Inter completed a remarkable second-half turnaround with two goals in three minutes to defeat Fiorentina 3-1 in Tuesday's Serie A clash.

Riccardo Sottil deservedly opened the scoring after wonderful play down the left flank by Nicolas Gonzalez to edge Fiorentina into a deserved lead at the Artemio Franchi.

However, Matteo Darmian's driven strike restored parity after the interval and equalled a club-record 24-match scoring run in league games, only previously achieved way back in 1949-50.

Edin Dzeko and Ivan Perisic then netted either side of Gonzalez's needless two yellow cards in the space of a minute as defending champions Inter consolidated their position at the summit.

Samir Handanovic produced two early stops in a frantic opening 10 minutes, first to deny Dusan Vlahovic's poked effort towards the top-right corner and then Cristiano Biraghi's low drive.

Joseph Alfred Duncan blasted a speculative long-range attempt, which sailed narrowly over, before Gonzalez created the opener by sliding across goal for Sottil to tap-in.

Hakan Calhanoglu's free-kick almost found the visitors an equaliser against the run of play but Bartlomiej Dragowski parried away before Inter thought they had levelled through a Marco Benassi own goal, only to be denied by an offside in the build-up.

After the break, Vlahovic wasted an opportunity to double Fiorentina's lead and was made to pay for blazing over when Darmian arrowed into the bottom-left corner after a smart offload from Nicolo Barella.

Inter inflicted another blow through Dzeko, who climbed above Biraghi to head home from Calhanoglu's outswinging corner, before Lautaro Martinez spurned a glorious chance as he dragged wide from Barella's cutback.

Substitute Alexis Sanchez should have sealed the game, but he could only curl over before Gonzalez received his marching orders for two bookable offences, both for dissent.

Perisic then completed the comeback as he tapped into an empty net after being set up by Roberto Gagliardini's pass across goal.

Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino delivered for Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool heaped on more misery for Norwich City by powering to a 3-0 win at Carrow Road in the EFL Cup.

Both forwards scored for the first time this season, Minamino's double sandwiching a fine header from Origi, as Klopp's fringe men proved too good for the Canaries.

There was a scare for Liverpool at 1-0 when Norwich were awarded a penalty, but Caoimhin Kelleher saved from Christos Tzolis as the hosts squandered their best chance.

With Norwich bottom of the Premier League after five consecutive defeats, this was a chance to lift spirits, but it only served as a reminder of their squad's shortcomings.

Liverpool took a fourth-minute lead when Minamino turned sharply inside the six-yard box after Divock Origi headed down a corner from Tsimikas. The Japanese forward fired low past Angus Gunn for the swift breakthrough.

Ibrahima Konate powered a header just over the bar from another corner as Liverpool chased a quick second goal.

Kaide Gordon, a 16-year-old winger, showed promise for Liverpool and cut in from the left in the style of Mohamed Salah before flashing a left-footed shot just wide of the right post, while Curtis Jones shot just over from 18 yards.

Norwich lacked a punch up front and that was summed up by Adam Idah's tame side-footed shot that Kelleher smothered easily, and doubly so when the goalkeeper saved the spot-kick from Tzolis with his feet after 18-year-old debutant Conor Bradley fouled Dimitris Giannoulis.

Security of a second goal came in the 50th minute when Tsimikas played a lovely cross from the byline to Origi on the edge of the six-yard box, and the striker did the rest with a precise header into the right corner.

Origi went close again as he placed a shot just wide, before Gordon smashed the ball over from a presentable chance, 10 yards out, lacking the composure that will come with experience. Minamino showed him the way with 10 minutes remaining, slotting past Gunn after being set up by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Manchester City's much-changed side negotiated their way into the EFL Cup fourth round with a 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers.

As promised, Pep Guardiola called on City's academy on Tuesday, handing five players – including all four defenders – their debuts.

That inexperience proved a vulnerability when Brandon Hanlan gave third-tier Wycombe the lead 22 minutes in, though City's quality up front told as the hosts took control by half-time.

Kevin De Bruyne restored parity with a superb finish before Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden made life more comfortable for the holders.

Ferran Torres got in on the act and Mahrez grabbed a second to put the result beyond all doubt, with Cole Palmer's first senior goal adding further gloss.

City missed some presentable chances early on and were made to pay. Zack Steffen's weak punch from a corner fell to Ryan Tafazolli, who squared to the unmarked Hanlan to lash home.

Sparked into life, however, City hit straight back – De Bruyne finding the right-hand corner after cutting in from the left following Foden's pass.

A venomous Raheem Sterling effort cracked against the left-hand post as City clicked into gear, with the same upright then denying De Bruyne a second.

Yet Wycombe's luck ran out prior to half-time. Joshua Wilson-Esbrand capped off an impressive run by squaring for Mahrez to sweep home, before the power on Foden's strike did for Wycombe keeper David Stockdale.

Anthony Stewart tried his luck from range as Wycombe searched for a way back into the game, before Jordan Obita was denied by Steffen.

Any slender comeback hopes were swiftly ended, though, with Foden sliding across for Torres to tuck in from close range.

There was time for more – Mahrez helping himself to a second before substitute Palmer rounded off an emphatic win with a crisp finish.

Phil Jones is set to make his return to action for Manchester United after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed the defender will be in his squad for the EFL Cup tie with West Ham.

The 29-year-old has not played for the Red Devils since January 2020 due to a debilitating knee problem that has dogged him throughout his career.

Jones scored on his last appearance, against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup, and opened up on his emotional recovery trail in an interview with the Times this past weekend.

After featuring for United's Under-23s, however, the centre-back is finally ready to make his return to first-team action, starting with Wednesday's clash at Old Trafford.

"I'm so happy for Phil," Solskjaer told MUTV. "He has completed two 90 minutes for the Under-23s, played some minutes behind closed doors and he's got no reaction on his knee.

"He's been working really hard. I've been part of that myself and had the best part of three years, or at least more than two out of three years, and I know what challenges he's been through, mentally, thinking 'will I ever play football again or even be able to walk again and be able to play with the kids in the garden'. 

"He's been so diligent and so professional; no frills, no social media and I'm old school. I like players like that. He just focuses on one thing and gets his head around the challenges and he's back.

"He will be in the squad. It’s a good day for him and for us, and it’s something that he has earned."

This will be the fourth EFL Cup meeting between Man Utd and West Ham, who met in the league on Sunday (United prevailing 2-1 in dramatic circumstances), with the home side progressing in each of the previous three.

West Ham have been knocked out of the competition on six of the last eight occasions when paired with fellow Premier League sides, including on each of the last three in 2017-18 (v Arsenal), 2018-19 (Spurs) and 2020-21 (Everton).

United, however, have lost their last two EFL Cup matches at Old Trafford – though both have come at the semi-final stage against Manchester City. 

The Cleveland Browns have placed wide receiver Jarvis Landry on injured reserve because of a knee injury.

Landry suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in the first quarter of the Browns' 31-21 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Having been placed on IR, Landry now must miss at least the next three games before being allowed to return to action.

That rules him out of Sunday's home game with the Chicago Bears and the trips to face the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers.

And, with Odell Beckham still yet to make his 2021 debut as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the Browns suddenly look thin at the receiver position.

There is reportedly a good chance Beckham will be ready to face the Bears, but Landry's absence means there will be more pressure on Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins and rookie Anthony Schwartz to produce for Cleveland.

Landry caught all five of his targets for 71 yards in the Browns' opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs before hauling in one pass for nine yards against the Texans.

He finished last season with 72 catches for 840 yards and three touchdowns.

The Browns can afford to have faith in Higgins, who in 2020 was third among wide receivers in burn percentage. Higgins won his match-up with a defender on a play where he was targeted 78.4 per cent of the time.

Higgins was also seventh with a big-play percentage of 43.3. Peoples-Jones (42.6 per cent) was ninth in that metric and finished the year third with 17.11 burn yards per target, albeit across the small sample size of 20 targets.

Luis Suarez led Atletico Madrid to another stunning turnaround on the road in LaLiga as they won 2-1 again at Getafe on Tuesday.

Champions Atleti had scored a 99th-minute winner in their previous away match at Espanyol having trailed at half-time and required a repeat against their latest hosts.

Stefan Mitrovic's fortuitous first-half header ended Getafe's long drought in this fixture going back to 2011 and kept them in front until a foolish red card for Carles Alena.

Suarez capitalised in typically clinical fashion, scoring twice in the closing stages to continue this remarkable trend of late heroics.

The Uruguay forward had been involved in Atleti's best chance of the opening period when they looked certain to take the lead after his volley was parried only as far as Angel Correa, but Juan Iglesias stretched to block just as the winger appeared to have a simple finish.

Instead, Getafe were in front on the stroke of the interval, keeping an attack alive when Jan Oblak failed to claim a high ball, before Mitrovic's header bounced off the post, against the goalkeeper's right hand and in.

Suarez deserved better when a looping header on 68 minutes hit the crossbar after beating David Soria, as pressure had built on the home goal throughout the second half.

It only ramped up further when Alena, already booked, was dismissed following a VAR review for an ugly stamp on the back of Matheus Cunha's calf.

Suarez soon rifled past Soria and, after Oblak had to be alert to a close-range Enes Unal attempt, the Atleti number seven was there again with a header as the clock turned 90.

Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Agarwal starred but Rajasthan Royals sneaked to a two-run win against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

Singh shone with his maiden IPL five-wicket haul to bowl Rajasthan out for 185 with the final ball before Agarwal smashed 67 from 43 balls but that proved in vain due to Kartik Tyagi's magical final over to push the Royals to victory.

Evin Lewis (36) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (49) shared a 54-run opening stand as the Royals started rapidly, with Liam Livingstone (25) and Mahipal Lomror's 17-ball 43 providing further impetus.

However, Singh (5-32) and Mohammed Shami (3-21) pegged their opponents back with some superb death bowling to carry momentum forward to their innings.

KL Rahul (49), who was dropped three times, and Agarwal then put on 120 in 11.4 overs to propel Punjab Kings towards the target before Chetan Sakariya and Rahul Tewatia removed the respective openers.

Nicholas Pooran (32) and Aiden Markram (26 not out) steadied the ship to edge their side towards victory but, with just six required off the last over, Tyagi struck twice and conceded only four runs to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

Poor fielding does not cost Rajasthan

Rahul could have been dismissed three times, with drops coming on two, 29 and 31 by Lewis, Riyan Parag and Sakariya, and then it would have been a completely different game.

Rajasthan failed to take their chances, gifting the openers the opportunity to build a match-winning stand,

Horrific Hooda

Deepak Hooda conceded 37 runs in two overs as Rahul's middle-overs gamble failed to pay off with the off-spinner carted around the ground before his two-ball duck at the end of Punjab's innings.

Indeed, Hooda only managed two dot balls in his 12-ball spell, with Lomror running riot in the 15th over as he launched 24 runs to push the Royals to a competitive total, which proved to just be enough.

Ben Simmons has no future with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to reports on Tuesday, putting the team in a very tricky position.

The 76ers were said to be in talks to trade Simmons for James Harden last season, but the Brooklyn Nets swooped in to do a deal with the Houston Rockets instead.

Simmons instead remained in Philly but again failed to impress as their playoff run ended with defeat to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The point forward is an outstanding defender, making the All-Defensive First Team in each of the past two years, but his work on the other end of the floor has been a source of constant criticism.

In four seasons with the Sixers, Simmons has averaged 15.9 points per game in the regular season, yet he has attempted only 34 shots from three-point range and made just 59.7 per cent from the foul line.

The first overall pick in 2016, Simmons still has admirers around the league but appears to be gambling someone will make a big offer.

ESPN said Simmons will not report for training camp next week and does not plan to play for the 76ers again, having communicated this message to the team last month.

But the 76ers have not yet found an attractive trade, and the issue for both parties is Simmons' stock has never been lower.

Not only does the player's stance give his team less leverage, but he is coming off a woeful postseason showing that could understandably see suitors have second thoughts.

Across Games 5, 6 and 7 against the Hawks, Simmons averaged 6.3 points from 4.7 field goal attempts.

His 34.2 per cent free-throw shooting throughout the playoffs was by far the worst rate of any player with 10 attempts or more, while he took just one shot in clutch situations.

The 76ers are likely to have to lower their expectations considerably in the trade market, as they attempt to help Joel Embiid heading into 2021-22.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski believes he can continue improving with age and does not feel the need to prove himself in another league outside of the Bundesliga.

The Poland international was speaking on Tuesday after collecting the European Golden Shoe award as the continent's top-scoring player in the 2020-21 campaign.

Lewandowski scored an incredible 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga games to surpass Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a single German top-flight season.

That was 11 goals more than Lionel Messi managed in his final LaLiga season with Barcelona and 12 more than Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Serie A for then-club Juventus.

Reigning UEFA and FIFA Player of the Year Lewandowski only failed to score in four of his 29 top-flight outings and found the net more than once on 10 occasions.

He has picked up from where he left off last season by scoring 14 goals in 10 appearances for club and country, including a goal in every game Bayern have played.

Indeed, the 33-year-old has now scored in 15 successive Bundesliga games stretching back to last season, one short of another long-standing record held by the late Muller.

The former Borussia Dortmund man was linked with Real Madrid and Chelsea during the most recent transfer window, but he is in no rush to depart the Allianz Arena.

"I don't have to prove myself in another league," he said when collecting his latest award. "I can compete with the best from other leagues in the Champions League.

"I am 100 per cent focused on Bayern Munich. I don't think about anything else but my team."

 

Lewandowski may face competition from rising star Erling Haaland to finish as the Bundesliga's top scorer this term, with the latter having also scored five goals in seven games.

But Bayern's prolific striker has warned Haaland, who has been touted as Lewandowski's successor in Bavaria, that he may not have even reached his peak.

"I am still here – and I will be here for a long time," he said. "Age is just a number. I feel very good and I have the best stats I've ever had. 

"I know that with my body I can play at the top level for years to come. I'm like a good wine and I hope to get even better."

Aaron Jones has got his father's ashes back, and it's all thanks to the late-night dedication of a Green Bay Packers stalwart.

Jones lost a necklace containing the ashes in the course of scoring four touchdowns for the Packers against the Detroit Lions on Monday night.

Although he was saddened to be parted from the necklace, Jones said after the Packers' 35-17 win: "If there was any place to lose it, that's where my dad would've wanted me to lose it, so I know he's smiling."

He was optimistic it would be found and was proven right.

Alvin Jones Sr died in April from complications related to COVID-19, having been an important guiding hand behind his son's football career.

The Packers understood the significance of the necklace and long-serving head athletic trainer Bryan Engel set out shortly before 2am to scour the end zone where Jones believed it had gone missing.

"Our trainer Bryan Engel – 'Flea' – he went out there and he found it," Jones told the Steve Czaban Show on 97.3 The Game.

"It's really small. A lot of times it just sits inside my shirt. A lot of people won't even see it or recognise it."

Engel is in his 25th year on the Packers staff and is responsible for managing the team's medical care, but he went the extra mile this time.

Asked how the necklace could prove so difficult to spot on a football field, Jones said: "I'm not sure, maybe because it's so small, but Flea found it so we're perfect.

"Thank you to him. He was out there at like 1:45am. It shows how much they care about us."

Carlo Ancelotti sympathised with Ronald Koeman's poor start at Barcelona as Real Madrid prepare for the visit of Real Mallorca on Wednesday.

Madrid left it late against Valencia last time out, scoring twice in three minutes to win 2-1 and extend their unbeaten run to 23 LaLiga games.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have only won twice in the Spanish top flight so far, most recently being held to a 1-1 draw by strugglers Granada on Monday.

Reports from Spain on Tuesday suggest that Barca are considering sacking Koeman and replacing him with Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.

However, Ancelotti warned that teams will always go through difficult periods, with his side included in the anecdote despite their impressive 13-point haul from five games this term.

"You always have problems, now everything goes well for us, but surely problems will come to us," Ancelotti responded when asked about Koeman's difficulties.

"And a coach should focus on solving problems when they come.

"If we are able to maintain this attitude and with the quality that the team has, we will move forward. The spirit is the most important lately because we have always fought to the end.

"Winning comes first but if you play well you have a better chance of winning. But what does it mean to play well? For me the key is balance, playing well with or without the ball."

Los Blancos could record their best start to a league campaign since 2013-14 – also under Ancelotti – if they beat Mallorca, who have lost more top-flight games against Madrid than any other opponent (37).

But Ancelotti refused to be drawn on questions of how his side compares to his previous team from his first tenure in Spain's capital.

"I must take into account the characteristics of these players, different from those of 2014, learn and try to put them in a good position on the field," he continued.

"That's the job. At the club they know me well and we're having a good time now I think.

"It is very good, it is a honeymoon for me. We will live good times and bad times but I will never lose the respect that I have for this club.

"And the same way backwards. Difficult times will come but we will have a good time, just as it happened in my first stage here."

Hungary have been ordered to play two home games, one suspended for two years, behind closed doors following the racial abuse of England players during their World Cup qualifier.

A 4-0 thrashing by Gareth Southgate's side in early September was overshadowed by reports of racial abuse directed at Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham by the home fans.

Objects were seen flying in Sterling's direction after his opener, with alleged monkey chants also coming from inside the Puskas Arena, as England coasted to victory.

FIFA's Disciplinary Committee has also issued the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs (£158,000), with a qualifier against Albania on October 9 the game that will be played without spectators in Budapest.

A suspended penalty of a second game was imposed by the world's governing body for a probationary period of two years.

"After analysing and taking into consideration all the circumstances of the case, specifically the seriousness of the incidents (racist words and actions, throwing of objects, lighting of fireworks, blocked stairways), the Committee decided that the MLSZ would play its next two home matches in FIFA competitions without spectators, the second match being suspended for a probationary period of two years," a FIFA statement released on Tuesday read.

"FIFA's position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of racism and violence as well as any other form of discrimination or abuse. FIFA takes a clear zero tolerance stance against such abhorrent behaviour in football."

This is not the first time Hungary have been punished by football's governing bodies. In July, Hungary were ordered to play three UEFA home competition matches without supporters after incidents of racism and homophobia at Euro 2020.

The ban applies only to UEFA competitions and so will not come into effect until the next edition of the Nations League, which will be held between June and September 2022.

Mikel Arteta is backing his kid captains to lead Arsenal out of the gloom as the Gunners launch their quest for EFL Cup silverware.

After a poor Premier League start, Arsenal have strung together 1-0 wins over Norwich City and Burnley, with Arteta pinpointing Martin Odegaard as a key factor behind their improvement.

The Gunners had lost each of their first three top-flight games, but confidence is growing before their first meeting with AFC Wimbledon in the cup on Wednesday.

Arsenal have only failed to go beyond the third round of the competition in one of the last 18 seasons.

Odegaard, who made his move permanent from Real Madrid after a loan spell at Emirates Stadium, scored the winner against Burnley last time out.

Arteta hailed the 22-year-old for the difference he is making, as well as highlighting the importance of fellow young midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, who turns 22 in October.

Experienced striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains Arsenal skipper, but the team now have others with priceless captaincy experience.

"I think we are building some leadership in the group," Arteta said. "It’s a really young group, with a lot of players under 23.

"Martin is the captain of the [Norway] national team and Sambi was the captain at Anderlecht.

"Martin has this capacity to do that with his talent, taking the ball in moments where others probably refuse to, but as well with his attitude, his rhythm and the way he presses and puts people under pressure. He's probably the first to do it.

"I was really impressed with Auba [Aubameyang] as well – I think his rhythm and high pressing was fantastic."

The last lower-league team to beat Arsenal in the EFL Cup were Walsall in 1983, and this is the first time AFC Wimbledon have reached the third round.

But Arteta insisted his focus remains on one game at a time, despite an expected one-sided affair on Wednesday when fringe first-team players are likely to be involved.

"These games are like any other game, an opportunity for anybody to show that he deserves to be in the team and we are wrong," Arteta said, quoted on the Arsenal website.

"Focus, demand the highest standards, prepare the same way or even better.

"There is a lot of coaching now going on around the team. Young players are starting to talk and communicate, and that facilitates a lot of things in the defensive phase.

"After the difficult start that we had in many different aspects, when you start to win two games, you can win the third one. You get more momentum, more confidence, everybody's back, and then you start to create a different feeling."

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has demanded his team win at last in Serie A as they bid to avoid their worst five-game start to a season for 66 years.

Allegri takes Juve to Spezia on Wednesday, having snatched just two points from his first four league games in charge, a far cry from what he was looking for on his return to the top job.

Juventus have only once begun a Serie A season without winning any of their opening five fixtures, and that was in the 1955-56 season.

This is the fourth time they have strung together four without a victory at the start of a campaign, and Allegri called on his players to make sure the wait goes on no longer.

"Our technical qualities will have to come out in the long run," Allegri said. "We have to win, and then we will begin to see things differently.

"At this moment, talking about long-term goals makes no sense, the only thing to do is to beat Spezia. We have to take it one step at a time."

Juventus looked like winning game four of their domestic campaign as Alvaro Morata gave them an early lead against Milan on Sunday, but Ante Rebic equalised late on to secure a 1-1 draw.

Consequently, Juve sat third-bottom heading into the midweek games and will face a Spezia side buoyed by a first win of the campaign at the weekend, away at Venezia.

 

Allegri returned to begin a second spell as head coach in the close season, replacing the sacked Andrea Pirlo, but it has been far from smooth sailing so far.

"Compared to the match against Milan there will be some changes," Allegri told a news conference, ahead of the trip to Spezia. "We're playing every three days and some players will have played six to seven matches in a row between the national team and Juventus. Spezia won in Venice by creating a lot of chances, they are a carefree team that play without excessive worries. Playing in their stadium is not easy."

Allegri said his team are "still making too many technical mistakes" and pointed to them failing to win a string of loose balls midway through the Milan game.

The "feverish" Giorgio Chiellini misses out for Juve, but Allegri confirmed Matthijs de Ligt and Federico Chiesa, substitutes against Milan, would start.

He wants to see more from Chiesa, who shone for Italy at Euro 2020 but has had a shaky start for his club this term.

In the second year of his loan from Fiorentina, Chiesa has played just 100 minutes and started only one domestic league game so far in 2021-22, creating two chances for others and having three shots, each of which went on target.

He awaits a first goal or assist in Serie A this season, having managed nine in each column last term.

"He must understand how to manage himself for 90 minutes, when to accelerate and when to brake," Allegri said. "And we all have to grow. So do I.

"You don't need to hammer the players. You need to understand what to do to grow. We are working together to reach important goals, both at the level of team results and personal growth."

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