Tottenham will have to assess Cristian Romero and Richarlison ahead of Thursday’s Premier League trip to Brighton.

The duo were forced off during Spurs’ hard-fought 2-1 win over Everton with hamstring and back injuries respectively.

A third consecutive win ensured Tottenham will spend Christmas Day in the top four, but Romero and Richarlison have provided boss Ange Postecoglou with more fitness concerns.

On Romero, Postecoglou revealed: “He felt tiredness in his hamstring just before half-time, so we had to take him off.”

The prognosis on Richarlison was better after the forward continued his fine form with a fourth goal in three matches on Saturday.

Spurs will check on the South American duo on Sunday before the players return to training on Boxing Day after being given Christmas Day off.

“Yeah, Richy’s OK. He’s kind of had a sore back in training (on Friday),” Postecoglou added.

“He wasn’t 100 per cent, but he was keen to start. He got through the game, pleasing for him that he took his goal well and worked hard for us, but I kind of knew that at some point I’d have to take him off.

“I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

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Tottenham will be hopeful Richarlison is fine, especially with top goalscorer Son Heung-min set to be away on international duty during January.

Son grabbed his 11th goal of the campaign in the Everton win, which betters his league tally from the 2022-23 season when he struggled with a sports hernia, which was only operated on in May.

Richarlison underwent the same procedure last month and has been backed to keep flourishing now he has solved the problem.

Spurs captain Son told PLP: “Richarlison went through similar to what I had last season.

“He is always hungry for goals and for work. He is playing pain-free and looks totally different as a player, so I’m very happy for him.

“If he carries on like this, he can be one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League.”

Postecoglou’s side could count themselves fortunate to claim all three points after Everton provided a tough test.

While Spurs went 2-0 up inside 18 minutes, Sean Dyche’s team created a number of chances with home goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario denying Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison, James Garner and Arnaut Danjuma.

Everton also had the ball in the net in the 51st-minute through Calvert-Lewin, but referee Stuart Attwell ruled out the effort after VAR told him to review the incident, with Andre Gomes adjudged to have fouled Emerson Royal in the build-up.

Toffees defender Jarrad Branthwaite told the official club website: “It was never a foul in my eyes.

“They put it on the big screen, and I think everyone sees. Once (the referee) goes over to the monitor, he’s going to give it. It’s never a foul and it just kills the game. It should be a clear goal, for me.

“He hasn’t won the ball, but he hasn’t touched the man, and he just falls over. It’s one of those things and we can’t do anything about it now.”

Carlos Carvalhal left Sheffield Wednesday on December 24, 2017 after two and a half years in charge at Hillsborough.

The Portuguese, who guided the Owls to the play-offs in his first two seasons at the helm, departed the Sky Bet Championship club by mutual consent on the back of a seven-game winless run.

His exit came just hours after chairman Dejphon Chansiri released a statement of support for his head coach after fans chanted for his dismissal in the wake of a 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough a day earlier.

Carvalhal said on Wednesday’s official website: “The chairman and myself talked after the game and we believed this was the correct timing to make this decision.

“Of course, I am very sad at this moment because I have enjoyed my two seasons and a half so much with Sheffield Wednesday.

“We had two fantastic seasons and two play-offs in a row but unfortunately we have not managed to replicate these positions this season.

“Now is the time to focus on the wonderful experiences I have enjoyed at Sheffield Wednesday and the friends I have made.”

Carvalhal’s exit came as something of a surprise given how quickly it followed an apparent vote of confidence from Chansiri.

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The Thai businessman, who appointed Carvalhal in 2015, added: “I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Carlos for the time, effort and commitment he has given Sheffield Wednesday over the last two and a half years.

“Both parties believe the time is right to go our separate ways. I maintain a huge amount of respect for Carlos as a coach and as a person and he will always be welcome at Hillsborough. I wish him every success in the future.”

Jos Luhukay was named the new Wednesday boss on January 5, 2018 and they finished 15th that season. They suffered relegation in 2020-21 but were promoted back to the Championship last season after a remarkable play-off semi-final comeback against Peterborough.

Carvalhal was quickly appointed by Swansea but failed to save them from Premier League relegation and left at the end of the season. He is currently manager of Greek side Olympiacos having been appointed earlier this month.

Mauricio Pochettino called on the Premier League to reassess the way it schedules fixtures over the Christmas period to even out the time that teams have to recover.

Chelsea face Wolves at Molineux on Christmas Eve before welcoming Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge three days later.

Palace, by contrast, will have had double the recovery time having most recently played six days earlier on December 21 against Brighton.

Gary O’Neil’s side will also have enjoyed two extra recovery days compared with Pochettino’s team, with Chelsea having been in action against Newcastle in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday.

The Blues will have played a total of eight games in December by the time they sign off 2023 with a game away at Luton on December 30.

Pochettino was asked whether he believed too much was expected of players over the festive period, but insisted that his priority was every team being given equitable time to recover between fixtures.

“The problem is the difference between the teams,” he said. “If we all play on the 24th or we all play on the 27th, we are in the same circumstance.

“But the problem is that one plays (on the 21st) another on the 27th. That is a big disadvantage or advantage. But I don’t complain.

“The problem is to organise the situation better, because it’s not fair. It’s not to make an excuse, not to open the umbrella before the rain.

“But come on, it’s a fact. It’s the reality.”

The manager reiterated his call for patience with summer signing Christopher Nkunku after he made a long-awaited debut during Tuesday’s quarter-final win.

The 26-year-old performed well on Chelsea’s pre-season United States tour before picking up a knee injury which required surgery.

Since then, the team have signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City, who can occupy similar positions in the final third of the pitch as Nkunku, whilst Pochettino has also gained more of a sense of his favoured starting XI and style.

“I don’t see him in a different way, only that after his injury he is a different player than before, because of the form today,” said the manager.

“Maybe in some positions it’s going to be tough for him to cope with the demands. You will see in the future.

“I’m not going to put pressure on him. I’m so happy that he made his debut against Newcastle. We’re going to push him, to help him to perform better every day.

“He needs to be clever also to understand that he needs to push himself. He needs to make a double effort, double in everything. He needs to make an impact.

“In the long term, he’s going to be important for the club and for the team.”

Serie A leaders Inter Milan earned their fourth straight league win after beating Lecce 2-0 at San Siro, ensuring they would remain four points clear of Juventus until after Christmas.

The hosts had plenty of chances to go in front in the first half and Yann Aurel Bisseck finally made the breakthrough just before half-time.

Hamza Rafia had a header saved as Lecce searched for an equaliser, but Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead and the visitors were reduced to 10 in the final stages when Lameck Banda was sent off.

Juventus kept pace thanks to substitute Dusan Vlahovic’s towering header in the 81st minute to hand the visitors a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.

Juve teenager Kenan Yildiz had opened the scoring 12 minutes into his full Serie A debut, but saw it cancelled out by Jaime Baez six minutes into the second half.

Roma moved up to sixth with a 2-0 victory over nine-man Napoli, who dropped to seventh after a nightmare second half saw them concede goals to Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku as well as having Matteo Politano and Victor Osimhen – on the day it was announced he had signed a new deal tying him to the reigning Serie A champions until 2026 – sent off.

Bologna returned to the top four with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta, Lewis Ferguson becoming Scotland’s all time top-scorer in Serie A with his 11th goal in the competition.

Cagliari remain in the relegation zone after Antoine Makoumbou saw red in the 51st minute at Verona, where the hosts took advantage of his dismissal to secure a 2-0 victory with goals from Cyril Ngonge and Milan Duric.

Udinese’s trip to Torino looked to be headed toward a goalless draw until Oier Zarraga scored in the 81st minute only to see his late opener cancelled out by home midfielder Ivan Ilic seven minutes later.

In LaLiga, half-time substitute Marcos Llorente made an instant impact and restored Atletico Madrid to third spot with a 1-0 win over Sevilla in Saturday’s only fixture.

The contest, initially set to be played in September but postponed due to weather, remained goalless until after the break when Diego Simeone – celebrating his 12th anniversary as Atletico boss – swapped Nahuel Molina for Llorente.

His side were ahead barely a minute into the second half after Llorente, who initially saw a cross blocked by Sergio Ramos, benefitted when the interception’s rebound favourably landed at his feet at the edge of the six-yard box and he fired into the far corner.

Fellow replacement Caglar Soyuncu was sent off following a VAR check just four minutes after his 66th-minute introduction for a tackle on Lucas Ocampos, but Atletico nevertheless managed to nullify the visitors’ threat and cling onto victory, leaving them level on 38 points with fourth-placed Barcelona but with the advantage on goal difference.

There was no action in the Bundesliga or Ligue 1, which both resume their campaigns in 2024.

Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku steered Roma to a 2-0 win against nine-man Napoli in an ill-tempered Serie A clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

Matteo Politano saw red for Napoli shortly after the hour mark, with substitute Pellegrini putting the home side ahead 10 minutes later.

The visitors then lost Victor Osimhen after he was shown a second yellow card, with Lukaku sealing the win for Roma in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Roma move ahead of Napoli and into sixth place.

Both sides had a point to prove following recent disappointing defeats – Roma suffering a 2-0 loss at Bologna last weekend, while Napoli were dumped out of the Coppa Italia earlier this week following a 4-0 thrashing at home to Frosinone.

Following nine changes for their Coppa Italia exit, defending champions Napoli were back to full strength for their visit to the Italian capital, with marksman Osimhen leading the line.

Roma manager Jose Mourinho was able to call on Lukaku with the on-loan Chelsea forward returning from a ban after he was sent off in his side’s 1-1 draw against Fiorentina a fortnight ago.

Lukaku was involved in the first real chance of the game when his hold-up play allow allowed Edoardo Bove to strike at the Napoli goal, but the young midfielder’s dipping effort clipped the bar.

Bove was in the thick of it moments later when his shot was superbly charged down by Napoli stopper Alex Meret.

Then came a flurry of bookings with Mourinho not far from the action. The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager was involved in a touchline spat with Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and even found himself in referee Andrea Colombo’s book.

Following the break, Napoli started to grow into the game but their bid for victory was derailed when Politano was shown a straight red card with 66 minutes gone.

As Napoli looked to hit Roma on the counter-attack, Nicola Zalewski pulled Politano’s shirt and the winger kicked out in frustration at his opponent. Colombo did not hesitate in showing Zalewski a yellow card before pulling out a red for a stunned Politano.

The visitors were suddenly on the backfoot and Roma’s breakthrough quickly arrived.

Pellegrini, introduced by Mourinho only five minutes earlier, took advantage of a fluffed shot by Stephan El Shaarawy to score on the turn with virtually his first kick of the game.

Napoli were then reduced to nine men after Osimhen was shown a second yellow card with four minutes of normal time remaining before Lukaku got on the scoresheet with the last kick of the night.

Jinelle James, Trinidad and Tobago’s director of the women's football, expressed delight with the recently-concluded Jewels of the Caribbean Under-17 Women’s tournament, and is expecting players to make the most of the lessons learnt from the exposure, as they continue training.

James, who is also a FIFA assistant development officer, welcomed the initiative which provided the opportunity for players to parade their skills and, by extension, continue their development.

The four-team tournament featured Trinidad and Tobago’s A and B teams, as well as Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Trinidad and Tobago’s A team led by J'Eleisha Alexander, topped the tournament, with Orielle Martin taking the best midfielder, most goals and most valuable player awards, while teammate Jasmaine Mc Nish copping the best defender prize.

“I thought the Jewels of the Caribbean U-17 Girls Tournament was a great opportunity to give the girls a chance to play without any of the pressures of a qualification tournament, and being able to play teams that are at their level competitively, and the girls are learning how to win international matches,” James said.

"In the end, some of our U-17 players showed themselves like Mc Nish, Martin, Cherina Steele and Alexander, who has had a successful campaign for the past year in the Secondary School Girls Football League and was called up to the senior women's team.

"There were others like Mariah Williams, Madison Campbell, and Ty'Kaiya Dennis, so it was basically the whole team really showing themselves and introducing themselves at this level to international football," she added.

That some Under-14 players also strutted their stuff in the tournament, was another highlight for James.

“So, it was just a good opportunity to give exposure to the young girls. They were much younger than their competitors of course, but again it's always good to put them in to see where they are at in their development and what’s needed for them to improve and prepare for the U-15 Concacaf competition next year in August,” she reasoned.

"All in all, I thought it was a good showing for the girls and hopefully we can get more opportunities for them to play in a competitive environment without the pressures of it being a qualification tournament,” James noted.

With Concacaf qualifiers in the distant future, James pointed to the need for more initiatives such as the Jewels tournament to keep players active.

"What I personally realised is that these girls don't play any football outside of coming to training, so we have to find a way to get them to play more which will help them to develop their game awareness and they will get to see the things that they are being shown in training.

“Training is only one and half hours, and it's only so much the coaches can get across to the players, and they themselves have to do some playing recreationally to learn how to check in pockets, and how and when to make runs and all,” she shared.

“So, we saw a lot of positives that we could take from this experience that the coaches will use to help prepare the team for their next encounter at the U-20 level maybe in 2025 or 2026,” James ended.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was bemused as to why his side did not get a penalty for Martin Odegaard’s handball in the first half of their 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield.

VAR ruled referee Chris Kavanagh had not made a clear and obvious error in not penalising the Gunners captain after his low hand prevented Mohamed Salah getting past him.

Klopp disagreed, telling BBC Sport: “The penalty situation is a weird situation, I don’t know if the ref can see it, but you look at it and I’m not sure how you can say it’s not a penalty.”

In his post-match press conference the Liverpool manager added: “I didn’t see it in the game, I saw it after and I think we all agree it was handball.

“But I always wait until Mr Dermot (Gallagher) explains it the next day (in his role as a TV analyst) what’s really the case.

“He will find a way to explain to me why it was not handball. For me it’s a clear handball. I have no idea if it would have influenced the result.”

Gabriel’s early header was cancelled out by a brilliant goal by Salah to earn a point and leave the two teams first and second in the table at Christmas.

However, the hard-earned point was not without cost as Klopp has a big problem at left-back now as Kostas Tsimikas, deputising for Andy Robertson who has been out since October with a dislocated shoulder, broke his collarbone in a collision which also floored his manager after being pushed by Bukayo Saka.

“The problem I had in that moment, I thought, ‘OK, I am fine,’ so I was assuming that Kostas was fine as well and he’s actually obviously not fine,” said Klopp, who is hopeful a knee injury to Luis Diaz is only minor.

“He’s broken his collarbone at least. It’s really bad for us. I cannot say anything about that (Saka challenge). You have to judge that, not me.”

Mikel Arteta, who played in the last Arsenal team to win at Anfield in the league in September 2012, is hopeful the experience of being in a title race last season will stand his side in good stead as they hold top spot on Christmas Day.

That will be particularly important as three of the last six occasions a team top on December 25 did not go on to win the league involved the Gunners.

“They are certainly more experienced. What they have done today on this pitch, in this stadium, with the atmosphere they created as well, that was something else,” he said.

“The maturity and the courage that we showed I think we should be really proud of our players. We have experience of being where we are today.

“We should be really happy because that shows a lot of consistency for this new group in the best league in the world to lead two years in a row.

“But that’s it. We are where we want to be right now, both in the Premier League and the Champions League.

“Of course there are things that we have to improve, especially killing games. With the amount of dominance we are showing, some of the games are too close.”

Arsenal reclaimed top spot in time for Christmas but their wait for a win at Anfield stretches into a 12th year after an absorbing 1-1 draw which ensured Liverpool kept pace in the title race.

Gabriel’s early goal was cancelled out by a Mohamed Salah stunner and, despite both pushing for victory, the Premier League’s top two deservedly shared the spoils.

Being top for December 25 is no guarantee of future performance, however, as both these clubs are well aware; on the last six occasions a team has failed to go on and lift the trophy from this position it was one of them.

So while nothing has been decided, it at least provided some early festive fun and was the very antithesis of last weekend’s game here when Manchester United showed no attacking intent.

Arsenal were fully engaged, and while they left with the same point United did, it was achieved in a much different manner during a draining 90 minutes of high press and high intensity.

For the hosts centre-back Ibrahima Konate was imperious, Trent Alexander-Arnold visionary and Salah threatening, while Arsenal had their own rock at the back in William Saliba, with Declan Rice covering plenty of ground just in front of him.

On the bench Jurgen Klopp had a wry smile to himself as the atmosphere ramped up just before kick-off, just as he had planned with his carefully chosen comments about fan apathy.

But that smile was soon wiped off his face when Gabriel headed home Martin Odegaard’s fourth-minute free-kick.

It was a perfectly executed training ground routine to expose Liverpool’s high line; the four furthest-advanced players dropping back just before their captain delivered the cross which resulted in Cody Gakpo playing the Gunners centre-back onside.

The visitors sensed an opportunity and their midfield press created a three-on-three which saw Gabriel Jesus fire over.

But roared on by an Anfield crowd which still had Klopp’s admonishment ringing in their ears, Liverpool could have had a penalty when Odegaard stuck out a low left hand to stop Salah going past him, with only thing possibly saving him in the eyes of VAR was his loss of footing.

The equaliser was not long in coming, however, with Alexander-Arnold, at times dropping so deep in his hybrid role to almost be a third central defender, unsurprisingly the architect.

From 20 yards inside his own half his searching pass dropped over the head of Oleksandar Zinchenko, which Salah anticipated, who was then beaten easily as the Egypt international executed a trademark cutback to beat David Raya for pace at his near post.

Liverpool soon had left-back problems of their own when Bukayo Saka pushed Kostas Tsimikas, deputising for the long-term injured Andy Robertson, into Klopp and while both took a tumble in the technical area the Greek came off worse as he departed with what appeared to be either a shoulder or collarbone injury.

Replacement Joe Gomez saw Saka race past him to cut into the penalty area where Gabriel Martinelli fired wide with Alisson Becker out of his goal and only Gomez and Alexander-Arnold guarding the goalline.

Gomez, who has never scored a senior goal, almost ended his nine-year drought by curling a shot just wide early in the second half with Dominik Szoboszlai also off target as the hosts began to dominate the chances created.

The triple 68th-minute substitution of Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch added new impetus as both sides started to show signs of having run themselves into the ground, with Leandro Trossard replacing Martinelli.

Elliott and Nunez both had chances either side of a five-on-two counter-attack launched by Salah after Odegaard and Zinchenko collided on the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area.

There were three team-mates queuing up to shoot but when Alexander-Arnold was teed up the ball bobbled and his shot smashed against the crossbar.

Kai Havertz’s penalty claim was quickly dismissed by VAR as neither side paused for breath in a thrilling finale.

Inter Milan earned their fourth straight Serie A win after beating Lecce 2-0 at San Siro.

The hosts had plenty of chances to go in front in the first half and Yann Aurel Bisseck finally made the breakthrough just before half-time.

Hamza Rafia had a header saved as Lecce searched for an equaliser, but Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead and the visitors were reduced to 10 in the final stages when Lameck Banda was sent off.

Victory sees Inter stay top of the Serie A table by four points, while Lecce remain 12th.

Wladimiro Falcone was called into action early as Marcus Thuram fired a low cross into Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the Lecce goalkeeper was able to clear the ball.

He made another solid save in the 18th minute when Carlos Augusto cut in from the left and had his shot from a tight angle blocked.

Inter should have taken the lead in the 21st minute when some great link-up play between Barella and Thuram allowed Barella to thread the ball through to Marko Arnautovic, who dragged his shot wide of the post from close range.

The hosts dominated in possession but Lecce had chances of their own. Remi Oudin sent in a great cross from the left but Banda could only head wide, before Antonio Gallo unleashed a powerful shot that flew over the bar.

Inter nearly opened the scoring in the 39th minute when Hakan Calhanoglu whipped in a corner and Bisseck’s strike smashed off the crossbar.

The defender made no mistake in the 42nd minute, though, as Calhanoglu fired a free-kick into the box and Bisseck was able to head into the bottom corner.

Lecce threatened early in the second half and they had a penalty overturned after a handball was incorrectly given when Valentin Gendrey’s strike was blocked by Carlos Augusto.

Banda had another crack with a low strike from outside of the area, but Yann Sommer made a comfortable save diving to his right, before Bisseck met another dangerous Calhanoglu cross and forced Falcone to tip his header over the bar.

Lecce had a great chance when Gallo did well to keep the ball in play and chipped the ball into the box but Rafia’s header was easily collected by Sommer.

Inter doubled their lead in the 78th minute after some great awareness on the edge of the box saw Arnautovic backheel the ball to Barella and the midfielder fired the ball into the bottom corner.

Any chance of a comeback soon diminished for the visitors in the 83rd minute when they were reduced to 10 after Banda was sent off for dissent.

Inter continued their search for a third at the death and Falcone made an incredible double save in the 87th minute, clawing the ball off the goal line before making an acrobatic effort to tip Kristjan Asllani’s long-range effort over the bar.

Plymouth director of football Neil Dewsnip was delighted with managerless Argyle’s comeback from 3-1 down to record a 3-3 Championship draw with Wayne Rooney’s Birmingham.

Despite being reduced to 10 men by the early second-half dismissal of Krystian Bielik, City raced into 3-1 lead thanks to goals by Jay Stansfield, Jordan James and Junino Bacuna, who set-up City’s two first-half goals.

Argyle skipper Joe Edwards’ late first-half goal made it 2-1 before Ben Waine netted ahead of Morgan Whittaker’s superb 86th-minute leveller.

Dewsnip said: “I really enjoyed the experience, am really proud of the players, the supporters – they are really fantastic – and really proud to lead the team.

“We came back from two goals down and nearly sneak it at the end. We conceded three goals so we know we have got a bit of work to do.

“At the start of the game, the first period was difficult for the players, they have had some week because they have lost a manager they think highly of.

“We said to the players at half-time ‘we are still in the game and we will start again and go from there’.

“Joe (Edwards) was strong leader in the dressing room, we supported them to put out that performance.

“We nearly got the winner. What a moment that would have been.

“We are going to win one eventually away from home so why not at Cardiff (on Boxing Day).”

Former boss Steven Schumacher left Plymouth to take charge of Stoke earlier this week but Dewsnip admitted he was not to right man to fill the vacancy on a full-time basis.

He added: “It feels a bit strange; but I am not going to be the next manager, we are looking for a manager and have started that process and will hopefully get someone very soon.”

Rooney took the positives from earning a point, saying: “We looked really dangerous. We go 2-0 up and a mistake before half-time lets them back in it.

“Then the red card just after half-time – which I don’t think is a red card – was a big moment in the game which makes it more difficult for us.

“The lads put a real shift in and we went 3-1 up. Under pressure we failed to see the game out. We are all disappointed in the end not to win but a positive is that we got something.

“I thought with the personnel of the players we had on the pitch for us to stay in the game, at 2-1, I felt we could be a threat on the break and we get the third goal from that. We just didn’t hold on that 3-1 lead for long enough.

“Then the crowd got behind them and it was a good finish from Morgan to make it 3-3. We were getting blocks in and defending the box well and limited Plymouth to shots from the edge of the box which we were OK with.

“Morgan is Plymouth’s most dangerous player and he only needed that half-opportunity and he gets the equaliser.

“We know Plymouth are a good team, they move the ball well, but we felt we would get opportunities at goal if we had a good shape about us in our attacking half.

“We felt we could cause them problems, which we did. The positive is that we didn’t lose the game.”

Cardiff manager Erol Bulut said his side showed fighting spirit after they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at Hillsborough.

The home side had taken the lead through Anthony Musaba and had the lion’s share of chances but two own goals from Akin Famewo ensured the Bluebirds claimed victory.

Bulut said: “Today we showed so much spirit. We showed we are a team and we are fighting for each other again. In recent weeks we haven’t been doing this and we want to start showing it as a team and today was a great start.

“We did so well to come back and get the three points. The Championship is hard work and there will be games like this all the way to the end of the season.”

Famewo deflected Karlan Grant’s driven cross-shot inside the far post for Cardiff’s first goal then sliced a clearance into his own net after keeper Cameron Dawson spilled a tame effort.

Bulut said: “Karlan has such a high work rate and is one of the best players we have in the team. I’m pleased for him and his involvement in the first goal, which was vital for us.

“In the Championship you can play nice football but you have to run a lot and fight a lot. We’ve had a lot of games like that and today was another one of them.

“We struggled in the first half but we showed determination and we managed to stay in the game at 1-0. The second half was much better and I think we deserved the three points in the end.

“We had a meeting with the team in the week and I will keep what was said between me and the players but it was positive. We are always looking to move forward.”

Wednesday boss Danny Rohl said his side played well but needed a second goal to kill the game.

Rohl said: “This is a hard one to take today, everyone is really disappointed. Last week we scored two late goals and this week it has happened to us.

“We needed the second goal today but just couldn’t get the final touch we needed.

“This was an unnecessary defeat; I think we controlled the game really well. For me, the performance was good but in the end it’s about the result.

“In the first half we were moving the ball well and we scored a fantastic goal. Anthony is gaining more and more confidence every week and I’m really pleased for him.

“Cardiff were lucky and we were unlucky with the own goals today. In the second half they had two moments and scored two goals but these things can happen.

“It is a shame to take the defeat but we will try and keep the momentum from the last few weeks. There are a lot of games coming and we will work hard in the next couple of days before Coventry.

“It was a big opportunity to gain points looking at other results from the teams around us but we can’t get stuck on this game; we have to move on quickly.”

Steven Naismith admitted interest in talismanic captain Lawrence Shankland is inevitable after he continued his red-hot scoring form with a double in Hearts’ 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Mirren.

The Scotland forward notched a poacher’s header in the first half and then a stunning strike early in the second that opposing manager Stephen Robinson described as “an incredible finish”.

Shankland has now scored 43 goals in 18 months since joining Hearts and Naismith anticipates other clubs to test their resolve in the January window.

“I think there is already interest in him,” said the Jambos boss.

“When you have got players playing at the top of their game there is going to be interest.

“Every club in Scotland are in that same category where we are not at the elite, top level where you can just push away anyone being interested in your players – but that doesn’t change anything.

“We are a club that’s in a really good situation. We are progressive and we want to get better as a business, better as a football squad, and having Shanks is part of that.

“So no, everyone is comfortable. The pleasing aspect is that he is doing so well. It’s credit to the team, credit to Shanks and credit to us all as a group. There is going to be interest when you are doing well.

“The first goal, Shanks is instinctively in the right place as a forward. For the second one, as soon as he takes his first touch he knows what he is doing.

“There’s no panic, there’s no rushed feeling. As soon as it leaves his boot he knows it’s a goal, 100 per cent. It’s top, top quality but that’s Shanks. That shows you his value to us.”

Naismith was delighted with a victory that took Hearts two points clear in third place with a game in hand.

“After games you go through each part,” he said.

“The result, good. Two goals, good. Clean sheet, good. So it is really pleasing against a team who have been really good this season.”

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson rued his team’s lack of attacking quality as they suffered a fourth defeat in six matches.

“We got what we deserved. First half we pressed really well and won the ball back on numerous occasions and had lots of opportunities to play forward and penetrate but we didn’t do that with any quality,” he said.

“That’s frustrating because we’re better than that. We ended up losing a goal from a set-play which has been our Achilles heel. It’s so frustrating.

“Lawrence has scored a lot of goals there and we pointed that out beforehand but we went in 1-0 because of that, not because of them opening us up.

“The second goal was exceptional and it killed any momentum we had. That’s the difference between the levels, the financial disparity is huge and that’s why they’re able to get players like Lawrence Shankland. It was an incredible finish.” 

Nuno Espirito Santo has called for a rule change after his first match in charge of Nottingham Forest was ruined by a controversial red card for Willy Boly in a last-gasp 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth.

Boly was sent off in the 23rd minute for two yellow cards, with referee Rob Jones brandishing the second despite the defender clearly winning the ball in a tackle with Adam Smith.

Dominic Solanke went on to break Forest hearts as he completed a hat-trick, heading home a winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Nuno, who took over from the sacked Steve Cooper earlier in the week, was left frustrated by rules which mean VAR cannot intervene to downgrade a yellow card and wants to see a change.

“Very bad decision,” Nuno said. “A decision that totally changed the game.

“It is more the frustration of knowing the approach of the referee is a bad one and the law says you cannot reverse the decision because it is two yellow cards. It is something they have to look at because it doesn’t make sense.

“First of all, the approach of the referee is bad. Boly has a first yellow card, which is fair, but then for the second the foot of Boly is under the foot of the Bournemouth player so the approach (from the referee) should be more cautious.

“Wait a little bit for the help of an assistant or the help of VAR, hold your decision and they will tell you. But after that he cannot reverse the decision.

“Our fans deserve better decisions. They come here to see football and suddenly they see something which really changes the game.

“I saw it over and over and over again to try and understand because I respect the referee. I know it is a tough job. I have seen it many times and I cannot understand it, I cannot understand it. It was bad. It is a mistake, a huge mistake.”

Ten-man Forest went ahead through Anthony Elanga before two goals in seven minutes by Solanke put the Cherries in front.

Chris Wood’s header looked to have earned a point on Nuno’s debut until Solanke sent a header home at the death.

Andoni Iraola, who has guided his side to five wins from the last six games, picked up a booking for waving an imaginary card after the Boly incident, which means he will be banned from the touchline for the Boxing Day clash with Fulham.

The Spaniard, who has two prior offences, is also feeling hard done by.

“This is big mistake for me because when the incident happened I asked for a yellow,” he said.

“I thought nobody saw me but you have the fourth official.

“I think it is too harsh, it was instinctive and I will not be able to be in the dugout. All the yellows are for the same reason.

“Sometimes we are still players, I know I need to improve but I think it is too harsh because I will not be able to be in the dugout against Fulham and that is a big frustration.”

Bristol Rovers paid the price for their naivety according to manager Matt Taylor after they fell to a 3-1 defeat away to Sky Bet League One play-off contenders Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

John Marquis had equalised for Rovers after Ollie Norburn’s stunning opener. But second-half goals from Jake Beesley and Jordan Rhodes were enough to see Blackpool to three comfortable points.

Taylor felt it was only too obvious where the difference in the sides lay.

He said: “We were pleased to be level at half-time, but their second goal was a goal out of nothing. We showed a bit of inexperience and naivety. We didn’t quite do the basics.

“It’s happened far too often this season. We need to cut basic errors out if you want to be challenging in the top half of this league table. The basics is to defend your goal.

“It’s about a reaction to try and get back in the game, sometimes staying level for a bit longer is needed. The second goal was a real killer.

“We got into some dangerous positions, but didn’t work their keeper enough. They went a bit deeper as the game went on, but we weren’t able to force the issue enough.

“Apart from Luke Thomas, who was industrious all afternoon and a threat, we didn’t quite have it in us to beat an opposition player.”

Blackpool now sit four points adrift of the play-off places, with Norburn giving them the lead after 21 minutes with a screamer from 30 yards into the top corner.

Rovers responded when Marquis tapped home from close range, but Blackpool continued to press, Karamoko Dembele hitting the crossbar from a free-kick.

He then set up Beesley to restore the Blackpool lead a minute into the second half, with Rhodes notching his 15th of the season eight minutes from time to make the game safe, much to the satisfaction of Neil Critchley.

The Blackpool boss said: “I thought it was a positive performance. We started the game well and I thought we looked a good team.

“It was disappointing to be 1-1 at half-time.

“It was a fantastic first goal and how the goal came about was really pleasing. Ollie has shown that he can do it in training, so when he did line it up, we knew there was a chance. As soon as it left his foot it was like an arrow – a great strike.

“Up until the first goal, we were the team on the front foot playing in their half. We were disappointed to let an equaliser in, but the timing of the second and third goals were crucial. Bristol Rovers came into the game in the second half.

“It’s a good three points and a good start to the Christmas period. But we have to go to Burton now and get something.”

Everton boss Sean Dyche fumed at the decision to rule out Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 51st-minute goal in their 2-1 Premier League loss at Tottenham.

Spurs were two up inside 18 minutes after close-range finishes by Richarlison and Son Heung-min but were not at their best and could have conceded at the start of the second half.

Calvert-Lewin rifled home after Andre Gomes had won back possession from Emerson Royal, but VAR Michael Oliver told referee Stuart Attwell to review the incident and he disallowed the strike after Gomes was adjudged to have caught the Tottenham full-back on his ankle.

More drama was to follow as Gomes eventually reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute before substitute Arnaut Danjuma hit the crossbar in the dying seconds, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clearing the loose ball from on the goal line.

Dyche said: “It is unfortunate I have to start with that because I thought we were excellent, but I will go back to that. I am a big fan of VAR, but I don’t know where that one lives today.

“I think VAR has over-reffed the moment, where the referee and the linesman have amazing views. They have clearly made a decision. All their experience and years of doing it goes out the window because they’ll find contact.

“They are going to find contact, they find contact with virtually everything.

“I’m a big fan of VAR, but it can’t be refereeing every moment.

“There are so many soft things in football now. Every touch is nearly a foul or is a foul, but that’s not enough for me.

“That’s where you’ve got to go, ‘No, that’s not enough contact’ to make a mature, professional footballer (go down).

“That’s where I think the game has got to be really careful.”

Asked if VAR had helped out his side, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou said: “Why would it help us out? It was a foul.

“It didn’t help us out. I don’t like VAR. That’s part of the problem, people use that kind of terminology, that it helps or it goes against.

“It’s a tool, it’s used, I still don’t like it. Did it help us? I don’t know if it helped us. If that goal stood, we might have scored a third. That’s the beauty of football.

“I’ve already said I don’t like the way VAR is being used, I didn’t like the way it was used today. I thought it was a foul, yeah, but the referee missed it and probably missed another foul as well. That’s part of the game.”

While this result ended Everton’s four-match winning streak in the Premier League, Dyche was proud of the performance as Vicario made crucial saves to deny Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison, James Garner and Danjuma in an end-to-end encounter.

He added: “I am pushing 11 months now and, out of all the performances we’ve had, that is arguably one of the performances I’m most proud of. I thought the players were absolutely superb.”

Tottenham struggled to build on their excellent start, Richarlison scoring for a third consecutive match with a fine near-post finish from Brennan Johnson’s cross before Son lashed home following a corner after Jordan Pickford had kept out Johnson’s low effort.

Nevertheless, this result made it three wins in a row and ensured Spurs would be in the top four at Christmas, with 11 victories from their opening 18 fixtures.

“We had to show some resilience and some strong defence in the box,” Postecoglou said.

“A couple of outstanding saves from Vic, who was brilliant again. It had a little bit of everything, a different type of performance by us, but the pleasing thing is we got the three points.”