Lawrence Shankland’s brace helped Hearts to a 2-1 victory away to Motherwell whose winless streak now stands at nine games.

The striker netted in each half to send Steven Naismith’s men up into fourth place in the cinch Premiership, just two points off third.

Blair Spittal converted a 78th-mintue penalty to reduce the deficit but Hearts held on to record a precious away victory.

Motherwell made one change from the midweek draw with St Johnstone, with Theo Bair in for Brodie Spencer.

Hearts, in turn, made three changes after losing the Viaplay Cup semi-final to Rangers. In came Liam Boyce, Alan Forrest and Alex Lowry, with Toby Sibbick, Jorge Grant and Kenneth Vargas making way

It was the visitors who had the first chance with Lowry curling an effort wide, before Bair headed off target from Spittal’s corner at the other end.

Hearts should have moved in front after 16 minutes. Calum Butcher was dispossessed in defence by Shankland, with Lowry then picking out Boyce. The Northern Irishman, though, took too long before eventually sliding his shot wide.

The visitors, however, did take the lead after 27 minutes. Lowry’s corner was headed goalwards by Frankie Kent for Shankland to help over the line from close range.

Hearts appealed for a penalty just minutes later when Boyce’s run into the block was obstructed by Dan Casey. Referee David Munro was asked by VAR to take a look at the screen but felt it did not merit a spot kick, much to Motherwell’s relief.

The visitors began the second half off still on top and Stephen Kingsley saw a near-post effort from a corner blocked before Shankland volleyed the next delivery well off target.

The striker then appealed for a penalty after a collision with Callum Slattery but VAR had a look and decided not to call the referee over for a second opinion, with the game resuming with a Motherwell free-kick.

Hearts did finally manage to get their second goal after 72 minutes and again it was Shankland who scored it.

Beni Baningime threaded a terrific pass through that Lowry dummied, allowing it to run through to Shankland, who took the ball around goalkeeper Liam Kelly before finishing well.

Motherwell were handed a lifeline five minutes later when Alex Cochrane was adjudged to have handled in the box and Spittal stroked home the penalty.

The home side rallied after that but despite late pressure never looked like finding an equaliser.

Gordon Elliott enjoyed another good day at the office as the trainer claimed the first five races at Down Royal.

Elliott arrived on a high having sent out six winners at the track on Friday and he picked up where he left off in the opening Lisburn And Castlereagh City Council 3-Y-O Hurdle, with Jack Kennedy and 1-4 favourite Wodhooh hitting the target.

The filly is a former Flat performer and has won twice over hurdles since joining Elliott from Sir Michael Stoute, with this success likely to lead to a step up in grade.

Elliott said: “She’s tough and he (Kennedy) said it probably would have suited more if they had gone faster. He said he was kind of on his own in front and she was looking around her.

“She’s tough, she has won three now and she hasn’t done anything wrong.

“She will probably go to Newbury now for the Listed hurdle on December 2.”

Next was the turn of Down Memory Lane, a JP McManus-owned five-year-old who had a point-to-point and a bumper victory under his belt as he came into his hurdles debut the 2-7 favourite.

Under Derek O’Connor, the gelding won by three lengths despite a less than fluent jump at the last in the Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle.

“Derek was very happy but it wasn’t a wonderful race on paper, so you would be disappointed if he didn’t do that. I liked what I saw there,” Elliott said.

“We’ll get him home and see how he is and make a plan, I think we’ll stick to two miles at the moment.

“He has loads of boot and Derek seemed to be fairly happy, and he doesn’t say much, so he looks a good one.”

The Listed Haslem Hotel Handicap Hurdle was then won by Magic Tricks and Carl Millar, a two-length triumph at odds of 5-1.

“Carl gave him a nice ride, he’s got a chance this young lad. He’s with us a couple of years and he has waited his turn and is working hard,” Elliott said.

“He was riding ponies around Dublin two years ago and has come on a long way. He’s going to get plenty of chances. In fairness, he did exactly what we told him to do.

“He (Magic Tricks) has had a few problems, but it is great to do that. Cheekpieces might have helped him today.

“If he didn’t win today, I was going to go chasing with him, but I don’t know now – we’ll see.”

Gerri Colombe obliged in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, after which Elliott scored for a final time on the card as Kennedy and Ash Tree Meadow won a two-runner renewal of the Grade Two racingtv.com/freetrial Chase as the 8-15 favourite.

“We didn’t put him in the John Durkan. We will probably give him a break now as he has been in all summer and we will train him back for some of the Grand Nationals next year,” Elliott said.

“I could run him in the Grand National (at Aintree) in the spring. We were going to go to the American Grand National with him, but he is a French-bred and couldn’t go with his bloods.”

Elliott also sent out two winners at Gowran, taking his tally over the two days to 13.

He added: “A great day but, as I said before, I am very lucky with the horses I have and all the staff. I’m delighted for all the owners too.”

A dominant first-half performance saw Fleetwood stroll to a 3-0 Sky Bet League One win at home to struggling Exeter.

Ryan Broom, Brendan Wiredu and Phoenix Patterson gave the hosts a three-goal half-time lead and Exeter, without a league win since mid-September, never looked likely to turn their fortunes around.

Broom opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Danny Mayor split the defence with his through ball into Broom’s path and he coolly slipped the ball under Viljami Sinisalo.

The goalkeeper did well to keep his side in the game moments later, denying Promise Omochere at close range from Broom’s cross, and recovering well to parry Mayor’s follow-up effort.

He could do nothing to prevent the Cod Army’s second goal shortly after the half-hour mark, however. Patterson’s corner fell perfectly for Wiredu, who was unmarked just three yards out, and had a simple task to nod in number two.

Fleetwood felt they should have had a penalty when Exeter right-back Pierce Sweeney brought Patterson down minutes before the break. Referee Thomas Kirk awarded a free-kick a foot outside the corner of the penalty area.

Undeterred, Patterson sent a fine dead-ball effort over the wall and just inside the near post.

The Grecians showed signs of life early in the second half but Jay Lynch saved from Zak Jules, with Yanic Wildschut seeing his follow-up deflected wide while Ilmari Niskanen was off-target with his chance.

But any faint hopes of a comeback soon fizzled out and, with Fleetwood rarely troubled, they eased to victory.

Harry Kane continued his prolific start to life at Bayern Munich with a brace as the reigning Bundesliga champions held off a fightback from newcomers Heidenheim to claim a 4-2 victory.

Kane put Bayern in charge with two first-half goals – taking his tally to 21 in all competitions for the German giants – but the visitors threatened to stage a stunning upset as Tim Kleindienst and Jan-Niklas Beste struck within three minutes of each other after the break to draw level.

The drama continued as the hosts quickly regained their lead just minutes later through Raphael Guerreiro before Maxim Choupo-Moting’s header sealed victory for Thomas Tuchel’s men.

The three points sends Bayern top of the Bundesliga, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen who face Union Berlin on Sunday.

Bayern’s first chance came in the opening minutes following a Leroy Sane free-kick, which found Dayot Upamecano but the defender’s header flew wide and Sane went close himself just minutes later when his volley was blocked.

Kane’s impressive form continued as he put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute after Sane sprinted down the right flank to find the England captain in the box and he turned to fire into the corner.

Heidenheim had a chance to level moments later when Kleindienst smashed the ball wide and Sane nearly doubled the lead at the other end after being threaded through by Kane, but his effort flew wide.

Beste did well to cut in from the left but was unable to trouble the Bayern defence when his shot missed the target before Bouna Sarr had an excellent chance for the hosts saved by Kevin Muller.

Sane and Kane’s fantastic partnership struck again in the 44th minute as the winger’s corner picked out Kane in the box and he rose highest to head home into the top corner, earning his 17th league goal of the season.

Kane nearly claimed a third successive Bundesliga hat-trick in the 58th minute after Sane played him through but Muller did well to block the shot with his leg.

With Bayern seemingly well on course for victory, Heidenheim suddenly mounted a quick comeback with two goals in three minutes.

They pulled one back in the 67th minute on the break when Eren Dinkci picked out Kleindienst at the back post and he made no mistake this time.

The promoted side then equalised when a mistake from Bayern defender Kim Min-jae saw Beste pounce on a loose pass to fire over Manuel Neuer, but the frantic action continued as Bayern retook the lead two minutes later.

A brilliant cross by Konrad Laimer found Choupo-Moting and, although Muller reacted well to save his effort, Guerreiro raced onto the rebound to blast the ball into the bottom corner, scoring his first Bayern goal.

On the hunt for another treble, Kane fired over the bar before having an effort blocked but an unmarked Choupo-Moting put the game to bed in the 85th minute, nodding the ball into the bottom corner.

Rubaud brought up a fabulous Wincanton four-timer for Paul Nicholls with a dominant display in the JenningsBet Elite Hurdle.

Sent off the 1-2 favourite in the hands of Harry Cobden, the five-year-old was always to the fore and dealt with the brief challenge of Gary Moore’s Hansard with the minimum of fuss to run out a four-and-a-quarter-length winner.

It was Rubaud’s fourth successive victory having thrived at Kempton on his reappearance and he now looks set for a potential clash with Constitution Hill at the Sunbury track in the Christmas Hurdle.

“He is just improving rapidly,” said Nicholls. “He goes a gallop, he jumps and he quickens. He sprinted away from the back of the last there and you wouldn’t know what is in the back of the tank. We like improving horses like that.

“It was a nice race at Kempton Park and he has improved since then. I loved the way he quickened over the back of the second last after he winged that. I could see Harry was sat in front just waiting.

“The plan is to go to the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day then come back here for the Kingwell after Christmas. When they start improving, you don’t know where they will end up and the Christmas Hurdle will give us a marker where we are.

“Someone has got to take Constitution Hill on. We will go there and if we finished second we will be delighted.

“He will be a lovely two-mile chaser next season. We will just pick our races this season with him.”

Knappers Hill proved a fitting winner for the champion trainer as he carried the famous colours of Nicholls’ late landlord and great friend Paul Barber to victory in the Boodles “Rising Stars” Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old is now owned by Barber’s sons, Chris and Giles, in partnership with Paul Vogt and last year’s Elite Hurdle winner produced an exceptional display to open his account over fences and score on the card for the second year running.

The victory enhanced the trainer’s exceptional record in the race, with Betfair cutting Knappers Hill to 20-1 from 33-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Nicholls said: “It is great that all of Paul’s family are here today. Paul would have been proud of that. He has been so good to me, and I’ve missed him a lot this year. He left a big hole in my life. This has been the target, to try to win this.

“I’m a bit emotional really as Paul would have loved that. He loved that horse as well. He went to see him every day. To see him win in his colours, he would have absolutely loved that. That was brilliant.

“We purchased him together at the Goffs Land Rover (stores) sale and he has just never stopped winning. He will run in Paul’s colours this season which is brilliant. The boys will love this.”

Nicholls suggested Newbury’s Coral John Francome Novices’ Chase on December 1 as a possible next port of call.

The Ditcheat handler got on the scoreboard in the very first race when Meatloaf took the EBF Stallions “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle in taking fashion.

A bumper winner at the track in the spring, this was the perfect hurdling bow and his handler believes he could be a Grade One operator before the season ends.

Nicholls said: ““He is a smart horse and I like him a lot. He won two races last season, and he was not beaten not far at Cheltenham (on New Year’s Day). He will get better with experience.

“He is sharp and two miles is fine for him. He might even progress to run at Aintree in that Grade One (Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day).”

Nicholls’ afternoon got even better in the Boodles Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase when Huelgoat wore down 3-1 favourite Enjoy Your Life.

It continued a fine weekend for conditional rider Freddie Gingell, who won Friday’s Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter, and the champion trainer was eager to praise the young jockey.

He said: “He was on the floor at the cross fence, but it ended up being a good result. Freddie gave him a super ride. I’ve sort of aimed him at this race.”

Nicholls was denied a five-timer when Fergal O’Brien’s 7-2 favourite Horaces Pearl edged out Ditcheat’s Roman Roy in the concluding Join The Harry Fry Racing Syndicate Open National Hunt Flat Race, while Anthony Honeyball supplemented his victory in the feature Badger Beer Chase by claiming the JenningsBet Richard Barber Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle with 18-1 shot Good Luck Charm.

England bowed out of the World Cup and ushered in the end of an era as their old stagers mustered one last victory over Pakistan.

The defending champions of 2019 were making their final stand in India, their timid departure from the tournament long confirmed and the break-up of a decorated team already in motion, but managed to sign off with a 93-run win at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

David Willey is the only member of the current squad to have formally announced his retirement – a direct consequence of being the only one without a central contract – but this is an old group, past its prime in the 50-over format and ripe for renewal.

That process will start on Sunday morning, when squads are announced for next month’s white-ball tour of the West Indies, but there was a final opportunity for this band of thirtysomething trailblazers to get over the line together and guarantee a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Ben Stokes took a familiar leading role in proceedings, following up his century against the Netherlands by top-scoring with 84 – a coincidental mirror image of his score in the World Cup final four years ago – with Joe Root making 60 in a final score 337 for nine.

Pakistan were 244 all out in reply, Willey writing his own farewell as figures of three for 56 left him with exactly 100 ODI wickets. The finishing touch was applied by Chris Woakes, who made Haris Rauf his 31st victim at World Cups, breaking Sir Ian Botham’s English record.

Stokes and Root have been standard bearers for this generation and they took the chance to put on 132 in what will probably be their last partnership together outside of Test cricket.

Returning to the scene of his personal heartbreak in 2016, when Carlos Brathwaite hit him for four consecutive sixes to snatch the T20 World Cup from England’s grasp, Stokes managed to bank a few good memories of his own at the famous old ground.

After being handed a life on 10, when Shaheen Afridi spilled a return catch, he reeled off 11 boundaries and two maximums of his own. One was reminiscent of the Brathwaite assault, clubbed over long-on, but the other was a work of even greater skill and imagination.

Switching his hands against Agha Salman, he slogged a reverse-lap all the way over the ropes at deep third and tumbled the floor as he followed through.

Root’s innings was a more workmanlike affair, but after a six-game lean streak he made sure to get a score on the board. His first 58 deliveries contained only one boundary – off a wayward full toss – but he kept Stokes company and caught up a little as he went on.

In the process he became the first England batter to pass 1,000 runs in World Cup cricket and levelled former captain Eoin Morgan’s record of 55 half-centuries.

Shaheen returned to dismiss both of them before further damage was done, Stokes losing his off stump to a yorker and Root miscuing a slower ball.

Earlier, England had enjoyed their most productive powerplay of the tournament as Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow piled on 72 without loss. Malan’s 31 took his tally for the tournament to 404 – a hundred clear of his nearest challenger – and Bairstow’s 59 was his best of the trip. But amid the clamour for change it is hard to see either man with a long-term role in the ODI setup.

Change is coming and neither 36-year-old Malan nor 34-year-old Bairstow, with a Test career to serve and a major leg break in his recent past, may be able to resist.

The last 10 overs there were suitably chaotic, with 97 runs scored, seven wickets falling and five sixes peppering the stands. Jos Buttler (27 in 18 balls), Harry Brook (30 in 17) and Willey (15 off five) were among those to play their part.

Pakistan had arrived with a tiny chance of reaching the semi-finals but needed to bat first to keep it even faintly realistic. By the time they began their chase all hope had gone.

But there was still time for Willey, who has enjoyed an unlikely lap of honour since announcing his retirement in the midst of England’s losing streak, to produce on his last turn with the new ball.

He had Abdullah Shafique lbw with an inswinger in his first over and the dangerous power-hitter Fakhar Zaman caught on the charge in his second.

Pakistan’s most reliable duo held things up with a 51-run stand but Babar Azam dragged a Gus Atkinson bouncer straight to short midwicket and Mohammed Rizwan was clean bowled by sharp turn from Moeen Ali.

That was the first of four successive wickets to spin as Moeen and Adil Rashid played tricks on a wearing pitch. Willey and Woakes were both able to celebrate their landmarks as England secured seventh in the table, Stokes settling underneath the match-winning catch.

Brian Ellison made the most of switch to the all-weather for the Virgin Bet November Handicap as Onesmoothoperator enjoyed a fortuitous victory.

The contest is usually the finale of the British Flat season on the turf at Doncaster, but flooding forced the fixture on to Newcastle’s synthetic surface instead.

The move inspired Ellison to enter his five-year-old in the race and veto an intended run in a Sedgefield novices’ hurdle.

The decision proved a wise one as Onesmoothoperator, who had raced in midfield under Ben Robinson, snuck through on the inside rail in the final furlong.

From there he locked horns with Charlie Johnston’s Struth but came out on top to succeed at odds of 15-2 by a neck.

Ellison said “We weren’t even going to run him in it until it got switched to here, we were going to take him to Sedgefield for a novice hurdle!

“We bought him to go hurdling. This has been a lucky race for me, I’ve won it three times now.

“He likes it here, though, he needs them to go a strong gallop and he got a brilliant ride. He made his move around the top bend and you know you have to be up the rail.

“I think the horse has deserved a big one because he’s a funny one, you have to ride him for luck. Luckily enough today they got racing early and it all worked out.

“More than likely we’ll still go hurdling but he must have good ground. He’s an absolutely brilliant jumper.

“We’ve run him once over hurdles but they absolutely walked round and that was no good to him, he finished second. We might give him a pop just for a change. We’ll see what’s around.”

Jack Draper missed out on a first ATP Tour title as he was edged out by Adrian Mannarino in the final of the Sofia Open.

The 21-year-old was the youngest British player to reach an ATP Tour decider since Andy Murray in 2009 but he was unable to find a way past the wily French veteran.

Mannarino, 35, has been in excellent form and one break in the deciding set proved enough for him to secure a 7-6 (6) 2-6 6-3 victory in the Bulgarian capital.

Draper dropped serve in the opening game but hit back straight away and there was nothing to choose between them until the first point against serve at 6-6 in the tie-break.

The powerful Englishman found the perfect response with a break at the start of the second set and looked to be in the ascendancy going into the third.

But Mannarino began to apply some consistent pressure to his serve and a break for 4-2 proved the crucial moment, with Draper unable to convert two chances in the final game.

It has nevertheless been an excellent week for the young Londoner, who was on a nine-match winning streak after lifting a title on the second tier Challenger Tour last week in Bergamo.

Draper is next set to be in action in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Malaga later this month, where it would be a big surprise if he was not given the nod as second singles player.

Ange Postecoglou insists Tottenham must accept the pain of defeat after Wolves’ stunning late show.

Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina scored in stoppage time to cap an astonishing finish, seal a 2-1 win and deny Spurs top spot in the Premier League.

Brennan Johnson’s first Tottenham goal had given them an early lead and they were set to move two points clear at the summit despite riding their luck for much of the game.

But, instead, Spurs have suffered successive defeats following Monday’s 4-1 loss to Chelsea.

Postecoglou said: “It’s part of the pain of football when things happen in those circumstances. You’ve just got to take it. I can’t fault the players’ effort or their commitment. It was always going to be a tough game.

“We started well but we could have been a little bit more positive and aggressive with the ball. I’ve got to temper that with the fact we have had so many changes and we’re not going to get the same, especially when three of your back four are almost starting for the first time.

“We’ve had a particularly settled line-up. You could see they were feeling it towards the end. For the most part Wolves didn’t have many big chances but at the end they scored. Wolves were able to lift themselves, particularly with the crowd behind them.

“The character and commitment was there, don’t dismiss that. The guys have played their first game of the year and you are changing three of the back four so it’s fairly disruptive. There are plenty of positives to take.”

Johnson gave Spurs, without injured pair James Maddison and Micky van de Ven until January, a third-minute lead when he turned in Pedro Porro’s cross from close range but, from then, Wolves took control.

Their tenacity and determination left Tottenham struggling but the hosts’ final ball let them down.

It took until nine minutes into the second half for a clear chance but, when it came, Hwang Hee-Chan scuffed wide with just Guglielmo Vicario to beat.

Tottenham looked like they would hang on, even going close to a second when Jose Sa turned Giovani Lo Celso’s shot over, before Wolves finally found the breakthrough.

Substitute Sarabia, on the pitch for just two minutes, levelled when he collected Matheus Cunha’s neat pass and smashed a volley past Vicario.

It was a deserved leveller but Wolves wanted more and got it in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Tommy Doyle’s quick free-kick sent Sarabia away and he picked out Lemina, running from deep, to poke the ball into the bottom corner.

Boss Gary O’Neil said: “It was the most proud I have been of a group I have coached, to produce what they produced against a top side.

“I would have been very proud of the group even if the game had finished 1-0 to Tottenham. I spoke to the boys at half-time, that the scoreline was irrelevant. We were the better side, don’t let the scoreline dictate how you feel.

“I try to make the team resemble me but I was never good enough to produce a performance like that.

“To be 12 weeks in, we’re ahead of where we expected to be. There was a lot of noise around the place about how much of a struggle it might be but we’ve beaten Man City and Spurs, the top two, early on in the transition. We’re ahead of the curve.”

Jodie Burrage suffered a nightmare Billie Jean King Cup debut as hot favourites Great Britain fell behind against Sweden at London’s Copper Box.

The visitors were without their top two players through injury, leaving 372nd-ranked Kajsa Rinaldo Persson as their number one, but she overcame a rankings gap of nearly 300 places to defeat Burrage 6-4 6-1 in the opening rubber of the play-off tie.

Burrage had led 4-0 in the first set but from there completely collapsed, losing eight games in a row and 12 of the next 13 as Sweden took a 1-0 lead.

Burrage was unhappy to miss out on selection for the last two teams and had more than justified her debut with a strong season, breaking into the top 100 for the first time and establishing herself as the clear British number two behind Katie Boulter.

She could not have asked for a better start, saving break points in the opening game and then breaking serve twice in a row.

But Burrage’s confidence proved fragile and the occasion began to overwhelm her as Persson worked her way calmly back into the set.

Routine shots from the 24-year-old were flying yards long and her unforced error count hit 23 as a sixth game in a row went the way of Persson.

The capacity crowd of 5,500 tried to lift her in the second set and she finally stopped the run of games against her to make it 1-2, but she could not mount a comeback, with Persson now playing well above her lowly ranking.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham was ruled out of Real Madrid’s LaLiga clash against Valencia with a shoulder injury.

The in-form 20-year-old, who has scored 13 goals in 14 Real appearances since his £88.5million summer switch from Borussia Dortmund, suffered a dislocated shoulder during last Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano.

Bellingham was this week included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

A Real Madrid statement issued on Saturday said: “After the tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham, he has been diagnosed with anterior instability of his left shoulder, a consequence of his recent dislocation.

“Bellingham is out for today’s match against Valencia.”

Bellingham was named among the substitutes for Wednesday night’s 3-0 Champions League win over Portuguese side Braga, but manager Carlo Ancelotti did not use him as his side cruised to victory.