Ipswich missed their chance to move back into the Championship top two as they fell to a 3-2 defeat at Preston.
A week after being embarrassed by non-league Maidstone in the FA Cup, the Tractor Boys were unable to restore their pride as they capitulated in what proved to be a nightmare first half at Deepdale thanks to a Will Keane brace and George Edmundson’s own goal.
Debutant Kieffer Moore came off the bench after half-time and bagged two goals to threaten a dramatic comeback late on, but Preston hung on for a victory which eased them back closer to the play-off places.
The writing was on the wall for Ipswich almost from the first whistle and Liam Millar had already gone close by the time Preston notched their opener after five minutes.
Keane grabbed it, firing home from 20 yards via a hefty deflection off defender Edmundson after he had met Ben Whiteman’s pass.
It got even worse for the unfortunate Edmundson just three minutes later. With Emil Riis darting on to Keane’s smart through-ball, Edmundson got a foot in to tackle, only to direct the ball past goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky and into the gaping goal.
Ipswich looked all at sea but did manage to steady the ship somewhat, although by the half-hour mark they still had not troubled North End keeper Freddie Woodman.
At the other end, Preston had gone off the boil slightly but Ryan Lowe’s men managed to add a third six minutes before the break.
This time Mads Frokjaer pounced on an awful pass out from the decidedly shaky Hladky, with the ball eventually springing out for Keane to easily slot home his second from close range.
Ipswich had clearly endured a stern talking-to from boss Kieran McKenna at the break and they almost reduced the deficit soon after the restart.
Leif Davis took aim from a free-kick but his shot bounced out off a post.
As the hour mark passed, Jeremy Sarmiento tried his luck from distance but Woodman was equal to the task and saved competently.
Substitute Moore, making his debut following his midweek loan switch from Bournemouth, also headed just off target and it was looking like it was not going to be Ipswich’s day, until the same player gave them hope after 74 minutes, leaping highest to nod home Davis’s cross.
When Moore tapped home to make it 3-2 with three minutes left, there were gasps of concern from the home faithful, but Preston hung to secure an eye-catching win.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Augsburg: Hat-trick hero Kane smashes Bundesliga record
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick to become the quickest player to score 50 Bundesliga goals as Bayern Munich comfortably dispatched Augsburg 3-0 on Friday.
Kane opened the scoring in the 63rd with a penalty before netting a quickfire double in second-half stoppage time to smash the record previously held by Erling Haaland.
Despite controlling the early possession, Bayern were unable to make their dominance count, with Nediljko Labrovic rarely troubled in the opening 45 minutes.
The hosts maintained their dominance after the interval, with Leon Goretzka's looped header grazing the crossbar before Jamal Musiala went close soon after.
However, Bayern were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR review saw Mads Pedersen penalised for handling the ball, with Kane stepping up to score from 12 yards.
The England captain grabbed his second of the game in the third-minute of stoppage time following another VAR review which saw Keven Schlotterbeck sent off after tripping Kane inside the box.
Kane sent Labrovic the wrong way but was not to be denied a fourth treble of the season, brilliantly taking down Goretzka's searching ball before heading the ball home.
Data Debrief: HurriKane
Kane has now scored 50 Bundesliga goals in 43 matches. Before him, Haaland was the quickest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals, having done so in 50 appearances in the competition for Borussia Dortmund.
He is also the quickest to reach that total for Bayern by some distance. Kane has reached that tally quicker than the likes of Gerd Muller (83 games), Mario Gomez (71 games), Roy Makaay (67 games) and Robert Lewandowski (64 games).
10 of Kane’s goals have come from penalties, while 32 of them have been with his right foot, nine with his left and nine with his head.
Messi 'will be our No.10 in 2026', hopes Inter Miami chief Mas
Inter Miami fully expect Lionel Messi to remain at the club beyond his current contract ahead of the 2026 MLS season.
Those were the words of Miami's club managing owner, Jorge Mas, who was speaking to the media following Gerardo Martino's resignation earlier on Friday.
Messi joined the MLS side in July 2023 on a two-and-a-half-year contract, leading the Herons to the Supporters' Shield and Leagues Cup during his time in the United States so far.
His current deal is due to expire at the end of next year, though Mas made clear his desire to see Messi remain with the Herons at Miami Freedom Park, the club's new stadium that will open in 2026.
"He’s under contract through 2025. Leo and I will sit, and we’ll discuss the future,” Mas said.
“As I’ve said before, and I will repeat it now: I fully expect that in the opening of our new stadium in 2026 in Miami and the opening of our 2026 season, hopefully after a trophy-laden 2025 season, that Lionel Messi will be our No. 10.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
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