Aston Villa scored a late penalty to beat strugglers Burnley 3-2 and move second in the Premier League.
Villa – who lost 3-2 at Manchester United on Boxing Day after leading 2-0 – went ahead in the 28th minute through Leon Bailey.
The Clarets were back on level terms just three minutes later when Zeki Amdouni fired home from close range following a free-kick.
Burnley had the ball in the net again, but Lyle Foster’s effort was ruled out for offside before Moussa Diaby then added a second for Villa in the 42nd minute.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when midfielder Sander Berge was given a second caution for tugging back Douglas Luiz.
Foster, though, hauled Burnley level with 20 minutes left – this time his goal allowed to stand following a VAR review.
Just when it looked like Vincent Kompany’s men would hold out for a welcome point, Aaron Ramsey fouled Jhon Duran to concede an 89th-minute penalty. Luiz sent his spot-kick on to the underside of the crossbar and into the roof of the net to secure another home win for Villa.
Manchester City beat Sheffield United 2-0 at the Ethiad Stadium to move third, above Arsenal on goal difference.
Rodri gave City the lead in the 14th minute with a low finish into the bottom corner after good hold-up play by Phil Foden.
Midfielder Jack Grealish – whose Cheshire home had been burgled while he was away playing at Everton on Wednesday night – was taken off early in the second half and replaced by Oscar Bobb.
Julian Alvarez doubled City’s lead just after the hour from close range after Bobb had played in Foden.
Earlier, Chelsea survived a spirited late fightback by Luton to win 3-2 at Kenilworth Road.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team had looked to be cruising to a first away victory since early November following a brace from Cole Palmer – his second goal showing fine close control – either side of Noni Madueke’s strike just before half-time.
Luton, though, set up a tense final 10 minutes after Ross Barkley scored against his former club before Elijah Adebayo pulled another back late on, but the Blues held out.
Michael Olise scored twice as Crystal Palace returned to winning ways after coming from behind to beat Brentford 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
Keane Lewis-Potter fired the Bees into an early lead after just two minutes, the goal given following a lengthy VAR check for a possible offside.
Palace were soon back on level terms in the 14th minute when Olise volleyed in at the back post before Eberechi Eze completed the turnaround shortly before half-time.
Olise fired in a well-taken second from the edge of the penalty area in the 58th minute as Palace ended an eight-match winless run.
Wolves maintained their good form with a 3-0 win over relegation-battlers Everton at Molineux.
Captain Max Kilman put Wolves in front in the 25th minute following a scramble in the penalty area, which was only his second goal for the club. The players celebrated by holding up a shirt in support of Mario Lemina following the death of his father.
Wolves doubled their lead early in the second half through a close-range finish from Matheus Cunha and Craig Dawson added a third on the hour.
Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto both saw goals disallowed for offside as Gary O’Neil’s well-drilled went on to close out a third straight win.
Philippe Clement questioned the VAR process which ruled out a penalty claim in Rangers’ 2-1 defeat by Celtic at Parkhead.
Leading through a Paulo Bernardo goal in the first half, Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball inside his own penalty area under pressure from Abdallah Sima.
The VAR check for handball came to nothing but it later emerged that Sima had been offside in the build-up.
Kyogo Furuhashi added a second just after the break before Rangers defender Leon Balogun was shown a straight red by referee Nick Walsh for denying Daizen Maeda a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Gers skipper James Tavernier curled in a wonderful free-kick in the 88th minute to make it an anxious ending for Celtic, who moved eight points clear of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table having played two games more.
It was a first defeat for the Belgian in 17 games as Rangers boss and he was left perplexed.
“My biggest frustration isn’t Cyriel Dessers missing a chance because (Erling) Haaland and (Kylian) Mbappe miss chances like that,” said Clement, who claims he was handed a yellow card during the game “for reacting too hard on a ball that was clearly ours given to the other side”.
“My biggest frustration is that if there’s a clear handball, I don’t understand why it’s not a penalty given.
“It’s a clear thing so I’m curious about it.
“There was no communication towards me. And if the communication is that Sima is offside, I’m not a referee but there should have been a clear signal from VAR for offside.
“Then everyone knows the decision. There was no communication at that moment.
“Otherwise, the signal of the referee is not correct. So there’s been a mistake and it’s clear for everyone to see.
“I also make mistakes but it’s an expensive one today.”
Clement was not displeased with the way his side performed in a stadium which had home fans only amid an allocation dispute between the two clubs.
He said: “The match was a good promotion for Scottish football with two teams who wanted to win, attacked and created chances.
“I need to look at my side and I’m happy with what they showed me today.
“We had more shots than Celtic but we didn’t take our moments.
“They were more efficient on the day and when games are in the balance like that, you can lose them.
“It could have been a draw, we could have won it. But the circumstances weren’t on our side.
“My team reacted in the second half, even after a world-class goal to make it 2-0. It’s a very good goal and you can’t do too many things about it.
“But we never stopped, even with 10 men. We kept going and created enough chances to score our goal and others. We went until the end and everyone here became nervous.”
Joe Shaughnessy headed in a late equaliser as Dundee drew 2-2 with Kilmarnock after a dramatic finale at Rugby Park.
Luke McCowan had given the visitors a first-half lead and they looked to be heading towards a victory until Joe Wright’s header brought Killie level with five minutes remaining.
Substitute Rory McKenzie then gave the hosts the lead in the third minute of stoppage time, lashing home after Gary Mackay-Steven’s cross fell invitingly for him inside the box.
But two minutes later, Owen Beck’s corner landed on the head of Shaughnessy who scored a dramatic leveller to ensure the Scottish Premiership match ended in a draw.
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes had opted to just make one change following his side’s 1-0 win at St Mirren in midweek, with Wright starting in place of Corrie Ndaba.
Dundee boss Tony Docherty made three changes following his side’s 3-0 defeat to Celtic on Boxing Day, with Josh Mulligan, Mohamad Sylla and Ryan Howley coming into the starting line up.
Killie were fastest out of the traps and they came close in the fourth minute as Kyle Vassell latched on to a flick-on but he could only drill straight at Dundee goalkeeper Trevor Carson.
Dundee’s first effort came in the 17th minute when Jordan McGhee headed well over, but the away side grew into the game and began to dominate possession.
McCowan had been seeing a lot of the ball, coming in off the left wing, and it was the midfielder who broke the deadlock in the 35th minute.
Receiving a pass 25 yards out, McCowan showed composure to work a yard of space before curling a precise shot beyond Will Dennis into the bottom corner of the goal.
It was Dundee who continued to look the more likely to score and Dennis had to be alert to dive at the feet of Scott Tiffoney, who bore down on goal as the score remained 1-0 at the break.
Dundee almost doubled their lead shortly after the break as the impressive McCowan fired low across the box but Amadou Bakayoko was unable to get on the end of it.
The hosts were then inches away from a leveller on the hour mark as Wright headed against the outside of the post from a corner.
Kilmarnock continued to push and Dundee keeper Carson had to come out smartly to block Vassell’s close-range attempt.
The hosts had been the better side as the match edged towards a conclusion and with five minutes to go they managed to get back on level terms.
Dundee keeper Carson was unable to claim a corner cleanly and as the ball popped up in the air it was met by the head of Wright who nodded home to make it 1-1.
The visitors’ lead was very nearly restored just seconds later, however, as the lively Beck jinked forward before striking the crossbar with a powerful right-footed attempt from the edge of the area.
Kilmarnock then thought they had won it deep into added time as McKenzie lashed home to send the home fans wild.
But their celebrations were to be short-lived, as Dundee captain Shaughnessy headed home from the last move of the match.
Lawrence Shankland continued his red-hot scoring form as Hearts came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home to Ross County.
After the controversial decision not to award the Jambos a penalty when Alan Forrest appeared to be tripped by Ross Laidlaw early in the second half, County looked on course for victory following an Alex Cochrane own goal and a stunning free-kick from Yan Dhanda.
But substitute Kenneth Vargas sparked Hearts’ fightback with a cool finish before Shankland, the cinch Premiership’s top scorer, netted his 17th of the season and his 12th in 13 matches to secure a draw that kept his team two points clear of Kilmarnock in third place with a game in hand.
Hearts boss Steven Naismith made three changes to the team that started the midweek win away to Hibernian as Stephen Kingsley, Forrest and Beni Baningime were replaced by Craig Halkett, Alex Lowry and Kyosuke Tagawa.
County were back in action for the first time since being eviscerated by their own manager following a 1-0 home defeat by Dundee a fortnight previously.
Derek Adams – hoping for a positive response to his post-match claim that former team Morecambe were “100 times better” than County – made two changes as Will Nightingale and Conor Randall were replaced by Max Sheaf and Josh Sims.
The Staggies had the ball in the net in the second minute when Ben Purrington headed home but it was ruled out for offside against Jordan White in the build-up.
The home side then enjoyed a spell of pressure as Lowry, Frankie Kent and Tagawa all threatened within the space of five minutes.
County were generally holding their own, however, and they should have gone ahead in the 19th minute when Simon Murray was released on goal but Zander Clark made an excellent save before reacting to deny Josh Sims from the follow-up attempt seconds later.
The Staggies threatened again in the 29th minute when White got himself clear in the box, but Halkett slid in to make a vital block.
Hearts boss Naismith made two changes for the start of the second half in an effort to spark an improvement, with Forrest and Yutaro Oda sent on in place of Tagawa and Aidan Denholm.
Forrest looked to have made a swift impact in the 51st minute when he was released by a pass from Shankland and appeared to be tripped as he tried to go round Laidlaw, only to be yellow-carded for diving. Replays suggested there was contact.
It proved a pivotal moment as County went ahead four minutes later when Cochrane knocked Murray’s cross into his own net as he slid in to challenge Sims on the edge of the six-yard box.
And the visitors doubled their lead in the 61st minute when Dhanda curled in a delightful free-kick from 25 yards out.
Hearts rallied, however, and substitute Vargas got them back in the game in the 71st minute when he latched on to a through ball and slotted calmly beyond Laidlaw.
Eight minutes later Shankland secured a point with a superb left-footed finish after he was teed up just inside the box by Calem Nieuwenhof.
Aston Villa moved level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as Douglas Luiz’s late penalty secured a 3-2 home win over 10-man Burnley.
Villa led at the break thanks to a Moussa Diaby finish after Leon Bailey’s 28th-minute opener for the hosts had been cancelled out three minutes later by Zeki Amdouni.
Burnley suffered a further setback with Sander Berge sent off early in the second half, but it looked as if it could prove a frustrating afternoon for Villa after Lyle Foster drew things level again in the 71st minute.
Luiz then had the final say, converting from the spot with a minute of normal time remaining, as Unai Emery’s side moved up a place to second in the table, joining Liverpool on 42 points ahead of the Reds hosting Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
The 26th league win of their superb 2023 under Emery saw the midlands outfit bounce back from the 3-2 Boxing Day loss at Manchester United, with normal service resumed at Villa Park after the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on December 22 had ended a club-record run of 15 consecutive home league wins.
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, meanwhile, remain second-bottom, five points adrift of safety.
Villa had a couple of opportunities in the opening quarter-hour, with Diaby sending a volley wide and another from Ollie Watkins saved by James Trafford.
Burnley were then forced into an early change as Jordan Beyer was replaced by Hannes Delcroix, before starting to show some threat as Josh Brownhill struck wide and quickly brought a save out of Emiliano Martinez.
Within moments Villa were ahead, Watkins cutting into the box from the left and laying the ball to Bailey who took a touch and fired past Trafford via a deflection.
The lead proved short-lived, with Burnley hitting back almost immediately through Amdouni’s hooked effort after Dara O’Shea had headed a free-kick across goal.
The visitors then had the ball in the net again in the 37th minute, but Foster’s finish was ruled out for offside.
Villa regained the advantage five minutes later with Watkins again the creator, the England striker fashioning the cut-back from which Diaby turned the ball home.
Following Foster and Amdouni efforts saved by Martinez either side of the interval, Burnley were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when Berge collected a second yellow card having tugged at the shirt of Luiz.
Diaby curled over soon after before Foster prodded wide following a possible handball by Diego Carlos just outside the box that brought no action from referee Stuart Attwell.
Villa cranked up the pressure as Trafford denied John McGinn and Diaby before Luiz, Jacob Ramsey and Diaby, twice, shot off target.
The hosts were then left ruing that as Foster held off Alex Moreno and fired in for his first goal since returning to action after an eight-match absence in which he had been receiving care for his mental health.
It appeared as if Villa’s wastefulness might cost them, but as stoppage time drew near a challenge by former Villa man Aaron Ramsey on fellow substitute Jhon Duran prompted Attwell to point to the spot and Luiz converted the penalty with a shot that bounced down off the bar to ensure a fine calendar year ended on a high for Emery’s team.
Michael Olise scored in each half as Crystal Palace ended their eight-game winless streak with a 3-1 comeback victory over Brentford at a soggy Selhurst Park.
Under-pressure Roy Hodgson’s hosts bounced back from a sorry start to an afternoon that began with Keane Lewis-Potter’s opener for the Bees inside two minutes.
Olise ensured it was all square before the 15-minute mark and Eberechi Eze added another before the break – the first time Palace have scored more than one before half-time this season.
Neal Maupay came closest to clawing one back for the visitors, rattling the crossbar as the Bees staged a late surge, but Brentford could not stop themselves from slipping to a club-record fifth straight Premier League defeat.
In his programme notes, Hodgson expressed his “disappointment and frustration” at the fact he has “never had the opportunity” to work with a full squad this season.
The Eagles edged ever-closer to full strength on Saturday, with forward Odsonne Edouard returning to the matchday squad and influential duo Olise and Eze starting alongside each other for just the third time this campaign.
Palace had already conceded more top-flight opening goals in 2023 – 25 – than any other Premier League side, and they were swift victims once more in their final encounter of the calendar year.
Mathias Jensen flicked a neat back-heel to Mads Roerslev, who whipped a cross into the six-yard box for Lewis-Potter to finish, with the goal eventually given after a lengthy delay to check a possible offside.
The sides were all square after 14 minutes when Olise arrived at the far post to meet Jordan Ayew’s cross and volleyed into the top right corner.
Jefferson Lerma tried quickly to put the hosts ahead but fired straight at Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Dean Henderson bobbled but clung on to deny Lewis-Potter’s close-range effort at the other end as the Bees continued to apply pressure.
Olise got himself involved at the other end of the pitch, clearing a dangerous Lewis-Potter cross, before Nathan Collins bounced a header inches wide of Henderson’s right post.
Palace took the lead in the 39th minute, just as the half looked to have settled into a lull. Tyrick Mitchell took his time before flicking to Jean-Philippe Mateta, who in turn tapped it towards the onrushing Eze to send a strike into the bottom right corner.
Brentford swerved danger when Flekken slid in to prevent Ethan Pinnock’s backwards pass from crossing over his goal-line before half-time.
There were chances for both sides early in the second half before Olise patiently weaved through a crowd of blue shirts and fired home the Eagles’ third in the 58th minute.
Henderson punched away Saman Ghoddos’ effort to deny Brentford a quick reply, and Olise came close to a hat-trick when he sent the ball just wide of Flekken’s left post.
Brentford missed two big chances to narrow the deficit in quick succession, substitute Maupay clipping the crossbar before Yoane Wissa missed the target from six yards out.
A brilliant late save by Henderson preserved the two-goal lead before the final whistle blew on what was just the Eagles’ second home victory of the season.
Mathieu Griffith and Ashley Howell both rode off with two brand new scooters for Christmas after winning the men and women’s titles respectively in the recently concluded Keith ‘Grell’ Griffith Road Tennis Classic.
While Griffith registered a straightforward 21-16, 21-14 victory over Darnell Clarke, the relatively unknown Howell created a major upset by defeating the island’s number three ranked female Rachel Smith 17-21, 21-17, 21-17, at the Parkinson Field Courts over the weekend.
Clarke and Smith each won a bicycle compliments Pinelands Creative Workshop and $150.
It proved to be a double delight for the Howell family, as Ashley’s daughter Sarah took home the Under-11 girls’ title and a new laptop by overcoming arch rival Jakarta Archer 21-19, 21-11.
In the Under-11 boys’ final, Taquan Forde beat Devonte Gill 21-17, 21-17, while Zion Moore claimed the Under-14 boys’ title with a 21-17, 21-11 win over Rasha Browne.
Raquan Clarke was pushed all the way by Omari Savoury before eventually capturing the Under-17 boys’ title 17-21, 21-13, 21-17.
Organizer Brommel Griffith revealed that one of the major goals was to raise funds to purchase a prosthetic leg for Keith Griffith, after whom the competition was named.
He told Barbados Today that $7000 was raised and Griffith received his prosthetic on Thursday.
St Mirren enjoyed a happy ending to 2023 as Stephen Robinson’s men finished the year with a win over Aberdeen that improves their standing in the top six of the cinch Premiership.
The Buddies took the lead through captain Mark O’Hara’s deflected strike before the same man missed from the penalty spot.
However, Jonah Ayunga doubled the lead before Greg Kiltie netted from the spot in injury-time to cap the win.
The Dons had started brightly, winning a corner after just 13 seconds, which sparked a period of pressure culminating in a hopeful penalty claim from Jamie McGrath.
They continued to press and perhaps Duk will feel he could have done more as he allowed Graeme Shinnie’s cutback from the left through his legs when a flick could have opened the scoring.
But after such a bright start, the home side were ultimately masters of their own downfall.
Leighton Clarkson gave away possession cheaply in midfield and St Mirren punished them after 12 minutes. Kiltie’s cross was never dealt with convincingly by the home side and when the ball dropped to O’Hara, he rifled home the opener via a deflection.
O’Hara could have had a double just six minutes later as a VAR check confirmed a handball call against Dons defender Richard Jensen from Lewis Jamieson’s shot, but the Buddies captain sent the spot-kick wide left.
The home side came back into things, with a Slobodan Rubezic header blocked and Bojan Miovski firing wide, before Zach Hemming was forced into a smart low stop to deny Clarkson.
And they were left feeling hard done by when Jimmy McGarry looked to have been bundled over in the box by Marcus Fraser three minutes before the interval, but referee Grant Irvine waved play on with seemingly no intervention from the VAR official Greg Aitken.
The visitors were first to threaten after the interval, Jamieson’s low effort proving easy meat for Kelle Roos, before McGarry at the other end saw a powerful drive pushed round the post by Hemming.
Aberdeen were knocking on the door but came close to shooting themselves in the foot as Rubezic just about recovered a wayward Dante Polvara pass, moments after the American midfielder had headed wide. Rubezic would then slip, presenting a chance to Toyosi Olusanya, though Roos was able to save comfortably.
But fellow sub Ayunga would fire in from close range at the back post after Scott Tanser was allowed to curl in a sweet cross from the left, following more defensive chaos.
There was time for more mayhem as referee Irvine pointed to the spot after Stefan Gartenmann challenged Olusanya, only for an offside flag to go up, seemingly ruling out the award.
There then ensued a lengthy VAR check that ultimately decided there was no offside, leaving Kiltie to blast into the top-left corner from the spot.
Max Kilman’s first goal in two years inspired Wolves to a dominant win over struggling Everton.
The defender’s opener, Matheus Cunha’s tap in and Craig Dawson’s strike wrapped up an impressive 3-0 win at Molineux.
The squad celebrated with team-mate Mario Lemina’s shirt with the midfielder missing the game following the death of his father.
For the Toffees, their Christmas decline continued, four straight wins earlier in December have now been followed by three successive Premier League defeats and a Carabao Cup exit.
They remain a point above the relegation zone after an insipid and powderpuff performance.
Wolves – with nine goals in their last three games – are now unbeaten in eight at home and earned a third straight Premier League win for the first time in almost two years to remain 11th in an increasingly impressive season.
Boss Gary O’Neil stressed pre-game he did not see Everton as a struggling side – without their 10-point deduction the Toffees would be above Wolves – but the hosts were never troubled.
A early break from Cunha, with Hwang Hee-chan and Pablo Sarabia for company, ended with the South Korean forward being crowded out and unable to find a finish after rounding Jordan Pickford.
It was a waste yet Wolves kept probing and Cunha’s 20-yard effort dropped wide.
The hosts coped without Lemina, who returned to France on Friday, with Joao Gomes snapping at the Toffees in midfield.
As a result, Everton were nullified as an attacking force and it was little surprise when Wolves took the lead after 25 minutes.
The Toffees only half-cleared a corner with the ball recycled to Cunha on the right to deliver a low cross.
Pickford pulled off a brilliant reaction save to stop Jarrad Branthwaite turning the ball into his own net but, in the ensuing scramble, Kilman poked the ball in – dedicating the goal to Lemina by lifting his team-mate’s shirt to the heavens.
It was just the skipper’s second goal for Wolves in 128 appearances – with his other also against Everton in November 2021.
There was little response from the visitors, bar Dominic Calvert-Lewin shooting across goal, and Wolves remained comfortable despite being unbale to fashion more first-half chances.
Passive and reactionary, Sean Dyche’s outfit desperately needed to improve after the break, but they fell further behind eight minutes into the second half.
Top scorer Hwang underlined why his team-mates will need to fill the void now he heads to the Asian Cup with South Korea – potentially not returning until mid-February – when he teed up Cunha.
Sarabia’s cute pass set him free on the right to outpace Michael Keane and it was a simple ball for Cunha to accept the gift for his sixth goal of the season.
It was the cue for Wolves to run riot and Hwang struck a post before Dawson added a third on the hour.
Everton struggled to clear and, when Cunha returned a fine cross, Dawson was left inexplicably unmarked to stick out a leg and find the corner.
The hosts’ only clean sheet of the season came in their 1-0 win at Everton in August, but they had little to fear at Molineux, even if Dwight McNeil rattled a post from distance.
Gomes and Hwang tested Pickford before the striker had a goal chalked off for offside, while the hosts also had the luxury of welcoming back Pedro Neto after a two-month injury absence.
The substitute even had a comeback goal ruled out for offside as Wolves were forced to settle for three.
Theo Bair discovered his form as Motherwell beat Livingston 3-1 to record a first win in 16 cinch Premiership matches.
The forward scored two and set up another for Blair Spital as Motherwell doubled their first-half goal tally for the league season inside 35 minutes.
Scott Pittman had made it 2-1 but Bair’s fourth goal of the season put the game beyond the reach of the bottom side.
Livi continued battling but could not get a lifeline as they drifted seven points behind their rivals at the foot of the table.
The game pitted two teams in desperate need of a turning point in their season against each other.
Since their previous meeting, which Livi won 2-0, David Martindale’s side had only scored two goals and collected two points in 11 games, while Motherwell’s long run without a win was piling pressure on manager Stuart Kettlewell.
Kettlewell made a big call as he handed Oli Shaw his second start since his loan move from Barnsley and recalled Bair in a three-pronged strikeforce with Callum Slattery and Harry Paton dropping to the bench.
Motherwell had only opened the scoring once since their previous win, against Hearts on September 3, but they came close twice inside four minutes. Bair sliced wide off a defender before Shamal George saved well from Mika Biereth from close range following Georgie Gent’s cross.
The game stopped for 60 seconds at the 10-minute mark as applause rang out around Fir Park for former Motherwell skipper Phil O’Donnell, 16 years and a day after he died after collapsing during a game.
Bair saw another effort deflected wide before setting up the opener in the 14th minute.
Joel Nouble dallied in possession just outside his own box and was robbed by Biereth, who played it on to Bair. The former St Johnstone striker looked like he might have passed up the chance but he played the ball in front of Spittal just in time for the midfielder to stab home.
Spittal repaid the service five minutes later when he played Bair in behind from near the touchline and halfway line. The Canada international got there before George to stab home.
Boos rang out from among the 216 away fans after each goal but they were cheering in the 23rd minute when Cristian Montano chipped the ball over the home defence and Pittman volleyed into the top corner.
The home side restored their two-goal lead in the 35th minute. Bair was already shouting for a pass down the line when Biereth intercepted a Livingston pass and the Dane delivered.
Bair cut inside Mikey Devlin and waited for George to go down before dinking the ball over the goalkeeper and sparking gasps of astonishment from the crowd.
Bair almost had his hat-trick when Shane Blaney’s header bounced off him and went in but it was disallowed for offside.
The Irish defender pulled up with a hamstring problem in the closing seconds of the half and was replaced by Bevis Mugabi, who was busy with the rest of the Motherwell defence for much of the second period.
Livingston’s best chances fell to defenders though and Devlin and Ayo Obileye were off target following set-pieces to leave the visitors in deep relegation trouble, although they have three home league games in succession to follow against Hearts, Dundee and Ross County.
Emma Raducanu is feeling “reborn” and freed of the weight of her US Open triumph as she prepares to make her comeback in Auckland.
The 21-year-old will face a qualifier in the opening round of the ASB Classic, her first match since April following operations on both her wrists and one ankle.
Raducanu looked relaxed and happy as she spoke to the media in New Zealand, saying: “I feel reborn in a way, I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy, I feel excited.
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“Overall I’m feeling very positive and lighter. I think for two years after the US Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders but now I feel completely fresh.”
The former British number one had hoped to make her comeback last autumn but her recovery was not a smooth process and she was forced to delay until the start of the new season.
She has been building back up to full fitness on and off court at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton under the guidance of Lawn Tennis Association staff.
For her final week working in London she turned to childhood coach Nick Cavaday while accompanying her in Auckland is mentor Jane O’Donoghue, a former coach who left the LTA to pursue a career in finance.
Raducanu has not had a permanent coach since splitting from Sebastian Sachs at the beginning of June.
O’Donoghue also helped out Raducanu at Wimbledon in 2022 when she was between coaches, and the former US Open champion said: “It’s really nice and refreshing to have her around, I know she has my best interests at heart and it’s just nice to have a familiar face.”
While it is likely to take time for Raducanu to find her feet on the match court again, she believes she is returning to the tour a better player and hungry to succeed.
“It’s going to be fun, I think, going out there competing again, having the competitive juices flowing,” she said.
“I’ve been training really well in practice so overall I’m feeling really good about my game. I think tennis wise I’m better than I was a year ago today, it’s just playing a match it’s going to be different.
“I got to spend a lot of time just thinking how I feel and I definitely got that hunger back just to be on the court competing, training, sweating. I think you really appreciate the time you have when you’re healthy and on court.”
While Raducanu received a wild card in Auckland, she is still waiting to see whether the same will apply for the Australian Open.
Her protected ranking given to players who have been sidelined long term is 103, which appears unlikely to be high enough to secure direct entry in Melbourne.
Currently that would mean going through qualifying at a grand slam for the first time since her remarkable New York triumph in 2021, and she said: “Qualifying doesn’t faze me.
“Right now I’m approaching it like I am in qualifying because I am. I’ve done pretty well in qualifying before so I’ll just see how it goes.”
Preparing to make his 2024 debut across the Tasman Sea at the Brisbane International is Andy Murray, who will take on second seed Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match.
Most of the focus at the tournament is on the returning Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, and Murray faced the Spaniard in a practice session on Saturday.
Nadal has been sidelined for a year by a hip problem, and Murray said: “It’s great to have him back playing. He’s obviously working extremely hard, like always. He looked physically good, was playing well.”
Both men would need to make it to the semi-finals to meet in anger, and Murray cited renewing his long-time rivalries with Nadal and Novak Djokovic as a goal.
“If I get the opportunity to practise with them, I still really, really enjoy that,” said the Scot. “It does bring back some good memories. But ideally I’d want to be doing that in the tournaments, not in the first rounds. I’d like to be doing it
in the latter stages, if I can.”
Nico de Boinville is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a broken collarbone in a fall at Doncaster on Friday.
The leading rider was partnering 13-8 favourite The Therapist for his boss Nicky Henderson on Town Moor when he and his mount crashed out two flights from the finish.
De Boinville sat out the rest of the card and also missed out on a couple of winners at Newbury on Saturday, including the hugely exciting Jeriko Du Reponet.
Confirming his injury in his Unibet blog, the jockey said: “Unfortunately, I took a crunching fall on Therapist at Doncaster on Friday, and I will be out for a while.
“I pretty much knew that it wasn’t a routine departure soon after I hit the deck, and an X-ray this morning confirmed that I had broken my clavicle.
“It’s obviously annoying, with so many of our good horses looking to prove themselves in better races at this time of the year, as at Newbury today, but it’s only a small-scale setback in the grand scheme of things.
“I don’t know exactly how long I will be out for at the moment, but I’ll just have to get my head down and concentrate on the recovery.
“Others are in a far worse spot than me, so I won’t be feeling sorry for myself.”
Rodri and Julian Alvarez struck as Manchester City closed out a remarkable year with a routine 2-0 win over Premier League bottom side Sheffield United.
Champions League final match-winner Rodri put City on course for a comfortable win at the Etihad Stadium with a fine strike after 14 minutes and Alvarez finished the job in the second half.
After a tricky spell earlier in December, City have now ended 2023 – a year which brought five trophies including English, European and world titles – looking more like their old dominant selves.
It was the first time they had secured back-to-back Premier League wins since the first week of November and ended a run of eight games without a clean sheet.
The game also saw Kevin De Bruyne back in a matchday squad for the first time since August.
Jack Grealish retained his place in the City side despite a difficult few days following a burglary at his home and played 52 minutes before being withdrawn.
Manager Pep Guardiola made two changes to his starting line-up with Josko Gvardiol replacing the injured John Stones and Mateo Kovacic coming in for Matheus Nunes.
De Bruyne did not see any action but earned one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon when he warmed up in the second half.
In truth, City did not need the Belgium international as they comfortably outplayed the struggling Blades.
The hosts soon settled into their usual rhythm, controlling possession and patiently waiting for openings to arise.
It seemed just a matter of time before they broke through and the moment arrived in 14th minute as Rodri seized possession after a challenge on Phil Foden.
The Spaniard confidently drove forward and drove a low shot past Wes Foderingham from 18 yards.
Bernardo Silva shot wide after being played in by Foden and Grealish tested Foderingham from a tight angle.
The visitors missed James McAtee, who was unable to face his parent club, and offered little in attack until a brief flurry just before the break.
William Osula got behind the defence to meet a Jayden Bogle cross but his first-time shot was blocked by Manuel Akanji. Osula had another chance from the resulting corner but his header was saved by Ederson and Bogle also had an effort easily claimed by the City goalkeeper.
Back at the other end Rodri shot over and Foden almost got round Foderingham early in the second half but the keeper just managed to claw the ball away.
Foden had better luck when he created the second goal for Alvarez on the hour, breaking into the area from an Oscar Bobb pass and squaring for the Argentina forward to slide in.
Alvarez almost snatched another when Foderingham smashed a clearance straight at him but it ricocheted over.
Robyndzone continued the excellent recent form of Venetia Williams with victory in the Betfred Last Fling Handicap Chase at Haydock, the second leg of a double on the card for the trainer and conditional jockey Ned Fox.
The nine-year-old impressed on his seasonal reappearance at Ludlow in early November before falling at the halfway stage on his next appearance at Sandown.
Robyndzone was a 100-30 chance to get back on the winning trail on Merseyside and made most of the running on his way to an eight-length success over Fortescue.
Williams and Fox had earlier successfully combined with even-money favourite Hill Of Tara in the Betfred Nifty 50 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
Fox said: “It was a great day. It was Hill Of Tara’s first run over three miles and he saw it out really well.
“He galloped home really strongly and did it really well, he was really good.
“Robyndzone was also stepping up in trip and he jumped really well and just galloped the others into the ground really. He’s not the quickest in the world, but he just galloped and he’s a very tough horse and did it very well.”
It was a first career double for the 23-year-old, who is based with Williams and has now moved his career tally up to 30 winners thanks to his Haydock brace.
He added: “It’s good to get that one out of the way and hopefully there will be a few more along the way.
“I’m very lucky to be working for Venetia who is giving me these good opportunities on Saturdays and big meetings.
“The yard is in great form and everything is going well, so long may it continue.”
Bertie’s Ballet (5-4) dug deep to land the Betfred TV EBF ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle for Dianne Sayer and Henry Brooke.
The dual bumper winner chased home subsequent Grade One runner-up Favour And Fortune on his hurdling debut at Wetherby and made no mistake at the second time of asking, seeing off Norman Fletcher by a length and a half.
Sayer said: “I’m really pleased, his owners are lovely people and the horse is a professional in every way. It’s great to have him in the yard and we’re lucky to have him.
“I was very hopeful today. I think a small field suits him and heavy ground helped as they just went steady. He’s got lots of ability this horse, but very little experience.
“I’m very aware that he hasn’t got many miles on the clock and going forward that’s my biggest fear as we’ll be putting him into company that’s a lot more experience than he is, but hopefully he’ll continue to take it in his stride and we’re looking forward to the future with him.
“We might look to run in the EBF Final at Sandown, but that is obviously dropping him at the deep end. We’ll see how he comes out of today and take it from there.”
Richard Bandey’s Southern Sam (100-30) edged out Gold Emery in the Betfred Goals Galore Novices’ Handicap Chase, while 5-2 favourite Punta Del Este dominated his rivals for Dan Skelton and Tristan Durrell in the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Handicap Hurdle.
Happy And Fine struck at 7-2 in the Betfred ‘Hot Shots’ Handicap Chase and San Francisco justified cramped odds of 8-11 in the concluding Betfred Happy New Year Open NH Flat Race.
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