The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs – last season’s Super Bowl teams – are leading the way again after chalking up their sixth wins of the season.
Jalen Hurts overcame three interceptions to lead the Eagles to a 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, who came into the game 5-1.
Hurts has thrown as many interceptions in two games as he did all of last season, following three more in last week’s defeat to the New York Jets, but threw for two touchdowns and Kenneth Gainwell sealed the deal with a late touchdown run.
Tua Tagovailoa, who played with Hurts at university in Alabama, was also intercepted as he pushed for the tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs won a sixth straight game with a 31-17 success over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns, one of them to Travis Kelce who was again watched by Taylor Swift.
The Super Bowl champions opened a three-game cushion in the AFC West division they are looking to win for an eighth consecutive year.
The Chargers stayed in the fight, trailing by just seven points deep into the fourth quarter, despite Justin Herbert being sacked five times.
Bill Belichick became the third coach to win 300 regular season games as the New England Patriots surprised the Buffalo Bills 29-25.
The worst start to a season in Belichick’s lengthy tenure had raised questions about his future but the Patriots defied a fourth-quarter comeback to reach the landmark.
Trailing 22-10 at the break, the Bills fought back to take the lead only for Mac Jones – who completed 25 of his 30 passes – to find Mike Gesicki from one yard with 12 seconds remaining.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, as well as running for a score as the AFC East leaders proved far too strong for the NFC North pacesetters the Detroit Lions, running out 38-6 winners.
The New York Giants ended a run of four defeats as they turned in a much-improved defensive display with six sacks in a 14-7 win over divisional rivals the Washington Commanders.
The Cleveland Browns lost quarterback Deshaun Watson to a head injury early in his first start in three matches.
But back-up PJ Walker saw them to a 39-38 win over the Indianapolis Colts as Kareem Hunt ran for the winning score from yard with 15 seconds on the clock.
Tyson Bagent steered the Chicago Bears to a 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the battle of the back-up quarterbacks, the rookie beating opposite number Brian Moyer for the hosts’ second win in three weeks after 14 straight losses.
Rookies Jake Bobo and Jaxon Smith Njigba caught touchdown passes as Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-10, while the Pittsburgh Steelers edged past the Los Angeles Rams 24-17
The Denver Broncos held on to beat the Green Bay Packers 19-17 for their second win of the season while a last-minute field goal saw the Atlanta Falcons to a 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Manchester United are expected to pay further tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of Tuesday’s night’s Champions League match at Old Trafford.
The United Trinity statue outside the ground was awash with tributes to Charlton on Sunday as supporters laid flowers and scarves, with many leaving deeply personal thoughts for one of the club’s most famous sons, following his death aged 86.
A book of condolence was opened at the International Suite inside the stadium, while current boss Erik ten Hag and members of the United squad were adding their own messages at Carrington.
United confirmed discussions were continuing to take place with Charlton’s family and UEFA for further commemorative plans ahead of Tuesday’s night’s Champions League Group A match against Copenhagen.
It is expected players will wear black armbands, with wreaths to be laid on the Old Trafford pitch and a minute’s silence observed ahead of kick-off.
A key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team, Charlton also enjoyed great success at club level with United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.
Charlton made his debut for United in 1956 and went on to play 758 matches, scoring 249 goals. Both were long-standing club records until they were overtaken by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, respectively. He was knighted for services to football in 1994.
Having won three league titles and one FA Cup at Old Trafford, Charlton left United in 1973 and went on to manage Preston before returning to the Red Devils 11 years later as a club director.
David Moyes took over from Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in the summer of 2013, but the former Everton boss left the club after just 10 months, with the team seventh in the Premier League table.
Now in charge at West Ham, Moyes reflected on the support shown by Charlton during what was one of the most testing spells of his managerial career.
“I’m deeply saddened and I send my condolences to all his family. The biggest thing everyone remembers, more than anything, is how great a man he was. He was such a good man,” Moyes said, quoted on West Ham’s club website.
“For me, it was difficult at times at Manchester United and he was incredibly supportive and always had something to say to me.
“He had a great wife in Lady Norma and even when I lost my job, she phoned my wife up, which was really important at the time.
“For me, he carried off all the things that Manchester United were good for. He showed the traditions, he showed exactly how it should be, he showed great humility wherever he went, but not only that at Manchester United, he was ultimately one of the main people in English football over the years.
“When you think of the greats who have come through English football, Bobby Charlton would definitely be in there.”
It was announced on Saturday afternoon that Charlton had died peacefully in the early hours of the morning surrounded by his family.
Born in Ashington on October 11 1937, Charlton played in the World Cup final alongside his brother Jack – who died aged 85 in 2020 – and won 106 caps for England, scoring 49 goals.
European Cup success with United came 10 years after the Munich air disaster, which Charlton and manager Sir Matt Busby survived, but which claimed the lives of eight of his team-mates.
Former team-mate Denis Law said on manutd.com: “Another sad day. What can I say. Sir Bobby was an unbelievable player and a gentleman. Manchester United meant everything to him.
“We had many special and successful years together and he was a joy to play with. He knew where every player was on the pitch and for me that was a dream. I knew, if Bobby had the ball, it would find me and it did.
“What a striker of the ball he was. He could hit the ball so hard that I knew most keepers didn’t stand a chance. On the rare occasion they did manage to deflect it, it would drop nicely to me to finish it off.
“Along with George (Best), our partnership was sealed. The great part of playing with Bobby and George was that if one of us was having a bad day, the other two knew and that’s what made our relationship special. I am saddened by the news, like all football fans today.”
Charlton was diagnosed with dementia and his condition was made public in November 2020, two days after his United and England team-mate Nobby Stiles died following his own battle with the illness.
Tributes were left at Old Trafford this weekend, one which read: “Thank you Sir Bobby, a hero to the worldwide football family,” while a message from fan group The 1958 said: “History, dignity and integrity is what you gave to our great club. Our promise to you is to make sure it stays.”
Manchester United Women manager Marc Skinner dedicated Sunday’s 5-0 win at Everton to Charlton.
“He changed football in my opinion, especially at my club, so that was for him and for his family,” Skinner said.
Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from second place in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix for driving an illegal car.
Nearly four hours after the chequered flag fell on Hamilton’s most competitive race of the season – one he claimed he should have won if Mercedes did not fluff their strategy lines – the stewards declared his car’s machinery did not comply with the regulations.
The depth of the new floor on Hamilton’s Mercedes was adjudged to be “outside the thresholds outlined in Article 3.5.9 e).” – which states that the plank cannot wear to below 9mm thickness.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth, was disqualified for the same breach following Sunday’s 56-lap race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
Hamilton’s demise elevated Lando Norris to runner-up behind Max Verstappen, who claimed the 50th win of his career and 15th from 18 this season, and Carlos Sainz to third.
Sergio Perez was promoted to fourth to extend his lead over Hamilton in the fight for runner-up in the championship from 27 points to 39 with four races left.
Mercedes’ sporting director Ron Meadows, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin and reliability chief Richard Lane were summoned to fight Hamilton’s corner with the FIA’s four stewards – which included former British driver Derek Warwick – at 6pm local time (midnight BST).
After 30 minutes, the trio emerged from the FIA offices in the paddock before Hamilton’s punishment was handed down at 7.16pm local time (1.16am BST). It is understood Mercedes will not appeal the FIA’s verdict.
A statement from the FIA read: “During the hearing the team acknowledged that the measurement performed by the FIA Technical Team was correct and stated that the high wear on the skid pads was probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the sprint race schedule (on Saturday) that minimised the time to set up and check the car before the race.
“The stewards note that the onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event.”
It continued: “In this particular case, the rear skid in the area defined in the technical delegate’s report was outside of the thresholds outlined in Article 3.5.9 e) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations, which includes a tolerance for wear.
“Therefore, the standard penalty for a breach of the technical regulations is imposed.”
Four cars were chosen at random following the race. Both Verstappen’s Red Bull and Norris’ McLaren passed the scrutineering checks.
Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix for an illegal floor, allowing Damon Hill to win the race.
The post-race penalties on Sunday night saw Williams’ Logan Sargeant claim his maiden point in F1 – the first American to score in the sport since Michael Andretti 30 years ago for McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes’ strategy cost him his first victory in nearly two years at Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton conceded a 10-second swing to Max Verstappen when Mercedes left their star driver in no man’s land as they attempted a one-stop strategy at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Hamilton was less than two seconds behind early leader Lando Norris and five seconds clear of Verstappen, who started only sixth, as they approached the opening round of pit stops.
But when Verstappen and Norris stopped for fresh rubber on lap 16 and 17 respectively, Hamilton was told to stay out – with an alternative strategy to Verstappen viewed as the only way to topple the all-conquering Dutchman. It quickly proved the wrong decision.
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 his driver 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, with his tyres falling off the cliff. “I am struggling out here.”
Hamilton came in four laps later than Verstappen with a slow front-right tyre change adding to his woes. When he emerged from the pits, he had dropped to third, five seconds adrift of Verstappen and 7.5 sec back from Norris.
Hamilton saw off Norris with a dozen laps to go, but he could not reel Verstappen in – taking the chequered flag an agonising 2.2 sec behind.
Asked if he felt he should have claimed his first win since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 686 days ago, had it not been for Mercedes’ offset strategy, Hamilton was defiant.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I do think we would have been in a position to fight with Max.
“We made our life a lot harder today than it needed to be. There are lots of areas where we could have been better.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added: “At the moment, we have mixed feelings because there is the pain of just having lost a race that we could have won.”
Hamilton was later facing the prospect of being disqualified from the race after the floor of his Mercedes was found not to be compliant with the regulations.
Leclerc’s Ferrari also failed the post-race check. Hamilton and a Mercedes team representative will meet with the stewards at 1800 local time (00:00 BST).
Hamilton, in his revamped Mercedes machine, 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 Carlos Sainz to sneak through. Norris had seen off pole-sitter Charles 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.
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, struggling with his brakes, 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. Hamilton was now 1.9 sec behind Norris and would have taken the lead had Mercedes used the undercut. But, on the day, Mercedes got it wrong, and Hamilton knew it.
“You have given me a hell of a gap to close,” he said after his first stop.
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.
Hamilton was back into the pits for a second time on lap 37 of 56, 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 bend to slingshot by in his Mercedes.
Verstappen was five seconds ahead and Hamilton started to catch his old nemesis only to run out of laps.
Verstappen joined Hamilton (103 wins), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) in the half-century club with his 15th win from the 18 rounds so far.
The Dutchman, jeered on the podium – possibly by supporters of his Mexican team-mate Sergio Perez – said: “To take my 50th career win makes me very proud and we will try to push for more.”
Sainz took fourth ahead of Perez with Leclerc sixth and George Russell seventh for Mercedes.
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.
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.”
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