Chris Wood's penalty proved decisive as Nottingham Forest beat Ipswich Town 1-0 to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
Wood scored his ninth league goal of the season after Sam Szmodics was adjudged to have fouled Jota Silva in the third minute of the second half.
Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who also made a fine save from Murillo to deny Forest a second, performed well throughout to keep his side in the contest, but Wood's club-record equalling strike was the difference at the City Ground.
Both sides went close in an even first half, but Forest were the much better of the two after the break, and despite a late charge from the visitors, Nuno Espirito Santo's team held on to snap a two-game losing streak.
Forest sit in sixth, just a point behind second-placed Manchester City, while Ipswich remain in 19th.
Data Debrief: Wood matches Roy's record
Wood's 24th goal for Forest saw him draw level with Bryan Roy as the player with the most goals for the club since the inception of the Premier League.
Forest also continued their strong form against promoted sides, as they have now won their last five top-flight matches against such teams, while also remaining unbeaten in the last nine.
Nuno will feel his team were well worthy of the points in the end. They mustered 1.6 expected goals to Ipswich's 0.7 xG, having 12 shots to the Tractor Boys' seven.
Justin Kluivert became the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a single Premier League game as Bournemouth punished an error-strewn display from Wolves to win 4-2 at Molineux.
Kluivert’s third-minute spot-kick started the scoring after Evanilson was brought down by Toti Gomes, only for Jorgen Strand Larsen to level for the hosts with a fine header.
The Cherries then took the lead again through Milos Kerkez before doubling their advantage through Kluivert’s second penalty after Evanilson was tripped by Jose Sa.
Bournemouth, however, were pegged back once again by Strand Larsen after the break, with the Norwegian firing a fierce effort beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The result was sealed in the 74th minute when Sa clashed with Evanilson again in the box, with Kluivert slotting the ball down the middle to get his side back to winning ways.
Saturday’s away triumph moves Bournemouth up to 11th on 18 points, while Wolves stay inside the bottom three in 18th.
Data Debrief: Dutch delight on the road
Bournemouth ended a run of four Premier League away games without a victory (D1 L3), scoring more goals against Wolves than across those matches (four), three of which came from their superstar Dutchman.
Kluivert has now been directly involved in six goals (five goals, one assist) in his last six games for Bournemouth, scoring his first ever hat-trick for the Cherries today against Wolves – and his first in all club competitions since doing so for Ajax against Roda in November 2017.
His treble also saw him become the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of penalties in a single match, with team-mate Evanilson also the first to win three penalties in the same match in the competition.
Kluivert scored the first two of his three spot-kicks for Bournemouth in the opening 18 minutes. It's the earliest a team has ever scored twice from 12 yards at the start of a top-flight match.
Daniel Munoz salvaged a dramatic 1-1 draw for Crystal Palace against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Munoz had missed two glorious chances earlier in the match but made no mistake in the 94th minute as he nodded past Nick Pope at the far post.
It looked like Newcastle – humbled at home by West Ham on Monday – would return to winning ways after Marc Guehi bundled Anthony Gordon's low cross into his own net 53 minutes in.
Yet Guehi played his part in an equaliser Palace deserved on the balance of play, as his floated cross was turned home by Munoz to spark jubilant celebrations at Selhurst Park.
Palace move out of the relegation zone on goal difference, while Newcastle stay in 10th, as they missed the chance to move within a point of the top four.
Data Debrief: Palace pressure pays off
Palace would have felt extremely hard done by if they had walked away from this game empty-handed, but Oliver Glasner may feel that even a point is not enough for his side after their dominant display.
They had 16 shots, four of which were on target, as they created 1.29 expected goals (xG) and had five big attempts. That is compared to just one attempt from Newcastle, worth 0.02 xG, from Joelinton in the 43rd minute, as they failed to register a single shot on target.
In fact, there was not a single shot on target from either side in the first half, the first time that has happened in the Premier League this season, having last occurred between Everton and Brentford in April.
Munoz had already fired wide after a lightning-quick counter-attack before being denied by Dan Burn on the line, but his persistence paid off as he scored Palace's latest result-altering goal (93:28) in the Premier League since Michael Olise's equaliser against Manchester City in December 2023 (94:28).
Kevin Schade’s hat-trick ensured Brentford remained unbeaten at home as they saw off Leicester City 4-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
After Ruud van Nistelrooy was announced as the new manager on Friday, first-team coach Ben Dawson led a sorry Leicester performance as Thomas Frank’s men delivered another goal-laden display.
Facundo Buonanotte gave Leicester fans hope of a new beginning as he put the visitors ahead after 21 minutes, but Yoane Wissa ensured the joy did not last for long, equalising four minutes later.
Schade then put the hosts ahead soon after before grabbing his second just before half-time, poking home from a tight angle.
He completed his hat-trick just before the hour, striding onto Nathan Collins' curling ball in behind before slotting past Mads Hermansen to put the Bees in control.
It moves Brentford up to seventh, just two points off the Champions League spots, while Leicester remain 16th.
Data Debrief: Floodgates open for hat-trick hero Schade
Before today, Schade's last Premier League goal came all the way back in April 2024 against Luton Town. He scored just two goals in his first 41 Premier League appearances.
He is only the fourth German to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, along with Jurgen Klinsmann (1998), Fredi Bobic (2002), and Andre Schurrle (2014).
He is also only the second player to do so for Brentford in the competition, after Ivan Toney (twice).
His hat-trick adds to Brentford's fine goal-scoring form and sees them become the first side to score 20+ goals at home in the Premier League this season.
After seven home games, it's the earliest into a league season that the Bees have reached 20+ home goals since 1982-83 (also seven), and earliest in the top-flight since 1936-37 (also seven).
Michel believes Girona will inject some life back into their faltering campaign by picking up a win against Villarreal in Sunday's LaLiga fixture.
Girona were dealt another blow in the Champions League in midweek, as they lost 1-0 to Austrian side Sturm Graz on Wednesday.
They are the first Spanish team in Champions League history to lose four of their opening five matches in the competition.
Girona are eighth in LaLiga heading into their meeting with fourth-placed Villarreal, having won their last three matches in Spain's top flight, while scoring four goals in two of them.
"Despite the hard blow in the Champions League, now we have to bounce back and continue with the dynamic we had in LaLiga," Michel told reporters on Saturday.
"If we win tomorrow the team will get some oxygen back.
"Villarreal are in a great moment. And to be as high up as possible we have to win games like tomorrow's match," Michel added.
"If we win we can look at the top. But it's a very difficult game. Villarreal in defence are always in balance to make a quick attack. In two or three passes they can have a chance to score."
Michel said striker Viktor Tsygankov, who has struggled with a hamstring injury since early October, is a doubt for the match along with Yaser Asprilla.
"We have concerns regarding Tsygankov and Asprilla, as both finished the previous match with discomfort," Michel added.
"Tsygankov is experiencing an ankle issue, while Asprilla has a strain in his adductor muscle. We'll see how they feel tomorrow."
Villarreal have won six of their last seven meetings with Girona (L1) in all competitions, as many victories as in their previous 12 clashes (W6 L6).
LaLiga leaders Barcelona lost their first home game of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by relegation-threatened Las Palmas on the day of their 125th anniversary celebrations.
The result extended Barcelona's winless run to three league matches, following a draw at Celta Vigo and defeat to Real Sociedad earlier this month. Hansi Flick's side remain top of the table on 34 points, four clear of second-placed Real Madrid who have two games in hand.
Las Palmas, meanwhile, have moved up to 14th place on 15 points following the victory.
The strugglers opened the scoring in the 49th minute through Sandro Ramirez, who scored with a fantastic finish. The lead only lasted 12 minutes though, with Raphinha getting the hosts back on terms with a left-footed effort past ex-Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
But the visitors surprised everyone by getting ahead once again in the 67th minute. Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Fabio Silva snuck through the offside trap to get on the end of a pass from Javi Munoz.
Silva shrugged off a home defender before finding the net to help his side secure a famous victory.
Data debrief: Barcelona wobble gives hope to chasing pack
Barcelona's defeat at the Olympic Stadium was the first match in nine home games this season that they have failed to win.
While they lead second-placed Real Madrid by four points and third-placed Atletico Madrid by five points, both have at least one game in hand over the Catalans.
Barcelona now go into back-to-back away games in LaLiga, having won just two of their last five on the road.
McLaren edged closer to a first constructors' championship since 1998 as Lando Norris handed Oscar Piastri victory in a one-two finish in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race.
Norris started proceedings on pole and stayed there for the duration of the race, with Piastri squeezing past Mercedes' George Russell on the opening lap.
Russell made an assault on second place at the start of lap four, lunging down the inside of Piastri, but he had no plans to give up the position.
And the Australian, who won the sprint race at the Lusail International Circuit last season, took the lead with the finish line in sight after some unselfish driving from his team-mate.
Piastri had previously handed Norris a win in the Sao Paulo sprint with the Briton still in pursuit of Max Verstappen and was happy to return the favour in Qatar.
"It was about defence for the whole race to be honest. I had a good start and a good Turn One, but I didn't quite have the pace. I killed the front a little bit early on," Piastri said.
"I was struggling a bit for the rest of the sprint, but there was some great teamwork and without that help, it would have been much more difficult. It's nice to have McLaren one-two."
Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished in fourth and fifth, while Russell's team-mate Lewis Hamilton moved up one place from qualifying to end in sixth.
The Haas of Nico Hulkenberg slotted in seventh, while new world champion Verstappen could only manage eighth place, picking up the final points in the sprint.
Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top 10, while it was another disappointing day for Sergio Perez, who finished bottom of the pile after starting from the pit lane.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Brazil winger Rodrygo will return to action for Real Madrid this weekend in their LaLiga encounter against Getafe on Sunday.
Rodrygo has missed the last two games after sustaining a muscle injury in Madrid's win over Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this month.
It provides a welcome boost for Los Blancos, who are still licking their wounds from their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League in midweek.
That loss also came with an injury to midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, who joins David Alaba, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior and Aurelien Tchouameni on the sidelines.
"Rodrygo will be back tomorrow, Tchouameni will be back next game and Camavinga will be back soon," Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday.
Ancelotti's side entered the weekend second in the LaLiga table, four points behind rivals Barcelona, but have the comfort of an extra game in hand.
They welcome Getafe to the Bernabeu and have confidence in closing the gap at the summit, having won 18 of their last 21 games against Geta Azulones in LaLiga (D2 L1), scoring a total of 51 goals.
"In many years of my career, only one year has been quite easy: last year," Ancelotti added. "All the other years I have had to solve problems. Sooner or later, the problems come.
"It is impossible to think of a season like last year when everything went perfectly.
"It's better to find the problem in November or December than in April or May. Now the problem can be solved and, as I said, we are going to solve it.
"We are fighting for the league against a rival that is doing very well. The [Club] World Cup is coming, the Super Cup ... and above all the injured players are coming back.
"We have to endure the moment with a good attitude and commitment because the good things are yet to come."
The Italian continued to back 25-year-old France forward Kylian Mbappe, who had another subdued performance in Madrid's loss to Liverpool as he failed to trouble the Premier League club's defence and missed a penalty in the second half.
The Frenchman had ended a four-game run without a goal in all competitions in their last LaLiga match, netting the opener against Leganes, but managed just two shots during the trip to Anfield, with his saved penalty the only effort on target.
"He's aware that he has to do better, but he and everyone. We have to keep supporting him and think that it's a collective problem but not an individual one," Ancelotti said.
"The team's dynamic in LaLiga has improved a lot in the last two games, we have to bear in mind that we are missing a lot of players. Rodrygo returns tomorrow and we must be patient."
Trinidad and Tobago’s ace cyclist Nicholas Paul delivered an impressive performance at the second leg of the UCI Track Champions League, securing a second-place finish in the men’s sprint final at the Omnisport Apeldoorn in the Netherlands on Friday.
Paul’s journey to the final was marked by a brilliant semi-final victory, where he stunned then-sprint leader Australian Matthew Richardson, who had amassed 64 points.
However, in the final, Paul faced Dutch Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen, who was racing before his home crowd.
Lavreysen delivered a dominant performance, taking control from start to finish to claim victory and ascend to the top of the leaderboard with 71 points, while Paul’s second-place finish boosted his overall tally to 58 points, maintaining his third position in the standings.
Paul’s semi-final ride showcased his tactical acumen and explosive power. He caught his competitors off guard with an early move, creating a significant gap and maintaining his composure to secure a commanding win.
Paul also earned a podium spot in the keirin event, finishing third behind winner Cristian Ortega of Colombia and Lavreysen, who settled for second in a thrilling final.
This performance builds on Paul’s results from the first leg of the Champions League in France last week, where he finished third in the sprint and fifth in the keirin.
The competition continues on Saturday for the third round, where Paul will aim to climb further up the leaderboard and improve his impressive form against the world’s best cyclists.
The third match of the Global Super League saw another close encounter between home favourites Guyana Amazon Warriors and Victoria with the Australian side coming out on top by four wickets and with four balls remaining at Providence on Friday.
Corey Anderson won the toss for the visiting side and he decided to stick the opposition in and field first. That looked a brave decision as Moeen Ali set about the bowling to lay the foundations for a sizeable score. Jackson Smith removed Roston Chase at the end of the third over but that was the only success for the home side before Ali departed for a typically eye-catching half century at the end of the tenth over. Smith again doing the business and splattering the stumps.
Shai Hope made 40 and Hassan Khan 25 as the Warriors hauled their way to a competitive total of 162/6, a total that proved not to be enough in the end.
There was tight bowling from Imran Tahir and his side looked to have put the home side in command and at 69/4 after nine overs the match looked to have swung decisively towards the Warriors on home turf and in front of a loyal crowd.
A few overs later there was a feeling of disbelief as Victoria rallied with some late order hitting, keeper Scott Edwards and eventual Player of the Match, Karima Gore, showed real composure and no little skill in chasing down the target.
Edwards fell with the job not done entirely, Tanzim Hasan Sakib scudding one past his defenses to bowl him, but Gore held his nerve and together with Dominic Drakes they got their side home in the final over.
Indeed, the job was done in some style with both men finding the boundary exactly when they needed to. With six runs needed off the final six deliveries, Gore sent Dwayne Pretorius to the boundary twice inside the first three balls to seal the win.
All sides have all now got their GLS campaigns underway and Victoria sit at the top of the table after an ice-veined start to their campaign.
Patrick Mahomes has insisted that the Kansas City Chiefs “have to get better” despite securing a 10th straight playoff spot following a 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton was able to recover a fumble by the Raiders, who were within scoring range, with just 11 seconds left to secure a one-score win.
While the two-time Super Bowl champions are 11-1 this season, they have now won an NFL-record 14 consecutive games decided by eight points or fewer, including last season’s playoffs.
It has left Mahomes feeling there is a need for improvement at Kansas City, despite remaining on track to lift a ninth straight AFC West title should they beat Los Angeles Chargers at the start of December.
"When you clinch a playoff spot, that's your first goal, to get into the playoffs and give yourself a chance to go for that Super Bowl," he said.
"But we know we have a long way to go. We got to continue to work to get better, to continue to be a better football team.
"It keeps you hungry. You're not satisfied with where we're at even though we're winning football games, and so we know we have to get better.
“I think everybody in the locker room knows we have to get better, but we want to go out there and do that and prove that."
The Chiefs had put themselves in a seemingly comfortable position with a 16-3 lead late into the third quarter. But the Raiders found themselves ahead through back-to-back touchline drives before the Chiefs regained the lead through a field goal.
Despite the Chiefs’ reliance on the Raiders’ late fumble to secure victory, Chris Jones was confident that winning in any form would help Kansas City continue to get better.
"When you look at the playoffs, most games are close, down-to-the-wire type of games, so there's a lot we can build from this as a team overall," he said.
"We're just going to keep on winning, keep on winning. You can learn a lot from winning. It is better to win than have a pretty loss. We'll take an ugly win, build from it and continue to get better."
The top seeds in the Jamaica Squash Association’s inaugural Jamaica Invitational tournament continued their winning runs on Thursday’s second day of action on the courts at the Liguanea Club.
Number one seed on the female side, Mehar Trehan, recorded another straight sets win when she defeated Kerry-Gay Wright 11-2, 11-3, 11-4. On the male side, Ashante Smith got a bye in the first round, then in the second round he was challenged by Leonel Sorrillo of Trinidad and Tobago but was too good for him. Their match also ended in straight sets after Smith outscored Sorrillo 14-12, 11-5, 11-4.
Meanwhile, number two seed Sanjana Nallapati got a second win after defeating number three seed Tracey Binnie 11-6, 11-3, 11-2.
Number four seed Elle Wilson got her first win against unseeded Priya Stoddart in straight sets—11-6, 11-9, 11-4.
In the men’s draw, number two seed Bruce Burrowes defeated the number eight seed Fitzroy Smith 11-3, 11-3, 11-5.
Number three seed Jerazeno Bell went down to Jonathan Hope of the Bahamas in a four-setter 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5. Hope has won the two matches he has played so far.
Number four seed Stephan Morrison defeated sixth seed Tobias Levy in an exciting five-setter with scores of 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5.
The other match of the round saw Mario O’Connor defeating Andre Wright 11-4, 11-3, 11-9.
The men’s semifinals were played last night while the women continued their round-robin matches.
South Africa moved into second in the ICC World Test Championship following a 233-run victory over Sri Lanka in Durban, having wrapped it up inside four days.
Marco Jansen starred for the hosts, with 11 wickets in total in the match for just 86 runs.
Sri Lanka had been set a target of 516 in their second innings, having been bowled out for just 42 in their first, and started Saturday's play already five wickets down.
But they did put up stubborn resistance in the face of defeat, with decent scores from Dinesh Chandimal (83) and Dhananjaya de Silva (59), who put on a sixth-wicket stand of 95 runs.
Kusal Mendis also reached 48, having held a partnership of 75 runs with Chandimal.
At the first drinks break on day four, the tourists had scored 61 runs in 16 overs and were steadily chipping away at their target.
Yet Keshav Maharaj (2-67) dismissed De Silva before Gerald Coetzee (2-67) caught and bowled Chandimal and Jansen (4-73 in Sri Lanka's second innings) ended Mendis' resistance.
Jansen fitting wrapped up the victory by sending Asitha Fernando packing for a duck as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 282, at least a marked improvement on their 78-minute horror show in their first innings, with South Africa taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series
Data debrief: Proteas get the job done
While they were made to work for it on day four, this result represents a dominant victory for South Africa.
Jansen's bowling figures of 11-86 are the second-best at Kingsmead since Clarrie Grimmett in 1936, and he has now taken 60 Test wickets. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, had previously been unbeaten at this venue.
Should the Proteas win the second Test, then they will secure a third successive series victory in the longest format, which they have not done since a run of three series wins between October 2017 to April 2018.
Harry Brook has hailed Chris Woakes “a dagger to the heart” of New Zealand after he took two decisive wickets in consecutive balls during the hosts’ second innings.
Woakes’ efforts (3-39) with the ball, along with Brook’s 171 total with the bat, left New Zealand 156-6 at the end of day three with a lead of just four runs.
It puts England in a brilliant position to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series in Christchurch as the tourists await the fall of four New Zealand wickets until they are back at the crease to chase the total.
Brook was full of praise for his team-mate’s efforts with the ball.
“What we saw from Woakesy at the back end was unbelievable. With that ball, on that pitch, to get two big wickets back-to-back was a dagger to their heart,” Brook told the press.
“[Kane] Williamson always looks so secure when he’s batting, he’s such a high-class performer. He always looks impossible to get out, so to see the back of him gives everyone a lot of energy and then to get Blundell with the next ball got everybody firing.
“We’re in an amazing position to go and win this game.”
Woakes stopped Williamson (61), who had fallen just short of a century in the first innings (93), before taking Tom Blundell for a duck with his next ball in the 35th over.
“Woakesy is always niggling away at the top of off stump and trying to hunt your front pad. With the swing he gets and the skills he has, he’s so tough to face,” added Brook.
Brook also had a fine spell at the crease, having surpassed 2,000 Test runs on day two.
He became the third Englishman, after Joe Root and Walter Hammond, to pass 150 twice in New Zealand, having scored 183 in Wellington in 2023. His average of 60.05 is second only to Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73) among England batters to play at least 20 Tests.
“I had a lot of luck, didn’t I? I’m just glad I cashed in on the opportunities I was given and made a big score. I really wanted to get a big one so I just kept on going and going. I got quite a bit of luck, but thankfully, I cashed in,” Brook said.
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