Related items

• Brendan Rodgers ‘bitterly disappointed’ as Celtic lose to Lazio after late drama

  Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admitted their last-gasp 2-1 defeat by Lazio was a “devastating” blow after he felt they deserved to be in front.

  Luis Palma thought he had given the Scottish champions an 81st-minute lead but it was ruled offside by a lengthy VAR check when the officials decided Daizen Maeda had helped on Alistair Johnston’s cross.

  There was a bigger blow to follow five minutes into stoppage-time when Pedro robbed Cameron Carter-Vickers before spraying the ball out wide and running into the box to head home the resulting cross.

  Kyogo Furuhashi’s early opener had been cancelled out by Matias Vecino following a 29th-minute corner.

  Rodgers said: “I’m bitterly disappointed. I felt we totally deserved to take something from the game.

  “We had a great start and scored a great goal. I’m disappointed with the goal we conceded, I felt we could do better with the corner.

  “We were getting through them and it looked like a matter of time before we could score. We got a goal but unfortunately Daizen just got a touch on it and made it offside.

  “I felt at that point we deserved to be in front, we had got into some good areas.

  “To concede late on was harsh but there’s a learning there. You have to secure the ball late on. The learning is just managing the game at that late stage.

  “We knocked on the door second half, if you can’t make the breakthrough just make sure in that late stage of the game that you are secure behind the ball.”

  Carter-Vickers had come off the bench to make his comeback following seven weeks out with a hamstring injury.

  Rodgers said: “There’s no blame on Cam, it’s one where they steal the ball from him but if we were in a better position, we deal with the cross.

  “That’s the learning for the team – you can’t be coming out from the space unless you have good control of the ball.

  “It was a devastating way to lose because we deserved something, but like every game there are learnings and when the Atletico game comes hopefully we can learn the lessons.”

  Despite the finest of margins between potential victory and a ninth defeat in 11 Champions League group games at home, the facts remain that Celtic are on zero points from two games in Group E.

  Rodgers said: “We were under no illusions at the beginning of the competition where we sat. I said at the beginning our idea was to qualify for European football, and that’s still the ambition and mentality.

  “We have shown over the two games against good sides that we can compete. If we can just tidy up one or two moments and maybe get a bit of luck, we will still fight in every single game to get that qualification.”

• Matt Taylor confident he can change Rotherham’s fortunes

  Rotherham boss Matt Taylor is confident he can turn things around after his side’s dismal start to the season continued with a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Bristol City, but accepts results have to improve.

  Tommy Conway’s goal in the sixth minute of time added on inflicted a seventh loss from the Millers’ opening 10 games, which is their worst start to a Championship season since 2004/05.

  It looked like Taylor’s side, who are ravaged by injuries, would earn a point after Tyler Blackett’s 86th-minute strike had cancelled out Conway’s opener five minutes before.

  But they left empty-handed, with Taylor, who celebrated one year in charge on Tuesday, knowing things have to change.

  “You can’t afford to keep getting beat,” he said. “The manner of tonight’s defeat, if you are going to get beat, get beat by giving it everything and showing you are good enough to compete at the level.

  “There have been a few away games where we have not shown enough of that which is frustrating. But you have to believe that A) you are good enough as a manager and B) your players are good enough.

  “But when your best players aren’t available it is an incredible job and an incredible task. It has got an awful lot harder on the back of tonight.

  “Like I keep saying to the players you can’t lose heart, confidence and will, if the supporters do that’s down to them, I understand that to a certain extent, but if there is anything this club is about it’s about standing up and showing a bit of character and fight and sticking together as well.

  “It’s understanding that Championship level football for Rotherham is a hell of an achievement, it was a hell of an achievement last season and what we are up against is an absolute beast and it keeps on taking big chunks out of us.

  “But we are still alive. We are 10 games in and still showing signs of brightness in certain moments and no one else will be thinking of Rotherham right now. I am looking forward to what we can achieve at the weekend because I still believe in this group of players.”

  For the opening 81 minutes it was a forgettable encounter, with just one shot on target, before it burst into life with Conway’s opener.

  Robins boss Nigel Pearson was pleased with the outcome rather than his side’s performance.

  “What you have always got to do is keep alive in the game,” he said. “It is a good illustration of it being a squad game tonight, Tommy coming off the bench and scoring two quality goals.

  “We were mugged at the weekend. They will be feeling a bit down, it wasn’t a game of a lot of quality but the important thing is we won a scrappy game.

  “Tonight we have come away from home and got three points at a ground which is tough to come to at times.

  “It is good for the players to come away with a quality result, especially having conceded a late equaliser.

  “A good day but we are not kidding ourselves. Credit to the players they were prepared to keep going, a good night in the end, but it didn’t feel like it for much of the night.”

• Enzo Maresca proud of Leicester’s record-equalling start

  Enzo Maresca praised his Leicester players after a 3-0 home win over Preston saw the Foxes equal the best start to a Championship season.

  Two goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall either side of a Kelechi Iheanacho strike were enough to see the Foxes back to the Championship summit.

  The victory lifted them above Ipswich, who had moved a point clear on Tuesday by beating Hull, and matched Sheffield United’s 27-point haul from the first 10 games of the 2005-06 campaign.

  Maresca said: “To be honest I am happy. I just said to the players that what you have done today is something that is not normal.

  “And not only because your club is Leicester have you achieved something like this – there are other clubs in the Championship who are important like us but they struggle.

  “So it is something important, but it is early days. We have won nine out of 10, we are very happy with that, but now in less than 72 hours we have one more game and we need to be focused on that.”

  Midfielder Dewsbury-Hall broke the deadlock on the hour with substitute Iheanacho doubling the lead 16 minutes later.

  Dewsbury-Hall made it 3-0 in the 90th minute on the rebound after Iheanacho had seen a shot parried.

  Maresca added: “I am especially happy for Kiernan because he is improving in decision-making – in the choice. If you remember – in the first game he was shooting from his house, from everywhere. Now on the edge of the box he is patient.”

  Preston had a great chance to open the scoring late in the first half when Duane Holmes fired wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.

  North End also had a late goal from substitute Ben Woodburn ruled out for a foul on Wout Faes in the build-up.

  Preston’s defeat followed a 4-0 home loss to West Brom on Saturday, but manager Ryan Lowe made it clear he was pleased with his players.

  He said: “It was definitely harsh. I thought we were fantastic for 50-odd minutes until they scored the first goal, which was disappointing on our behalf – we go to ground when we could probably have intercepted it.

  “But Leicester have some quality, they are different class, and we nullified that early on – we caught them out a little bit.

  “We didn’t have much possession but I can’t fault the effort. Late on we were out on our feet a little bit, which was expected.

  “We had the best chance first-half – Duane’s had a fantastic opportunity and it’s gone just beyond the post – but they are a Premier League team in the Championship.

  “They have got a player in Dewsbury-Hall who shouldn’t be playing at this level.

  “But we didn’t fear them. We respected them. They are normal human beings but they have got different qualities to most in the Championship.”