Kieran McKenna says his table-topping Ipswich side must “stay humble” as they rescued a late point in a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield.

The high-flying Tractor Boys leapfrogged Leicester to the Championship summit thanks to Brandon Williams’ leveller three minutes from time.

Delano Burgzorg’s second-half opener looked destined to hand Darren Moore a win in his first home game in charge.

However, McKenna’s valiant outfit fought back with Williams’ first goal since 2019 extending their unbeaten away league run to 14 games.

Despite their high standing and fifth league outing without defeat, the Ipswich boss wants his side to stay grounded.

“We need to stay humble and keep learning,” McKenna said.

“There’s parts of the team and the group that are relatively inexperienced at this level and we’ll learn lots from a game like today.

“We’re in the middle of a busy schedule and against a motivated team with a new manager and that makes for an excited crowd and energetic group of players.

“It was a tough-fought and competitive game; we had to fight really hard for the point and we can take positives in the way that we kept going.

“We were the team at the end of the game that looked likelier to get the winning goal and that shows good resilience and ambition from the group.

“It’s a good point because we didn’t play anywhere near our best but we just need to keep focussing on our performances.”

McKenna also singled out praise for stopper Vaclav Hladky, who produced an inspired display with a string of impressive saves.

“He did really well; it was a difficult game for him and you need a good performance from your keeper on a day like today and he certainly delivered.

“He is an example in terms of how he’s conducted himself and trained over a long period of time to wait for his opportunity and then take it.

“But we’ve got lots of examples within that group of good professionals who’ve worked hard to get here and are now flourishing at a higher level.

“That’s a really positive thing and a good boost for our culture and a good lesson for the players here or anyone coming to the club.”

Meanwhile, Huddersfield also extended their unbeaten league run to five games and the performance provided encouragement for their new boss.

“It was a good, solid performance,” Darren Moore said.

“We set out our stall early in the game by disrupting Ipswich from settling into their play and their rhythm.

“And then we got the ball into real threatening areas of the pitch; we could have capitalised more with the chances we created.

“We had the more clear-cut chances in the afternoon and I was pleased when we got the goal because we deserved to get noses in front.

“I’d have liked to have seen us extend that because the game was disrupted by the substitutions we were forced to make.

“When Ipswich did score, we didn’t allow them to go on and win the game, which was pleasing because it would’ve been a travesty from our point of view.

“It was a positive afternoon of football played by us; on the front foot, engaging our opponents and setting a positive atmosphere at home.

“Their keeper won them a point today in terms of the saves, but the boys are getting in the right positions and I’ll fancy us to score more goals moving forward.

“It was a great game; it’s credit to us and to the players for taking on board and carrying into the game what we’re trying to do with them.

“We’ve got to continue to work and keep building; we’ll do the journey together as a whole, the fans, staff, players and everyone.”

Boss John Mousinho refused to get too carried away despite Portsmouth extending their unbeaten run to 21 matches thanks to a 2-1 Sky Bet League One victory at 10-man Wigan.

The Latics took the lead through Martial Godo but two goals in the space of six minutes just before half-time from Regan Poole and Paddy Lane were enough to secure the win for Pompey.

Wigan had to play for 41 minutes with 10 men after Charlie Wyke was sent off for a lunge on Marlon Pack but they kept pushing to the end.

But Pompey kept them at arm’s length to cement their position at the top of the table.

“It’s not about the unbeaten run today, it’s just about the result,” said Mousinho. “I’m absolutely thrilled to come away to a place like this and win.

“They are a very decent, very decent side, and I thought they showed that in the first half.

“They’ve beaten some very good sides this year and I’m absolutely delighted with the result.

“They were a Championship side last season and have still got some fantastic players.

“You know you’re going to go behind in some games, not everything is going to go your way. It’s going to happen when you’re playing at this level against good sides.

“But the good thing about this group is how well they respond to adversity and that’s exactly how it was today.

“It’s always difficult when you go behind to a good side, in front of a bumper crowd here, but it felt like even though we went behind, there was no panic.

“I always felt we would get back into it and we managed to do that.”

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney refused to point the finger at referee Will Finnie, whose decision to red card Wyke led to a commotion in the technical area that saw Latics No 2 Graham Barrow yellow-carded along with Portsmouth counterpart Jon Harley.

“Look, it wasn’t a great tackle and it gives the referee a decision to make,” he said. “I can understand why the referee has made the decision.”

Wigan also had a hat-trick of penalty shouts turned down, with Maloney adding: “I haven’t seen the ones with Thelo (Aasgaard) and Charlie (Wyke) in the box, I’ve only seen the handball.

“Yeah, look, I think the referee has probably got that one wrong, in my opinion.

“But I don’t complain about referees too much, these things happen, you can’t change what’s happened.

“We knew it was going to be a big fight with 10 men and I thought we did that, even with 10 men, we continued to take the game to them.

“There’s ways to lose games…last weekend (after the 4-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers), I felt completely differently.

“We just have to improve how we defend the box because we made it far too easy for them to score – especially considering how good our goal was.

“But the effort the team gave, and the quality they tried to bring with 10 men, I feel very different this weekend to last weekend.”

Carlos Corberan pointed to an increasing self-belief after West Brom snapped Preston’s unbeaten start to the Sky Bet Championship season with an emphatic 4-0 away win.

The Baggies took a fourth-minute lead when Darnell Furlong drilled home a shot from 22 yards, before further strikes from Alex Mowatt, Matt Phillips and Kyle Bartley completed a great afternoon for the visitors.

The result marks West Brom’s first win since August 26 and lifts them back to within touching distance of the play-offs, while Preston remain third in the table after six wins and two draws prior to this humbling.

“Defensively and attacking, that was a fantastic performance,” Corberan said.

“I was delighted to see complete effort and commitment from all the players, and that was exactly what I had been after.

“I’ve told the players previously that they need to believe in themselves and that belief was there for everyone to see today.

“Perhaps at times we needed to do more things during the game, but I cannot be critical after a victory like that.

“I was so pleased to see every player competing from the very first minute to the last. There are different challenges in this division too.

“We met those today, but we all know the physical demands of the Championship.”

After a frustrating September, where West Brom lost to Huddersfield and drew with Bristol City and Watford, Corberan hopes they can make up for lost time and rack up some wins.

They have three home games to come in their next four league fixtures, starting with Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.

“Games are coming at us all the time, and we have to cope with that,” he said.

“We knew exactly how tough it was going to be to come here and get a result.

“Preston have had a great start to the season, and their players will never give anything up.

“Their high intensity was something else we knew we needed to match but we did that and this has been a fantastic result.

“We need to take this positive feeling into the next games now.”

While Corberan hopes the result is a landmark moment in their season, Preston manager Ryan Lowe plans to forget it as soon as possible.

They face tricky away games at Leicester and Ipswich before the international break and Lowe insists they cannot dwell on the defeat for too long.

“We were nowhere near the levels I expect from the lads, but you have to remember West Brom are a really good team full of good players,” he said.

“They’re well coached, you can see that but I was also proud and pleased that our lads didn’t give up – we kept going right until the end.

“We’ve been terrific so far this season. We’re still in a great position, we’ve only lost one game.

“We’ve lost three points, not six or nine, so it’s not all negatives. The lads know they weren’t good enough today, but we won’t linger on it.

“I’ve told them all that I want lots of smiles on faces on Monday morning, and there will be. The manner of the defeat was a big disappointment, but credit to West Brom.

“Ultimately we’ve just lost one game – today has just been one of those days.”

Reading manager Ruben Selles urged the club’s fans to end their mid-match protests after the goalless draw with fellow League One strugglers Burton was halted in the first half.

For the second-successive Reading home fixture, the game was held up in the 16th minute as Royals fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at the running of the club by controversial Chinese owner Dai Yongge.

After a 10-minute delay, the match was restarted – with Burton clinging on throughout for a desperate point mostly thanks to a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Max Crocombe.

“I don’t think that the stoppage affected the momentum of the game,” Selles said.

“I understand the protests, the fans are not happy. But I would like to play the game in a normal format.

“From the meeting before the game, the referee (Sam Purkiss) decided that we would have to come in (to the dressing-rooms) so that it is like another half-time period.

“We needed to adapt and adjust to that. But that’s two games in a row here now and I would not like to get used to that.”

Of the game, Selles said: “The frustration that we had came from not scoring from the chances that we had.

“We created more than enough chances to have won the game.

“We had great situations that we wanted but we need to be more ruthless in the last third. It is a game that we should win.

“I don’t think that Burton had one shot on target or one situation. I don’t think that they had one situation to score a goal.”

Burton are now unbeaten in four matches in all competitions.

“When you come to places like this you have to defend resolutely and stay close as a team,” Burton manager Dino Maamria said.

“It was a really tough game, as we knew it would be, but I thought our players were brilliant.

“We had good moments when we could have made things out of our transition but we couldn’t do it.

“But if you come here and get a clean sheet and a point, you take it.

“The games come thick and fast but the players have stepped up as a group lately. You can see the resilience and mentality that we are trying to create.”

Callumn Morrison struck in the third minute of added time as Falkirk claimed a seventh successive win in Scottish League One after a tense 3-2 win over Montrose.

Blair Lyons put Montrose, who were on a four-match winning run of their own, ahead just after half-time but substitute Gary Oliver levelled in the 62nd minute.

Morrison’s penalty was cancelled out by a spot-kick from Graham Webster, but the Falkirk winger had the final say as he netted in stoppage time as the Bairns returned to the top of the table.

Edinburgh are still awaiting their first win of the season after Alistair Roy’s second-half header rescued a 1-1 draw for Alloa.

The capital club looked on course to end their drought Robbie Leitch put them ahead just after the hour but Roy headed home in the 69th minute to ensure a share of the spoils.

Kelty Hearts leapfrogged Queen of the South and up into fifth in the table with a 3-1 victory.

Jake Hutchinson gave the Doonhammers the lead but Lewis Moore’s penalty quickly evened things up before Reece Lyon and Michael Tidser secured all three points.

Scott Ross and Kieran Shanks each bagged a brace as Peterhead stormed to the top of the Scottish League Two table with a 6-0 thumping of Elgin.

Ross and Rory McAllister struck within the first four minutes before Shanks put Peterhead three up after half-time. Ross scored again as did Shanks from the penalty spot before substitute Hamish Ritchie completed the rout.

Stenhousemuir were knocked off top spot after squandering a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw against Clyde.

Gregor Buchanan and Matt Yates put the Warriors on course for the win but Logan Dunachie halved the deficit before Edin Lynch put into his own net as Clyde walked away from Ochilview Park with a point.

Goals from Tony Wallace, Ryan Wallace and Michael Ruth helped Dumbarton claim a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Stranraer, who had gone ahead through Ben Armour.

Rhys Armstrong and Cameron Russell scored as Spartans came from 2-0 down to claim a 2-2 draw against Bonnyrigg Rose, whose goals came from Ross Gray and Lee Currie.

Stuart Morrison earned Forfar a 1-1 draw at East Fife, who had taken the lead through Alan Trouten.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is facing an injury crisis ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Paris St Germain.

The 45-year-old oversaw a third successive Premier League win with a 2-0 defeat of Burnley at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon, but did so having lost Harvey Barnes for at least three months while facing up to the prospect of being without key defender Sven Botman, inspirational midfielder Joelinton and England striker Callum Wilson for the clash with the French champions.

Head coach Howe said: “You can add Joe Willock to that list, so it’s a difficult moment for us injury wise. It’s that kind of season for us, with the physical demands we’re going to face.

“You don’t want any injury and any injury really hurts us, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it. We have to be resilient and deal with the challenges that will come.

“We just hope we can get those players back really quickly.”

Botman and Wilson missed the Burnley game with knee and hamstring injuries respectively, while Joelinton damaged a hamstring four minutes after coming off the bench.

Howe said: “Callum’s got a very minor hamstring problem. We hope he will be back soon. We hope we will see him before the international break, but there’s no guarantee.

“Sven has a knee problem and I don’t think we’ll see him before the international break. Hopefully, we’ll see him very quickly afterwards.

“[Joelinton] looks like a hamstring. That would be a huge blow if we lose him, but we’ll wait and see.”

The injuries brought a sour note to an otherwise satisfactory afternoon on which the Magpies brushed aside the winless Clarets and might have won significantly more comfortably.

Miguel Almiron’s fine first-half finish and a penalty coolly converted by Alexander Isak 13 minutes from time secured a 2-0 win which was far more comfortable than the scoreline suggested.

Burnley might have gone ahead through Zeki Amdouni’s fourth-minute effort, which was blocked by keeper Nick Pope, but thereafter were decidedly second-best.

Howe said: “There’s no such thing as a regulation win.

“It was a tough game. You have to deliver your game plan well and I thought we did, probably after the first 10 minutes, when we were a little bit slow out of the blocks.

“I thought we recovered really well and I thought we deserved to win.”

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was philosophical in defeat as his promoted side continues to come to terms with life in the top flight.

He said: “It was tough. We were playing against a very good side so it’s supposed to be tough. It’s not supposed to be easy, going to St James’ Park.

“But we started well, stayed in the game and then probably made a mistake that put the game a bit away from us. I can’t fault the team for the performance.

“I think there are plenty of managers who have come here, especially with promoted teams, who have said to win games here, to get a result, you need to have a little bit of luck on your side and to take your key moments, and I feel we were exactly the opposite there.”

Manchester City and Manchester United both lost on Saturday, breaking a decade-old wait for the two rivals to fall to a defeat in a 3pm kick-off.

It is rare for both United and City to play in the traditional Saturday slot, but that was the case as Erik ten Hag's side hosted Crystal Palace and Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions headed to Wolves.

Yet neither team will be in a rush to remember this particular afternoon in a hurry, as they both lost in a 3pm Saturday kick-off for the first time since September 28, 2013. 

United lost 1-0, with Joachim Andersen's goal making Roy Hodgson the first manager to go unbeaten in five successive Premier League trips to Old Trafford. City, meanwhile, went down 2-1 at Molineux, with Hwang Hee-chan getting the winner for Wolves.

No Rodri, big problems

City lost to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and, without star midfielder Rodri – who was serving the second of a three-match suspension for the red card he received against Nottingham Forest – they found themselves on the end of a defeat again at Wolves.

Since Rodri made his Premier League debut in August 2019, City have lost five of 15 matches without the Spaniard in the competition (W9 D1); by contrast, they have lost just five of their last 67 league games when Rodri has featured (W53 D9).

After a long, hard-fought season, Rams Village Superstars were crowned 2023 SKNFA Premier League Champions when they defeated SL Horfords St. Paul’s United 8-7 on penalty kicks in the ultimate game 3 of the Super Six finals at Warner Park on Friday night. 

It took sudden death penalty kicks after both teams were locked 0-0 after regulation extra time. Both teams also ended the match with 10 men with one of each sent off with red cards. This is Village’s 6^th Premier League title and their triumph denies St. Paul’s United from winning their 3^rd straight Premier League title after dominating other cup competitions this season.

After an electrifying championship final between Rams Village Superstars and SL Horsfords St. Paul’s United, the curtain falls on the Premier League 2023. This season will be remembered for its breathtaking moments, coming down to the very last penalty kick.

This season has been a display of tenacity, skill, and sportsmanship at every level. Each match showcased the best of football, with teams giving their all and fans unwavering in their support.

The SKNFA extends heartfelt gratitude to all participating teams for a season pulsating with excitement and memorable moments. As we celebrate the triumphs, let's honor the exceptional talents of this season with our League Awards:

League Awards

Premier Division

Coach of the Year:

Iroy Jeffers (SL Horsford St. Paul’s United FC) - $1000

Golden Glove:

Clifford Samuel (Sol Island Auto Conaree FC)- $1000

Best Defender:

Denis Fleming (Rams Village Superstars FC)- $1000

Best Midfielder:

Yohannes Mitchum (Newtown United FC)- $1000

Golden Boot:

Keithroy Freeman (SL Horsford St. Paul’s United FC) - $1000

Regular Season MVP:

Keithroy Freeman (SL Horsford St. Paul’s United FC) -$10,000

Finals MVP:

Zaykeese Smith (Village Superstars FC)- $5,000

Division 1

Coach of the year:

Jevon Francis (Trafalgar Southstars FC)- $500

Best Goalkeeper:

Abasti Tyrell (Trafalgar Southstars FC)- $500

Best Defender:

Ricaldo Archibald (Trafalgar Southstars FC)- $500

Best Midfielder:

Orlando Mitchum (Conaree Fireball International FC)- $500

Golden Boot:

Reynaldo Matthew (Dieppe Bay Eagles FC)- $500

MVP:

Abasti Tyrell (Trafalgar Southstars FC)- $5,000

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery feels there is a special atmosphere brewing at Villa Park after his side romped to a remarkable 6-1 win against Brighton.

A hat-trick from Ollie Watkins and further strikes from Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz, as well as Pervis Estupinan’s own goal, helped Emery’s side secure a 10th successive league win at home.

Despite Brighton’s Ansu Fati briefly reducing the deficit to 3-1 at the start of the second half, Villa were at their clinical best to leapfrog the Seagulls in the table and extend their winning streak at home.

Emery said: “We have to feel something special at Villa Park and try to create a positive energy between us and the supporters and try to work on the pitch to connect with them.

“We want to compete the same at home and away, we will need time to build the team to be consistent but at home we feel strong with our supporters and the energy the supporters are transmitting to us, we need to keep being consistent at home.

“Ollie Watkins is committed to the club, he is very happy here and we are very happy with him, he works hard every day and tries to learn every day. He did very good work scoring goals and working defensively to help the team.

“We have to be very demanding and try to improve every day, each match is going to demand different things, we have to be ready and be strong in our work to be successful.”

Villa blew Brighton away with three quickfire goals in the first half as Watkins scored the opener on 14 minutes with a close-range finish before netting again on 21 minutes with a low effort past Jason Steele at his near post.

Estupinan’s own goal on 26 minutes put Villa in command before Albion responded when half-time substitute Fati scored his first goal for the club five minutes into the second half.

However, Watkins completed his hat-trick on 65 minutes with a deflected effort before Ramsey curled home on 85 minutes and Luiz rounded off the scoring seven minutes into injury time to inflict a heavy defeat on the Seagulls.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “Everything [went wrong], we played very bad.

“It’s not a problem of our physical condition, first and foremost when we lose this type of game it’s my responsibility. If you lose 6-1, the biggest responsibility is of the coach.

“We are not ready to compete and to play every three days, I’m trying to manage in different ways to keep the physical energy [up].

“The physical energy is not enough, in football you have to be ready to give your all and your best in the head in the mentality. We can’t lose every tackle, every duel and every second ball otherwise you lose the game in this way.

“But I believe in my players because I have big confidence in the people inside of my dressing room, we are suffering a lot for this defeat but this can happen sometimes if you are not ready and you have to adapt quickly.

“We have to learn. We are suffering, it’s a very bad day but maybe one of the most important days – we want to reach this level.”

Napoli emphatically ended Lecce’s 100 per cent home record in Serie A with a 4-0 victory at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Goals from Leo Ostigard and substitutes Victor Osimhen and Gianluca Gaetano had the visitors in control before Matteo Politano converted a penalty in added time.

Both teams started the day in the top six with 11 points from six games but Rudi Garcia’s men were good value for their fourth win of the campaign to maintain the pressure on the Milan clubs.

Garcia made three changes following the convincing 4-1 defeat of Udinese in midweek, with Mathias Olivera, Giovanni Simeone and Jesper Lindstrom coming in for Mario Rui, Osimhen and Politano.

Napoli had early control in sunny Puglia with Lecce, the season’s surprise package, struggling to make an impression.

The visitors’ early enterprise was rewarded in the 16th minute when they took the lead, central defender Ostigard heading in Piotr Zielinski’s free-kick from the left unchallenged at the far post.

Lecce won only three home games last season but had already beaten Lazio, Salernitana and Genoa this time around and falling behind sparked them into life.

Roberto D’Aversa’s men, who saw their best start to a Serie A season end on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss at Juventus, threatened in the 25th minute when Nikola Krstovic brought a low, diving save out of goalkeeper Alex Meret.

Central defender Marin Pongracic then wasted the Salentini’s best first-half chance on the half hour, firing over from seven yards after a corner on the right.

However, Napoli finished the half strongly and could have led by more than one goal at the interval.

In the final five minutes of the first half, Simeone saw a powerful right-foot shot go just wide, Wladimiro Falcone saved from Zielinski, then Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was narrowly off-target with a free-kick.

Osimhen replaced Simeone for the second half, and within six minutes of his introduction he had doubled Napoli’s lead with his fifth goal of the season, a header off the post from close range following Kvaratskhelia’s cross.

Gabriel Strefezza had the ball in the visitors’ net in the 57th minute with a close-range header but it was ruled out for handball in the build-up by Krstovic.

With a Champions League match against Real Madrid coming up on Tuesday, Garcia rotated his players, first replacing Lindstrom and Kvaratskhelia with Giacomo Raspadori and Politano.

Raspadori’s low left-foot shot was saved by Falcone in the 67th minute, before Jens-Lys Cajuste came on for Stanislav Lobotka with 14 minutes remaining.

Lecce could not find the breakthrough they needed to set up a tense finish and Napoli made it 3-0 when Gaetano, the last of their five substitutes to be introduced, increased the lead with two minutes remaining.

Less than five minutes after his introduction, the attacking midfielder fired home powerfully from the edge of the penalty box.

There was still time for a fourth goal, Politano sending Falcone the wrong way from the penalty spot after Ylber Ramadani had been penalised for fouling Gaetano.

Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa recorded a 10th successive Premier League home win with a 6-1 thumping of Brighton.

Watkins netted a first-half brace and Pervis Estupinan put through his own net as Villa scored three goals in the space of 13 minutes before the interval to blow Brighton away.

Striker Watkins completed his hat-trick in the second half and set up substitute Jacob Ramsey for the home side’s fifth goal after Ansu Fati had briefly reduced the deficit before Douglas Luiz completed the scoring deep into added time.

Victory for Unai Emery’s side extended their winning run to three matches, while Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton were denied the chance to go joint top of the table following their heaviest defeat under the Italian since he took charge in September last year.

Brighton spurned a glorious early chance to take lead when Billy Gilmour played a delightful ball into Estupinan, only for Emiliano Martinez to make a crucial save.

And that miss would prove costly as Villa broke the deadlock in the 14th when Watkins finished from close range after John McGinn’s superb pass released Matty Cash down the right.

The home side doubled their lead after 21 minutes as Watkins somehow squeezed the ball past Jason Steele at his near post after latching on to Moussa Diaby’s through-ball down the left-hand side of the area.

Moments later, Villa went close to another as Diaby’s drilled cross from the left was flicked to safety by the boot of Steele.

The hosts continued to pile forward and looked to have put the game to bed after 26 minutes when Diaby’s shot deflected in off Estupinan as the defender ran back towards his own goal, Steele having denied the Villa man moments earlier.

Following a dismal first-half performance, Brighton boss De Zerbi made a triple substitution at half-time as Fati, Joao Pedro and Tariq Lamptey all entered the fray.

The Albion boss was quickly rewarded as Barcelona loanee Fati reduced the deficit after 50 minutes with a close-range finish after Pedro had just kept the ball in play, with the goal awarded following a lengthy VAR check for offside.

However, Villa dashed any thoughts of a fightback after 65 minutes when McGinn’s pass found Watkins on the edge of the area and the striker’s shot deflected in off Adam Webster, with the ball looping over Seagulls keeper Steele.

Albion almost scored a second goal in the final 10 minutes as substitute Simon Adingra’s dipping shot was magnificently tipped over the crossbar by Martinez.

However, Villa scored their fifth after 85 minutes when substitute Ramsey curled a fine effort in off the right-hand post from the edge of the area from Watkins’ pass.

And there was still time for Villa to add to Brighton’s misery as Luiz rolled the ball into an empty net seven minutes into added time after Steele had denied Watkins when one-on-one to round off a superb display from Emery’s men.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed his players’ composure and spirit following their dramatic late victory over Motherwell.

The cinch Premiership leaders looked to have won it when substitute Luis Palma whipped the ball just inside the far post to open the scoring in the 87th minute at Fir Park.

Motherwell levelled five minutes into stoppage time when Blair Spittal slotted home but Matt O’Riley converted Greg Taylor’s deep cross two minutes later to spark wild celebrations and seal a 2-1 win.

Rodgers said: “It was a great response by the players, incredible mentality. I said to them afterwards, this club’s history is built on many late goals, that’s what Celtic does, but you have to have that will and desire to keep going.

“I thought we dominated the game. Credit to Motherwell because they were tight and compact. You are not going to have it all your own way so you have to be patient and work the ball at speed. Probably our only thing was lacking a wee bit of quality in and around the box.

“But once they equalised we stayed clam, kept working the ball and waiting for that moment. We didn’t start lumping it into the box. We worked our way up the pitch, one side to the other, and it was a great cross by Greg Taylor, who showed immense resilience to stay on because he has taken a bad whack on his calf.

“Matty finished and it was brilliant for the supporters, they are starting to see how this team will keep fighting right to the end.”

Motherwell have now lost by one goal against each of the top three in successive weeks and manager Stuart Kettlewell again felt they deserved more from the game.

“It’s probably as sore a defeat as I have had,” he said.

“We have had a real tough run of games, going to Ibrox and playing against a high-flying St Mirren and then Celtic. But all I can comment on is how my players are acquitting themselves and I hope you see how well they have played again.

“I accept at times Celtic dominate the ball and carve out probably more chances than there have been in the last two games we have had but nobody can deny there was a real identity to our team again.

“We created some real good chances ourselves and showed that character to get back in the game. It’s a bitter pill to swallow yet again.”

Celtic fans spilled on to the track after Palma’s goal with one or two bursting on to the pitch and Motherwell supporters responded by coming on to the park after their equaliser. Celtic’s winner sparked an even bigger invasion and missiles were exchanged between the two sets of fans.

Kettlewell said: “I don’t want to see those scenes, nobody will, but I also think by the emotion of the game and Celtic knowing they were properly in one again, scoring so late, I understand the emotion of the football supporter.

“But that doesn’t vindicate the fact we have got fans streaming on to the park. It does a look a bit ugly.

“You are always concerned about your own players’ safety but Celtic supporters were on to cheer their goal and celebrate with their team so there was no situation where our players were accosted or anything.”

Rodgers added: “I saw people on the pitch and, listen, that is not what we would want. You understand a little bit the lateness of the goals and what that brings to it and you have to think of the context, but I didn’t see anything else.”

Matt O’Riley celebrated his new contract with a winner seven minutes into stoppage time as Celtic edged a 2-1 win over Motherwell after a dramatic finale at Fir Park.

Blair Spittal had levelled for Motherwell two minutes earlier after substitute Luis Palma grabbed his first Celtic goal in the 87th minute.

Fans were on the pitch after each of the late goals and missiles flew between the two sets of supporters after O’Riley’s winner.

The game had been on a knife edge throughout and Scott Bain, deputising for the suspended Joe Hart, made two good saves while the game was goalless.

O’Riley’s new four-year deal was announced on the morning of the game and he showed his worth by converting a cushioned volley at the back post following Greg Taylor’s cross.

The victory set Celtic up for the visit of Lazio in the Champions League on Wednesday and delivered another blow to Motherwell, who have now suffered narrow defeats against the top three in successive weeks.

Celtic had the bulk of the early possession but the only chances in the first quarter came from set-pieces. Spittal came close with an overhead kick and Liam Scales headed wide at the other end.

Motherwell were looking solid and Kyogo Furuhashi curled wide from 22 yards when Celtic did manage to pass the ball through the lines.

The home side had the best chance of the half when Spittal’s quick free-kick found Harry Paton’s run. Bain came out to block Paton’s shot with his foot and Celtic cleared the midfielder’s driven cross on the rebound.

Liam Kelly made his only save of the first half from O’Riley after quick feet from Yang Hyun-jun before Spittal got Motherwell in behind again. However, Brodie Spencer could not find a final ball to capitalise.

James Forrest replaced Yang at half-time and Celtic began to show more urgency in the final third. Taylor and Gustaf Lagerbielke could not make the most of half chances.

Motherwell raised their own tempo in possession and had the ball in the net after Bevis Mugabi challenged Bain at a high ball. Stephen O’Donnell hit the ball off Mugabi on the lone before knocking home the rebound and the offside flag went up. Mugabi’s challenge might have been penalised anyway if the wing-back had netted first time.

Taylor created Celtic’s best chance so far when he won the ball on the edge of the box and set up Daizen Maeda but the Japanese attacker shot over with only Kelly to beat.

Motherwell responded and Theo Bair volleyed straight at Bain before the goalkeeper’s feet again came to Celtic’s rescue when he blocked Spittal’s effort following Callum Slattery’s through ball.

The home side looked tired as the game entered the final 10 minutes and Kelly saved Forrest’s header after Palma’s cross.

Then came the drama. Palma curled just inside the far post from just outside the corner of the box as the ball whipped in between defender Dan Casey and Kelly. Fans spilled on to the track from behind the goal in the Tommy McLean Stand.

Motherwell found some energy and with plenty of players in the Spittal slotted into the far corner. Dozens of Motherwell fans were suddenly on the pitch and they were barely back in their seats when O’Riley struck and sparked an even bigger pitch invasion.

Juventus will have to deal with a depleted attack when they travel to Atalanta on Sunday as both Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik have been ruled out by injury.

Vlahovic, who has scored four times in Juve’s opening six Serie A games, has a back issue, while Milik, who got the winner against Lecce last time out, has a calf problem.

“Unfortunately both Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik won’t be available tomorrow,” boss Massimiliano Allegri told a press conference.

“Dusan has a back problem. This week he trained, but then yesterday he was in too much pain and had to stop. He tried to grit his teeth to be there, but it’s better to give him time off to recover.

“Arek, however, felt pain in his calf after Lecce and since then it’s been a delicate situation, so we preferred to rest him so that he can return to the team on Tuesday.”

Allegri, whose side’s last away game resulted in a 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo, warned his players to expect a hard-fought encounter against Atalanta, who are on a three-match winning run in all competitions.

The hosts trail third-placed Juve by just a single point, while the last three meetings between the sides have ended in draws.

Allegri said: “Usually the matches against Atalanta are all very tight.

“Atalanta are in good form, they haven’t lost or conceded a goal at home yet. You have to prepare for the match in the best possible way, with great attention to detail while keeping up a good rhythm.

“We won a direct clash against Lazio, now we have another one against a team that play in a completely different way and are more physical and more aggressive.”

And Allegri wants nothing less than total commitment from his side.

He added: “Clearly the championship doesn’t end tomorrow, but tomorrow is one of those matches where you have to give everything if you want to bring home a result.

“We don’t have to look at the rankings now, even if staying in the top four would help us have greater self-esteem and allow us to work with more peace of mind.

“We must continue to work, knowing that our goal is to get into the top four so we can play in the Champions League next year. There is enthusiasm in the group and, above all, a desire to improve.”

Outgoing senior Reggae Girlz Head coach Lorne Donaldson stopped just short of saying he is the victim of a personal vendetta waged against him by Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) General Secretary Dennis Chung, as he refuted claims about how discussions to cut ties, transpired.

Donaldson in response to a widely circulated release by the JFF, pointed out that the decision not to renew his contract was by no means mutual, as the meeting with Chung and JFF’s Human Resource Manager Suzie George-Gayle, lasted a mere five minutes.

The JFF in its statement said, “after an extended discussion, both parties came to an agreement that the contract would not be renewed.”

But Donaldson in an interview with Sportsmax.tv, rubbished the claims.

 “He [Chung] said they are terminating me. There was no discussion. In a five-minute meeting, he just said congrats on everything and the next thing was, ‘we will not renew your contract.’ There was no reason why, or anything, he just said, we will not renew your contract,” he shared.

Donaldson, along with former Head coach Hue Menzies, was first introduced to the Reggae Girlz programme by women’s football ambassador Cedella Marley in 2015 and led the country to an historic first FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance in France in 2019.

However, after departing the programme in 2020, following the steps of Menzies, who left earlier in 2019, Donaldson was reappointed in June 2022, to replace Vinimore “Vin” Blaine, who was forced to resign a few months into his tenure, after the Girlz expressed their displeasure with his leadership in a scathing letter.

Like he did in 2019, Donaldson again led the Reggae Girlz to the World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, where they had an historic run to the round of 16, after drawing with France and Brazil and defeating Panama in the group stage.

The Reggae Girlz eventually bowed out following a 0-1 loss to Colombia.

In their most recent fixtures, the Reggae Girlz suffered back-to-back losses to Canada in a failed bid to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but the progress the team has made under Donaldson’s leadership is without question.

The tactician doesn’t believe he was judged on that basis.

“Another thing he said is that if they had done well with the Olympic qualifiers, we (the coaching staff) would have carried on. You don’t want to work in a condition where you are being judged based on one game and not your body of work. So, I guess what happened at the World Cup didn’t matter and it never really had anything to do with football,” Donaldson opined.

“It’s because I disagreed with the way they want to treat players and coaches, and I defended the Girlz. They have been waiting for the opportunity to do this (get rid of me) because they have been trying to do this from June,” he added.

The outspoken coach recalled a conversation in which he and Chung didn’t see eye-to-eye and he believes it was from that point that their relationship spiralled.

“From day one when he said women’s football will never catch on in Jamaica and people will never support women’s football, and I told him he is wrong, I realised the relationship has been topsy-turvy since then,” Donaldson revealed.

He continued: “He said nobody cares about women’s football in Jamaica and it doesn’t matter how bad the men’s team is, the men will get more support than the women. That was when we were trying to go to Australia for the (Cup of Nations) tournament and from that day I knew we are always going to be fighting for these Girlz because it revealed to me that they really don’t care about the Girlz.

“He was trying to justify why we shouldn’t have gone to the tournament in Australia, all because they were spending a little money, even though Australia was spending some money as well. And then he came up with these ridiculous flight prices and I said no, it is way less than that. And from February on, he was total against everything that we were doing.”

Despite sensing Chung’s perceived dislike, Donaldson explained that it was his duty as Head coach to remain resolute in his fight for the players, who sometimes felt disheartened by the show of support, or lack thereof, from the country’s governing football body in particular.

“We had to stand up for the Girlz and I stick to that. When they are right, we fought for them and when they were wrong, I told them. And then we had to make sure they had the resources that we can have them perform,” Donaldson said.

“It showed the other day when we didn’t have the proper equipment for them to train. There was no equipment on the first day of camp and stuff like that affected the Girlz because they didn’t feel the love. They kept saying people didn’t care.

“They just went to a World Cup and see all around the world how everybody (other countries) is speaking glowingly of their team, and they come to Jamaica and can’t even get the proper equipment,” he reasoned.

That said, Donaldson wished the JFF and Reggae Girlz well on their future endeavours, starting with the upcoming Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifying matches against Panama and Guatemala, next month.

“The JFF, whatever they have planned for the Girlz, I hope they are successful with it, and I wish them all the best from the bottom of my heart. They made a decision, and I am fine with that,” he declared.

“We have a great group of players that are going to come in, and what we have achieved is basically a scratch on the surface because the sky is the limit with this group of Girlz,” Donaldson ended.

Meanwhile, Chung when contacted about the allegations, was reluctant to address what transpired during the meeting.

“I don’t want to comment on those decisions (made during the meeting), I don’t know where those comments are coming from, but from an ethical point of view, I’m just not going to comment on it. We issued a release, and the release speaks for itself,” Chung told Sportsmax.tv.

However, he admitted to an extent that the February conversation in Montego Bay did happen, but not exactly how it was stated by Donaldson.

“I never said that people don’t care about women’s football, I don’t know where that is coming from. What I have said in the past is that no matter how well the women do, it seems like people tend to support the men more in terms of attendance at matches and that is something that has been said internationally. So, I was just echoing it because someone said it on a sports programme I was listening to,” Chung explained.

 “It is an unfortunate comment that he made, but I didn’t listen to it, because the fact is that the JFF has spent a lot more money on the women’s programme than the men’s programme and in terms of resourcing it, has given it equal footing, if not more.

“So, it’s a very unfortunate comment if that was said because when you talk about sponsorship, most of the sponsors have come in for the women’s programme, so that was very unfortunate,” he argued.

When asked about the possible timeline for Donaldson’s replacement given the significance of the upcoming fixtures, Chung said information should be forthcoming by Monday.

 “We are working to ensure that a team is in place so I’m sure that by Monday we will have that sorted in terms of what we are doing. So, something is being worked on and the JFF will communicate that,” Chung noted.