Juventus applied pressure at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro thanks to a deflected goal from former Rossoneri midfielder Manuel Locatelli.
Milan were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute when defender Malick Thiaw brought down Moise Kean, who was through on goal, and was shown a straight red.
And Juve took advantage of the extra man to net a 63rd-minute winner through Locatelli, whose long-range shot cannoned off Milan substitute Rade Krunic and past Antonio Mirante
Juve’s win leaves them a point behind second-placed AC Milan, and two behind leaders Inter.
Jose Mourinho’s Roma claimed a third successive league win with a 1-0 victory over Monza courtesy of Stephan El Shaarawy’s 90th-minute strike.
Bottom two Salernitana and Cagliari drew 2-2 in a game where all four strikes came in the final 11 minutes, including a stoppage-time Boulaye Dia penalty to secure a point for the hosts.
Bologna’s Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson and Lorenzo De Silvestri both struck in the space of three first-half minutes to earn their side a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.
Atalanta bounced back after last week’s defeat at Lazio with a 2-0 win over Genoa through goals from Ademola Lookman and Ederson.
In Spain, Barcelona left it late to claim a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in Montjuic, with teenager Marc Guiu netting a fairytale winner on his debut.
The hosts were frustrated by the stubborn visitors before 17-year-old Guiu scored seconds after coming off the bench in the 80th minute to give Xavi’s team the win.
Girona hit back from two goals down to thrash Almeria 5-2 and continue their remarkable start to the LaLiga season which sees them level on 25 points with leaders Real Madrid after 10 games.
Leo Baptistao’s early brace had Almeria dreaming of an upset but Girona, aided by two Artem Dovbyk goals, roared back to lead 3-2 at half-time before finishing the job after the break.
Rayo Vallecano claimed a last-gasp 1-0 victory at Las Palmas after Bebe converted a stoppage-time penalty before the visitors lost Oscar Valentin to a red card.
Villareal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Alaves, with Gerard Moreno’s penalty cancelling out Samu Omorodion’s strike.
In France, Monaco regained their position at the top of Ligue 1 after Aleksandr Golovin’s double saw them claim a 2-1 comeback win over Metz and move one point clear of second-placed Nice, who won on Saturday night.
Lorient recorded only their second win of the season with a 2-1 victory at home to Rennes.
Lille beat Brest 1-0 which saw them replace their opponents in fourth spot and Toulouse were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Reims.
Nantes continued to climb the table as they saw off Montpellier 2-0 with goals from Florent Mollet and Kader Bamba – the club’s fourth win in five games .
In Germany, Augsburg recovered from 2-0 down after 18 minutes to beat Heidenheim 5-2 away from home while Cologne picked up their first win of the season after defeating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1, Florian Kainz netting twice from the penalty spot.
Teenager Marc Guiu made a dream debut off the bench to score a late winner as Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 to move up to third in the LaLiga table.
After Joao Felix had hit the crossbar early on, Barca – still without the injured Robert Lewandowski – looked to have been left frustrated by a string of fine saves by Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon.
But moments after being sent on by Xavi for his first senior appearance, the 17-year-old Guiu raced down the left channel to dispatch a composed finish and close Barca to within a point of leaders Real Madrid ahead of El Clasico next weekend.
Ahead of kick-off in Montjuic, both clubs paid tribute to former England and Manchester United midfielder Sir Bobby Charlton, who died on Saturday aged 86.
Athletic made a bright start, as Inaki Williams tested Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen from the edge of the box.
Barca almost took an early lead in the 10th minute when Ferran Torres cut into the penalty area and picked out Joao Felix, who swept his shot onto the top of the crossbar.
Athletic keeper Simon saved from Fermin Lopez after a surging run from left-back Alexandro Balde before – at the other end – Germany stopper Ter Stegen tipped a rising shot from Inaki Williams over the crossbar.
The visitors were forced into a change in the 26th minute when left-back Yuri Berchiche went off injured and was replaced by Inigo Lekue.
Joao Felix then saw his claims for a penalty waved away before Barca again had Ter Stegen to thank for keeping the scores level.
Athletic, managed by former Barca boss Ernesto Valverde, broke down the left through some quick passing from the Williams brothers.
Inaki Williams then fired in a low, angled drive which was pushed away by Ter Stegen before Inigo Martinez, facing his former club after joining Barca in the summer, then made a saving block from the follow-up shot by Nico Williams.
Ter Stegen was forced into action again in first-half stoppage-time when he made smart save with his feet to deny Nico Williams, who had again cut in on the angle from the left.
Athletic threatened again early in the second half, and again it was the Williams brothers who linked up before Inaki Williams fired the ball into the side netting.
As the hour mark approached, Simon made a fine double save to first deny Joao Felix and then Lopez from the follow-up after good work from former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
Barca continued to press, but were again frustrated by another great stop by Simon, this time getting down to push behind a shot from Joao Cancelo, who had cut in from the right.
The breakthrough finally came with 10 minutes to go when substitute Guiu, who had only just been sent on for a LaLiga debut, raced onto a pass from Joao Felix down the left channel.
The 17-year-old took a touch in the penalty area before coolly dispatching his effort past Simon, who got an arm to the ball but could not keep it out.
Simon tipped a late header from Joao Felix over the crossbar as Barca closed out a hard-earned win.
Gary O’Neil revealed he expected to still be job hunting at this point in the season after being sacked by Bournemouth in the summer, and is determined to repay Wolves for the faith they showed in him.
The 40-year-old’s first trip back to former employers Bournemouth ended in a 2-1 comeback victory on Saturday for his new side, now on a four-game unbeaten run in the top flight while the Cherries still remain in search of their first win of the season.
O’Neil, who took over at Molineux on a three-year-deal in August, oversaw a return of 36 points from his 34 top-flight games in charge to help Bournemouth avoid relegation in 2022/23 and was even a candidate on some pundits’ lists for manager of the season before he was sacked in June.
He said: “I didn’t really think about the level that I would be going in at (after sacking), I just knew I was ready to go back in and I expected it to be winter. I expected managers to start the season, some of them struggle, some of them do well, and then there would be an opportunity around now or the next few weeks.
“So the timing of it was a surprise. I know I’m capable of managing a big club, so I’m extremely grateful to Wolves because to give a young manager with only 10 months experience the reins is big belief and I’m hoping to repay them like I did when I was [at Bournemouth].
“I’m just working as hard as ever. Leave the office at half 10 at night, get in at seven o’clock in the morning, just in a different part of the country.”
O’Neil was appointed interim Bournemouth boss in August 2022 following the departure of Scott Parker, and made his Premier League managerial debut against Wolves, that goalless draw marking the beginning of a six-game unbeaten run that eventually helped earn him the permanent position.
By the end of the campaign the Cherries had survived a tense relegation battle, with O’Neil’s subsequent exit leaving many wondering if Bournemouth’s new owners would eventually rue their decision to let him go.
He said: “The world of football maybe sees my departure from [Bournemouth] differently to what I did, I would guess, which I understand. I’m guessing consensus was probably, ‘Oh, that’s a harsh one’, where was I was like, ‘that’s life. I’ve had an opportunity, I’ve done the best I can with it.’
“What I set myself was to leave [Bournemouth] in a better place than I found it. I left with my head held high and I started my managerial career, and that’s all it is. There’s never any more than that.”
Andoni Iraola, the man now in charge of the Cherries, is under more pressure than ever to deliver results after Saturday’s home contest derailed in the second half.
Dominic Solanke fired the hosts to a 1-0 lead that stood at half-time, but Matheus Cunha levelled within minutes of the restart before Lewis Cook’s needless red card sent what had been a resilient side down to 10 men, and a late defensive gaffe allowed Sasa Kalajdzic to score the winner.
Iraola, whose team sit second-bottom with three points from nine contests, said: “Especially when you are in the relegation spots like we are now, we have to be worried. I’m the first one to be worried.
“Now it’s a matter of finding ways to win. I think we prepared very well, we had the plan more or less quite clear, but it’s not enough with the things we are doing.”
Pep Guardiola has admitted the demands of winning the treble did take a toll on his Manchester City players.
City were knocked out of the Carabao Cup and suffered rare back-to-back Premier League defeats prior to the recent international break.
They got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Brighton on Saturday but Guardiola concedes there has been a natural drop in intensity after the remarkable end to last season.
The City manager said: “The treble had an influence on all of us, me included.
“So now we need to be there, close, month by month, to arrive in the final decision moments at the end of the season close to the opponents to try it again.
“I said many times, no-one has won four (Premier Leagues) in a row, never ever. That shows how difficult it is, but now it’s important to be there, especially in the Champions League, qualify for the next round in this period and after we can just focus on the Premier League. That is the target.”
City’s success has also brought increased expectations, particularly on Erling Haaland, who scored a remarkable 52 goals in an outstanding first season at the club last term.
By his extraordinary standards, the Norwegian’s recent three-game run without a goal constituted a barren spell but he ended that ‘drought’ with a clinical strike against the Seagulls.
“Yes the expectations are so high but he’s handled it really well,” said Guardiola. “He knows he could have scored even more goals in the nine Premier League games we have played.”
Guardiola rested goalkeeper Ederson at the weekend following the Brazilian’s exertions during the international break. Stefan Ortega took his place.
Guardiola said: “It was just for the fact that the travel from Brazil, it’s a long time. Of course it’s happened many times but he played two games there and he was so so tired.
“Normally I like to play Ortega in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup but we are out of the Carabao Cup, and sometimes it’s good for Eddy to rest a bit and refresh the mind.”
Ortega was pleased to get the opportunity and hopes there will be plenty more.
The German said: “I was excited when Pep told me that I was starting. I’m always waiting to get a chance to get a bit more game time.
“Eddy is playing really well this season, he started really good, but I try to keep pushing him every day in training sessions.
“I think I deserved to start. I’m ambitious so of course I’m not happy to sit on the bench, but we are in a team.
“Sometimes it is tough but this is my job – to be there when the team needs me and to keep pushing Eddy every day.”
Mauricio Pochettino called on his players to make better decisions to see games out after they let slip a two-goal lead in the final 13 minutes to draw 2-2 with Arsenal on Saturday.
Chelsea had been comfortably the better side against last season’s Premier League runners-up when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez gave the ball to Declan Rice with a careless pass in the 77th minute, allowing the Arsenal midfielder to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Substitute Leandro Trossard netted with six minutes to play to snatch the visitors a point, robbing Pochettino’s side of a third straight league win.
Earlier Cole Palmer, from the penalty spot, and Mykhailo Mudryk had handed Chelsea a commanding lead for which they were good value entering the closing stages.
Their recent good run has come despite still having a number of players out injured, including captain Reece James who was fit only for a late cameo at Stamford Bridge, and fellow England full-back Ben Chilwell.
Afterwards, the manager challenged his team to uphold the standards they had shown in stymying Arsenal’s threat for much of the game if they are to continue their recent uptick in form.
“We need to take the positives from 77 minutes,” said Pochettino. “If not, you need to ask (every) other coach how they concede two goals. That is football.
“We were facing a team that last season were close to winning the league, then they invested to make stronger their squad.
“We’re at the beginning of our project, that’s why we need to take positive things because I think we played really well. After 77 minutes we were better and didn’t concede too many chances. That is credit to the team.
“You need to remember, when you see Arsenal’s squad, if you see 25 available players you still pick the same team that Arteta picked today. But for us, too many circumstances where we don’t have the possibility to have all the squad available. That’s another thing you need to put in your analysis.
“One criticism of us was maybe at 2-0 on 77 minutes to take better decisions in these situations, to not concede in the way that we conceded. That gave confidence and belief to the opponents to say ‘come on, go, it’s possible’.”
Chelsea started with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield with the pair having turned out for their respective national teams, Argentina and Ecuador, in South America on Tuesday night, the equivalent of Wednesday morning British Summer Time.
Pochettino added: “Caicedo and Enzo arrived after two games in South America. They were not fresh, but they’re important players for us. We have a week to work and they’re going to be better and the team is going to improve.
“It’s really tough to arrive with jet lag, but I think in a week to recover and train they will be at their best.”
Former AC Milan midfielder Manuel Locatelli returned to haunt his old side as he claimed the goal which gave Juventus a 1-0 victory in San Siro.
Locatelli, who joined Milan at the age of 11 only to leave for Turin a decade later in 2021, enjoyed a huge slice of luck to net the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute courtesy of a massive deflection off Milan substitute Rade Krunic.
The unfortunate Krunic had only been on the pitch three minutes but there was little he could do when Locatelli’s speculative 30-yard shot, which was heading wide, cannoned off him and left third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante stranded.
Juve had struggled to make the most of the numerical advantage handed to them five minutes before half-time when Milan defender Malick Thiaw was shown a red card for hauling down Moise Kean as he made a run on goal.
In fact Locatelli’s shot was their best attempt in the 50 minutes they faced the 10 men but even victory over Milan for the first time in six matches, inflicting their hosts’ first home defeat of the season, did not appear to impress head coach Massimiliano Allegri who became increasingly agitated on the touchline.
Victory moved Juve, who registered a fourth successive clean sheet for the first time since January – meaning they have now have the most shut-outs (16) in Serie A in 2023, to within a point of Milan and just two behind leaders Inter.
There had been little between the two sides prior to Thiaw’s sending off after he was adjudged to have denied Kean a goalscoring opportunity as the Juve forward raced onto Timothy Weah’s through-ball in the inside-right channel.
Olivier Giroud had Milan’s best chance in the 14th minute when his low shot on the turn from Rafael Leao’s cross was tipped around the post by former Arsenal team-mate Wojciech Szczesny.
Adrien Rabiot flashed a cross-shot wide of the left-hand post of the 40-year-old Mirante, making his first appearance in two years, before the red card saw Christian Pulisic sacrificed in order to be able to bring on Pierre Kalulu.
Kean should have put the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time but after getting between Fikayo Tomori and Alessandro Florenzi he failed to connect properly with Rabiot’s low, inswinging cross from six yards out.
Juve failed to make their advantage account until the 63rd minute when Locatelli let fly and benefited from the unfortunate Krunic’s inadvertent intervention.
Mirante, himself a former Juve player, then found himself with more to do as he tipped over Dusan Vlahovic’s powerful strike before producing a good double save from Andrea Cambiaso and Vlahovic in added time.
Test centurion Courtney Lawes will retire from England duty following the Rugby World Cup.
The 34-year-old’s bid to finish his international career on a high was cruelly ended by Saturday’s heartbreaking 16-15 semi-final loss to South Africa in Paris.
Vice-captain Lawes is a veteran of four World Cups, two British and Irish Lions tours and one of only five Englishmen to be capped 100 times.
View this post on InstagramSteve Borthwick’s side will return home from France following Friday evening’s bronze-medal match against pool-stage opponents Argentina.
Lawes, who has made 105 international appearances across 15 years, said: “I haven’t told Steve yet! But I will let him know.
“I’ve said to the boys, anyone that’s asked. I think it’s time. I’ve done four World Cups, so I’m pretty happy with that.
“It’s a bit of an end of an era, but it’s been a real honour for me to represent England for so long. It flies by.
“I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on. It’s not always been the ups. Plenty of downs in there, but I’ve pushed through.
“I’m not an emotional person really, but it’s just been a huge honour for me.
“To be able to finish with this group, it’s something I’ll treasure forever.”
England travelled to the World Cup in poor form and with many pundits dismissive of their prospects.
But they came agonisingly close to reaching a second successive final after leading the reigning champions for all but five minutes of an enthralling last-four encounter which was settled by Handre Pollard’s late penalty.
“It’s one of those where we thought we had it, but let it slip away at the same time,” said Lawes.
“But we’ve proved a lot of people wrong. You give it all you’ve got. It’s sport, isn’t it?
“That’s what it means at the highest level. You get a couple of things wrong and get punished.
“But a lot of people thought we’d have struggled, and in the end we were unlucky to lose.”
Lawes made his England debut against Australia in 2009 when head coach Borthwick was team captain.
The flanker was a beaten finalist against the Springboks in 2019 and also played in the 2011 and 2015 tournaments, in addition to representing the Lions in 2017 and 2021.
He believes England have a bright future under Borthwick and is determined to sign off by helping the team finish third.
“We showed to everyone what it means to play for this team,” said Lawes. “Play for your country and the boys alongside you.
“I think people can see now what a good coach he is – and where this team can really go.
“We want to finish on a high. It’s important for us to finish properly and send us all off on a good win.”
Father-of-four Lawes joined World Cup-winning prop Jason Leonard and international team-mates Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell and Dan Cole on a select list of England centurions in August by captaining his country in a shock warm-up defeat to Fiji at Twickenham.
He waved to fans at Stade de France following England’s dramatic elimination and intends to spend more time with his children while continuing to playing for Northampton.
“The kids are at that age where they need their dad around,” he said.
“It will be good to be with them more, to provide some well-needed structure to the mob.
“As hard as it is being away from your family, you almost have another family.
“You really feel like that, especially when you’re away in camps like World Cup camps. It’s five months, staying with your brothers.
“I’ll definitely miss the boys, the banter and all the stuff we get up to when we’re not training. I’ll miss the hard work as well.
“And I’ll definitely miss pulling the jersey on and giving it everything.”
Max Verstappen defied Lewis Hamilton to win a cat-and-mouse United States Grand Prix at a sizzling Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Verstappen has been on easy street this season, but the triple world champion was made to fight for the 50th win of his career – becoming only the fifth driver to reach a half-century.
Indeed, at one stage, Hamilton dared to dream of ending a losing streak which stands at 686 days and counting.
Yet, as so often been the case this year, Verstappen’s speed in his all-conquering Red Bull machine came to the fore.
He moved ahead of Lando Norris on lap 28 of 56 to all but seal the win. Hamilton might bemoan a questionable strategy decision which saw him lose 10 seconds to Verstappen in the opening round of pit stops. But in reality, he probably did not have the pace to stop the Dutchman from claiming his 15th wins from the 18 rounds so far.
He crossed the line an agonising 2.2 sec behind Verstappen with Norris hanging on to the final spot on the podium.
Hamilton could count himself unfortunate to drop from third to fourth at the start. The seven-time world champion enjoyed a decent getaway, but he was blocked by Norris under braking allowing Sainz to sneak through. Norris had seen off pole-sitter Leclerc with a lunge at the first bend to assume top spot.
As Norris set about building a lead – already two seconds clear of Leclerc at the end of the second lap – Hamilton set about passing both scarlet cars.
First up was Sainz. Hamilton used the tow to latch on to the back of Ferrari on the 210mph drag to Turn 12, and, assisted by DRS, drew alongside Sainz before sliding underneath the Spaniard.
On the following lap, Verstappen, who started in sixth after his pole lap in qualifying was chalked off for exceeding track limits, relegated Sainz another place when he made his move at the same corner.
Hamilton has won six times across the Pond – with five of those victories here in Austin – and the 38-year-old required only two laps to swat Leclerc aside for second.
Deeper on the brakes at Turn 12, Hamilton sailed round the outside of the Monegasque at the left-hander, with Norris now three seconds up the road.
Behind, and Verstappen was not finding it as easy to make progress.
He was stuck behind Leclerc for an additional five laps before finally making his move on the Monegasque. He trailed Norris by seven seconds, and Hamilton by four.
In the Mercedes garage, Prince Harry cut a pensive figure as he gnawed at his fingernails. The Duke of Sussex has been something of lucky charm for Hamilton.
He was a guest of Mercedes when Hamilton secured his second title in the 2014 season decider in Abu Dhabi, leading the congratulations to his fellow Briton on the radio.
Verstappen was the first in for new rubber at the end of lap 16 with Norris stopping the next time round.
But Hamilton stayed out. Were Mercedes attempting a one-stopper? Hamilton did not seem convinced.
Asked if he could complete another five laps on his current set of tyres, Hamilton replied: “I am not sure, man. It is pretty tough.”
Hamilton then locked up before his race engineer Peter Bonnington was back on the intercom to inform Hamilton that Verstappen – who on new tyres had just lapped three seconds faster than the Briton – was now likely to gazump him when he eventually stopped.
“No s***, man,” yelled Hamilton. “I am struggling out here.”
On lap 20, in came Hamilton, and a slow front-right tyre change added to his woes by costing him a needless second. When Hamilton emerged from the pits, he had dropped to third, five seconds adrift of Verstappen.
“I came out so far behind,” he said with a hint of dejection.
When the opening stops were completed, Norris led Verstappen by 2.4 sec with Hamilton 7.5 off the lead.
By virtue of taking on another set of mediums, Verstappen had to stop again, but Norris and Hamilton – now both on the hards – could, if their rubber allowed, go all the way to the end.
Hamilton, failing to make any inroads and sensing his best chance of ending a 22-month winning streak had faded, expressed his frustrations.
“You have given me a hell of a gap to close,” he said.
On lap 28, Verstappen dived underneath Norris for the lead at Turn 12. Norris had a nibble back at the Red Bull heading into the ensuing right hander, but he failed to make it stick.
The question now was whether Norris, and indeed Hamilton – now less than five seconds off the lead – could make their tyres last.
The answer arrived on lap 34 when Norris dived in for a fresh set of boots. Verstappen followed in on lap 35, and despite, a slow left-rear tyre change, retained his position ahead of Norris.
Three laps later and Hamilton was in, changing to the faster medium compound. Hamilton had the bit between his teeth and within 10 laps he was crawling all over the back of Norris’ McLaren.
Norris slung his McLaren to the inside on the entry to the first corner in a move to stop Hamilton, but the older Brit gained better traction out of the corner to slingshot by in his Mercedes.
Verstappen was five seconds ahead and Hamilton started to reel his old nemesis in only to run out of laps. Sainz took fourth ahead of Sergio Perez with Leclerc sixth and George Russell seventh for Mercedes.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery played down his side’s Champions League credentials despite thrashing West Ham.
Villa are just two points off Premier League pacesetters Manchester City and Arsenal following Sunday’s 4-1 win.
Douglas Luiz’s double and clinical finishes from Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey ended Villa’s Hammers hoodoo, for their first victory over West Ham since 2015.
They returned to fifth spot, just a point adrift of the top four, with games against Luton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham coming up next.
“There are seven teams contending. We are after seven teams; Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle,” said Emery, with fifth potentially offering a Champions League place this term.
“Dream, always. My dream is to win the Champions League but now we are fifth and we are going to face each match trying to get a good performance.
“It’s 38 matches and we lost at Newcastle, we lost at Liverpool. They are matches we are not going to play again.
“I prefer to speak about the matches we won but I have to speak about the matches we lost. This is the balance. We have to be very demanding.
“In the table West Ham were two points behind us and the level we have now, they have as well. It was very important.
“The process is going in the right way, it’s going to be difficult. In the end we won 4-1.”
Luiz had already tested Alphonse Areola from distance before opening the scoring after half an hour, firing in from the edge of the box after good work by Nicolo Zaniolo and Watkins.
Six minutes after the break Villa were gifted a second when Lucas Paqueta sold Edson Alvarez short and he brought down Ezri Konsa for Luiz to convert from the spot.
But Jarrod Bowen grabbed a lifeline for the Hammers soon after when his shot hit Pau Torres to creep into the corner.
The visitors sensed a recovery, Matty Cash heading over Nayef Aguerd’s shot, but with 16 minutes left Watkins ended any ideas of a comeback. He latched onto John McGinn’s long ball, skipped past Kurt Zouma and lashed into the roof of the net.
There was still time for Bailey to get in on the act in the final minute, beating Areola from six yards after giving Aguerd the slip.
It was just West Ham’s third league defeat of the season, leaving manager David Moyes frustrated.
“I’m not having my teams losing four goals as soft as we did today. There were things which I can say we did quite well but I didn’t think we were hard enough to play against,” said Moyes, whose side are now ninth.
“Today wasn’t so good. More importantly nearly every ball we played around the box was the wrong decision and it led to us hardly creating enough opportunity to score.
“The lads kept on fighting and it looked like we were the team in ascendancy at 2-1 but they punished us really quickly and that took the game beyond our reach.
“Villa are probably just behind the top three or four in the Premier League and today was a challenge to see what level we were at and I thought we fell below that.
“It was a very close first half, we missed opportunities to score. We had opportunities to make chances to score and that was the bit bugging me at half-time.”
Days before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Memphis Grizzlies announced Steven Adams will undergo season-ending knee surgery.
In a statement posted Sunday, the Grizzlies said Adams requires surgery on his right posterior cruciate ligament and will not play this season.
The team is hopeful he'll make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.
Adams was sidelined for the final 36 games of the 2022-23 season after initially injuring his PCL on January 22.
He was originally only expected to miss four-to-five weeks, but was never able to return.
The hope was he'd be ready to go for the start of this season, but "non-operative rehabilitation did not resolve ongoing knee instability," according to the Grizzlies.
Adams, who was acquired by Memphis prior to the 2021-22 season, averaged 8.6 points, a career-high 11.5 rebounds and 1.10 blocks while starting all 42 games he played prior to his injury in January. The Grizzlies went 28-14 (.667) in games he played and 23-17 (.575) in games he missed.
Through his career, the 30-year-old Adams has averaged 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.96 blocks in 706 games over 10 seasons.
The Grizzlies open the season Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, and won't have Ja Morant available until December 19 because of a 25-game suspension.
Anthony Joshua said he could fight Deontay Wilder as part of a blockbuster boxing fixture which will also feature Tyson Fury’s undisputed heavyweight showdown against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua, who raised the prospect of the mouthwatering mega-contest taking place as early as March – also revealed his next fight will be in London, at either the O2 or Wembley Arena, in December.
Fury is back in action against former UFC world heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou next Saturday and a deal to face Usyk – which will see the winner crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era – in Saudi Arabia has already been agreed.
Speaking in Austin ahead of Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, Joshua, 34, said: “They want to put Usyk v Fury and Joshua v Wilder on the same night.
“When Fury gets through Ngannou it is going to be late October going into November so I doubt he will prepare for Usyk and then fight in December. It is too short.
“So, the next window will be in March or April and that is when the undisputed fight will happen.
“What we are being told is that they want to make it a mega-card.”
Following two defeats to Usyk, Joshua got back on track for a future meeting with former WBC belt-holder Wilder by knocking out Finnish fighter Robert Helenius in the seventh round at London’s O2 Arena in August.
Asked about the identity of his opponent in December, Joshua said: “It won’t be a championship fighter – which is Usyk and Fury. It won’t be none of them guys and I am not too sure about the Wilder situation.”
Asked why a date has not yet been set to face Wilder, Joshua said of the American: “It feels like a land grab at the moment.
“Some fighters want to maximise their revenue. When I first started, you start, you build up your record, you fight and then you fight the big fights.
“But it is like, ‘where can we get the most money for the fight?’. And they want to go to Saudi Arabia so they are waiting for the undisputed fight.
“For my career I have got to stay busy. And in terms of an opponent for December we have got to find the right opponent.”
Joshua, who has been announced alongside golfer Rory McIlroy, England star Trent Alexander-Arnold and World Cup winner Juan Mata as part of a £173million strategic investment led by consortium Otro Capital in Alpine, continued: “I am following my process. They didn’t want me to fight this year. I have fought twice and I could have had a stagnant year.
“I need to follow my process and I am not listening to the noise about Wilder or whoever. When the opportunity comes I will be ready. I am not waiting around for big opportunities.”
Joshua is in Austin supporting Alpine after this week completing a health retreat where he was submerged in darkness for four days.
England head coach Shaun Wane believes his side left plenty of room for improvement after they kicked off their three-match autumn series with a hard-fought 22-18 win over Tonga in St Helens.
Two second-half tries from Tom Johnstone sealed victory for the hosts in their first significant international test since their World Cup semi-final defeat to Samoa at the Emirates Stadium last year.
But a late try from Tolutau Koula kept the visitors in with a chance until the final hooter and Wane admitted he expects more in the second meeting in Huddersfield next Saturday.
Wane said: “We were really good but not perfect. I’m happy we won a Test match against a team, but I do honestly know that we can improve massively on that. We did good things but not for long enough periods.”
Wane singled out Hull KR stand-off Mikey Lewis, who shone on his debut in the halves, his first surging run setting up the opening try for Toby King before the 22-year-old went all the way to touch down for England’s second before the half-hour.
“Mikey can do a lot better, there’s no question in my mind about that, and he won’t mind me saying it,” added Wane.
“I know he’s a lot more talented but he did really well today against a big, athletic team. I knew he was a running threat and once I committed to him that was it. He’s conducted himself so well and he’s a credit to his club.”
Johnstone’s quickfire double began with a brilliant, floating pass from Jack Welsby which flew over the heads of three opponents, and the Saints 22-year-old also earned praise from Wane.
“Jack is like a throwback to the eighties,” added Wane. “He just plays like he used to play at school. He’s an outstanding talent, I loved coaching him in the World Cup last year and getting back with him has been so enjoyable.”
Wane confirmed that Welsby will continue as captain next week before George Williams returns from his two-game suspension to wear the armband for the final match of the series in Leeds in a fortnight’s time.
And Wane knows his side will face a sterner test against a Tongan side stacked with NRL talent who more than matched their hosts in the first period at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
He added: “They will improve and we need to improve, no question. It’s going to be game on next Saturday because they’ve got a lot of really good players and they won’t like losing so it’s going to be full-on next week.”
Tonga’s head coach, the former St Helens boss Kristian Woolf, pronounced himself broadly satisfied but agreed that he expected his side to improve next week.
“It was a good Test match and we showed plenty of courage and gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” said Woolf.
“We’ll learn a lot and we’ll be a hell of a lot better next week. But lot of these guys haven’t played for six or seven weeks and that affected them.”
Gevrey bounced back from Kerry National disappointment to lift the JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National at Limerick.
Having previously plundered the €100,000 feature with dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll in 2016 and Aforementioned in 2020, Gordon Elliott appeared intent on adding to his tally as he saddled eight of the 12 runners to go to post for the latest running of the three-mile contest.
Gevrey was among the leading contenders for last month’s Kerry National at Listowel, but was pulled up after making a bad mistake three fences from the finish.
The seven-year-old was a 6-1 chance to redeem himself in the hands of Ricky Doyle and did just that, knuckling down from the final fence to see off Largy Debut by two and a quarter lengths.
Coral cut Gevrey to 25-1 from 40-1 for the Grand National at Aintree in April.
Elliott, who also saddled the third placed Coko Beach, has been in New York, where he trained three winners on the undercard of the American Grand National at Far Hills on Saturday.
His assistant Lisa O’Neill said: “This is fantastic, we had a great day yesterday and the horses are running well.
“Gevrey always looked like there was a big pot in him and it is great for him to fulfil his potential. He has bags of stamina, he loves that ground and Ricky gave him a great ride.
“Gordon came back on a flight into Dublin this morning along with Jack (Kennedy).”
Doyle rode the winner of the Kerry National in the shape of Desertmore House, who only made it into the race when Elliott withdrew two of his runners.
He said: “Thanks to Gordon for putting me on the horse and it was because of him that I ended up getting into the Kerry National as a second reserve last month. To be able to repay him back is great.
“That’s my first winner for Gordon so it’s not a bad one to get. I’ve been going into Gordon’s for the past two seasons and while I was getting plenty opportunities, I didn’t get much luck previously.
“This game is a big roundabout and you have to keep all doors open and I enjoy going to Gordon’s where it’s good craic and I ride some good horses. They are fun mornings and to ride a winner like this is a big bonus.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed his players for meeting their Tynecastle challenge with some “wonderful football” in a 4-1 win over Hearts.
The cinch Premiership leaders restored their seven-point lead with a largely dominant display in front of 576 of their own fans in a reduced allocation and more than 17,000 Hearts supporters.
Matt O’Riley volleyed his sixth goal of the season inside four minutes and Celtic remained in control. Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi netted before the 51st minute and Reo Hatate hit the post with a penalty.
Lawrence Shankland pulled one back in the 64th minute but substitute Tomoki Iwata fired his first goal for Celtic to kill off any slim hopes of a comeback.
Rodgers said: “It was important that we started the game well, and try to bring an energy and speed to the game which would make it difficult for Hearts, because I have been here enough times to know that if you don’t make a good start here it can be a challenge.
“But the players played some wonderful football and worked ever so hard.”
Celtic have now won six consecutive league matches and appear to be finding more fluidity in their play.
Rodgers said: “It’s a constant evolution, there’s not a destination to where we want to go, it’s just continual improvement and finding levels and the big thing is consistency.
“It’s obviously a very difficult ground to come to but I love challenges like this, coming to really hostile environments because it’s an opportunity for you to show your value as a team, dealing with difficult circumstances, and the players dealt with it ever so well.
“The only criticism is we could have scored more goals and managed the ball a bit better after we scored the fourth goal, so we didn’t have to run so much.
“But overall, after an international break, where a lot of these guys were a wee bit heavy-legged towards the end, a lot of travel, what they gave the game was absolutely brilliant.”
Hearts manager Steven Naismith bemoaned his side’s start and the way they allowed Celtic chances.
Naismith started with a positive line-up with Kenneth Vargas told to run beyond Shankland and Alan Forrest and Alex Lowry supporting the front players. But their chances when undermined when O’Riley ran away from marker Calem Nieuwenhof and volleyed home Luis Palma’s lofted pass.
“We gave up really sloppy goals,” said Naismith, whose team let slip a two-goal lead against Hibernian in their previous match.
“That’s the last two games that the goals we conceded are not at the level where we should be at and want to be at. How sloppy they were and when we concede them is mental.
“It doesn’t give you a chance to get into the game when you lose a goal after three minutes. And that was the theme throughout the game, the goals are avoidable.
“Our intensity when we are pressing and closing down wasn’t good enough and in the game there are split-seconds when players are making decisions and ultimately they are going to decide if it’s a good action or bad action. Every goal we picked the wrong action.”
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