstappen’s sixth victory from the season’s opening eight fixtures saw him match Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 victories.

A day after taking pole position in the wet, Verstappen reigned supreme in the dry at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Even an early collision with a bird could not stop the flying Dutchman as he drew level with Senna to leave only Lewis Hamilton (103), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him in the record books.

“To tie with Ayrton is incredible and I am proud of that but I hope it doesn’t stop here,” he said. “I hope we keep on winning more races.”

Verstappen’s invincible streak continued in the final round before the summer break at Spa-Francorchamps.

The triple world champion started sixth following an engine penalty but he took the lead on lap 17 of 44 before crossing the line 22.3 sec clear of his forlorn Red Bull team-mate Perez.

Hamilton, who finished fourth, 49 sec back, described his rival’s dominance as like “he is having a smoke and a pancake”.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed “untouchable” Verstappen as the best driver in the world after he overcame a chaotic rain-hit race to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine wins in a row.

Despite two separate downpours wreaking havoc at the beginning – which left him in 13th place – and conclusion of the 72-lap race in Zandvoort, Verstappen delivered in front of 105,000 expectant fans. At one stage, Verstappen was lapping his home track four seconds faster than Perez and two seconds quicker than anybody else.

“Max is in a period of his career where he is just simply untouchable,” said Horner. “I don’t think there is any driver on the grid that would be able to achieve what he is doing in that car.”

Verstappen drove his way into the history books by taking his 10th-consecutive victory. He sat behind Carlos Sainz for 14 of the 51 laps at Monza’s Temple of Speed before fighting his way past the Ferrari pole-sitter at the second chicane.

From there, the commanding Dutchman never looked back to better the mark he shared with Vettel and become the first driver in F1 to reach double figures for straight victories.

However, there were sour grapes over at Mercedes with team principal Toto Wolff calling Verstappen’s remarkable streak “completely irrelevant” and “for Wikipedia”

Verstappen’s historic winning run, and Red Bull’s unbeaten season, came to an end in Singapore. But at the next round in Japan, he hit back in emphatic style.

He topped every practice session in Suzuka, secured pole, and then won at a canter as Red Bull became the first team ever to win the constructors’ championship with six races to spare.

Max Verstappen has been crowned champion of the world after he finished second to Oscar Piastri in Saturday’s chaotic sprint round in Qatar.

The 26-year-old Dutchman has emulated Sir Jackie Stewart and Ayrton Senna by wrapping up his third title with six grands prix still remaining – equalling Michael Schumacher’s 21-year-old record.

Red Bull’s Verstappen has dominated Formula One since he beat seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to clinch his maiden title at the deeply controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.

And the 26-year-old’s runner-up finish, coupled with Sergio Perez’s failure to finish in the top three – he crashed out with eight laps remaining – was enough to seal the deal under the floodlights of the Lusail International Circuit.

Verstappen’s championship parade will start at Sunday’s 57-lap Grand Prix in Qatar.

Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, one place ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton fifth.

Verstappen’s championship-winning campaign has been one largely led from the front but the Dutchman dropped from third to fifth at the end of the opening lap.

As Russell blasted from fourth to second, a slow-starting Verstappen fell down the order, with Ferrari pair Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc leapfrogging the Red Bull man.

Verstappen momentarily got out of shape at the opening right-hander, with Fernando Alonso nibbling at the back of his machine.

The Dutchman survived and then slung his Red Bull underneath Lando Norris, who had started second, to take fifth.

Moments later, Liam Lawson beached his AlphaTauri and out came the safety car. Meanwhile, Perez, who had to finish in the top three to prevent Verstappen from taking the title, had dropped from eighth to 11th.

Perez threatened to fight Verstappen for the championship by winning two of the opening four rounds of the season. However, the Mexican’s challenge has faded desperately – he has not won since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30.

In came the safety car at the end of the second lap, and Russell, on the speedier, but less durable soft tyres, made his move on the medium-shod pole-sitter Piastri to assume the lead.

Then, the error-prone Logan Sargeant put his Williams in the gravel. The safety car was deployed again as the American’s stricken machine was cleared from danger.

The safety car pulled in at the end of lap five and Russell raced away from Piastri as Verstappen – on the slower, but more durable, medium rubber – set about his comeback.

First to be swatted aside was Ferrari’s Leclerc on the main straight on lap nine, with Sainz the Dutchman’s next victim on the following lap.

The race was starting to come back to those on the medium tyres, and Piastri roared past Russell to reclaim the lead at the start of lap 11.

And then the championship was officially over when Perez’s race ended in the gravel at Turn 2. Esteban Ocon attempted to overtake Nico Hulkenberg on the inside of the second corner, and with Perez to the right of the Haas driver, Ocon lost control of his Alpine and took Perez with him. It summed up Perez’s woefully disappointing campaign.

The safety car was deployed for a third time before a five-lap blast to the flag.

On lap 16, Verstappen eased past Russell with Piastri 2.6 sec up the road. However, the McLaren man could not be caught.

But Verstappen, who needed to finish only sixth to be sure of the title, need not worry as he celebrated becoming just the 11th driver to win the world championship on more than two occasions.

England were forced to dig deep in an 18-17 victory over Samoa that will have left probable World Cup quarter-final opponents Fiji licking their lips.

A dominant final quarter saw Samoa’s 17-8 lead eventually overhauled when Danny Care crossed with seven minutes left for a try that was converted by Owen Farrell.

It was a night of personal triumph for Farrell, who eclipsed Jonny Wilkinson’s total of 1,179 to become the nation’s highest points scorer, but a poor team performance will have taken the shine off that achievement.

Samoa finally discovered their mojo in the climax to a disappointing group campaign and they fell metres short with one last do-or-die assault that if successful would have produced a first-ever victory in the fixture.

A lingering sense of injustice hung over an early decision – made once the conversion had been taken – to chalk off Duncan Paia’aua’s try for a hard-to-detect knock-on that would have propelled the underdogs 19-8 ahead.

Until this night in Lille, England had not conceded a try for 160 minutes but they were breached twice by Samoa wing Nigel Ah-Wong – and it could have been more.

Their only consistent weapon was the driving line-out and Fiji will have watched the events at Stade Pierre-Mauroy with interest, seeing how rattled Steve Borthwick’s side became when faced with an incisive, off-loading attack.

England’s pack made an early impact but it was the sharp handling of Farrell and Joe Marchant that led to their first try in the 10th minute as Manu Tuilagi motored forwards before sending Ollie Chessum over in the left corner.

Tuilagi tore through the midfield once again as Samoa continued to be picked apart at will with George Ford and Farrell dovetailing well and their next drive ended with a penalty from their captain that saw Wilkinson’s record finally broken.

Play became ragged and England suffered as a result, their sloppy handling allowing Samoa to attack and the Islanders showed skill to thread the ball to wing Ah-Wong for a classy try.

Blue shirts poured through gaps in the favourites’ porous defence and they were unpicked again when Lima Sopoaga hoisted a crossfield kick for Ah-Wong to produce an inch-perfect finish.

Nothing seemed to be going right for England as they infringed at a line-out but they enjoyed a stroke of luck when Paia’aua’s score off Alex Mitchell’s poor clearance kick was disallowed.

A sloppy Farrell pass intended for Tuilagi invited more pressure and after going through several phases in which the tryline was tested Samoa ended the spell with a Sopoaga penalty.

England were losing every moment and they chose to play their trump card by bringing on Marcus Smith at Ford’s expense with Farrell moving to fly-half.

They appeared to have scored when their pack dragged Samoa into the trenches but Chessum’s try was ruled out and then Marchant was denied because of a forward pass.

Farrell landed one penalty but the shot clock expired on a second attempt and England were thrown a lifeline when Tumua Manu was shown a yellow card for tackling Farrell in the air.

Pinned back by scrum after scrum, Samoa eventually cracked when replacement scrum-half Care raced through a large gap and once Farrell converted England were back in front.

A last-gasp attack by Samoa almost swept them over but excellent scramble defence kept them out and the dream of an upset was extinguished.

Matt Bloomfield hailed his side’s summer signings after Wycombe hammered struggling Fleetwood 4-1.

All four goals were scored by new-season arrivals as the visitors blew away Lee Johnson’s side at Highbury.

Dale Taylor, on loan from Nottingham Forest, bagged a brace, whilst Freddie Potts and Luke Leahy also got in on the act against the 10-man hosts.

Jack Marriott scored a mere consolation moments before Ben Heneghan’s sending off for chopping down Brandon Hanlan.

“I really hope this is a sign of things to come,” beamed Bloomfield.

“It was a very good performance. I’ve felt like it’s been coming away from home.

“We spoke about how proud we were of the second-half performance at Charlton.

“I feel like this has been building and I’m really proud with how the boys brushed off our defeat in midweek and reacted the way they did.

“I’m really pleased the summer signings are gelling. We freshened that forward line up and we’re really pleased that squad’s coming together.

“I’ve been really conscious to emphasise it’s not all about the new signings and we already had top players already at the club.

“There’s two thank yous I really need to make sure I make. First is for the supporters who have travelled all this way, it’s a long way to come.

“The second thank you is to Rob (Couhig, owner) because he’s put his hand in his pocket for us to come up and stay Thursday night.

“I really feel like having that social time to bond has really helped us. He didn’t have to offer that.”

Johnson was brought in to replace Scott Brown after the ex Celtic midfielder was sacked due to Town’s terrible start to the season.

The Cod Army came into this game off the back of successive victories without conceding.

But after being blown away, Johnson said: “That was a big lesson for us. I’m disappointed if I’m honest with you.

“The risk was a third game in the week. The physical and mental question was whether we could produce again.

“Suddenly we started to have that belief in ourselves, but that was completely powder puff in the first half.

“We made so many poor decisions which were based on that level of fatigue. That’s not an excuse.

“The attitude and belief was the bit that was so disappointing for me. In terms of the body language, that’s been good over the last two games.

“It’s about having that will and skill on a regular basis. It’s a humbling loss for us and we’ve got to go back to the drawing board.

“The players have got to stake a claim again.

“We’ve got a real chance of being successful here. We’ve actually got enough in that dressing room. But what we haven’t got is a strong enough mindset at this moment in time.”

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca says it will be impossible to keep all of his top players happy this season as he aims to take the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Italian coach made six changes against Stoke, in what was his side’s third game in six days.

The move paid off as Leicester recorded their sixth successive Championship win that kept them top of the table.

Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring after 24 minutes before Jamie Vardy came off the bench to wrap up a 2-0 win.

Vardy had started on Wednesday against Preston, with Iheanacho coming off the bench to score.

“That’s why we try to switch them around,” said Maresca. “The other night against Preston, Kele was probably not happy to be on the bench.

“But he came on and was fantastic.

“Here, Jamie was not happy to be on the bench. But he came on and scored, and was happy.

“To be competitive, you need two players for each position so they can compete between them. In the end, we can choose one of them.

“Here we left out Wout Faes, Stephy Mavididi, Wilfred Ndidi, James Justin and Jamie.

“But they cannot think to play 46 games. It’s impossible.

“At the moment, no human being can play every game at the same level.

“Maybe next time, I’ll make six changes, we’ll lose and I’ll be wrong. But we have to make those decisions.”

Maresca accepted that Stoke had been tough to break down, as have a number of visitors to the King Power Stadium.

“We need to improve a lot because we are going to face these kinds of games many times. But we are going in the right direction,” he added.

Stoke manager Alex Neil had nine players missing through injury.

He said he wanted to take the game to Leicester in the second half, but the home side’s strength in depth was difficult to combat.

“If we’d got to half-time at 0-0, our intention was always to try and have a go,” he said.

“You can see why, when you do that, you don’t come here and go toe to toe with Leicester. Particularly when you haven’t got your strongest squad.

“But we had arguably two of the best chances in the game which fell to Nathan Lowe. He’s disappointed, but I said to him afterwards that I’d be more disappointed if they weren’t falling to him.

“If we had a stronger team, we’d get a better feel of where we are compared to them. We had a young side out.

“The minute we changed, they brought on pace at the top end of the pitch.

“Jamie Vardy’s going to cause you all kinds of problems at this level.

“But our set up was good, I don’t think they really had a chance until their goal. That was disappointing from our perspective as Iheanacho was really wide.”

Neil admitted Leicester’s dominance at this level shows no sign of weakening.

“They’ll be one of the best Championship teams in a long time,” he said.

“Just look at the stadium and the fans, and the players they’ve got. They have four internationals who’ve played for England – I don’t remember that happening anywhere else.”

Swansea boss Michael Duff praised his side following the 3-1 victory at Plymouth which made it four Championship wins on the spin.

Josh Key’s 90th-minute breakaway goal capped a superb Swans comeback after Luke Cundle had fired Plymouth into an 18th-minute lead.

Jerry Yates restored parity and then sub Ollie Cooper scored with a brilliant long-range strike within a minute of his 67th-minute introduction.

Duff said: “We were good, it was a good game. The thing that probably got us over the line is that we were slightly better in both boxes.

“I enjoy every win, trust me, and I felt we were good value for the three points. They put three on Blackburn down here and six on Norwich, so it is a tough place to come.

“We played on Wednesday and have had two away games this week so to get a nine-point week was really pleasing. We stayed calm at half-time, there was no panic.

“Some of the blocks were brilliant, some of the defending was really good. We talked about being good in both boxes and that is where we win the game ultimately.

“We gave ourselves the opportunity to get back in the game and scored three good goals.

“It was nice when the third goal goes in, it is like a home game then. That’s why we took some extra time with the travelling fans at the end because they have done the same journeys as us.

“We travelled six hours last week and four yesterday and moments like that are really important, we will have a few days off now and then we are in.

“Football doesn’t owe you anything, we have got a tough one next and we will be plan for that. Enjoy this one, it has been a good away day.

“It was end to end, two teams going for it trying to play the right way.”

Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher was in philosophical mood after the game.

He said: “I thought it was quite an even game and we were probably the better team in the first half.

“They might have edged it second half although even when they went ahead we responded quite well and got into some brilliant areas.

“We had a big chance at 2-1 down, the game could have been two-all and the game’s different.

“Then the game could have gone either way because with our crowd behind us in the last 15 minutes who knows?

“Can’t fault the lads’ effort again. Some of the play to get up to the final third and into the box was excellent. We have just got to be better in both boxes.

“Once you throw everybody forward you are always open to the counter attack and once again they were clinical and took it.

“It’s always small margins and we probably should have been more than 1-0 ahead at half-time.

“We had a couple of big chances in the first half that if we score and get a two-goal cushion it gives us something to hang onto.

“All I can ask is that the lads keep showing the same character but a bit more quality.”

Shrewsbury boss Matthew Taylor welcomed a bit of luck as his side ended a long goal drought to beat Northampton 1-0.

Daniel Udoh struck a late winner to give the Shrews their first goal in over 600 minutes, a run stretching back to August and including seven games in two competitions.

The Shrews survived giving away a late penalty, as Sam Hoskins hit the crossbar with his 73rd-minute spot-kick, before Udoh struck in added time to the relief of the home supporters.

Taylor said: “I’m really pleased, not necessarily for me but really pleased for the staff and players, as I see every day how hard everybody works and working towards getting a result.

“We will play better than today, but we have not had any luck, and what we did today and what we had today is some luck.

“The ball fell to Dan, from our perspective a great finish, from their perspective they will be disappointed.

“But he does what he’s paid to do, and hopefully it gives him and the players a bit more confidence now.

“I still think there is huge growth in the group, but at the moment I have said to the players in there we have suffered a lot as a group in the last four or five weeks.

“There are always a lot of times in football where you go away from a game and you’re disappointed. I think the players now need to enjoy that feeling they have got in there in the dressing room.”

Cobblers boss Jon Brady was frustrated to have nothing to show after feeling his side had dominated the game.

He said: “One thing I would say is I think we were in control the whole match, especially in the first half with Mitch (Pinnock) and a few other chances. We had some really good opportunities.

“Then we had the penalty, and to be honest we were in full control, so minimum, minimum I felt out of that game we should come away with the three points, and we limited them, and (goalkeeper Lee) Burge wasn’t tested.

“Unfortunately, that goal we concede has too many errors in the build-up, and they get a ricochet and then goes wide, and I don’t think he should score from that angle either.

“It is tough with the squad size that we have got that we can’t rotate hugely today, so a few players were out on their fee. They gave everything they’ve got.”

David Martindale heaped praise on Livingston for the ruthless way they put 10-man Motherwell to the sword in a 2-0 victory.

The Lions made light work of cutting open their visitors once Lennon Miller had been red carded in first-half stoppage time for clipping the heels of Dan MacKay.

Bruce Anderson made the breakthrough only seven minutes into the second half and Sean Kelly added a second from the spot nine minutes later.

It was a first home victory for the Almondvale side in the Premiership this season and they remain undefeated against teams outside the Old Firm.

Livi boss Martindale said: “We’re not getting carried away, but it’s three points and a clean sheet.

“I felt we just shaded it 11 v 11. Motherwell have had a fairly good start to the campaign and they’ve got a good shape about them and a good structure. They’re well coached.

“I don’t think they caused us many problems in the first half and we worked on Dan MacKay, in particular, attacking those central zones at pace.

“We got our just rewards from it and Dan got his just rewards from it.

“I thought wee Bruce was brilliant today with his link-up, he was fantastic and brings Dan into play, and they went down to 10 men.

“I’ll be honest, I thought it was going to be a difficult second half, in terms of trying to break Motherwell down.

“But we managed to get in behind them quite early on for the first goal and then James Penrice did magnificently for the second goal.

“That took a wee bit of the sting out of the game, playing against 10 men. The boys have got to take a lot of credit for the clean sheet.”

Martindale reserved special praise for Anderson, who led the line for Livingston impressively and grabbed his sixth goal of the campaign.

He added: “Bruce’s link-up was brilliant. It’s a part of his game he needs to join together and be a bit more consistent with.

“He’s always going to score goals if you get the ball into the box, but outside the box he knows it’s an area of his game he needs to work on.

“But, outside the box, I thought he was tremendous today and that was the most pleasing aspect for me.”

Meanwhile, Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell was angered by his side’s second-half capitulation.

The Fir Park side opened the season in fantastic form with 10 points from a possible 12, but have now lost four in a row.

Kettlewell said: “There was nothing in the game before [the red card] and that’s the bit that really frustrates me.

“But it also seemed to be the catalyst for a real degree of naivety from our point of view.

“The decision making wasn’t good enough, we conceded one penalty and could have conceded another.

“It all just spiralled out of control and I have never seen that since being here. It irks me and it begins to anger me, as we have had a lot of plaudits for being a good side.

“We are always well organised but in that second half, it all just spiralled. I take responsibility for that but I have never seen it from the players before.”