Vincent Kompany has suffered no loss of belief despite the bruising start to the season suffered by his Burnley side.

Last season Kompany’s men were breaking records as they charged to the Championship title with 101 points, with many – not least Pep Guardiola – talking up the former Manchester City captain’s chances of one day taking over at the Etihad Stadium.

But there has been a major reality check for Burnley since they got back to the top flight and history is now being made for the wrong reasons as they have lost seven straight home league games to start the campaign, and go into Saturday’s match against fellow strugglers Sheffield United rock bottom.

Kompany is paying no attention to the statistics, however, as he remains convinced his side are improving and remain on the right course.

“Statistics are just statistics,” he said. “To me, that’s not why I’m doing the job. If I wanted to take away the risk of this happening maybe I would make different choices in life. For me I’m in it for everything that goes with it.

“No matter what happens, when the story of this gets written however many years from now this is just part of it. I believe in myself a lot as well. That’s the truth of it.”

Although Kompany has stuck to his principles during Burnley’s struggles so far, he insisted that did not mean his side had not been adapting during the season, and pointed to recent improvements in the performances against Crystal Palace, Arsenal and West Ham – even if all three ended in defeat.

“I try and be consistent,” he said. “That’s also a method to get over moments like this, but I think if you look closely at what we’ve done from the start to now, adapting is definitely what we’ve done.

“I don’t know how you give up principles but you adapt. If you break down the positives, the performances we’ve definitely adapted but we knew we had to.

“You can’t come into the Premier League on the back of a season where you had 101 points and the first thing you do is say, ‘I don’t believe you can do it this way’. You have to stress test it first and then adapt.

“We’ve very clearly adapted and that’s given us the narrative of the last three or four games.”

Burnley caught the eye in the Championship with possession-based attacking football, but trying to play like that in the Premier League was always going to be a very difficult challenge.

While Burnley have had to change, Kompany said his own natural aggressive instincts remain.

“The possession reputation comes from the fact we were the better team in the Championship, but I try to make the point that I’m naturally aggressive,” Kompany said. “I was an aggressive player. It’s such an important thing for me.

“Last year we were so good in those moments. The difference is we were better than other teams, we had more of the ball. This season, whether we have the ball or not is not always decided by us.

“The point I’m trying to make is when you don’t have the ball, I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be like the West Ham game or the Palace game was good as well or Arsenal where we were done by two set plays.

“It’s what wasn’t there at the start of the season but it’s something we always had and hopefully we’ve recovered it now.”

Paul Smyth and Chris Willock were on target as new QPR boss Marti Cifuentes secured back-to-back victories with a 2-0 win over Preston at Deepdale.

Rangers had struggled in the difficult conditions in the opening 45 minutes, but goals from Smyth and Willock were enough to secure a second straight victory for the first time this season.

Preston, meanwhile, missed their chance to move back into the top six thanks to a third straight loss.

After Cifuentes had indicated before kick-off that he felt the game ought to have been called off, both sets of players did appear to be treading somewhat carefully during the uneventful opening stages.

It was North End who fashioned the first half-chance after 15 minutes.

Mads Frokjaer’s out-swinging corner-kick was eventually worked out towards the unmarked Ched Evans, only for the Welshman to guide a disappointing shot straight at grateful keeper Asmir Begovic.

Preston were looking the more enterprising of the teams, with Duane Holmes looking particularly lively. Will Keane just could not stretch to meet one of his dangerous crosses.

The hosts were definitely looking the most likely to force any kind of breakthrough, with Rangers rarely threatening at all as the game edged towards half-time.

Whether the wintry conditions had been a factor was debatable, but Cifuentes’ men finally caught a sight of goal in the 38th minute.

Midfielder Willock made a decent run towards the edge of the Preston box, but saw his strike roll harmlessly past the far post.

At the other end Evans saw a shot blocked, and by the end of the opening period both goalkeepers had been largely spectators on a bitterly cold Lancashire evening.

Preston opened more purposefully after the break. A smart corner routine saw Ben Whiteman find skipper Alan Browne, only for his shot to be blocked.

Rangers replied with Smyth guiding a glancing header narrowly off target.

The much-needed breakthrough soon followed from Rangers.

Smyth made no mistake this time, darting into the six-yard box to poke home sub Ilias Chair’s dangerous in-swinging cross.

Chair was inspired, and minutes later lashed in a shot which forced Freddie Woodman into a competent stop.

Preston, who were humbled 4-0 at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, had lost their way, and they were certainly not helped by Holmes’ poor attempt from a free-kick with 25 minutes left.

Rangers sub Elijah Dixon-Bonner drove an effort narrowly wide as his side sought a potentially victory-clinching second goal.

And Rangers deservedly got their second in the 87th minute.

Chair was the provider again, crossing in for an unmarked Willock to slot home comfortably.

England kept their bid to secure Olympics qualification for Great Britain alive in dramatic fashion as Ella Toone’s stoppage-time goal completed a fightback from two goals down to beat the Netherlands 3-2 at Wembley.

Needing a win to remain in contention to finish top in Nations League Group A1, the final position required for them to have a chance of obtaining a place for GB at next summer’s Games in Paris, the Lionesses were on course for a third defeat in the pool as Lineth Beerensteyn notched a first-half brace for the Dutch.

But Sarina Wiegman’s side battled back with two goals in quick succession from Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp just prior to the hour mark, before substitute Toone capped the turnaround in the first minute of time added on to bring a huge roar from the 71,632 crowd in attendance.

It leaves England in second place, level on points with the Netherlands and one ahead of Belgium, ahead of concluding their group matches by playing Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Belgium drew 1-1 with Scotland in Friday’s other Group A1 contest.

Ryan Bowman’s hat-trick fired Shrewsbury into the FA Cup third round with a 3-2 victory over Notts County.

Bowman gave his side an early lead, only for Richard Brindley to equalise for the hosts, but the Shrews striker completed his treble with two goals inside eight second-half minutes before 17-year-old James Sanderson pulled one back late on for County.

The visitors were gifted the lead in the first minute when Aden Baldwin’s slip let in Dan Udoh, who squared the ball to Bowman for a simple finish.

Luke Williams’ side dominated possession and were rewarded seven minutes before the break when Brindley’s long-range effort flew beyond Marko Marosi.

But Shrewsbury were able to regain their lead early in the second half as another defensive error allowed Bowman to grab his second and he struck for a third time in the 56th minute after another mistake from Baldwin.

The hosts got their second late on through Sanderson, picking his spot with one of his first touches on his professional debut.

Stephen Humphrys’ ninth goal of the season secured 2013 FA Cup winners Wigan’s place in this year’s third round following a 1-0 win at Vanarama National League side York.

During a cagey first half, Humphrys had carried the greatest threat.

Just before the half-hour mark, good skills from the former Fulham forward took him past home defenders Callum Howe and Tyler Cordner before his 15-yard drive was parried to safety by David Stockdale, who raced off his line to deny the same player moments later.

But Humphrys was not to be denied in the 61st minute when he charged clear on goal again – after Cordner had misjudged Omar Rekik’s ball down the middle of the pitch – and showed immaculate composure to round Stockdale and roll the ball into an inviting net.

A late rally by the hosts saw Olly Dyson hook wide, substitute Maz Kouhyar force a fingertip save from Sam Tickle and Lenell John-Lewis head off target with the goal at his mercy from three yards at the death.

Tiger Woods admitted he was battling mental and physical fatigue after his second comeback round “stalled” at the Hero World Challenge.

Woods, 47, delivered a two-under-par 70 to leave him on one-over par through 36 holes following ankle surgery after his withdrawal from the Masters in April.

But the 15-time major winner was left thinking what might have been after he picked up three bogeys and just one birdie in his concluding six holes.

Woods reached the turn at the Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas with four birdies on his scorecard.

“Overall the round was better than yesterday, for sure,” said the American. “The start was better, the middle part of the round was better.

“I missed a couple putts there towards the end I thought would have kept the round going and unfortunately it kind of stalled out a little bit.”

Asked if physical and mental fatigue had contributed to his end-of-round “stall”, Woods, who dropped four shots in three holes between the 15th and 17th on Thursday, replied: “It’s all of the above. I just haven’t done it. I haven’t played in six months.

“Things are not as sharp as they normally would be. There has certainly been some good in there and I have just got to make sure that the good is more consistent than it has been.

“I can play at home, I can walk, beaches, and do all those things. But it’s different when you’re at game speed.

“You can simulate all you want at home and I had it the best I possibly can. We played a lot of money matches, but it’s just different. The mind’s racing more, the anxiety, the emotions are just different. You can always drop a ball at home, no big deal. Here it’s going to cost you.

“Other things are bugging me and bothering me, but the ankle’s fine. This week is a great beta test to figure out what I can do, and what the plan is going forward, and just analyse what it’s like to compete and play and the things I need to strengthen and work on in the gym to be ready for next season.”

Former England captain Phil Vickery and ex-Wales fly-half Gavin Henson are among more than 200 retired rugby players to bring a legal claim against three of the sport’s governing bodies alleging they suffered brain injuries during their careers.

Vickery, 47, a member of England’s World Cup-winning team in 2003, and Henson, 41, who won Six Nations Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008, were named for the first time on Friday after they waved their anonymity in their claims against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.

Mark Regan, 51, another member of England’s triumphant World Cup squad, was also named.

Lawyers for the group of players have previously alleged the governing bodies failed to take reasonable steps to protect players from injury caused by repetitive blows and that many now have permanent neurological injuries including early onset dementia, Parkinson’s disease and the neurodegenerative condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Steve Thompson, who played with Vickery and Regan, had already been revealed to be among the claimees after he was the first to go public three years ago.

Thompson, 45, who has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, has previously said he cannot remember being awarded an MBE by the Queen following England’s victory over Australia in the World Cup final.

Former Wales captain Ryan Jones, ex-Wales forward Colin Charvis, Sean Lamont, capped more than 100 times by Scotland, and former England scrum-half Harry Ellis are other high-profile names.

The former players are hoping to bring the cases together as one group action. However, it emerged at the High Court on Friday that the next hearing will not take place until April at the earliest.

A joint statement on behalf of World Rugby, WRU and RFU read: “Whilst today’s case management hearing was necessarily about legal process, we must not forget about the people and players at the heart of this case.

“Legal action prevents us reaching out to support the players involved, many of whom are named publicly for the first time today.

“But we want them to know that we care deeply about their struggles, that we are listening and that they are members of the rugby family.

“The court’s ruling for the second time that the claimants’ solicitors must provide information previously asked for is a positive step.

“Despite the court’s order from June 2023 the court noted that there was a ‘gaping hole’ in the evidence provided by the claimant’s legal team.

“The further delay to the case is regrettable and the players’ lawyers seemingly prioritising media coverage over meeting their legal obligations, is challenging for all concerned – not least the players themselves. Player welfare is rugby’s top priority, and will continue to be our top priority.”

Kevin Sinfield is over a quarter of the way to hitting his £777,777 target in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease after completing day one of his latest ultra-marathon quest at York Minster on Friday afternoon.

The former Leeds Rhinos star and his team were cheered much of the way from Headingley Stadium in Leeds to their initial destination as they continue to raise awareness inspired by Sinfield’s friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow.

The fundraising tally had ticked over £200,000 within an hour of his departure in wet and cold conditions, and Sinfield thanked the supporters as he prepares for the second day of the challenge to Cardiff on Saturday.

Sinfield told the crowd: “We’re coming up to Christmas and it’s brilliant to be here with the lights on and feeling festive.

“If there’s someone you’ve not spoke to for months and you’ve had a daft fall out or whatever, please pick the phone up.

“Let’s look after each other, let’s make this a better place. Let’s look after the MND community and start looking after each other a bit better.”

Sinfield’s fourth fundraising challenge will see him look to complete seven ultra marathons in seven cities in seven days, as he follows the Welsh capital on Saturday with runs around Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin and Brighton, before finishing with a route that takes him up The Mall in London next week.

Since starting his ultra-marathon quest in 2020, the 43-year-old has raised over £8million to help fund research and help those with the disease, and he has vowed he will continue to undertake his marathon quest until a cure can be found.

His quest drew praise from snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan, who was competing in the UK Championship less than a mile from the finish line in York.

Despite admitting to have “never heard” of Sinfield or his previous quests, O’Sullivan said: “I admire what he’s trying to do, for sure. There’s some serious effort going into that, good luck to him.”

:: To donate to Kevin Sinfield’s 7 in 7 quest, see https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/kevin-sinfield

Hossein Vafaei has vowed there will be no repeat of his kamikaze Crucible break-off when he faces Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals of the UK Snooker Championship in York on Saturday.

The Iranian sealed a rematch of the grudge clash that rocked last April’s World Championship by beating China’s Zhang Anda 6-4 while O’Sullivan dredged up a break of 122 to sink qualifier Zhou Yuelong in a final-frame decider.

Vafaei says he has no regrets about his wild start – where he smashed the balls from his first break-off and saw O’Sullivan mop up a clinical 78 – at the Crucible, which was a response to perceived disrespect shown by O’Sullivan when he played a similar shot in a match at the German Masters 18 months earlier.

Despite also claiming pre-match that he wanted to “shut” O’Sullivan’s mouth and that the Englishman should retire because he was “not good for the game”, the pair had exited the stage arm in arm after the underdog’s 13-2 humbling.

“The past is the past,” Vafaei insisted on Friday. “I’d been waiting 18 months to do that. I know it was a little bit crazy but I’ve done it. Everything has karma.

“But I just want to respect my hero and have a good friendship with him. Life is too short. I wish him the best of health and I love him.”

Vafaei, who has now racked up six centuries in the last two rounds, heads into their rematch as the form player after an unfocused O’Sullivan almost let a 4-1 lead slip against the Chinese world number 26.

O’Sullivan, who had edged through in similar circumstances against Robert Milkins in the previous round, showed his frustration as he missed a succession of easy chances before delivering when it mattered, with a final frame clearance to pink of 122.

The 47-year-old is also adamant he bears no ill will towards Vafaei, whom he considered a friend prior to the incident during German Masters qualifying which annoyed the Iranian.

“I didn’t feel disrespected (by Vafaei’s break-off) – not at all,” said O’Sullivan, whose quarter-final win was his 100th in the tournament since he first appeared as a 16-year-old in 1992.

“I’ve done worse – a lot worse. I like Hossein, he’s a fiery character. He doesn’t take no nonsense. That is his character. I like that in someone. He is his own person.”

O’Sullivan looked set for an easy afternoon as Zhou, seemingly paralysed by nerves, looked a shadow of the player who had accounted for both Neil Robertson and John Higgins in previous rounds.

The Chinese player also appeared intent on gifting O’Sullivan the fourth before finally managing to get a frame on the board.

But from a 4-1 advantage O’Sullivan dramatically lost focused, missing a series of simple shots to allow Zhou to pull level twice, before he found just enough to keep his hopes of a record-breaking eighth UK title just about alive.

“I was just waiting for something to happen and it did, and I played all right,” said O’Sullivan, who continues to play down his hopes of lifting the trophy on the 30th anniversary of his first success.

“I just couldn’t make 20, just missing balls all over the place, and he looked like he was gaining confidence. If I don’t find some form from somewhere I’m going to get beat here.”

Vafaei was pushed almost to the limit in a high-quality clash with in-form Chinese player Zhang Anda, who had got the better of world champion Luca Brecel in the previous round.

Twice Vafaei hauled back Zhang’s early advantage by posting century breaks, then from 4-3 behind he summoned a big finish with consecutive breaks of 106 and 56 confirming the first triple crown semi-final of his career.

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli admitted his side must get their Serie A title challenge back on track with victory in Saturday’s home game against Frosinone.

Just one win in their previous five league matches has seen Milan slip six points behind leaders Inter and four behind second-placed Juventus.

A home Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund in midweek left Milan bottom of their group and while they can still qualify for the knockout stages with one game to play, the pressure is mounting on Pioli.

The 58-year-old former Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina head coach told a press conference: “Frosinone are doing very well and have confidence, (Eusebio) Di Francesco is doing a great job.

“They are aggressive, but we know how to cause them problems. We want to win, and we need to. We need points, the league campaign is long.

“As usual, we’ll need to show concentration, determination and quality. We need to show we are still competitive and put in a good performance.”

Milan beat Pioli’s former club Fiorentina 1-0 at the San Siro last week to halt a domestic league run of two draws and two defeats and a slump in form has coincided with a lengthy injury list.

Pioli was without half a dozen key players for Tuesday night’s loss to Dortmund and saw defender Malick Thiaw forced off early in the second half.

Thiaw will not feature against Frosinone and Olivier Giroud is still suspended, while Rafael Leao, Noah Okafor, Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer, Marco Pellegrino and Mattia Caldara are unlikely to feature.

Pioli added: “There are still 25 league games to play. I told the players not to come in on Thursday to Milanello if they didn’t believe we could reach Inter and Juventus.”

Frosinone boss Di Francesco has injury concerns of his own as his 10th-placed side bid to halt their poor away form, with Luca Mazzitelli, Riccardo Marchizza, Pol Lirola, Francesco Gelli and Marco Brescianini all doubtful.

Frosinone’s impressive start to the season after promotion has been built on five wins and a draw in seven home league matches, but they are winless on the road.

Di Francesco told a press conference: “We need to get this obstacle out of our heads. We made the last point (on the road) in Salerno (in September).

“We need to try to approach the away match with the right attitude. Here at home, however, we feel stronger when going to face our opponents. This way of thinking certainly needs to be changed.”

Fans of the mighty Constitution Hill might have to wait until Boxing Day to catch a sight of National Hunt racing’s pre-eminent superstar, with trainer Nicky Henderson revealing he is far from certain to line up in a rescheduled Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown next weekend.

The six-year-old was all set to bid for back-to-back victories in the Grade One contest at Newcastle on Saturday, but the abandonment of racing has forced his trainer back to the drawing board.

The powers that be have moved swiftly to save the Fighting Fifth, switching it to next Saturday’s Tingle Creek card, with existing entries cancelled and new entries to be made by noon on Monday.

But the week’s delay means there will now only be 17 days between the Fighting Fifth and Constitution Hill’s next target – a defence of the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

“We’ve discussed it and discussed it and we’ll continue to discuss it,” Henderson told the PA news agency on Friday afternoon.

“What I couldn’t give Ian Renton (regional director for the Jockey Club) was a guarantee that if they put it on at Sandown that we would run, so I think what they will do is reopen it, and therefore we are not holding it to ransom.

“I don’t know, I’m nervous about it – the time schedule – and I fear one race will have to be sacrificed for the other.”

Constitution Hill was due to be joined on the trip to Newcastle by stablemate Shishkin, who would have been on a recovery mission under a big weight in the Rehearsal Chase, having refused to start in last weekend’s 1965 Chase at Ascot.

As that premier handicap will not be restaged, the Seven Barrows handler must now face preparing his charge for a tilt at the King George VI Chase at Kempton without the aid of a prep run.

He added: “What I really want is a race for Shishkin – that is miles more important.

“I do not like the idea of going into the King George with no run, I don’t like that at all, but there is nowhere for him to go. If you could put on a Rehearsal Chase or something like that I would be there like a bullet!

“He’s going to have to do a lot of work in a short space of time. A lot of racecourses are very helpful to us and I’m going to have to rely on them for their help.”