Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel described Devin Booker as a "professional scorer" as he stepped up in Kevin Durant's absence on Friday, starring in a 110-89 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The In-Season Tournament game was the first Durant has missed all season, with Phoenix's leading scorer complaining of soreness in his right foot before the game.

However, the Suns made light of his absence as Booker stepped up with a season-high 40 points, while Eric Gordon added 20 as Phoenix extended its winning streak to six games.

Asked about Booker's efforts in the aftermath of the win, which took Phoenix to 3-1 in the tournament, Vogel said: "The guy's just a professional scorer. He is a big reason we are having this six-game win streak."

With Phoenix waiting to see how Durant's condition develops, Booker says it will be difficult for the team to replace his contribution.

"It's tough", Booker said. "You can't replace what he brings to the court. His scoring ability, his versatility on defense. It's going to take a lot of extra from everybody else."

With the Los Angeles Lakers winning Group A of the In-Season tournament with a 4-0 record, the Suns must wait on other results across the Western Conference to see whether they have done enough for a wild-card spot.

Phoenix was made to endure something of a Memphis resurgence in the second half as the hosts cut their lead to single digits, but guard Jordan Goodwin scored eight straight Suns points in the fourth quarter to kill any hopes of a comeback.

"He was great," Vogel said of Goodwin, who finished with 14 points and added five rebounds in 20 minutes on the court.

"You know, he's had some ups and downs this year. We've been challenging him as a coaching staff to be better on both sides of the ball.

"He competes defensively but staying within the framework of what we're asking him to do… to see it all come together for him was a great night for all of us, as coaches, trying to challenge a player and see him respond, and for him, to respond and have a great night."

Ruben Selles saluted the loyal Royals who stuck by his side after Reading ended a 378-day wait for an away league win with a 2-1 triumph at Wycombe.

Former Chairboy Lewis Wing scored the winning goal four minutes before half-time after Killian Phillips had cancelled out Sam Smith’s opener.

The under-fire boss believes his side were deserving of the three points and looked forward to brighter days after cutting the gap to League One safety.

“I know the fans have been suffering during the entire season for a lot of different reasons, one of them being us not being able to win as much away,” said Selles.

“I’m happy for them. They have always been supportive of the boys. It’s always a pleasure to have that amount of fans away from home, get a victory away from home and for the boys to celebrate together.

“We were the best team on the pitch for 100 minutes. The team is growing and I’m very proud of the players and how they played the game.”

The league’s bottom side fielded Nelson Abbey, 20, and Tyler Bindon, 18, at the heart of their defence, with full-back Andy Yiadom the only outfield player over the age of 30.

But they acquitted themselves well and saw out a victory which will have banished memories of their last away league fixture – a gut-wrenching late 3-2 defeat against Shrewsbury.

“We have a couple of young centre-backs growing with the games, getting experience with the league and we had a plan from the very beginning,” said Selles.

“We knew after the second goal, if we started to go lower and lower, we would get in trouble. But the team continued applying the pressure with the high-line.

“We were not defending for 50 minutes. It was a pleasure we could keep a good team like our opponent today away from our goal in the second half.”

Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield was left to bemoan a growing injury list as his side’s winless league run stretched to six matches.

“It isn’t easy,” said Bloomfield. “We’ve got nine to 10 injuries and some big players are missing.

“It feels like we’re making at least one or two changes regularly due to injury, which is tough, but ultimately we have to be better than what we were.

“Competing for the second balls, running, heading, tackling, those little bits that go into a performance that are actually massive.

“I’ve said many times this season how proud I am of the performance but today wasn’t one of those days.

“We were poor and we have to make sure we’re ready to bounce back on Tuesday evening against Barnsley.”

Paul Warne was glad Tyrese Fornah ignored him and set up Derby’s winning goal in a 2-1 League One victory over Bristol Rovers.

The midfielder delivered the pass that Nathaniel Mendez-Laing put away in the last minute to take Derby into the top six.

It ended Rovers’ six-game unbeaten run in all competitions but for long periods the visitors looked like frustrating Derby.

In a scrappy first half, the away side came closest to scoring when a Grant Ward shot was touched onto the post by Joe Wildsmith.

Mendez-Laing produced a moment of quality Derby needed in the 66th minute when he went past Josh Grant on the right and whipped in a low cross which Jack Hunt could only turn into his own net.

Derby missed chances to score a second and Rovers looked to have earned a point in the 87th minute when former Rams striker Chris Martin headed in an Antony Evans free-kick.

But Fornah had other ideas and three minutes later, picked out Mendez-Laing who fired a low shot from the centre of the box past Matthew Cox.

Warne said: “He’s (Fornah) been on international duty. It was good to have him back and he looked as if he had a bit of a spring in his step.

“He came on today and was a real force. The first goal, if you watch it back you’ll see him running into the box like an absolute whippet and if Jack Hunt hadn’t connected, he probably would have scored.

“For the second goal – in fairness to him – I’m glad he didn’t listen to me because I wanted him to give it to Nat (Mendez-Laing) straight away and he didn’t.

“I’m thinking ‘what’s he doing’ and then he gives it back to Nat and I’m thinking ‘that’s what he’s doing, I get it’! He was excellent and played a big part in our win.

“We changed the shape at half-time. Created enough chances to win but if you’ve only got one goal, you’re always susceptible to an equaliser so then to get a late winner is great.”

Rovers interim manager Andy Mangan said: “It’s tough. First half, I thought everything went to plan, we frustrated them, hit them on the counter and had chances.

“I’m gutted for the lads because I think they deserved more, I thought everything we planned came to fruition. Mistakes happen in games but we’ve got to cut that out.

“But I thought we had some really good moments and I think that’s probably up there with the best performance since I’ve been in charge.

“Unfortunately, we’ve made a couple of mistakes but there were loads of moments we can take great confidence from.”

Joe Root has followed the lead of England Test captain Ben Stokes by skipping next year’s Indian Premier League.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that Stokes would not appear for Chennai Super Kings in the 2024 edition of the IPL, with the 32-year-old citing the need to manage his fitness and workload.

Root has now joined his red-ball skipper in sitting out the Twenty20 tournament, which will run from March until the end of May.

Rajasthan Royals secured the services of Root at the 2023 mini-auction and he featured three times for the franchise earlier this year, but will not join up with the group that contains England white-ball captain Jos Buttler next year.

Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said: “During our retention conversations, Joe informed us of his decision to not take part in IPL 2024.

“Even in a short span of time, Joe was able to create such a positive impact on the franchise and the players around him.

“His energy around the group and the experience he brought to the Royals will be missed. We respect his decision totally and wish him success in everything he does.”

Root is set for a key role in England’s five-match Test series away to India, which starts on January 25.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said Marcus Tavernier’s double in his side’s 3-1 win at Sheffield United was just reward for his recent performances.

Tavernier struck early in both halves, either side of Justin Kluivert’s effort, as the Cherries notched their first Premier League away win of the season to maintain their climb away from relegation danger.

Oli McBurnie headed the Blades’ late consolation as Bournemouth cruised to their third win in four top-flight matches.

After seeing his side sweep the Blades aside, Iraola was delighted with 24-year-old Tavernier’s contribution.

Iraola said: “He was playing really well in the last games but he had some chances he didn’t finish, against Burnley and Newcastle.

“But it was a matter of time because he has the quality. It’s good he gets the reward because he is contributing in such different ways to the team. I’m really happy for him.”

Tavernier, who missed the first month of the campaign through injury, scored five Premier League goals last season.

With Dominic Solanke scoring six times this season and Kluivert – son of former Netherlands striker Patrick – notching his first goal for the club, Iraola saluted his side’s all-round offensive threat.

“Today also we added Justin scoring in the league and Tav scoring two goals,” the Spaniard added.

“I think we have talent there, I think we have goals there, behind Dom. We were having the chances.

“They were not scoring the goals before and I think it is good for them confidence-wise to come here and to score in such an important game.”

After Tavernier had given the Cherries a 12th-minute lead, the Blades gifted the visitors a second in first-half stoppage time.

Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham was dispossessed on the edge of the box by Kluivert, who then steered the ball into an empty net and manager Paul Heckingbottom acknowledged his side’s performance levels had dropped.

“Yeah that’s been the topic of conversation in there,” he said. “If we give goals away like that we’re not going to win games in this league, we know that.

“We started poorly and never really recovered. We can’t hide behind mistakes, though, we need to play better than that and get it out of our heads before the next game.”

The Blades face another relegation rival in bottom club Burnley at Turf Moor next Saturday and Heckingbottom added: “We’re going to have moments in this league, we are not stupid enough to know we will be at our best every week.

“But we have to try. We have to quickly get this out of our heads for Burnley next week.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi made no apology for celebrating his side’s 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest like they had won the Champions League final.

De Zerbi sprinted straight to the away fans at the City Ground, without shaking counterpart Steve Cooper’s hand, after his side ended a six-game winless run in a drama-filled Premier League encounter.

The Seagulls looked primed for an easy three points after a tidy finish from Evan Ferguson and Joao Pedro’s double, the second from the penalty spot, put them 3-1 up after Anthony Elanga’s early goal for Forest.

But the complexion of the game changed when VAR advised referee Anthony Taylor to give Forest a penalty, with Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk seeing red for his over-zealous protest.

Morgan Gibbs-White scored from the spot but Forest could not find a leveller and Brighton held on for a much-needed win, which moves them into the top seven.

“I want to explain our celebration, it wasn’t disrespectful to the opponent because I am used to living inside of football, but we are suffering a lot with injuries, we lost two players in the first half, we suffered a red card, we lost two points in the last games against Sheffield United and Fulham, the last win in the Premier League was at the end of September.

“We are suffering a lot because it is one of the toughest times in my career. It was a big, big celebration.

“We are very happy and I am very proud of the character and attitude we showed in a very tough moment. Without 10 players if Brighton can compete in two competitions, seventh in the league, and in the Europa League with Ajax, AEK Athens and Marseille, it is difficult.

“We celebrated it like the final in the Champions League, it was not the Champions League, but the way we won the game with 10 players without the captain was excellent.”

Dunk received a straight red card for foul and abusive language following Taylor’s decision to award Forest a penalty, which came 21 seconds after he was booked for encroaching while Taylor checked the VAR monitor.

De Zerbi admitted Dunk apologised to his team-mates but will not face any internal disciplinary action.

“I have not spoken yet with Lewis, he is a good guy, maybe he made a mistake,” De Zerbi added. “For me the situation is not clear. We have to accept the referee’s decision.

“I always accept the referee’s decision. Dunky is a fan of Brighton, he is not a simple player. We can understand his emotion and his mistakes.

“I don’t like rules. I am not a policeman, I am coach. He said sorry to everyone, he has understood his mistake.”

Forest boss Cooper said would have liked the opportunity to shake De Zerbi’s hand at full-time.

“I have not seen him. I don’t want to get into that, to be fair,” he said.

“If you ask me I am a British coach, I have been brought up in always shaking hands after games and showing respect and trying to win and lose with dignity.

“I am not saying he has not done that, you’ll have to ask him. If you ask me about what I will do, I will always shake hands.

“But I understand that elsewhere it is a bit different. That is how it is.”

Rob Edwards insists his Luton players have achieved nothing yet after a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Kenilworth Road saw them pull clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

It was a first home victory on their top-flight return for Edwards’ side and it came courtesy of late drama, culminating in a winning goal prodded in by substitute Jacob Brown seven minutes from time.

The game looked to be petering towards a drab goalless draw until defender Teden Mengi struck with 18 minutes to go, blasting a shot across goal and beyond Sam Johnstone from a corner to put Luton in sight of victory.

The lead was wiped out in seconds as virtually from kick-off Michael Oliseh collected the ball wide on the left, stepped inside and curled beautifully into the corner for a fine solo goal.

Yet Luton would have the final say, Brown getting in between defender Joachim Andersen and his goalkeeper to turn the ball home and propel his side to an historic win.

Edwards admitted his relief at seeing his side survive 12 minutes of stoppage time to finally get off the mark at home at the sixth attempt but emphasised the size of the task that still lies ahead.

“(It feels) really good,” he said. “Relief, I feel drained now, it was the longest game I’ve ever been a part of. Pleased for the supporters, pleased for everyone connected to the club.

“It’s been a long time coming here at home. I think we deserved a bit more than what we’ve got here in some of the games. We were close against Liverpool, close against Wolves, Burnley could have gone another way. But it’s taken until today.

“I don’t want the players having a party. We’ve done nothing (yet). We’ve got nine points. I don’t think that’s anything to be going out to the nightclub and having a flipping disco or a party.

“Enjoy it, but we’ve got to go again. Brentford’s really difficult next week, then we’ve got Arsenal and Man City to look forward to. We’ve got to keep improving and getting better.

“So enjoy the moment, enjoy the feeling, it’s nice. The players can enjoy their weekend. But it’s back to work quickly.”

The win was notable for a fine display by Ross Barkley in midfield, with the summer signing having played an increasingly influential role in recent matches.

“He allows us to play differently, allows us to be a different team,” said Edwards. “Ross is a really good player and he does help us, gives us more control.

“He has a 360 view of the pitch, he knows where the space is, he can calm things down for us. It was another big performance from him. He’s getting better every week.”

Palace boss Roy Hodgson reflected on a game that got away from his side as it hung in the balance at 1-1.

“A good goal from Luton’s point of view but a bad one from our point of view, especially at a time when we were playing well,” said Hodgson.

“We got the equaliser and should have been looking at consolidating and maybe going on to win the game.

“Congratulations to Luton for holding on and for a spirited performance.”

Ding Junhui clambered off his sickbed to sink defending champion Mark Allen in a final frame decider in a dramatic opening match of this year’s UK Championship in York.

The former three-time winner revealed he was on the verge of pulling out of the tournament on Saturday morning after waking with a soaring temperature and spells of dizziness.

But Ding somehow steadied himself to haul back a 4-2 deficit then summon a nerveless 102 clearance to chisel a 6-5 victory in a first-round repeat of last year’s final, in which the Chinese player blew a sizeable lead to lose 10-7.

“In the morning I thought about pulling out because I couldn’t get out of bed,” said Ding. “My alarm was calling me to wake up but I couldn’t.

“My temperature was up to 39 and I couldn’t walk straight, I couldn’t walk over (to the venue). But I think I wanted to play because I am here for the tournament, so I will just try to play well.”

It was another remarkable chapter in Ding’s relationship with the sport’s second biggest tournament, which began when he came from nowhere to reel off a string of big wins and become the first overseas winner of the Championship in 2005.

A dramatic match had been slow to catch fire, with both players making mistakes as they shared the first four frames prior to the mid-session interval.

Allen was first to step up his game when he seized on a second chance in the fifth frame with a clearance to black of 106, and he extended his advantage to two after a messy sixth in which both players spurned golden chances.

But just when Ding was beginning to look down and out he drew on all his UK experience to reel off three counter-attacking frames in a row to move within one of an unlikely victory.

The Chinese player was first to show some nerves, a missed black off the spot gifting Allen the chance to pull level, which the Antrim man duly took with a decisive break of 70.

Allen had the first chance in the decider but missed an easy red to the middle and Ding held his illness at bay long enough to summon his first century of the match and seal his place in the last 16 – much to Allen’s surprise.

“It’s definitely one that got away, and not just because of the red in the last frame,” said Allen.

“I felt like I did all the hard stuff well today, and I honestly felt like I did all right. I felt in control of the match completely, and I think if Ding is honest in his assessment he’ll wonder how he won it.

“It’s a hard one to take because I’ve just lost in the UK Championships but I’ve played a lot worse. Maybe this is one that I’ll watch back to see what happened, because I felt in control at all times until I lost.”

Mark Williams admitted he never got out of second gear but still did enough to see off Fan Zhengyi 6-4 and join Ding in the last 16.

The Welshman, whose best break was an 86 to nudge over the line, is a two-time UK champion and keen to avoid the mishaps which hampered his chances of making it a trio of successes in recent years.

“This tournament hasn’t really been good for me in the last few years,” admitted Williams. “Once during Covid I fell asleep live on TV, then last year I had to run out every couple of frames.

“But I’ll go home in between matches this time and try to change the jinx of the UK. The reception was unbelievable, the conditions were perfect – everything was perfect except my play. I was struggling a bit, but I loved it.”

Liam Manning admitted a cool exterior belied a racing heartbeat after his first home game as Bristol City head coach produced a 3-2 Championship victory from a five-goal thriller.

The Robins looked on course for a comfortable win when Taylor Gardner-Hickman curled a superb first goal for the club after 37 minutes and Tommy Conway doubled the advantage with a penalty just before the break after Matty James had been fouled.

But Boro roared back to level by the 52nd minute through Zak Vyner’s headed own goal and a Matt Crooks shot before Mark Sykes volleyed home a 67th-minute winner from an acute angle.

Manning punched the air at the final whistle, having taken four points from his first two games as successor to Nigel Pearson.

“That was nice and relaxing,” he joked after being asked to evaluate his first game in charge at Ashton Gate.

“There are less stressful ways to spend a Saturday afternoon and my heart is still racing. But I consider myself in a privileged position as head coach of a great club.

“Overall I’m delighted. The second half didn’t start as we had planned, but we will learn from that and the way the players defended the lead after going 3-2 up was fantastic.

“We worked in training on four of the lads defending against eight attackers and it was a bit like that in the closing stages when every player had to show great commitment.

“The most positive sign was the number of quality chances we created against a very good side. The crowd played their part and I felt very proud to be on the touchline at Ashton Gate in charge of a Bristol City team.

“You never stop learning in this game and if you think you know it all, you shouldn’t be involved.

“I have great faith in the squad I have inherited and we have a lot of young players who will improve with age and experience.”

Boro boss Michael Carrick sent his side out early for the second half, but made it clear there were no teacups thrown during the interval.

He said: “I just told the players to believe in what they are good at. Do what they do best. In the second half we were more like our usual selves.

“We controlled the game for long periods so I’m very disappointed to be going home with nothing.

“I didn’t think it was a penalty because our player got a touch on the ball, but that’s football.

“We paid for a messy five minutes in the first half and one in the second. Other than that, we played some good stuff.

“When those little moments catch you out, you can find yourselves with too much to do.

“The boys were good chasing the game in the second half and then one lapse has cost us.

“All their goals came from isolated incidents. First a shot into the top corner no goalkeeper would have saved, then a penalty and then a corner.

“We didn’t manage the minutes leading up to half-time well enough. But the players responded really well after the break and we looked the only team likely to win.

“Bristol City were well organised and asked questions of us. I wish Liam all the best in his new job.”

Jon Dahl Tomasson says his Blackburn side will “keep on dreaming” after they trounced Stoke 3-0.

A fourth successive away victory and fifth win in seven league games sees Rovers close the gap on the Championship play-offs.

Scott Wharton’s precise header handed the visitors early control and a lead which they never relinquished.

Brighton loanee Andrew Moran followed up his earlier assist with a first EFL goal to double Blackburn’s advantage and the Championship’s leading scorer Sammie Szmodics added a stoppage-time third for his 11th goal of the season.

“It was a brilliant performance and a brilliant result,” said the Blackburn boss.

“We all know how good we can play football, but our discipline and defending were extremely good and very pleasing.

“We frustrated Stoke a lot; the defending, attitude and spirit were all great and we showed a high level of discipline for 90 minutes.

“They were not able to take a chance and when they came into the final third, the stop sign was there and we defended like warriors.

“We’re taking our chances too; if you looked at all our performances this season, we could have won every game.

“We’re the team in the league who create the most chances and today we took our chances really well.

“We needed that break to recharge their heads and bodies, and you can hear how happy our fans are in the end and that says everything.

“We try to perform the best we can; we know we’re a young squad and that sometimes we’re lacking experience.

“Our CEO Steve Waggott said our target first of all was to stay in the league after the cutting of the budget.

“We’re allowed to dream of course and the fans, players and I will keep on dreaming about something big.”

It was a dismal afternoon for Stoke as their five-match unbeaten run was ended with a whimper.

The Potters, who had not conceded in over seven hours prior to the tie, looked fragile defensively and failed to convert their possession into chances.

“I don’t think the game was a 3-0 game,” Alex Neil said.

“For the first 15 minutes, they caused us an issue but after we fixed it, there wasn’t a problem from that point.

“The first goal is so disappointing because they’ve only scored one goal from a corner this season.

“After 15 minutes, I thought we started to take control of the game but the biggest difference was that they put the ball in the net and we didn’t.

“And the third goal makes the scoreline look much worse than what it actually was.

“They’ll be frustrated in the fact that I don’t think they’ll feel that they were outplayed. It was arguably just three or four moments that we didn’t deal with. We just didn’t defend those moments well enough.

“It’s a sore one because there’s been a lot of good things in the last five games.

“Today, you don’t want to send the fans home frustrated, disappointed and angry and ultimately that’ll be the case.”

Steven Schumacher praised his Plymouth side’s home form as they secured a 2-0 Championship win over Sunderland at Home Park.

First-half goals by attacking midfielders Morgan Whittaker and Finn Azaz set 19th-placed Argyle on their way to a fifth home win.

The Argyle boss said: “Our home form is so important to us. When we get it right here and play with the energy and tempo we do, then we are a match for anyone.

“Sunderland started the game incredibly well, incredibly fast and we had to dig in and stick together to get through that tough period. It was similar in the second half.

“Then when we had our chances, we were clinical with them.

“If we could have taken one of those breaks that we created in the second half it would have given everybody a bit more room to relax but it wasn’t meant to be and the clean sheet was excellent.

“Morgan is an incredibly talented player and we know that. We brought him here to create and score goals and that’s what he is doing. He loves playing here, he loves playing for us and we are really seeing the best of him.

“I think there were some really good, talented players out there today and Morgan has shown he is one of the best players in the Championship.

“I am pleased for everybody because the whole team have really put in a shift today, not only Morgan and Finn, who scored the goals, but I thought Luke Cundle was excellent and he had a hand in both of the goals.

“Now we need to put together back-to-back wins, and Tuesday’s game at Coventry gives us that opportunity.”

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray said: “We have to keep going, we work with the strikers every day, they (Plymouth) had two shots on target and scored both of them.

“We were pretty dominant during the game, we know they can score goals and they showed they can do that.

“We were a bit disappointed in the first half, we didn’t get to the intensity we wanted and we needed to score in the first 10 minutes of the first half. We didn’t make the keeper work enough, just not finding the space in the box to find the pass.

“Jack Clarke drove into the box about 30 times, but we were hitting the first man a few times and not finding the right player.

“We are a work in process, there are plenty of positives as well. They worked hard enough and we will not be harsh on them. We play five attacking players every game and we have scored 27 goals, I keep getting told a striker hasn’t scored in 16 games and yet we have scored 27 goals.

“The way forward is to keep going, put the ball in the box and keep working hard and hopefully it will come.

“For their second goal, the lad shouldn’t have been allowed to step inside. Credit to Plymouth, they fought really hard, they were well-organised, and have attacking players at the top end who showed they can score a goal. They have been doing that all season.”

Boss Andy Crosby wants Port Vale to “demand more of each other” after his side lost 2-1 to Shrewsbury to remain without a league win in over two months.

The Valiants’ last victory in the league was in the middle of September, beating Northampton 1-0 at home, and it is now 10 games without a win.

After securing their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and the second round of the FA Cup, Crosby wants their cup form to translate into the league.

He said: “We are talking about another performance with control of the ball, domination of the ball, getting into really good areas of the pitch, number of shots, but we need to be more resilient as a group.

“We have to demand more of each other as a group because we did a lot of preparation coming into the game on how they could hurt us and it would probably be a direct ball or a counter attack or set play.

“We go in 1-0 down at half-time and we re-emphasised that point that their next goal from how they played first half would be from one of those reasons.

“We get punished three minutes into the second half, which is really disappointing.

“I thought the reaction was good; we continued to dominate the ball and we created opportunities from set plays and had a number of shots and shots blocked.

“We worked there keeper but at the end of the day we have lost another game and it has been a similar game to what we had previously in this run of games.”

Shrewsbury boss Matt Taylor was pleased with the response of his players.

He said: “Every result we have had this season, I would argue, has been hard-earned.

“It feels really sweet. I questioned the players very honestly and openly during the week and what they have done is what they have done recently at home a lot and found a way to win a game of football.

“If I look at the aspects of the game in terms of did we keep the ball well enough, no, but we defended our box apart from that one set play really well.

“Unbelievable result at home. I was over the moon for Max Mata to get his goal which was long overdue.

“Hopefully now what that does is give him the opportunity to kick on and get more goals and do what he was brought to the club for. I thought he was really good.

“Dan Udoh, an unbelievable individual goal. He has done that now this season two or three times, so he was really pleased to get the win.

“All credit to Port Vale, they will be disappointed they haven’t got anything from the game from the amount of chances they have had.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley said ‘belief in the group is showing’ after his team ended Portsmouth’s 27-match unbeaten record in Sky Bet League One with a 4-0 win at Fratton Park.

Former Pompey loanee Owen Dale, Jack Beesley, CJ Hamilton and Albie Morgan scored the goals as Pompey, who had midfielder Joe Morrell dismissed, were knocked off the top of the table by Bolton.

Critchley said: “It’s a big win for us, coming to the leaders and getting four goals.

“The team was selected to go at Portsmouth and get the win. Even after we went ahead, you could see Pompey’s quality in how they came back at us.

“We’ve got the second early in the second half, and then we’ve seen them go down to 10 and gone on to get two more.

“You could say things have gone slightly for us today, but we played bravely for the whole game.

“We had to defend the goal very well, which we did.

“The belief in the group is showing after a busy summer, and it’s showing on the training ground.”

The Seasiders took the lead in the ninth minute as Hamilton crossed for the unmarked Dale to find the net.

Pompey should have equalised on 23 minutes, but new signings Josh Martin could not beat goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw in a one-on-one situation.

Grimshaw then produced a stunning push out from Marvin Ekpiteta’s sliced attempted clearance a few minutes later.

Blackpool made it two 11 minutes into the second half as Karamoko Dembele’s shot was deflected in by Jake Beesley.

Things got worse for Pompey when skipper Morrell received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 64th minute.

Hamilton got a third 16 for the visitors minutes from time and substitute Morgan sealed the rout with three minutes remaining.

Pompey boss John Mousinho felt Morrell’s dismissal was a key moment in the game.

He said: “The result is obviously very disappointing, and I think there is loads to pick out of the game.

“You’ve probably got to look at it as two separate games really. What happened before the red card and after it.

“We responded well to going behind, and I said to the lads at half-time that we played pretty well.

“We created some chances that we didn’t put away, along with a couple of good saves from their goalkeeper, who we didn’t work enough.

“We were slow to get at it in the second half. Their second goal was deflected off of Beesley, who was blatantly offside, but the officials said he wasn’t interfering.

“I thought Joe’s sending off was correct. He needs to stay on his feet, and I’ve told him that.”