Chelsea and Manchester City played out an enthralling 4-4 draw on Sunday – the second brilliant match Mauricio Pochettino’s men have been involved in over the past week.

Pep Guardiola’s champions led three times at Stamford Bridge only to be pegged back on each occasion, with former City man Cole Palmer holding his nerve to grab his new team a point with a stoppage-time penalty.

The Blues on Monday evening ended Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season with an extraordinary 4-1 win over their nine-man London rivals.

A hat-trick from Nicolas Jackson helped Blues head coach Pochettino enjoy a successful return to his former club, but only after a pulsating contest with two red cards – for Spurs defenders Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie – and five disallowed goals.

Here, the PA news agency looks at seven other outstanding games in the Premier League era.

Manchester City 3 QPR 2 (May 2012)

Perhaps the most significant of all. City started this game knowing a win would earn them a first Premier League title but when they went 2-1 down – even against 10 men – it looked as though rivals Manchester United would take the trophy. However, Edin Dzeko scored in the second minute of time added on to level and Sergio Aguero (or, to quote Sky commentator Martin Tyler, “Agueroooooooooo”) won both the match and the title with 93:20 on the clock.

Arsenal 4 Tottenham 4 (October 2008)

Best remembered for David Bentley’s stunning opener for Tottenham against his former club, this game saw Spurs come back from 4-2 down to earn a point. Trailing to Bentley’s amazing volley, the Gunners exposed Spurs’ weakness at defending set-pieces to lead through Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas. Emmanuel Adebayor added a third for the hosts before Darren Bent pulled one back. When Robin van Persie restored Arsenal’s two-goal cushion it had looked all over, but Harry Redknapp’s men showed a new resilience and Jermaine Jenas’ late strike gave them hope before Aaron Lennon equalised at the death.

Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3 (April 1996)

Sure to feature on everyone’s classic list, this was the game which saw Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan slump over the front of the dugout as his side’s title chances went up in smoke. Liverpool came back from 2-0 down to level, only to see Faustino Asprilla make it 3-2 seconds later. Stan Collymore soon levelled and then won it two minutes into added time, with Tyler again taking over with his line of “Collymore closing in”.

Newcastle 4 Arsenal 4 (February 2011)

The game that demonstrated why supporters should never leave early. When Theo Walcott scored for Arsenal 44 seconds into this game it set the tone for a blistering period of away play, with Johan Djourou and Van Persie, who netted twice, putting Arsenal 4-0 up. However, the game turned as Abou Diaby saw red for Arsenal and Newcastle mounted a stellar comeback. Two penalties from Joey Barton and a Leon Best goal gave them a foothold, but they still needed a brilliant 87th-minute volley from Cheick Tiote to get a point.

Norwich 4 Liverpool 5 (January 2016)

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp lost his glasses amid wild celebrations on the touchline after Adam Lallana’s last-minute strike gave Liverpool an astonishing first Premier League win of 2016. Klopp’s men had trailed 3-1 with under 30 minutes to go, then led 4-3 before Sebastien Bassong’s stoppage-time goal levelled matters. But there was still time for substitute Lallana to mis-hit a shot into the ground and secure a 5-4 victory.

Tottenham 4 Arsenal 5 (November 2004)

Four years before the 4-4 thriller at the Emirates, White Hart Lane hosted a similarly high-scoring affair between the two local rivals. The home side took the lead through Noureddine Naybet, but Arsenal equalised through Thierry Henry and then went 3-1 ahead thanks to Lauren, who converted a penalty won by Freddie Ljungberg, and Patrick Vieira. Jermain Defoe pulled one back almost immediately before Ljungberg and Ledley King traded goals and, although Robert Pires added Arsenal’s fifth nine minutes from time, Freddie Kanoute’s goal made for a frantic finish.

West Ham 5 Bradford 4 (February 2000)

West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop suffered a broken leg just minutes into the game to hand a debut to 18-year-old Stephen Bywater, who conceded four goals but still ended up on the winning side. The comeback from 4-2 down started with 25 minutes left when Frank Lampard and Paolo Di Canio argued over who would take a penalty, Di Canio eventually winning the tussle and converting from the spot. Joe Cole soon equalised and Lampard scored the winner from the edge of the box with seven minutes remaining.

Cole Palmer struck a last-gasp penalty against his former club Manchester City in the fourth minute of stoppage time to snatch a sensational 4-4 draw for Chelsea at the end of a superb, battling encounter at Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League champions thought they had won it through Rodri’s goal, deflected in off the unfortunate Thiago Silva four minutes from time, but were left stunned in the dying seconds when substitute Armando Broja burst into the box and drew a foul from Ruben Dias, with Palmer dispatching his spot-kick under pressure to send home fans into raptures.

Earlier, Erling Haaland had scored to twice give City the lead, first from the penalty spot before Chelsea turned the game on its head with goals from Silva and Raheem Sterling.

Manuel Akanji headed an equaliser on the stroke of half-time before Haaland’s second made it 3-2 minutes after the restart, but still Chelsea were not done, hitting back to make it 3-3 through Nicolas Jackson.

Then came what looked the winner from Rodri, before Palmer’s late, late intervention served to hurt the side he left for west London in September.

It had all begun with a controversial penalty award for City after 21 minutes. Marc Cucurella and Haaland appeared to be engaged in an even tussle as the ball was floated in to the six-yard box but, as the pair went to ground, the defender was penalised for having hauled Haaland down.

VAR checked and found no reason to overturn referee Anthony Taylor’s decision, and after a lengthy delay Haaland kept his cool to beat Robert Sanchez from the spot.

Chelsea had made the brighter start and now they sought an instant reply. Reece James forced Ederson into an athletic fingertip save from a well-struck free-kick just outside the box.

It was to be a momentary reprieve. From the resulting corner swung in by the right foot of Conor Gallagher, Silva slipped his man and with a glancing header that zipped across the face of the goal and in he drew his side level.

City almost hit back instantly through Haaland, but Phil Foden’s cross was fractionally too deep and the striker could only turn it into the side netting. Minutes later, Foden tried to do it himself with a wicked drive with his left foot that bent inches past a post.

Chelsea’s second came from a mistake by Josko Gvardiol. Moises Caicedo collected the ball deep in midfield and moved it on to Gallagher. Overlapping on the right he found James, whose pressure caused the City defender to mis-control, leaving James to cross for the unmarked Sterling to tap it home.

Sanchez preserved his side’s lead with a sensational stop low to his left after Haaland had squeezed between Chelsea’s central defenders.

Yet he could do nothing moments before half-time to prevent Akanji levelling. From a City corner, Chelsea switched off. Foden played the ball back to Bernardo Silva near the edge of the box, and neither James nor Silva went with Akanji as he ghosted into space to head in for 2-2.

The second half was barely two minutes in when the game took another twist and it was Haaland restoring City’s lead.

Julian Alvarez began the move in midfield, releasing Foden who carried it deep into the Chelsea half before returning it to the galloping Argentinian. With the defence stretched he crossed for Haaland, who evaded the attentions of James to bundle the ball over the line.

Jeremy Doku almost increased his side’s lead after a rampaging run down the left created space for a shot. Cutting inside and striking low, his effort was well saved by Sanchez.

Palmer, established now as a pivotal figure in Pochettino’s attack, cut through the heart of City with dazzling balance and control, denied a memorable goal by Ederson.

In the 65th minute, Chelsea levelled for a second time and it was no more than a fighting performance warranted.

The ball was switched to the substitute Mykhailo Mudryk charging up the left. He worked it infield to Caicedo, who set up Gallagher to strike at goal from 25 yards. Ederson parried, but could only turn it into the path of Jackson, fresh from his hat-trick against Tottenham, who took a touch and thumped it in.

Substitute Malo Gusto blazed over the bar after getting in down the right, wasting good, battling work from Sterling who fought to work the ball through to him. It was a moment Chelsea would come to rue.

The game had seemed destined to have a winner throughout, and with four minutes to go City looked finally to have nicked it through Rodri.

His drive from outside the box as the ball broke looked to be heading wide, until a wicked deflection off the unfortunate Silva sent it spinning beyond the wrongfooted Sanchez to seemingly break Chelsea hearts.

Then when City thought they had won it came Broja’s late dart into the box, Dias’s hasty challenge, and the final word by Palmer to cap a memorable encounter in west London.

Giannis Antetokounmpo hit out at the Milwaukee Bucks' defensive efforts after they slipped to back-to-back defeats on Saturday, going down 112-97 on the road against the Orlando Magic.

The Bucks were viewed as one of the pre-season favourites in the Eastern Conference after their blockbuster trade for point guard Damian Lillard.

However, with Lillard missing Milwaukee's last two games with a sore calf, successive defeats on the road against the Indiana Pacers and Orlando have seen them slip to 5-4 for the season. 

Having recorded 54 points in vain against Indiana, Antetokounmpo finished Saturday's defeat with 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and the teams' defensive shortcomings left the two-time NBA MVP frustrated.

"I think the individual pride is there," Antetokounmpo said on Saturday. "The team defense is not there. 

"We're not helping each other as much as we should. The gaps are so… I feel like the gaps are wide open. 

"I feel like guys feel comfortable to be able to come down, attack, go downhill, get an angle, make a play for themselves or for their team-mate. Like, I wish we were being guarded that way!

"We have to take it up a notch. This is not who we are. This is not the Milwaukee Bucks. We've got to guard people and it starts with me. 

"It starts with the leader of the team. I've got to be better. But again, it's not one person that can do it alone. Defensively, we've got to show more.

"Sometimes you have to put your body on the line, take that hit, to make it easier for our defense. The last two games, we haven't done it.

"Right now, I feel like we're just being stagnant. We're going back on defense and not showing a lot of help. 

"We're not protecting one another as much as we should and sometimes when we turn the ball over, we sit and complain. We've got to get out of that mentality and stop feeling sorry for ourselves."

Milwaukee return to action on Monday as the Chicago Bulls visit Fiserv Forum.

After another exciting cinch Premiership weekend, Celtic are still eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the table, albeit the Light Blues have a game in hand.

Livingston find themselves bottom after another defeat amid a St Johnstone resurgence.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five things that caught the eye.

Celtic bounce back in style

Brendan Rodgers’ side were thrashed 6-0 by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in Spain on Tuesday, also ending up with 10 men following the dismissal of Daizen Maeda. The result left them bottom of their group and facing some heavy criticism.

However, they were on top form against an abject Aberdeen side in their Premiership encounter, with South Korean forward Yang Hyun-jun scoring his first Celtic goal and Japan striker Kyogo Furuhashi adding a second before the break.

Winger Luis Palma scored a penalty in the 76th minute and the Dons capitulated in 10 added minutes at the end of the game, with Celtic substitutes David Turnbull and Oh Hyeong-yu (two) on target as Rodgers’ men restored their eight-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table.

Ross McCausland shines on first Rangers start

Philippe Clement’s strong start to his Rangers reign continued with a comfortable 2-0 win at Livingston on Sunday. The Belgian has now presided over six wins and a spirited draw away to Sparta Prague in his seven matches in charge.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the win in West Lothian was the lively display of 20-year-old winger Ross McCausland, who earned his first start after six previous appearances as a substitute.

The Northern Irish youngster went close with an early attempt, won a penalty and appeared unfortunate to have a ferocious strike ruled out after team-mate Abdallah Sima was harshly penalised in the build-up.

Relief for under-fire Steven Naismith

This international break could have been extremely grim for Hearts and Steven Naismith if Saturday’s trip to Motherwell had not gone as smoothly as it did.

The Jambos boss was coming under heavy pressure after a run of one win in five matches and a generally underwhelming start to the campaign but Saturday’s impressive 2-1 win at Fir Park has served as a timely boost for the embattled manager.

Supporters were encouraged by the display and Hearts now sit within two points of third place. With a more favourable run of fixtures to come after the break, Naismith has given himself a chance to generate some winter momentum.

St Mirren dumped in Dundee

Stephen Robinson’s Saints side started the season in impressive style, moving up to third place in the table behind the Old Firm.

There were signs of a wobble before the Paisley side travelled to Tayside – one win in six in all competitions. However, there was little indication of a collapse on Tayside.

The Buddies found themselves two down at the interval with the loss of another double after the break. Robinson spoke after the game of a reset, as his side are now just two points ahead of Hearts.

Graham Carey finds a little positivity amid personal troubles

St Johnstone fans and the wider football community this week gave their support to Carey and his wife, Rachel Borthwick, who is facing up to another cancer battle.

After a 2-2 draw at home to Motherwell on Tuesday night in Craig Levein’s first game as Saints boss, the Perth side hosted fellow strugglers Ross County on Saturday.

A stunning strike by Carey in the 71st minute of a tight contest kept the three points in Perth and took St Johnstone off the bottom of the table and ultimately above Livingston and the Staggies.

Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford set up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City, but manager Jurgen Klopp is less than impressed with the lunchtime scheduling.

The Premier League’s resumption after the international break kicks off with City v Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium live on television in a Saturday lunchtime clash.

Klopp has been a long-time opponent of broadcast scheduling, particularly the 12.30pm slot, and he has aired his complaints again.

“OK, no-one can say at the moment, but how can you put a game like this on Saturday at 12.30pm?” he said.

“Is it the moment where the world pays the most to see a football game? I don’t know if that is the case, I really don’t.

“Honestly, the people making the decisions, they cannot feel football, it is just not possible.”

The logistics involved in getting players back from South America are well-drilled now and usually involve clubs liaising to charter a jet for all their players to return home together.

But a lunchtime kick-off requires extra planning to get them back as early as practically possible, which often involves extra work to get them into one airport at the same time.

“You have these two teams who have, all together, about 30 international players. They all come back on the same plane from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,” said Klopp.

“One game, one plane, they all come back.”

Liverpool endured a couple of tricky moments at home to Brentford, but two goals from Mohamed Salah, taking him to 200 in English football, and one from Diogo Jota ensured Klopp’s side leapfrogged Arsenal into second place on goal difference.

In becoming the first Reds player to score in each of their first six home matches at the start of a season, Salah joined Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in having scored or assisted in 15 consecutive Premier League home games.

“Exceptional, just exceptional player. Played a super game today and we all know how difficult it is against these tall centre-backs,” added Klopp.

“Two players around him, all these kinds of things, how often he kept the ball for us and we could play from there. That was super important and scoring two goals.

“We had so many good moments in the first half. We scored (through Darwin Nunez), but it was offside (twice), things like that, and then in that moment, the composure for the first goal is insane.

“There is no doubt when the ball is in that area in the end you see it on the scoresheet. So a pretty special player.”

Victory ensured the team headed off on international duty with a spring in their step after a difficult week which began with a draw at Luton and got worse with defeat in the Europa League to Toulouse.

But in extending their 100 percent home league record to six matches this season, having conceded just twice at Anfield in that time, Liverpool moved into pole position as City’s nearest challengers.

“Football is strange. If you would have asked me three days just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start (to their season),” said Klopp.

“But obviously you look at the game, the numbers, the results, most of the time it was OK or better.

“A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances (a defeat after a controversial incorrect VAR decision) obviously didn’t feel great.

“It’s absolutely all right if we just don’t really think about it. Today it was about getting through the game and we did. The boys responded sensationally well.”

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was unhappy with a second-half challenge by Wataru Endo on Christian Norgaard which, on the basis of what has gone before this season, he felt VAR got wrong.

“I think this situation, back in the day, never would have been a red card, but in the football we are playing now, with the slow image you can see a clear foot on the leg, four bloody marks on Christian’s leg,” he said.

“There is definitely some contact with force.”

Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford set up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City, but manager Jurgen Klopp is less than impressed with the lunchtime scheduling.

The Premier League’s resumption after the international break kicks off with City v Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium live on television in a Saturday lunchtime clash.

Klopp has been a long-time opponent of broadcast scheduling, particularly the 12.30pm slot, and he has aired his complaints again.

“OK, no-one can say at the moment, but how can you put a game like this on Saturday at 12.30pm?” he said.

“Is it the moment where the world pays the most to see a football game? I don’t know if that is the case, I really don’t.

“Honestly, the people making the decisions, they cannot feel football, it is just not possible.”

The logistics involved in getting players back from South America are well-drilled now and usually involve clubs liaising to charter a jet for all their players to return home together.

But a lunchtime kick-off requires extra planning to get them back as early as practically possible, which often involves extra work to get them into one airport at the same time.

“You have these two teams who have, all together, about 30 international players. They all come back on the same plane from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,” said Klopp.

“One game, one plane, they all come back.”

Liverpool endured a couple of tricky moments at home to Brentford, but two goals from Mohamed Salah, taking him to 200 in English football, and one from Diogo Jota ensured Klopp’s side leapfrogged Arsenal into second place on goal difference.

In becoming the first Reds player to score in each of their first six home matches at the start of a season, Salah joined Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in having scored or assisted in 15 consecutive Premier League home games.

“Exceptional, just exceptional player. Played a super game today and we all know how difficult it is against these tall centre-backs,” added Klopp.

“Two players around him, all these kinds of things, how often he kept the ball for us and we could play from there. That was super important and scoring two goals.

“We had so many good moments in the first half. We scored (through Darwin Nunez), but it was offside (twice), things like that, and then in that moment, the composure for the first goal is insane.

“There is no doubt when the ball is in that area in the end you see it on the scoresheet. So a pretty special player.”

Victory ensured the team headed off on international duty with a spring in their step after a difficult week which began with a draw at Luton and got worse with defeat in the Europa League to Toulouse.

But in extending their 100 percent home league record to six matches this season, having conceded just twice at Anfield in that time, Liverpool moved into pole position as City’s nearest challengers.

“Football is strange. If you would have asked me three days just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start (to their season),” said Klopp.

“But obviously you look at the game, the numbers, the results, most of the time it was OK or better.

“A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances (a defeat after a controversial incorrect VAR decision) obviously didn’t feel great.

“It’s absolutely all right if we just don’t really think about it. Today it was about getting through the game and we did. The boys responded sensationally well.”

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was unhappy with a second-half challenge by Wataru Endo on Christian Norgaard which, on the basis of what has gone before this season, he felt VAR got wrong.

“I think this situation, back in the day, never would have been a red card, but in the football we are playing now, with the slow image you can see a clear foot on the leg, four bloody marks on Christian’s leg,” he said.

“There is definitely some contact with force.”

Unai Emery stressed the importance of Aston Villa remaining consistent as the season goes on after the 3-1 win over Fulham.

The result at Villa Park saw the midlands outfit make it six wins out of six at home in the Premier League this season and equal the post-war club record for successive top-flight home victories, matching the 13 in a row achieved in 1983.

Boss Emery, whose fifth-placed side are a point outside the top four, said: “We are now (on league match) 12 – there are still 26 matches to play.

“It’s a lot and of course to be consistent is the most important thing, when you are trying to build and to create a team and a structure and mentality.

“It’s the reason of course we can maintain the position like we are now, but it’s going to be very difficult and a challenge. We are going to face each match trying to focus (on) it.

“Now we are in the top five, it’s I think a moment to enjoy, to be happy – and to try to analyse, even now winning, how we can improve, how we can keep being consistent.”

Marking a return to winning ways in the league after last Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, this result was a second home triumph in four days for Villa, with Emery’s men having defeated AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in the Europa Conference League on Thursday to leave them on the brink of qualifying from their group.

They were two up at the break against Fulham following an Antonee Robinson own-goal and a 42nd-minute strike from skipper John McGinn, while Ollie Watkins subsequently added a third in the 64th minute for his 11th goal of the season in all competitions.

Raul Jimenez, who had seen a shot tipped against a post by Emiliano Martinez early in the second half, pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 70th minute – the former Wolves man’s first Premier League goal since March 2022.

Emery said: “At home, we are feeling very good here. We are connected with our supporters, trying to (have) full, positive energy, and… in each circumstance we are trying to adapt, improving the team, the players, our tactical work. I think it is going well.

“Here, for example, I think the first half was a very good first half. We created chances, but overall we controlled the game, avoiding the transition. It was fantastic.

“The second half was more hard. They scored one goal, had chances and were trying to work, thinking about the possibility to come back, and we avoided it.”

Villa resume after the international break with away games against Tottenham and Bournemouth, either side of a Europa Conference League home match against Legia Warsaw, and then host Manchester City and Arsenal in the league.

Emery added: “Of course I am happy and I can take my days off as well relaxing with the result we had, with the moment we are now in the table, and in the Conference (League) as well.

“But I know full well each match is a new challenge, and I am going to take some days resting, but of course my mind is in Tottenham, and in Bournemouth, and in Legia Warsaw, and in Villa Park again with Manchester City and Arsenal.”

Brendan Rodgers praised his Celtic side for quickly erasing their Champions League pain with a 6-0 thrashing of Aberdeen at Parkhead.

The Hoops were chastened by a 6-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in their Champions League group stage game in Spain on Tuesday night, where they ended up with 10 men following the dismissal of Daizen Maeda and bottom of the table.

However, they blitzed an abject Dons side in their cinch Premiership encounter, with South Korean forward Yang Hyun-jun scoring his first Celtic goal in the ninth minute before Japan striker Kyogo Furuhashi added a second seven minutes later in an utterly dominant first half.

Winger Luis Palma scored from the spot in the 76th minute and in 10 added minutes at the end of the game, the home side scored three goals, with substitutes David Turnbull and Oh Hyeon-gyu, twice, on target as Celtic restored their eight-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table.

“I said to the players before the game, throughout your footballing season and life you have painful points, but how you respond is where you are judged,” said Rodgers, who revealed Furuhashi would not be travelling to Japan this week to stay behind for treatment for a head knock which saw him taken off.

“If you look after St Johnstone here (0-0) we go to Rangers and win, after Feyenoord away (0-2) we go to Livingston and win.

“Obviously we had a challenging game in midweek just because of the circumstances.

“It is then how you respond today. I thought the players responded so well. They’ve done great in the game, created numerous opportunities.

“Look at Aberdeen’s record, especially away from home. Look at how tough they are to beat. They go to Frankfurt and do well, they go to Rangers and win.

“So they are a team who are tough to play against. But I thought our players today were absolutely fantastic. They showed some great football, great movement, great connection in the team. I was so pleased for them.”

It was a fifth successive away game for the Dons but after the hard-fought 2-2 draw against PAOK on Thursday night in Greece, Barry Robson was not for making excuses and admitted that he was “massively surprised” by the result.

He said: “You can look for excuses, but I’m not having that. Yes, we all know where we have been, but we still can’t come here and perform like that. So I’m not having that, either.

“It was a result I never saw coming at all. That is the biggest surprise, I never saw that coming.

“I am just angry because it is not us as a team. You have to learn that you can’t leave yourselves open, you have to learn to shut the back door and not lose more goals.

“I just think the first 15 minutes, we were not at it. We didn’t get close to anyone. Never put a tackle in and, as the half went on, got slightly better.

“Half-time, we tweaked a few tactical things and thought we started to look a lot better in the second half and then lost the penalty.

“And then I thought after that Celtic ran away with it and it was not good enough.

“Once you lose that third goal, you have got to get a structure, you’ve got to stay in the fight  and we just looked too open. It looked like they could score every time.”

Roberto De Zerbi admitted he does not like “80 per cent of Premier League referees” after 10-man Brighton were held to a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.

Simon Adingra had put the Seagulls ahead with a brilliant solo run but the game changed on Mahmoud Dahoud’s red card in the 69th minute.

Midfielder Dahoud stamped on Ben Osborn’s Achilles, with Adam Webster putting through his own goal moments later to take the Blades off the bottom of the table for the first time since September 23.

De Zerbi, who was also booked for his touchline antics, did not disagree with the red card shown by John Brooks but said: “I am honest and clear… I don’t like 80 per cent of English referees.

“That isn’t a new opinion. I don’t like them. I don’t like their behaviour on the pitch.

“England is the only country where when there is VAR, you are not sure that the decision is right. In other countries, you have to be sure 100 per cent that the decision taken is right. In England, no, and I am not able to understand.”

De Zerbi is now on his longest run without a league win as Brighton manager, with his side six matches without taking three points.

“We are spending time in an unlucky period,” said the Italian. “I think we have lost four points; two against Fulham and two today.

“After the red card, I didn’t like the team.

“There wasn’t a game until the red card. There was only one team on the pitch. Brighton could have won the game two or three nil, but after the red card the game changed.

“After the red card we can say other things but the situation with one player less, we lost order and our style.”

Adingra went on a mazy run before finishing after a give-and-go with Facundo Buonanotte in the fifth minute. But after the red card, Jayden Bogle’s powerful cross was diverted into his own goal by Webster.

It was the first time United had strung two games without defeat together in the top flight since July 2020 – not that Paul Heckingbottom is worried after a first away point of the season and getting off the bottom.

He said: “It is irrelevant – maybe getting off the bottom is important because people keep mentioning it but I’m not bothered. Not yet.

“What is pleasing is how we’ve played against a good team.

“It is always about the points. I can give lots of reasons why we haven’t picked up more points this season: the way we started the season, final moments in games where we could and should have.

“But until you get them they are just excuses. It is about the points and we want to keep picking up the points.

“There have been moments in every game but in the last two games it has been us being the stronger team at the end and that is what I want to see. It gives us a huge lift.”

Robert Lewandowski got Barcelona out of jail as Alaves threatened to pile on further misery for the reigning LaLiga champions.

The 35-year-old Poland international headed home a second-half equaliser after Samu Omorodion had fired the visitors in front with just 18 seconds gone and then converted a late penalty to ensure an eventful afternoon at the Estadio Olimpico ended 2-1 to the hosts.

However, Samu was left to reflect on what might have been after passing up three further chances to add to his tally as Barca, who were without influential duo Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, turned in an abject first-half display before finally finding their feet.

The home side kicked off under some pressure after their their midweek Champions League defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk, which came in the wake of their El Clasico reverse and an unconvincing league win over Real Sociedad.

And they could hardly have got off to a worse start as they conceded inside the opening minute.

Ilkay Gundogan was robbed by Jon Guridi inside the Alaves half and he carved his way deep into Barca territory before picking out Javi Lopez, whose cross was swept past keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen by the 19-year-old Samu.

Things could have been significantly worse for Xavi’s men amid a shambolic start as they were repeatedly opened up by the visitors.

Samu fired into the side-netting after controlling Andoni Gorosabel’s pass, and then missed the target after the latter had split the home defence to send him one-on-one with Ter Stegen.

Shell-shocked Barcelona started to work their way into the game and Alaves keeper Antonio Sivera had to save from Lewandowski and Joao Felix.

But in the meantime, Lopez had scuffed a shot on the turn wide after catching defender Jules Kounde sleeping, and the France international was fortunate to escape for a second time when Samu fired after being muscled off the ball by the frontman.

Felix tried desperately to drag his side back into the game as time ran down, but Sivera remained largely untroubled and the locals made their feelings abundantly clear on the whistle.

Barca returned with much greater purpose and Joao Cancelo fired into Sivera’s midriff within three minutes, and they were back in it with 53 minutes gone when Lewandowski got ahead of defender Rafa Marin to power home a header from Kounde’s right-wing cross.

The visitors found themselves pinned back deep inside their own half, but almost profited from another Kounde error when he headed Ruben Duarte’s free-kick straight at Abdelkabir Abqar, although the defender was unable to convert.

Lamine Yamal tested Sivera with a swerving attempt, but the Catalans finally edged in front with 12 minutes remaining when, after Abqar had tripped substitute Ferran Torres in the box, Lewandowski emphatically dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

Steve Cooper felt Nottingham Forest threw away the chance of a rare away win after going down 3-2 at West Ham.

Goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga had put Forest into the lead after Lucas Paqueta fired the Hammers ahead in the third minute.

But late headers from Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek, both from James Ward-Prowse corners, condemned the visitors to another defeat.

“I think if we’d drawn 2-2, I’d have been disappointed,” Forest boss Cooper said.

“I can’t look past the goals we’ve given away. We gifted them a goal at the start, worked our way back into it and then to concede a corner after five seconds from kick-off and defend like we did is frustrating.

“The third goal is from our throw-in, it’s a corner again and we didn’t do our jobs. Whether the ball coming in is brilliant or average, you’ve got the stay with your man.”

Forest have won just two matches on the road since they were promoted in 2022.

“We know we are doing a lot better things away from home but we’ve just thrown a result a way, and to lose it like we did, it was our own fault, I can’t look past that,” Cooper added.

“There was a real opportunity to come here to win and we were doing that. Today was a different away performance and loss.

“This is one we are going ‘We’ve just thrown it away’. This could have been a much more comfortable day and we’ve only got ourselves to blame.”

Ward-Prowse has now contributed nine assists in all competitions since joining West Ham from Southampton, yet an England call-up still eludes him.

“I’m quite pleased that he’ll get a rest this week, with the amount of games we’ve had,” Hammers boss David Moyes said with a smile.

“Let’s be fair, he is world class at his deliveries, and if I was him I’d be disappointed the other boys haven’t scored more from his deliveries.”

The Hammers won a topsy-turvy match to register their first Premier League victory since September.

“Yeah, I needed that. But so do all the clubs,” Moyes added.

“I was thrilled with the opening minutes, and with the end few minutes. But our play was too slow in the first half and we lost a goal before half-time as well.

“In the second half, after we went behind we played really well to get ourselves back in the game and to win it was tremendous. “

Matilda Picotte will stay in training next season with the ambition of blitzing her way to Group One glory.

Kieran Cotter’s three-year-old has become popular due to her free-going style of racing and is regularly seen blazing a trail on the front-end in races with a target on her back.

Those front-running tactics may not have paid off early on in her Classic season, which saw her pinned late in Leopardstown’s Priory Belle before finishing an honourable third in the 1000 Guineas.

But they came to the fore in her final two outings, as Matilda Picotte made all for Sceptre Stakes glory at Doncaster before following up in real style in Newmarket’s Challenge Stakes.

Her owners have now made the decision to hold on to the daughter of Sioux Nation and she will return to training with Cotter in search of further riches as a four-year-old.

“She is definitely coming back and that’s the plan,” said Cotter.

“Her flamboyant style of running appeals to plenty of people and there is no doubt she will be crossing the pond to England again next year, she’s done very well over there.

“There’s a lot of options open to her, but I would say she will be travelling a fair bit next year.

“It’s very hard to hold on to a horse like her, especially when you are not one of the bigger yards, it can be hard to retain them.

“We’ve been very lucky and she’s taken us to places you could not have dreamed of going before. So we’re going to roll the dice some more.”

The pick of Matilda Picotte’s form, including her two end-of-season triumphs, has come at seven furlongs and her 2024 campaign is poised to be centred around a tilt at the Prix de la Foret, Europe’s only Group One at that distance.

However, with seven-furlong options at the highest level few and far between, Cotter has also suggested she would be capable of dropping back in distance if needed.

“It’s a hard call and she definitely has the pace for it,” added Cotter, when asked if sprinting was an option.

“There are not too many races over seven for her and I think she will probably have to have a go at it.

“I suppose the primary objective for her next year is to get a Group One for her and I think that will be top of the list.

“The Group One over seven in France, the Foret, would probably be the target, but I would imagine she would also step down to six furlongs as well, now that she is older and stronger. She’s already put on another 20 kilos and we’re very hopeful.”