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• Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace hands hosts Hollywood derby bragging rights

  Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday. 

  A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock. 

  But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo. 

  The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.

  However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross. 

  And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.

  A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win. 

  Data Debrief: The American dream

  Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.

  Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter. 

  He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player. 

• Slot doubles down on selection policy ahead of Champions League opener

  Arne Slot hit back at critics following his first defeat as Liverpool head coach but is relishing his first Champions League game in charge of the Reds against Milan. 

  After starting his Liverpool tenure with three wins from three, Slot's side were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest last weekend upon their return from the international break. 

  It marked the Dutchman's first loss since replacing Jurgen Klopp, with Forest securing their first triumph at Anfield since 1969. 

  Slot named an unchanged team for the fourth consecutive game since taking over at Liverpool against Forest, with many questioning his decision to do so. 

  But speaking ahead of their encounter at the San Siro on Tuesday, Slot doubled down on his selection policy during his early tenure on Merseyside. 

  "If rotation would be the reason why you didn't win a game, then last Saturday probably wouldn't be the first game I lost in 2024," Slot said. 

  "It's too simple to put this loss on rotation, I think it was because too many players didn't reach their normal level. The playing style of the opponent made it really difficult.

  "When you don't win, you try and look at as many possible reasons why, but I preferred to look back at what we did well and what we didn't do well.

  "We could have done a lot better in things that were not related to rotation, but again it's not possible to say what would have happened if I did rotate.

  "Now I can do something about rotation in the upcoming games but before the weekend they were with the national team.

  "For me this loss didn't have anything to do with rotation, it was the opponent and too many players not bringing what they can bring."

  Slot takes charges of his first game in the Champions League as Liverpool boss, but has struggled in the competition away from home. 

  The Dutchman has lost all three of his away games in the tournament, with each of those coming in the group stage with Feyenoord last season.  

  However, Slot's former side did have the second-best shot differential away from home in last season’s group stage (+19 – 48 for and 29 against), while only Man City (24) faced fewer shots on the road.

  The fixture will also come on Slot's 46th birthday, with the Liverpool head coach hopeful of getting the perfect present from his players.

  "I think it is the first time that my birthday is not so important tomorrow!', Slot said.

  "It's a big game also for me, but it's a big game for us too because it's the first game [of the Champions League] and it's the next game and the next game is always the most important one, as you know.

  "But because of the history that these two teams have and the venue where it's played in - it's one to look forward to."

  Slot was also able to provide an update on Federico Chiesa, who is yet to feature since his switch from Juventus in the transfer window. 

  Chiesa offers Slot an experienced option against the Serie A side, having notched seven goal involvements (three goals and four assists) in the 13 games he has played against Milan. 

  But the Dutchman confirmed that any involvement for the Italy international will likely be from the bench. 

  "He is, for the first time, in our team selection," Slot said. 

  "And since I said it's the first time he's in our team selection it would be a big surprise for him and for everyone if he would start tomorrow.

  "I don’t think you should expect that he starts but he can make a few minutes for the first time tomorrow if we need him. That is something we will see tomorrow.

  "For the first time with us and don’t expect him to be there in the starting line-up because he has been with Juve training on his own for a long time.

  "It is too early for him to play 90, but hopefully he can make his first minutes in the upcoming fixtures."

• Liverpool opener a chance to show Milan progression, says Fonseca

  Paulo Fonseca believes Milan's Champions League opener against Liverpool is the perfect opportunity to show the team's progress under his stewardship. 

  Fonseca, who arrived at the San Siro from Lille in July, picked up his first Serie A victory for the Rossoneri on Saturday with a 4-0 rout of Venezia. 

  All four goals came in the first 30 minutes of that encounter, the first time Milan had done so in a league match since October 1958 against Alessandria. 

  Milan welcome a familiar foe in the competition in Liverpool on Tuesday, with the pair having squared off in the 2005 and 2007 finals, both winning one apiece.

  The Italian side also faced the Reds in the Champions League group stage in the 2021-22 season but lost on both occasions as Liverpool reached the showpiece match, only to lose 1-0 to Real Madrid.

  But Liverpool come into the contest off the back of a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, the first defeat of the Arne Slot era. 

  However, Fonseca insisted that despite their opponents' latest result, his side must eradicate their own mistakes and be defensively perfect to kickstart their campaign with a victory. 

  "I think Liverpool is one of the strongest teams in Europe. They have a good game and strong individuals," Fonseca said.

  "We have to be perfect defensively, you cannot make mistakes.

  "I see it as an opportunity to show our progress. It will lead us to do different things... but also to prove our worth.

  "I am sure it will. The support of our fans is always important for us. Tomorrow it will be like that, we want to feel their love."

  Milan's new signing and Euro 2024 winning captain, Alvaro Morata, is also expecting a difficult test against Liverpool on Tuesday. 

  Morata returned to action as a second half substitute against Venezia after missing two games with a back injury after marking his debut with a goal against Torino. 

  The Spaniard also has an impressive record against Liverpool, failing to lose in his five appearances against them (won three and drawn two) while also scoring once. 

  "It will be a great challenge, we have so many different players, and we have to fix so many mechanisms, only time will tell," Morata said.

  "Ever since you arrive at a club like this you dream of playing with Liverpool in the Champions League, it could even be a semi-final, it's strange that we play right away.

  "There is so much desire. These are the games that make sporting history."