Bayer Leverkusen must treat their dramatic victory over Wolfsburg as a "huge wake-up call", so says Granit Xhaka. 

Bundesliga champions Leverkusen pulled off a stunning comeback to win 4-3 on Sunday.

Victor Boniface scored a 93rd-minute winner, with Leverkusen having to come from 3-2 down after Wolfsburg scored twice in the space of nine minutes at the end of the first half.

And Xhaka, who assisted Florian Wirtz's 14th-minute goal to cancel out Wolfsburg's early opener, knows there is plenty of room for improvement.

"This is a huge wake-up call for all of us. We can't continue with this performance," Xhaka told DAZN.

"We can't defend so naively. That's not good enough and shouldn't happen at this level. A top team doesn't concede two goals in nine minutes! It was all far too easy."

Xabi Alonso's men have now conceded nine goals in the league, and are the first defending champions to go without a clean sheet in the first four Bundesliga games of the season since Kaiserslautern in 1998-99.

Boniface, meanwhile, looked on the brighter side.

"We knew how Wolfsburg would play and what we were up against," he said.

"We really wanted to turn the game around for our fans.

"We managed to do that. Now, of course, we're very happy."

Trent Alexander-Arnold says winning trophies is his key consideration as talks continue over a possible extension to his Liverpool contract.

Alexander-Arnold is into the final year of his contract at Anfield, meaning he could sign a pre-contract agreement with a team abroad as early as January, and as it stands is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

Spanish and European champions Real Madrid have been credited with an interest in the right-back.

Yet the 25-year-old, who moved onto 100 goal contributions in his Liverpool career when he teed up Luis Diaz in Saturday's 3-0 win over Bournemouth, insisted he has not made a decision on his future.

However, the lure of winning silverware on a consistent basis is what will drive his decision.

"The most important thing is trophies if I'm honest," Alexander-Arnold told reporters, as quoted by The Athletic.

"I want to win trophies. I’m a player who is highly motivated by winning things and being elite.

"That's probably the main factor of anything. If you have a personality that's elite, who wants to win and will do anything to win then that's what drives them.

"I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. This one won't be either."

Alexander-Arnold did, at least, commit his immediate future to Liverpool.

"I want to be a Liverpool player this season is what I will say," he added.

"For now I'm completely focused on this season – how many goals, assists, clean sheets can I get and hopefully do enough to help us win the league."

Alexander-Arnold is not the only big name with an uncertain future at Anfield, with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah also out of contract at the end of the season.

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck urged his side to learn from a "harsh lesson" after Nottingham Forest snatched a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Welbeck curled home a delightful free-kick for his 70th Premier League goal, with that finish coming after Jack Hinshelwood's 42nd-minute header had cancelled out Chris Wood's early penalty.

Fabian Hurzeler's side appeared in control of the Amex Stadium clash, until Jota Silva was released on a decisive counter-attack before teeing up Ramon Sosa's 70th-minute equaliser.

Though Brighton have now managed to start a top-flight season unbeaten in five games for the first time in history, Welbeck acknowledged the Seagulls must use this draw to improve.

"Considering the position we were in, 2-1 up, the feeling is disappointment. It is really hard to take," the former Arsenal and Manchester United forward told Sky Sports.

"It is a harsh lesson for us but it is one we have to analyse and work through on the training pitch and make sure if we are in this position again it doesn't happen again.

"The game has ended in a draw again when we really should have closed it out so it is really frustrating. A lot of disappointment in the dressing room and in the whole club, fans included."

Welbeck left Matz Sels rooted to the spot with his first-half strike, marking his only goal in the Premier League from a free-kick, with what was just his fourth such attempt.

"I've had a couple of close ones recently and it fell nicely for me," the veteran striker said of his fine finish. 

"It was in a spot where I fancied my chance and it was a good free kick, one that I am happy with. We move on to the next one now."

An enthralling clash was somewhat overshadowed by Morgan Gibbs-White's late red card, with both head coaches – Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo – also dismissed for their furious touchline reactions.

Hurzeler's enforced exit left Brighton coach Andrew Crofts to take post-match media duties, though he was left slightly confused with the referee's decision.

"Late in the game where we're trying to push to win the game and there's a foul right by our bench. The player is going for the ball but it felt like a foul, their bench felt differently," Crofts told BBC Sport.

"I didn't see too much of it but the referee sent the managers off. I'm not 100% sure [why Hurzeler was sent off]. I haven't seen it back. I'll ask him when I see him.

"We're frustrated. We felt we should have won the game. We created lots of chances [but] we probably would have wanted to create more chances."

Nuno's assistant coach Rui Silva echoed a similar bemusement after both head coaches were given their marching orders.

"From my point of view, from the bench Morgan's tackle looked like a fair tackle [on Joao Pedro]," Silva told BBC's Match of the Day. "A strong one but a fair one, not one to hurt anyone. 

"The referee has a different point of view, we don't have to agree but that is the decision he made.

"Then on the coaches, I did not hear anything. It was an emotional moment. I did not hear anything from the mouth of Nuno that said anything towards the referee, he only stated his point of view.

"He was of course probably emotional but nothing more than his point of view. The Premier League is very intense, so it is normal for the game to be intense for us on the bench as well.

"We are always respectful to the referees, nothing against them, just us living the game."

Manchester City were dealt a potentially huge blow as they lost Rodri to an apparent knee injury 20 minutes into Sunday's clash with Arsenal.

Erling Haaland's 100th City goal put Pep Guardiola's team ahead at the Etihad Stadium in the weekend's headline Premier League encounter.

However, key midfielder Rodri - who was making his first league start of the season - was soon down on the turf after taking a tumble in the penalty area.

Rodri went down under pressure from Thomas Partey, though replays showed there was no blame to be attached to the Arsenal man.

City's medical staff treated Rodri's right knee before the Spain international - who this week hit out at the hectic fixture schedule - was taken off and replaced by Mateo Kovacic.

Just 36 seconds later, Arsenal drew level through Riccardo Calafiori's stunning effort.

Rodri had been in the thick of it from the off, as he went down in the opening seconds, clutching his neck and face after a collision with Kai Havertz.

The former Atletico Madrid man played 50 times for City in all competitions last season, missing just nine games.

However, such is his importance to Guardiola's team, their win percentage dropped from 76% to 55.6% without Rodri in the side, with their points per game dropping from 2.5 to 1.7.

Erling Haaland reached 100 goals for Manchester City on Sunday with an early opener in their huge Premier League clash with Arsenal.

The Norwegian raced onto Savinho's pass before prodding a nonchalant finish past David Raya to give City a ninth-minute lead, though the Gunners did respond through 
Riccardo Calafiori's stunner.

It was Haaland's 10th Premier League goal on just his fifth outing of 2024-25, and his 100th for City across all competitions in a mere 105 appearances – and exactly 100 starts.

Haaland took to life in the Premier League like a duck to water following his move from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, and his relentless goalscoring pace is almost unmatched among fellow modern-day striking greats.

He needed precisely the same amount of games to net 100 goals for City as five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo did upon joining Real Madrid from Manchester United (105).

The likes of Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich (136 games) and Lionel Messi at Barcelona (188) needed significantly more appearances to reach a ton for those clubs, while Sergio Aguero required 158 to bring up his own century for City.

 

Seventy-three of Haaland's City goals have now come in the Premier League, with only Aguero (184) and Raheem Sterling (91) netting more goals in the competition for City.

Sunday's strike also saw Haaland break a record he had previously matched back in his debut season with City in 2022-23.

Upon first joining Pep Guardiola's side, Haaland hit 10 goals in his first six Premier League games – the joint-fewest matches needed to reach doubled figures at the start of a campaign in the competition, alongside Mick Quin in 1992-93.

Hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham, as well as a brace against Brentford, have helped Haaland better that pace this term.

Haaland also set the record for most Premier League goals in a single season in 2022-23, with 36. 

With 10 to his name before the end of September, Haaland will surely be eyeing a new record this campaign.

Victor Boniface delivered a 93rd-minute winner as Bayer Leverkusen pulled off a stunning Bundesliga comeback for a 4-3 victory over Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Nordi Mukiele turned into his own net in the fourth minute, but Xabi Alonso's hosts levelled nine minutes later when Florian Wirtz struck from the edge of the box at BayArena.

Jonathan Tah edged the hosts ahead with a cool header in the 32nd minute but their lead was short-lived as the visitors equalised from Sebastiaan Bornauw's headed finish.

Further Wolfsburg joy followed when Mattias Svanberg went on a driving run in Leverkusen's half and curled past goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky on the stroke of half-time.

Alonso made two changes at the break and those alterations soon paid dividends when Piero Hincapie headed home Aleix Garcia's 48th-minute cross to make it 3-3.

Wolfsburg's Yannick Gerhardt was then sent off in the 88th minute, with substitute Boniface making use of the one-man advantage to rifle home a loose ball in the penalty area for the winner.

Data Debrief: Boniface heroics mask defensive issues

Boniface proved the late hero after following up his two goals and an assist against Hoffenheim last time out, the second instance of the striker managing three goal involvements in a single Bundesliga game.

Yet the Leverkusen forward's heroics cannot mask Alonso's defensive issues, having shipped another three goals here despite only facing an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.66.

Alonso's men have now conceded nine goals in the league, and are the first defending champions to go without a clean sheet in the first four Bundesliga games of the season since Kaiserslautern in 1998-99.

Fortunately, Leverkusen continue to impress at the other end, accumulating 1.92 xG from 20 attempts on goal as they profited from deadly finishing from the chances they created.

Lando Norris lauded an "amazing race" as McLaren's Singapore Grand Prix dominance secured a comfortable ending for the winner.

Norris claimed his third win of the Formula One season on Sunday, further closing the gap in the drivers' championship to Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman's lead has now been slashed to 52 points but the defending champion remains the favourite to regain his crown.

That will not take away from another success for Norris, however, with the Briton relishing further success in 2024.

"It was an amazing race," Norris told Sky Sports. "A few too many close calls – I had a couple of little moments in the middle – but it was well controlled, I think, otherwise.

"The car was mega. I could push, we were flying the whole race, and at the end I could just chill. So it was a nice race, still tough, I'm a bit out of breath, but a fun one."

With Verstappen finishing just behind Norris, Oscar Piastri completed a superb weekend for McLaren by coming in third ahead of Mercedes' George Russell.

It could have been a different story for Norris and McLaren, though, with the 24-year-old brushing the barriers on more than one occasion.

"It's not that you are necessarily over-pushing, sometimes it can even be that you are just chilling too much," Norris said of those near-misses.

"Maybe it was a bit of both, I don't know what it is. It's tricky. It's still tough out there and easy to lock the tyres as I did.

"I still pushed, I didn't want to have a one-second lead, I wanted to have the biggest lead possible."

Norris has now equalled Stirling Moss and John Surtees on 24 podiums, meaning David Coulthard (62) and Eddie Irvine (26) are the only Britons to have secured more F1 podium finishes without winning a world championship.

Caitlin Clark lived up to the lofty expectations as one of the most highly touted rookies in WNBA history, and has been rewarded.

The WNBA announced Sunday that the Indian Fever star was unanimously chosen as the league's Rookie of the Year.

After a phenomenal collegiate career, Clark was the first pick of this year's draft and made an immediate impact on the court and also by helping the WNBA gain popularity worldwide.

She broke the league's single-season assist mark with 337 - including a WNBA-record 19 in one game - and scored the most points ever by a rookie with an average of 19.2 per game.

Clark, who finished fourth in MVP voting and was named to the AP All-WNBA first team, also helped lead the Fever to their first play-off berth since 2016.

She is joined on the all-rookie team by Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso of the Chicago Sky, New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich and Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson.

 

Brighton and Nottingham Forest maintained their unbeaten Premier League starts as an entertaining 2-2 draw resulted in both sides missing the chance to leap into the top four.

The pair, along with Manchester City and Arsenal before their heavyweight clash on Sunday, remain as the only sides undefeated in the competition this season after a chaotic encounter at the Amex Stadium.

Chris Wood sent the visitors ahead with a 12th-minute penalty, only for Jack Hinshelwood's fine header to restore parity before Danny Welbeck curled a sumptuous free-kick past Matz Sels on the stroke of half-time.

Welbeck should have made it 3-1 but was denied by the sprawling legs of Sels early into the second half, and that superb stop proved pivotal with 20 minutes remaining.

Ramon Sosa snatched the equaliser against the run of play, with fellow substitute Jota Silva selflessly offloading for his team-mate after breaking through Brighton's high line.

Morgan Gibbs-White was then dismissed for two cautions, with Fabian Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo both following for their touchline reactions, in an ill-tempered ending that befitted an enthralling clash.

Data Debrief: Free-kick delight for Welbeck

Welbeck's first-half goal turned this clash on its head, marking his 70th strike in the Premier League, but his very first from a direct free-kick with what was only his fourth set-piece attempt.

Indeed, Brighton have only scored four Premier League goals via a direct free-kick but all have come from different players, with Welbeck joining Pascal Gross, Alexis Mac Allister and Lewis Dunk.

That Seagulls set-piece success proved to matter for little, however, as Nuno's roll of the dice from the bench paid dividends yet again.

Only one of Forest's first 319 Premier League goals were both scored and assisted by a substitute, though now two of their last three have come from that method after Sosa and Silva linked up in deadly fashion.

India captain Rohit Sharma hailed Rishabh Pant upon his return to Test cricket after his second-innings ton helped the hosts go 1-0 up in their series against Bangladesh. 

Pant struck 109 from 128 deliveries to help India on their way, with Ravichandran Ashwin also starring with both a hundred and a five-wicket haul in the second innings.

But the triumph highlighted Pant's remarkable return to the red-ball format, with his sixth Test hundred making him India's leading centurion in the format among wicketkeepers, along with MS Dhoni.

Sharma showered praise on Pant upon his return to action after a horrific car crash in December 2022, highlighting his team-mate's love for Test cricket. 

"He's been through some really tough times," Sharma said.

"The way he has managed himself was superb to watch. He came back in the IPL, followed by a successful World Cup, and this is the format he loves the most.

"It was about giving him the game time. Credit to him, he had an impact straight away. No matter what the conditions are, we want to build the team around that."

Meanwhile, Ashwin etched his name into the history books with his all-round brilliance at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. 

He became the oldest player to score a century and take at least five wickets in the same Test match, breaking Olly Umrigar's 62-year-old record.

Ashwin took six wickets overall in the second innings, but he insisted that records and accolades come secondary to his bowling displays. 

"No, I don't keep track of player of the match awards. Every time I play in Chennai, it's an amazing feeling," Ashwin said. 

"I've watched a lot of Tests, international cricket in those stands, to do it in front of those renovated stands is great.

"It was an opportunity to fight, dig in deep. I've seen so many team-mates do it in the past. Was a special innings, didn't sink in till day two.

"I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first.

"I think like a bowler naturally but have focused my thoughts with batting. The compartmentalisation is a work in progress."

The honours keep coming for A'ja Wilson.

The WNBA announced Sunday that the Las Vegas Aces star was unanimously chosen as the league's MVP.

This is the third time Wilson has won the award, after also being selected in 2020 and 2022, to become just the fourth player in league history to achieve the feat, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.

Wilson received all 67 first-place votes to join Cynthia Cooper in the league's inaugural 1997 season to win the award unanimously.

 

The MVP selection was the latest milestone for Wilson in the past few weeks.

She established the WNBA single-season scoring record on September 11, and four days later became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a season.

Wilson finished the regular season with 1,021 points, 451 rebounds and a league-high 98 blocks, for averages of 26.9 points, 11.8 boards and 2.6 blocks.

 

McLaren enjoyed a brilliant Singapore Grand Prix as Lando Norris closed the gap on Formula One drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen.

Norris led from pole position on Sunday, and never looked likely to let that lead slip as he controlled the race from the off in a statement victory - his third race win of the season.

The Briton, who did have a few brushes with the barriers, ultimately finished 20.94 seconds clear of second-place Verstappen, whose championship lead has now been cut to 52 points, though the Dutchman nevertheless remains the firm favourite to retain his crown.

Oscar Piastri, the victor in Baku last time out, completed a superb weekend for McLaren by finishing third ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, though Daniel Ricciardo did do Red Bull a favour.

In what could well prove to be the final grand prix of his career, Ricciardo - racing for Red Bull's second team - pitted at the end in order to come out on soft tyres and take the fastest lap, which Norris had held.

"Thank you, Daniel," Verstappen said on the team radio when he was informed of the Australian's effort.

Charles Leclerc, who is third in the championship, completed the top five, but it was a day that belonged firmly to Norris and McLaren, who nudged themselves further clear at the top of the constructor standings.

Lewis Hamilton, who had been in the hunt for a record-equalling fifth win in Singapore, crossed in sixth.

Data Debrief: Lights to flag

The driver occupying pole had only won two of the last five races in Singapore (Hamilton in 2018 and Carlos Sainz in 2023), but Norris was in a league of his own this time out.

Norris has now equalled Stirling Moss and John Surtees on 24 podiums, meaning David Coulthard (62) and Eddie Irvine (26) are the only Britons in F1 history to have secured more podium finishes without winning a world championship.

McLaren, meanwhile, have had at least one driver on the podium in the last 14 races, matching their second-best such streak, only behind a run of 19 they managed between Australia 2007 and Malaysia 2008.

Ricciardo did at least steal some of McLaren's thunder. Ten drivers have secured at least one fastest lap in 2024. The last season with at least 10 different drivers to record a fastest lap was 2012 (12).

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 331

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 279

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 245

Constructors'

1. McLaren - 516

2. Red Bull - 475

3. Ferrari - 441

Preston North End held local rivals Blackburn Rovers to a goalless draw in Sunday's Championship fixture, with both teams being reduced to 10 men.

The hosts saw Sam Greenwood sent off three minutes before the interval, the Leeds United loanee catching Lewis Baker with a rash challenge.

That allowed Blackburn to enjoy plenty of possession in the second half but they could not make it count, and defender Owen Beck saw red to even things up when he lashed out at Duane Holmes late on.

Blackburn's Tyrhys Dolan went closest to finding the net, hitting the post on the rebound after Freddie Woodman palmed Ryan Hedges' effort into his path shortly before half-time.

Preston carved out a couple of good chances of their own soon after Greenwood's red card, but Aynsley Pears denied Brad Potts then made another fine save to keep out Andy Hughes' header as the neighbours drew a blank.

Data Debrief: Rare Lancashire blank

Sunday's stalemate was the first goalless draw between Preston and Blackburn in 43 years, and in truth, neither side can claim they did enough to warrant three points.

Preston attempted seven shots totalling just 0.37 expected goals (xG), while Blackburn only had six shots despite playing much of the game a man up, creating 0.8 xG.

Preston remain 21st in the table with just one victory after six matches, while Blackburn are fourth, four points behind early leaders West Brom.

Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis dismissed three apiece as Sri Lanka moved within two wickets of victory in the first Test against New Zealand, who need 68 runs to win.

The Black Caps faced a tall order on day four as Sri Lanka resumed with a 202-run lead, but six wickets for 72 runs in the first session gave them hope of a dramatic fightback.

Ajaz Patel finished 6-90, helping himself to five wickets – including those of Dhananjaya de Silva (40) and Angelo Mathews (50) – in an exceptional 60-minute Sunday spell.

Chasing an achievable target of 275, the tourists made a solid start despite losing Devon Conway (4) to a crashing second-over delivery from Asitha Fernando, but Jayasuriya's dismissal of Kane Williamson (30) got Sri Lanka going.

New Zealand fell from 51-1 to 96-4 with Jayasuriya – who ended the day 3-66 – and Mendis (3-83) taking centre-stage for the hosts.

However, Rachin Ravindra continued to bat steadily as the wickets tumbled around him, the left-hander chipping away at New Zealand's target with 91 runs from 158 balls by stumps.

He will be desperate for support from Patel, who was without a run from 15 balls faced by the end of play, with the contest delicately poised in Galle ahead of the final day.

Data Debrief: Patel the potential hero?

Patel took eight wickets across Sri Lanka's two innings, with his 6-90 in the second innings his third-best return in any red-ball match, after taking all 10 versus India in December 2021 and 6-57 against Bangladesh last year.

The diminutive spinner has a chance to be the hero of this opening Test on Monday, if he can just stick around long enough to support Ravindra in the Black Caps' chase.

Only three times in his red-ball career has Patel scored over double figures with the bat, hitting 35 runs versus Pakistan last year, 20 in England in 2021 and 14 against Sri Lanka at this same venue five years ago. 

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