Birmingham manager Tony Mowbray will temporarily step down from his role to undergo medical treatment, the Sky Bet Championship club have announced.
Mowbray will be absent from the touchline for approximately six to eight weeks, with assistant manager Mark Venus taking charge of first-team affairs.
The 60-year-old said: “Following my recent LMA Health Assessment I have received a medical diagnosis that will require me to receive treatment.
“Undergoing treatment will necessitate that I temporarily step away from the technical area as manager of Birmingham City Football Club.
“Until I return, my assistant manager, Mark Venus, will take temporary charge of the team, supported by coaches Ashley Cole, Pete Shuttleworth and Maik Taylor. I will continue to provide advice and counsel while undergoing treatment.
“The club has been incredibly supportive of me and my family and we are very grateful. I know that everyone will be respectful of our privacy at this time.”
Birmingham have won four, lost three and drawn one of their eight games in all competitions since Mowbray was appointed in January following the departure of Wayne Rooney.
His last game in charge resulted in a 2-1 win over former club Sunderland, who sacked Mowbray in December.
Birmingham chief executive officer Garry Cook, said: “Our thoughts are with Tony, his wife Amber, and family.
“We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming Tony back to the club to continue the excellent work that he has started.”
LeBron James said the All-Star game is "something we need to figure out" as NBA commissioner Adam Silver hit out at the players.
Silver had promised a competitive All-Star game after a damp squib last year.
And although Sunday's game proved to be the highest-scoring All-Star encounter in NBA history, with the East beating the West 211-186, Silver was unimpressed with the level of competitiveness on show.
Rather flatly, Silver said: "To the Eastern Conference All-Stars, you scored the most points. Well ... congratulations."
James only played in the first half of his record 20th All-Star appearance, as he manages an ankle issue.
And while seeing Silver's side of the argument, James said it is a "deeper conversation".
"I think it's something we need to figure out," said James, who scored eight points for the West.
"Obviously from a player's perspective, it's fun to get up and down. But at the end of the day, our competitive nature don't like to have free-flowing scoring like that.
"But I think the good thing that came out of tonight was none of the players were injured, and everybody came out unscathed or how they were before the game started. So it's a deeper conversation."
James' Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis said: "Obviously the fans and the league and everybody wants to be competitive, but then you also as players think about trying not to get hurt. Obviously injuries are a part of the game, and no one wants to get hurt in the All-Star Game.
"All these guys here are very valuable to their teams. So it's some mixed emotions about it.
"You try to go out there and compete a little bit and not just be a highlight show. But at the same time, do you guys really want to see somebody going down for a dunk and somebody going to contest it and, God forbid, something happens in the All-Star Game when it could have been avoided?"
However, Anthony Edwards, of the Minnesota Timberwolves, suggested he has no interest in playing too fiercely in an exhibition match.
"For me, it's an All-Star Game, so I will never look at it as being super competitive," he said.
"It's always fun. I don't know what they can do to make it more competitive. I don't know. I think everyone looks at it [like] it's a break, so I don't think everyone wants to come here and compete."
Chris Waller has paid tribute to Australian champion Verry Elleegant after the mare died due to foaling complications.
Waller handled the New Zealand-bred runner for the majority of her superstar career, saddling the daughter of Zed to win 11 Group One contests, including the 2020 Caulfield Cup and the 2021 Melbourne Cup.
Following that Flemington victory, Verry Elleegant was sent to race in Europe in the summer of 2022, joining Francis-Henri Graffard in France.
She had four starts for Graffard, with her best effort coming when third in the Prix Foy and she signed off with an unplaced effort on Champions Day at Ascot in October 2022.
The eight-year-old remained in Europe following her career swansong and was covered by Sea The Stars last year.
“It is incredibly sad that we pass on the news on behalf of the ownership group that Verry Elleegant has passed away due to complications giving birth to her foal,” Waller said in a statement on social media.
“The news is just filtering through to stable staff now and other close connections who are coming to terms with this tragic news. She was in fantastic hands on a farm who did all they could for her, and we would like to thank them for their efforts which we will be forever grateful for.
“We all saw the courage she had on the racetrack over many seasons, and she will never be forgotten by those close to her as well as the wider racing public who followed her career and loved her so much.”
Kell Brook channelled years of frustration into one of the most polished performances of his career as he stopped bitter rival Amir Khan inside six rounds, on this day in 2022.
Brook had courted a showdown against an opponent he had come to despise for several years only to be constantly rebuffed.
But, after being given an opportunity at Manchester’s AO Arena, the then 35-year-old grasped it with both hands in a long-awaited 149lb catchweight bout.
The Sheffield fighter shrugged off being vociferously jeered to the ring by a crowd largely in support of Bolton-born Khan and repeatedly left his foe on rubbery legs with countless punishing shots to the head.
Khan refused to buckle and stayed upright throughout but he absorbed some vicious blows and his face was heavily marked when referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to wave off the fight 51 seconds into the sixth round.
“This grudge match is the icing on the cake for me, I can live at peace with myself and my career,” said Brook.
“You could see on my face that I was absolutely over the moon with the win. I’ll be remembered for this fight now forever.”
Khan, fighting at the venue where he first won a world title in 2009, only showed flashes of the form which saw him become a unified light welterweight champion more than a decade ago.
While Brook improved his record to 40 wins from 43 fights, the decorated Khan’s future in the sport was left up in the air after the sixth defeat of his professional career in what was his first outing since July 2019.
“I’ll sit down with my family but I think it could be,” Khan replied when asked whether it may be his last fight.
“I’ve always said I never want boxing to retire me, I want to retire from boxing and punishment like that sometimes in boxing, too much of that can be sometimes harmful in the future.”
Damian Lillard scored 39 points to earn game MVP honours as the Eastern Conference won the highest-scoring All-Star Game in NBA history with a resounding 211-186 victory over the Western Conference in Indianapolis on Sunday.
The East became the first team to surpass the 200-point mark in a defence-deficient event that also shattered the previous All-Star Game high of 374 combined points, set by the West in their 192-182 win over the East in New Orleans in 2017. The West also held the previous team high for points when they recorded 196 in the 2016 edition held in Toronto.
One night after successfully defending his title in the 3-point contest during Saturday's skills competition, Lillard teamed with Indiana Pacers home-town hero Tyrese Haliburton for a prolific display from beyond the arc. The duo combined for 21 of the East's 42 3-pointers, also an All-Star Game record for one team.
Lillard, a seven-time All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers who was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks during the offseason, finished 11 of 23 from 3-point range and Halliburton went 10 for 14.
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics chipped in 36 points and eight rebounds to help the East overcome a dominant performance from the West's Karl-Anthony Towns. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward amassed 50 points to become the fourth player to reach that mark in an All-Star Game, joining Boston's Jayson Tatum (55 in 2023), then-New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (52 in 2017) and Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry (50 in 2022).
LeBron James, participating in his record 20th All-Star Game, played just 14 minutes while scoring eight points.
The East never trailed after Lillard knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter that gave his team a 35-29 advantage, while Haliburton hit five triples in the opening period to help the East take a 53-47 lead into the second quarter.
Lillard scored 13 more points in the second quarter as the East extended the margin to 104-89 at half-time, with the 193 combined first-half points also the most in a single All-Star Game.
Towns had just 19 points through three quarters before putting up an incredible 31 while playing the entire fourth, though the game was out of hand by that point as the East took a commanding 160-136 lead into the final period.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the West's lone other player with more than 18 points, as the Oklahoma City Thunder guard finished with 31 on 12-of-16 shooting.
Artemi Panarin scored 10 seconds into overtime to cap a furious rally for the New York Rangers, who extended their winning streak to seven games with Sunday's 6-5 victory over the New York Islanders in an NHL Stadium Series matchup.
The Rangers trailed 4-1 early in the second period before scoring five of the final six goals in front of a near-capacity crowd of 79,690 at MetLife Stadium, the home of the NFL's New York Giants and Jets.
Vincent Trocheck had two of those goals and added an assist, while Panarin had two assists in addition to his game-winner.
Noah Dobson collected three assists for the Islanders, but his turnover deep in his own end led to Panarin's close-range shot which trickled past Isles goaltender Ilya Sorokin to give the Rangers the first comeback win from a three-goal deficit in the 41 regular-season outdoor games held by the NHL.
It only took Artemi Panarin 10 seconds into overtime to help the @NYRangers become the first team in NHL history to post a three-goal comeback win in an outdoor game. #StadiumSeries #NHLStats: https://t.co/y6npR84NBs pic.twitter.com/aVpYib1ueJ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 19, 2024
Trocheck began the rally with a power-play goal 5:36 into the second period, and he later poked in a rebound to send the Rangers into the third intermission down 4-3.
Alexander Romanov restored the Islanders' two-goal advantage 1:53 into the third, but the Rangers got power-play goals from Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad in the final 4:08 of regulation to force overtime. Zibanejad's score came with 1:29 left to play.
After Erik Gustafsson blasted a shot past Sorokin 1:28 into the contest to give the Rangers an early lead, the Islanders struck three times before the end of the first period to move ahead.
Brock Nelson tied it less than three minutes after Gustafsson's goal, and Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal scored 16 seconds apart shortly afterward to stake the Islanders to a 3-1 edge.
The Islanders increased the margin further when Anders Lee converted a power play 1:03 into the second.
Sorokin finished with 32 saves in the Islanders' third consecutive loss (0-1-2), while Igor Shesterkin had 36 for the Rangers.
Kings rally late to spoil Penguins' celebration of Jagr
Adrian Kempe scored two goals in the final 6:11 of regulation to lift the visiting Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on a night the home team retired the jersey of franchise legend Jaromir Jagr.
Kempe's second goal came with the Kings short-handed and the game tied at 1-1 with 3:10 left to play. Anže Kopitar forced a Penguins' turnover in the neutral zone before relaying the puck to his teammate, who ripped a shot past Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry with Los Angeles on a 2-on-1.
Cam Talbot aided the comeback by making 11 of his 29 saves in the third period to help the Kings to their third straight victory and fifth in six games.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 advantage on Sidney Crosby's power-play goal with 1:17 left in the first period, and Jarry made the lead hold up by coming up with 23 saves through the first two frames.
Kempe ended the shutout bid, however, when he one-timed a Drew Doughty feed into the Penguins' net with 6:11 to go.
Jarry recorded 31 saves in the Penguins' fourth loss in five games.
Prior to the game, the Penguins hung Jagr's iconic No. 68 jersey to the rafters in honour of the 52-year-old, whose 1,921 career points trails only Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. Jagr spent the first 11 of his 24 NHL seasons with Pittsburgh from 1990-2001 and was a part of two Stanley Cup champion teams with the Penguins.
MacKinnon extends home point streak as Avalanche continue Coyotes' woes
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist for his 26th consecutive home game with at least one point, which helped the Colorado Avalanche extend the Arizona Coyotes' losing streak to nine games with a 4-3 come-from-behind win.
After MacKinnon tied the game at 3-3 midway through the second period with his 33rd goal of the season, Devon Toews put Colorado ahead when his wrist shot with 6:35 remaining got past a screened Arizona goaltender Karel Vejmelka.
The Avalanche then killed off an Arizona power play in the final 1:21 to earn their second win in three games since ending a season-high four-game losing streak from Feb. 5-10.
MacKinnon's home point streak is now the second-longest to begin a season in NHL history, behind only Wayne Gretzky's 40-game run with the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89. The Colorado All-Star entered the game in a tie with Hall of Famer Bobby Orr for second place.
Arizona, now 0-8-1 in its last nine games, trailed early when the Avalanche's Ross Colton scored 4:10 into the contest, but moved ahead on first-period goals from Matt Dumba and Lawson Crouse.
Colorado's Jack Johnson tied the game at 2-2 with 5:20 elapsed in the second, but Logan Cooley briefly put the Coyotes back in front when he scored on a 4-on-2 rush with 10:08 left in the period.
Vejmelka registered 33 saves in the loss, while Colorado's Alexandar Georgiev had 27 stops.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama fired a stunning final round of 62 to win the Genesis Invitational and secure his ninth PGA Tour title.
Matsuyama carded nine birdies at Riviera Country Club to finish 17 under par, overturning a six-shot deficit to overnight leader Patrick Cantlay to claim his first win in two years.
The former Masters champion birdied his first three holes in a front nine of 32 and started the back nine with another hat-trick of gains to move into a five-way tie for the lead.
But the best was yet to come as the former world number two – who had slipped to 55th in the rankings – hit his approach to the 15th to eight inches, his tee shot on the next even closer and also birdied the 17th to effectively seal victory with several groups still out on the course.
“I wasn’t striking the ball really well but my chipping and putting was working a lot this week, especially the second shot on 15 was one of the best I had. That really helped,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter.
“I think it’s really important for me to keep this momentum, especially going to Augusta, so hopefully I can keep that.”
Will Zalatoris and Luke List shared second place on 14 under par, List having held a two-shot lead on 16 under after racing to the turn in 30, only to struggle home in 38.
Zalatoris carded four birdies and two bogeys in his closing 69, while 54-hole leader Cantlay could only manage a final round of 72, which included a birdie from 50 feet on the 18th.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood finished in a tie for 10th after a closing 67, with Rory McIlroy joint 24th following a final round of 70.
“I think that I’m close. I’m not quite where I want to be,” McIlroy told CBS.
“It’s one of these courses where you know that precision is so important and putting your ball in the right areas and if you’re just slightly off your weaknesses sort of get magnified this week.”
Bayern Munich slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Bochum to remain eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, increasing the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel.
The German giants – beaten 1-0 at Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night – had taken the lead in the 15th minute through Jamal Musiala.
After Harry Kane blasted over when clear, the match was halted in the 22nd minute as tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch in another protest by supporters against a controversial plan to sell a stake in Bundesliga media rights.
Once the game resumed, Bochum equalised in the 38th minute through Japan forward Takuma Asano before Keven Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner just before the break.
The players were taken off again early in the second half following another fan protest, before Bayern were reduced to 10 men when defender Dayot Upamecano – having also been sent off in midweek – was shown a red card for raising his arm into the face of Schlotterbeck in the area. Kevin Stoger made no mistake from the resulting penalty to make it 3-1.
Kane reduced the deficit in the 87th minute when he tapped in his 25th Bundesliga goal but the England captain was unable to convert a stoppage-time header from close range as Bayern slumped to a third successive defeat.
Earlier on Sunday, Michael Gregoritsch’s late equaliser saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Europa-Park Stadion.
Play was halted midway through the second half because of more protests from fans – which saw remote-controlled planes flown around the stadium while sweets were thrown onto the pitch behind one of the goals.
LaLiga leaders Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly city neighbours Rayo Vallecano.
Los Blancos, without Jude Bellingham through injury, had taken an early lead through Joselu and looked set to go eight points clear of Girona, who play at Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.
However, a 27th-minute penalty from Raul de Tomas proved enough for Rayo to earn a derby point in their first match under new boss Inigo Perez, with Real having Dani Carvajal sent off late on.
Real Betis dropped out of the top six after being held to a goalless draw at home by Alaves.
Real Sociedad secured a first victory in six matches after coming from behind to win 2-1 at 10-man Mallorca thanks to a stoppage-time header from Mikel Merino, the hosts having seen captain Antonio Raillo sent off just before the break.
At the other end of the table, the bottom two sides Granada and Almeria cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw.
AC Milan missed the chance to go second in Serie A as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at neighbours Monza, finishing with 10 men after Luka Jovic was sent off.
After Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio had to be substituted following a clash of heads with team-mate Andrea Carboni, the hosts took the lead through Matteo Pessina’s penalty and Dany Mota added a second just before half-time.
Jovic was sent off six minutes into the second half, his yellow card upgraded to a red on VAR review, for lashing out at Armando Izzo.
Substitutes Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic then hauled the Rossoneri level – only for Warren Bondo to swiftly put Monza ahead again before on-loan forward Lorenzo Colombo added a fourth against his parent club.
Bologna had earlier kept up their challenge for the Champions League places after Joshua Zirkzee’s late goal gave them a 2-1 win at Lazio.
Roma won 3-0 at Frosinone to maintain their ambitions of a top-six finish.
Relegation-battlers Cagliari drew 1-1 at Udinese and it also finished 1-1 between Empoli and Fiorentina.
In Ligue 1, Brest beat Marseille 1-0 with an 89th-minute goal from Pierre Lees-Melou after forward Steve Mounie had been sent off to move above Nice into second place.
Mohamed Bamba scored a first-half double as Lorient won 3-1 at Strasbourg to move out of the drop zone.
Monaco saw their top-four ambitions dented with a 2-1 home defeat by Toulouse, while a brace from Martin Terrier saw in-form Rennes beat 10-man Clermont 3-1.
Africa Cup of Nations winner Oumar Diakite marked his return to club action with a goal as Reims drew 1-1 with Lens while Montpellier beat Metz 3-0.
Martin Odegaard says Arsenal must harness their growing momentum as they target a Premier League and Champions League double.
Saturday’s 5-0 win at Burnley meant the Gunners have kicked off a calendar year with five straight league wins for the first time in their history.
Arteta’s second-placed side are two points behind leaders Liverpool and now turn their attention to European action.
Arsenal face Porto in Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg and skipper Odegaard believes they are capable of going for the double.
Asked if they have the squad to compete on two fronts, the Norway international said: “That’s what we want to do, we want to compete in every competition we play in.
“Of course Champions League is a massive one, so we are excited for it.
“We just want to focus on ourselves each game, keep improving every game and we will see how it goes.
“We are in a good moment now. We have to use that momentum, keep building on it and we will see.”
Arsenal have won five on the trot and scored 21 in the process, having followed up last weekend’s 6-0 win at West Ham with a five-star performance at Burnley.
“I think that’s what we were missing a little bit in the last few weeks before the break – we created so much but we didn’t score the goals,” Odegaard said.
“But within the last few games, we’ve been brilliant in front of goal.
“We get so many people in the box and so many situations around the box. So yeah, it’s been brilliant.”
Odegaard’s opener set the tone at Turf Moor, where Bukayo Saka then scored a brace before Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz rounded things off.
That freescoring form has quietened those that had called for Arsenal to buy an out-and-out striker in January.
Summer signing Havertz, who scored his sixth goal for Arsenal on Saturday, said: “I think we all trust ourselves and we know what quality we all have.
“You know, we have to give trust to each other and that’s what we’ve done.
“It’s not only because of the strikers that you don’t score goals, defenders can score goals for us and stuff like that. That’s so important.
“You know it’s not the end now. We keep being focused because I know you guys after one game without five goals you’re going to write we need a striker!
“So, we just work hard, enjoy ourselves on the pitch and that’s what we did today.”
Pep Guardiola believes Rodri is “by far” the best midfielder in the world but is pleased his performances do not always grab the headlines.
The Spain international was title-chasing Manchester City’s saviour on Saturday as his late equaliser rescued what could prove a vital point in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea.
It is now over 12 months – against Tottenham on February 5 last year – since City lost a match in which the 27-year-old played.
Yet his Champions League final-winning goal or this weekend’s dramatic leveller aside, he rarely steals the limelight from the likes of Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne.
Guardiola admits that is just the way he likes it.
The City manager said: “I would say if the holding midfielder doesn’t get the same appreciation as the strikers or the number 10 then that is good. When a holding midfielder has a lot of appreciation, it is not good.
“The holding midfielder has to play positive, for him and for the team, and make the team play. This is the role for the holding midfielders. All the highlights have to be for the guys up front who score goals and make assists and so on.
“But Rodri always has the ability in important moments to score goals so he’s an unbelievable player. He’s the best midfield player in the world currently by far because he is able to do everything.
“What a signing. It’s difficult to understand how we could have done what we have done in recent years without him.”
Saturday’s result extended City’s unbeaten run in the Premier League to nine games but the loss of two points left the champions third behind Liverpool and Arsenal, four points off the top.
They are back in action when they play their game in hand, a rearranged contest against Brentford, on Tuesday.
Defender Kyle Walker is relishing what is shaping up to be a three-way battle for the title.
The England right-back said: “I feel that we’re up against two very, very good teams in Liverpool and Arsenal.
“Liverpool have got the momentum, and obviously with the manager leaving maybe it’s a little bit of enthusiasm that they’ve got now, to let him go out on a high.
“But we want to do something that no-one’s ever been able to do and that’s win four in a row, so we’ve got our own motivation.
“Now it’s the best team wins at the end of a tough, tough 38 games come the end of the season but I’m sure we’ll be fighting on all fronts as we always are.”
In yet another display of well-needed support, the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) once again demonstrated its commitment to sports development by stepping in to rescue the Jamaica Surfing Association, ensuring the nation's surfers can ride the waves at the upcoming World Championship in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Responding to the urgent plea from the Jamaica Surfing Association, citing the non-materialization of promised funding from the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), the JOA not only fulfilled its initial commitment of a JMD$800,000 cash injection but has gone above and beyond by providing an additional JMD$400,000.
This generous intervention bridges the financial gap, empowering the aspiring surfers to compete at the World Championship scheduled from February 23 to March 3, 2024.
Icah Wilmot, President of the Jamaica Surfing Association and an internationally certified coach, expressed heartfelt gratitude, stating, "Thank you so much JOA for the support and assistance. You are life savers, and now we are heading to the competition to put our best foot forward, representing the nation with our eyes on the ultimate prize of spots at the 2024 Olympic Games."
Surfing has been gaining momentum locally in recent years, showcasing its Olympic and Paralympic credentials, capturing the attention and support of the JOA.
JOA President Christopher Samuda shared an optimistic outlook, stating, "Gale force winds blew, torrential rains there were; but the storm is over now, and light and liberty are on the horizon."
Meanwhile, JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, expressed the association’s continued support, saying, "Not even a tsunami could prevent us from giving our accomplished surfing ambassadors the opportunity to rule the waves."
With several sports now in the process of qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games, the JOA's timely intervention exemplifies its dedication to fostering excellence in sports, ensuring that athletes across diverse disciplines have the opportunity to shine on the global stage.
Jurgen Klopp emphasised Caoimhin Kelleher’s importance to Liverpool’s trophy hunt in the ongoing absence of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson.
The Republic of Ireland international impressed in Saturday’s 4-1 win at Brentford that ensured the Reds stayed top of the Premier League.
It was his second conservative start, with Alisson having missed the last two games – first with illness and then a muscle injury.
With 14 appearances so far in all competitions this has been by far the 25-year-old’s busiest season at Anfield, surpassing his previous best of eight games in 2021/22.
Kelleher is set to play in next weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley having being selected in each of the team’s five matches in the competition.
He previously kept goal when Liverpool beat Sunday’s opponents on penalties in the final of the 2021/22 edition.
“He was outstanding (against Brentford),” said Klopp. “I don’t know exactly who is the number one for Ireland but if they have a better goalkeeper, respect. He’s outstanding. This year we gave him more games than he had previously. It’s well deserved.
“We need him. We need him with rhythm. Now the situation around Alisson shows that makes absolute sense. We will see how long Alisson is out, but Caoimhin is exceptional. (On Saturday) he had an A+ performance.”
Klopp said he had not previously planned to play Kelleher at the Gtech Stadium despite Sunday’s approaching showpiece at Wembley.
With the extent of Alisson’s injury currently unknown it is possible that the understudy will play when Liverpool welcome Luton to Anfield on Wednesday.
The Brazilian did not travel to Brentford, instead remaining at the club’s Melwood training complex to receive treatment.
“Alisson was ill last week and is injured this week,” said Klopp. “There’s absolutely no other ideas behind it. If Alisson would not have been ill and would not have been injured now, he would have played.
“We’ve had enough games to have a rhythm. Goalkeepers are a different breed to other people. It was not in my plan to play (Kelleher) at Luton.
“We play the game with all focus and attention. I don’t think about other things. It’s the only way I know.”
Klopp is currently dealing with an extensive injury list, made worse after Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones both left the stadium on Saturday on crutches.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai are also amongst those unavailable in the coming weeks, while Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip are longer-term absentees.
Erik ten Hag praised the character of Rasmus Hojlund after the 21-year-old scored twice in the first seven minutes to help Manchester United to a 2-1 Premier League win over Luton at Kenilworth Road.
After a slow beginning to his career at Old Trafford, the striker – signed from Atalanta for £72million – has now scored in six consecutive games to make it 13 goals in his first 30 outings for United, including seven in 20 in the league.
United made the perfect start against Rob Edwards’ side, taking the lead inside a minute when Amari’i Bell’s misjudged pass was latched onto by Hojlund, the Dane racing through and carrying the ball around goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski before rolling it into the empty goal.
And in no time the advantage was doubled, Hojlund again on target as he deflected Alejandro Garnacho’s effort from outside the box inside the near post with his chest.
Luton hit back and halved the arrears in the 14th minute. Former United player Tahith Chong collected the ball from Alfie Doughty and hit a shot that deflected up and into the path of skipper Carlton Morris, who got his head to the ball ahead of Andre Onana to make it 2-1.
Ten Hag’s side had chances to stretch their lead again after the break, most glaringly when Bruno Fernandes took the ball around Kaminski as the goalkeeper committed himself but saw his effort deflected away by a superb recovering block from Albert Sambi Lokonga.
On a day when United stretched their winning run in the league to four games to keep the pressure on Aston Villa and Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League, Ten Hag picked out Hojlund for praise as he continues his adjustment to life in England.
“We are very happy with our recruitment, that we recruited the right character because he can perform under stress,” said Ten Hag.
“And when things go against him like in the first half of the season, he has the abilities to have a strong character, to be resilient, to be determined and score goals and that is what we saw when we scouted him.
“Of course, he needed some support because it’s not so easy when you’re so young but, in general, he kept calm and you see his abilities.”
It took Hojlund until Boxing Day to net his first league goal for United, scoring the late winner in a 3-2 comeback victory against Villa at Old Trafford.
Previously his only goals had come in the Champions League as the team crashed out of Europe before Christmas in last place in a tame group.
“In the start he didn’t have so much luck,” said Ten Hag. “He scored some goals, for instance, the one against Brighton, his first game, and they disallowed it and no one still knows why.
“There are moments that are very important in a new club and a new league, especially for a striker to build some confidence. That was not given but you see he is a fighter, he keeps going and he has great abilities in front of the goal.
“There are many ranges, areas, where he can improve but he has scoring abilities, that is clear. But what we have seen since September is he is improving in many other areas like holding up the ball.”
Luton boss Edwards reflected on a game in which his side were shellshocked by conceding a goal after only 37 seconds.
“It wobbled us and rocked us a little bit,” he said. “1-0 turned to 2-0 after about six minutes and you’re a little bit fearing the worst thinking ‘OK, how are we going to respond to this?’
“But I’ve got to give the players a lot of credit. They showed an air of calmness and belief, commitment to the game plan, and dragged themselves on to a really good performance.”
Dayot Upamecano was sent off for the second time in five days as Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title challenge suffered a massive blow with a 3-2 defeat at lowly Bochum.
In a game twice disrupted by fan protests, Jamal Musiala gave the visitors an early lead, but Bochum hit back through Takuma Asano and Keven Schlotterbeck before Bayern defender Upamecano was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Kevin Stoger converted the resulting penalty and although Harry Kane pulled one back with his 25th goal of the season, Bochum held on for a famous win which eased their relegation fears and lifted them to 11th in the table.
Bayern’s third straight defeat in all competitions leaves them eight points adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen and increases the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel, who had urged his players to “turn around the mood” against opponents they thrashed 7-0 in the reverse fixture in September.
The visitors duly dominated the early stages and deservedly opened the scoring in the 14th minute as Musiala rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner after seeing his initial effort saved by Manuel Riemann.
Musiala then turned provider with a delightful pass with the outside of his right foot to set Kane racing clear, only for the England captain to blaze his shot high over the bar.
Kane felt the ball had bobbled just before he hit it and looked down in disgust at the Ruhrstadion turf, but that cut little ice with a furious Thomas Muller, who had been unmarked in acres of space to Kane’s right.
Play was then halted for around 15 minutes after fans threw tennis balls on to the pitch in the latest protests against a proposed deal to sell a stake in Bundesliga rights to a private equity investor.
Both sets of players were moved to the sidelines but it was Bayern who were caught cold when play eventually resumed, a swift counter-attack seeing Anthony Losilla set up Asano to fire a low shot across Manuel Neuer and into the bottom corner.
The home side suddenly had all the momentum and it was no surprise when they took the lead six minutes later, Schlotterbeck heading home from close range from Stoger’s corner.
Another protest delayed play by around eight minutes in the second half, Losilla going over to speak to some of the home fans before the players briefly headed to the dressing rooms.
Bayern reacted better to the second stoppage than they did the first, substitute Leroy Sane seeing his goalbound volley bravely blocked and Bryan Zaragoza’s effort saved by Riemann, but it was the home side who found the all-important next goal.
Upamecano, who was also sent off in the Champions League defeat at Lazio on Wednesday, picked up his second yellow card of the game for an elbow on Schlotterbeck as they jumped for the ball and Stoger made no mistake with the penalty, despite Neuer getting his left hand to the ball.
Kane pulled one back with a simple tap-in after being set up by Mathys Tel but could only direct a far-post header straight at Riemann in the second minute of stoppage time and Bochum clung on for the win.
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