Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl was delighted to mark his first home game since taking charge with a 2-0 win against Rotherham.

Michael Smith scored both goals against his former club in the first half to give Wednesday their first win of the season with Rotherham never threatening to mount a comeback.

Rohl said: “It’s amazing to be a part of this club. It’s amazing to be in the stadium, to see all the fans that are so great.

“The performance on the pitch was just what we need. We trained hard for the last 10 days and now you see the direction of how we want to play.

“A clean sheet, two goals and a great performance of high intensity against a difficult opponent.

“Everybody was ready on the pitch, but also a good signal for me was to see how ready the guys are off the pitch. We have a big squad and we need all the players.

“We spoke about our plan today. It’s about creating a winning mindset and enjoying playing football.

“We spoke about how we want to play and you always need to first win to create the belief and conviction for the direction.

“I see a team that is ready for a hunt to win balls and it is fantastic.”

Rotherham boss Matt Taylor made no attempt to hide his displeasure after a lack lustre display from his side.

He said: “Bitterly disappointed, frustrated, upset and angry in so many ways that we were so poor in so many departments today.

“In possession and out of possession, we were second best in both departments.

“In local derbies, you certainly can’t afford to do that. For 10 minutes, the game was relatively balanced and then one midfield giveaway and a breakaway goal, and the whole atmosphere changed.

“We just weren’t bright enough in our moments of the game. Get to the ball first, come out on top. If you win the ball, use the ball better. We were too poor in too many departments.

“I just didn’t see enough individually in terms of what it meant as a game today.

“Sometimes you’ve got to put your body on the line a little bit more than we did today. Sprint a little bit more and just be close enough to the action to say ‘I’m having a positive effect on the game’.

“We’re just bitterly disappointed in terms of the way we performed and then the outcome is what you expect if you don’t play well enough. This is an unforgiving league.”

Liverpool showed their support to Luis Diaz during a comfortable 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Quickfire goals from Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez before the break and Mohamed Salah’s second-half effort helped Jurgen Klopp’s side maintain their 100 per cent home record in the Premier League this season.

Jota held aloft Diaz’s number seven shirt after scoring, with the Colombian not featuring in Liverpool’s squad following reports his parents had been kidnapped in his homeland.

Liverpool’s latest victory – their eighth in a row in all competitions at Anfield – was their seventh from 10 league games this campaign and lifted them back to within three points of leaders Tottenham.

Forest rarely threatened and, although they hit the woodwork through Anthony Elanga’s late volley, they were forced to defend in numbers as their winless league run was stretched to six matches.

A minute’s applause was held before kick-off in memory of former England and Manchester United great Sir Bobby Charlton and ex-Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, who both recently died.

Liverpool quickly assumed control, but had only Nunez’s angled volley and Jota’s header, both easily saved by Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, to show for all their possession.

But that changed with two goals in four first-half minutes, which gave the half-time scoreline a truer reflection of Liverpool’s dominance.

Nunez’s fierce first-time shot was parried by Turner into the path of Jota, who turned home the rebound from eight yards.

In celebration, Jota ran to manager Jurgen Klopp, who handed him Diaz’s shirt to show to the Liverpool fans.

Nunez doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 35th minute with an emphatic near-post finish after Dominik Szoboszlai’s cut-back.

Forest’s backline looked increasingly vulnerable. Nunez sent an overhead kick narrowly over the crossbar and Turner produced fine saves to deny Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai before the break.

Harvey Elliott went close to a third Liverpool goal soon after stepping off the bench in the second half when his shot was deflected wide by Forest defender Ola Aina.

Salah capitalised on Turner’s misjudgement to put Liverpool 3-0 up in the 77th minute.

Turner was caught out by the bounce of Szoboszlai’s long diagonal punt up field and Salah raced clear to sidefoot home his eighth league goal of the season.

Forest almost pulled one back in the 85th minute when Elanga’s first-time volley following a cross to the far post crashed against the underside of the crossbar.

Liverpool thought they had scored a fourth goal through substitute Cody Gakpo deep in stoppage time, but VAR ruled he had been offside when converting from close range.

Further tributes were paid to Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of Manchester United’s derby with Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.

A minute’s applause was held prior to kick-off with both teams, who were wearing black armbands, joined by a group of former players from each club in the centre of the field.

In the Stretford End, supporters unfurled a banner which depicted Charlton holding aloft the European Cup in 1968 alongside a message which read “the finest English footballer the world has ever seen”.

Fans in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand held up cards to form a mosaic reading “Sir Bobby”.

Charlton, one of the most distinguished players the English game has ever produced and a United great, died last weekend at the age of 86.

Charlton’s achievements included winning the World Cup with England and helping United claim the European Cup, as well as setting club and country goalscoring records that stood for decades after his retirement.

As they have throughout the week, fans continued to lay flowers and scarves by the United Trinity statue, which depicts Charlton alongside team-mates George Best and Denis Law, outside the ground.

The matchday programme featured 28 pages of tributes, including a eulogy from former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The ex-United players involved in the on-field tributes were Brian Kidd, Alex Stepney, Paddy Crerand and John Aston with Mike Summerbee and Tony Book representing City.

Sean Dyche and Dominic Calvert-Lewin dedicated Everton’s 1-0 victory at West Ham to chairman Bill Kenwright.

The Toffees were playing their first match since the death of Kenwright on Monday at the age of 78.

It was a performance the lifelong Everton fan would surely have been proud of with Calvert-Lewin hitting a superb second-half winner.

“Firstly, and you can’t guarantee it, but it’s befitting to win after the week we’ve had following the sad loss of the chairman,” said Toffees boss Dyche.

“The players know the depth of the chairman’s love for the club, they’re well aware of that.”

Calvert-Lewin revealed the shock of the news affected everyone at Goodison Park.

“No-one was prepared for what happened this week and it has saddened everyone at the club. That one was for Bill,” the striker told Sky Sports.

“He would have been proud of us and proud of how we won – to get the lead, dig in and work so hard. It was a very good day.”

Calvert-Lewin, who has been beset by injuries over the past couple of seasons, looks to be finally getting back to his best.

Six minutes into the second half he played a one-two with Jack Harrison, Cruyff-turned away from Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd and hit a low shot past Alphonse Areola.

It was his 50th Premier League goal for Everton, joining Romelu Lukaku, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill in reaching the half-century.

“Dom’s a very good player who’s had a tough couple of years,” added Dyche.

“He’s very close now, you can tell in his body language and it was a fine finish.

“He looks stronger, sharper. It is a really good marker for him to get to that number.”

A second away win of the season gave Everton a little more breathing space between them and the bottom three.

“This is a tough place to come, they’ve proved that over the last couple of years, so it was a very good performance,” said Dyche.

“We are improving from last season. I think there are clear signs of that.”

For West Ham, it was a third defeat in eight days following reverses at Aston Villa and in the Europa League at Olympiacos.

David Moyes picked an attacking line-up, handing Ghana winger Mohammed Kudus his first start in the Premier League, but their only shot on target came in the 90th minute through substitute Said Benrahma.

“That would be a problem for us,” said Moyes. “But, let’s be fair, that’s the first game we’ve not scored a goal in this season.

“But I agree, I thought we missed chances today, we missed two or three opportunities to score. I don’t think it was ever going to be a game where we had nine or 10 opportunities. I didn’t see it that way for either team.”

Aston Villa continued their impressive home form as they beat Luton 3-1 to rack up a 12th successive Premier League win at Villa Park.

Unai Emery’s side have won every home league game since February 18 and made light work of the Hatters, with goals from John McGinn and Moussa Diaby giving them the upper hand before Luton captain Tom Lockyer put through his own net.

Villa have scored 13 goals in the last three Premier League home games as Emery’s team continue to show they are early contenders for the top four this season.

And with games against Nottingham Forest and Fulham coming up, they have a chance to solidify their position in the race before a clash with leaders Tottenham on November 26.

This was a seventh defeat in 10 top-flight games for Luton, who have quickly found out how demanding life can be in the Premier League, though they did get on the scoresheet when Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez scored a late own goal.

They were up against it from the start as Villa were quick onto the attack and could have led inside four minutes.

Ollie Watkins collected a cross and teed up Nicolo Zaniolo, but the Italian’s cushioned effort drifted just wide of the post.

Only a brilliant double save from Thomas Kaminski stopped Villa from breaking the deadlock in the 11th minute as he superbly spread himself to block Watkins’ close-range effort and then reacted quickly to stop the follow-up effort.

There was no surprise when the hosts went ahead in the 17th minute and it was another masterpiece from set-piece coach Austin MacPhee’s playbook.

Douglas Luiz’s low corner was dummied by Moussa Diaby and it ended up with McGinn at the far post, with the Scotland international shifting the ball past Chiedozie Ogbene and into the far corner.

That might have given the Villa the platform to go on and flourish, but Luton did well to stifle them and the hosts were restricted for the rest of the first half in terms of clear-cut chances.

But that quickly changed after the restart as they doubled their lead in the 49th minute.

Lucas Digne’s cross fell kindly to Diaby 12 yards out and he drilled a low effort into the bottom corner.

The Hatters came from 2-0 down at Forest to draw 2-2 last weekend, but there was little chance of a repeat here.

Villa continued to probe and added a third just after the hour.

Diaby made good headway down the right and his cross was turned into his own net by Lockyer.

Leon Bailey could have made it four but he shot wide while McGinn did not connect with a right-footed shot when the goal was gaping.

Luton did not give up and got on the scoresheet in the 83rd minute, Villa defender Ezri Konsa’s header hitting the crossbar and rebounding off Martinez and into the net.

Joao Palhinha scored a stunning equaliser as Fulham held Brighton to a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls were the better team in the early stages and were rewarded through Evan Ferguson’s neat finish before Palhinha’s superb strike secured a point for the Londoners.

The result extended Brighton’s winless run to three as they rued missed chances in front of goal.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side showed little signs of fatigue following Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League win over Ajax and nearly took an early lead.

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno kept out Carlos Baleba’s shot from range in the seventh minute and saved Simon Adingra’s effort inside the six-yard box moments later to keep it 0-0.

Baleba was pulling the strings for Brighton as his vision and inch-perfect passes picked out the pacey Adingra, who enjoyed runs into space.

The hosts got the goal they deserved after 26 minutes.

Igor Julio drove the Seagulls up the pitch and when Ferguson retrieved the ball outside the box he showed excellent composure to slide the ball past Leno with his left foot into the bottom corner.

The goal highlighted a gulf in quality between the two sides and the lethargic Cottagers were fortunate not to concede again immediately after the kick-off when their defence was caught napping by Adingra.

A rain-soaked Marco Silva cut a frustrated figure and his pleas to his Fulham players were left unanswered as Willian’s wasteful free-kick put an end to the first spell of meaningful possession the visitors had enjoyed in the Brighton half since the opening minutes.

Left-back Antonee Robinson was struggling to cope with Adingra and the American then gifted Ferguson a back pass, but the Seagulls’ goalscorer failed to double his tally when he was denied by Leno after 40 minutes.

Brighton started the second half quickly and Lewis Dunk was unfortunate not to score in the 49th minute. The skipper lined up a set-piece and his side-footed effort dipped onto Leno’s crossbar.

Fulham made Brighton pay for their missed chances as they made it 1-1 in the 65th minute through Palhinha.

The visitors threw men forward in numbers and the Portugal international got the ball out of his feet on the edge of the box and blasted an effort past Jason Steele.

The goal swung the momentum in the Londoners’ favour and substitute Rodrigo Muniz nearly punished Brighton from the restart through an audacious back heel that was kept out by Steele.

Both teams had opportunities to win it with Robinson clearing an effort off the line before Harry Wilson came close to grabbing a winner at the other end.

Michael Smith scored twice against his former club to give Sheffield Wednesday a 2-0 victory over South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United – their first win of the season.

In a derby encounter dominated by the home side, both goals came during the first 45 minutes. Rotherham never threatened to mount a comeback, only carving out a couple of decent chances.

It was new manager Danny Rohl’s first home game since taking charge at Hillsborough and he restored Reece James, Di’Shon Bernard and Callum Paterson to the starting line-up. Rotherham boss Matt Taylor named an unchanged side.

The opening goal came when Anthony Musaba got on the end of a great ball from Barry Bannan and had a shot saved by Viktor Johansson before picking up the rebound and squaring to Smith (12), who fired into the net. That was Wednesday’s first goal in over 10 hours.

The home side continued to apply pressure with George Byers shooting over, Musaba having a low shot saved and Josh Windass putting a great chance off-target after being set-up by Musaba.

Smith made it two-nil in the 36th minute, applying the finish after the lively Musaba caused problems for the Rotherham defenders, who failed to clear.

Another great chance came Wednesday’s way before the break when Callum Paterson’s cross was met by Musaba, but his downward header from a good position bounced over the bar.

Buoyed by their two-goal lead, Wednesday continued to hold the upper hand after the re-start.

A Windass shot from distance threatened to catch out Johansson, with the keeper relieved to see the ball go wide.

The visitors had a chance to pull a goal back when the ball fell to Sebastian Revan following a goal-mouth scramble but he fired over.

That apart, is was virtually all Wednesday from an attacking point of view.

Dominic Iorfa saw his shot deflected off-target and Smith put a low shot just wide. Musaba then had a shot blocked and Will Vaulks put an effort wide.

Musaba, who put in an excellent performance, was forced to go off in the 74th minute after picking up a knock with John Buckley taking his place.

A rare Rotherham attack in time added on saw Revan fire in a shot which flashed just wide of Cameron Dawson’s right-hand post.

The result leaves Wednesday eight points from safety at the foot of the Championship table.

Everton ended a difficult week on a positive note as Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired them to a 1-0 win at West Ham.

The Toffees were playing their first match since the death of chairman Bill Kenwright on Monday at the age of 78.

It had been emotional week, too, for Hammers manager David Moyes, who formed a close friendship with Kenwright during his 11-year spell in charge at Goodison Park.

But while West Ham slumped to a third defeat in eight days following reverses at Aston Villa and in the Europa League at Olympiacos, Everton were able to put some more breathing space between themselves and the bottom three with a second away win of the season.

Calvert-Lewin’s goal was his 50th in the Premier League for Everton, joining Romelu Lukaku, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill in reaching the half-century.

It came six minutes into the second half after a first half that will not live long in the memory.

West Ham created an early opportunity when Lucas Paqueta skilfully lifted the ball over Nathan Patterson and drilled in a low cross which Jarrod Bowen could only slice wide.

Moments later Paqueta showed the side of his game which so infuriates Moyes, gifting the ball to Jack Harrison who burst through only to fire too close to Hammers keeper Alphonse Areola.

Ghana winger Mohammed Kudus, making first Premier League start for West Ham, showed he is already getting used to the darker arts of English football after he was chopped down by James Tarkowski.

As Jordan Pickford raced out of his goal to tell the youngster to get up, Kudus shoved the England keeper away in a skirmish which earned both a booking.

Calvert-Lewin had his first chance from Vitalii Mykolenko’s cross but the striker headed over.

A torturous half was summed up by the audible sigh which echoed around the London Stadium when five minutes of stoppage time was announced.

The game desperately needed a goal and it almost came through Bowen, who got on the end of a James Ward-Prowse free-kick but guided his header too high.

Instead the goal arrived at the other end after Jarrad Branthwaite won the ball back for Everton in midfield and fed Calvert-Lewin.

The former England forward played a one-two with Harrison before executing a Cruyff turn which left both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd flat-footed and firing low past Areola.

It was Calvert-Lewin’s sixth goal in all competitions against the Hammers, the most he has scored against one single club.

Everton almost doubled the lead when Zouma and Aguerd got in another tangle but Areola got down well to tip Aboulaye Doucoure’s shot wide.

The closest West Ham came to an equaliser was a Said Benrahma volley which Pickford kept out at his near post to secure the points.

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson took responsibility after his side put in a laboured performance in a 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

The Dons failed to create anything of note as goals from Kyle Vassell and Marley Watkins either side of half-time gave Kilmarnock a deserved win.

Robson admitted he should have made more than the one alteration from the side who threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to PAOK on Thursday night in the Europa League.

He said: “We were poor today. In the first half, I didn’t think it was a very good game. They scored right before half-time, which was a bit of a sucker punch for us.

“But the biggest problem was probably my fault. I should have freshened the team up more from Thursday night.

“It was pretty evident that we looked leggy in the first half. We made a change at half-time and tried to change the shape, but it’s hard.

“That was on me. We needed some fresh legs. I think we would have seen a different team today.

“We’re not looking for excuses. We should come down here and try to win the game. We weren’t at our best at all. I should’ve changed it from the start and I think we’d have had a better outcome.”

Aberdeen remained in 10th position in the cinch Premiership and the Dons manager also admitted results have not been at the required level.

He added: “Our league form hasn’t been good enough. It’s been stop-start, with games being cancelled or moved.

“But if you want to play at this level, play in Europe and go far in cups, you need to deal with that.

“We’ve not dealt with it so far, so we need to start doing that better.

“We’ve got a massive game against Motherwell in midweek and if we can go and win at Motherwell, that can race us up the league and then there’s the chance to reach a final against Hibs next weekend.”

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes was delighted with his side’s first clean sheet in nine games as they secured back to back wins in the league for the first time this season.

The home side moved up to fourth place in the league with the impressive victory.

McInnes said: “Everything is better than last season but we spoke at the team meeting about getting more clean sheets. Last week was a clean sheet display but we gave away a penalty.

“We had to deal with two key players missing in Corrie (Ndaba) and Joe (Wright) at the start of the second half. We’ve still got the clean sheet and my keeper hasn’t been too troubled.

“It was a good performance with strong individual performances. I don’t normally like singling boys out but Lewis Mayo was so good, especially with a three v three defensively which was a big test for us.

“It’s nice to follow up a strong display with another and to see us sitting where we are in the league.

“You don’t look at that too much until the first couple of rounds but I want to hang about there for as long as possible.”

Kylian Mbappe scored an 89th-minute winner as Paris St Germain secured a dramatic 3-2 Ligue 1 victory at Brest.

Mbappe’s second goal of the game – knocking home the rebound after Marco Bizot had saved his penalty – gave PSG three hard-fought points after Brest had battled back from 2-0 down.

First-half goals from Warren Zaire-Emery and Mbappe had put PSG in command, but Steve Mounie and Jeremy Le Douaron rocked the French champions either side of the interval.

PSG showed their intent in the opening 10 minutes as Lee Kang-in and Zaire-Emery had powerful shots beaten away by Bizot and Achraf Hakimi fired over from the edge of the box.

Brest responded with Le Douaron shooting in to the side netting after goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had offered encouragement with a careless pass in his own penalty area.

The opening goal arrived after 16 minutes in sensational fashion as Bradley Barcola found Zaire-Emery following some clever footwork.

The 17-year-old hammered home from 20 yards, his first goal of the season flying past a startled Bizot.

PSG almost doubled their lead when the overworked Bizot tipped over Lee’s effort but, after Mahdi Camara fired over from 20 yards at the other end, the inevitable second did arrive.

Lee released Mbappe with a delicious pass after 28 minutes, and the France forward advanced to score with a shot which took a slight deflection off Brendan Chardonnet to wrong-foot Bizot.

Mbappe went close again before Brest, who had a penalty claim turned down when Barcola tangled with Bradley Locko, halved the deficit two minutes before the break.

Mounie exploited some poor marking on the edge of the six-yard area to meet Kenny Lala’s cross and beat Donnarumma with a firm downward header.

The goal rocked PSG and parity was restored within seven minutes of the restart after Milan Skriniar had thwarted Mounie with a desperate block.

Le Douaron met the resulting in-swinging corner to send a looping header beyond Donnarumma and inside the far post.

Brest were sensing a famous victory after losing their previous 11 games against the Parisians, and Donnarumma produced a brilliant double stop to deny Pierre Lees-Melou and Le Douaron.

PSG turned to their bench and Vitinha and Ousmane Dembele both saw efforts scrambled clear before Lilian Brassier clumsily challenged substitute Randal Kolo Muani.

The penalty was rewarded after a VAR review, a decision which sparked angry scenes between the two sets of players.

Hugo Magnetti appeared to push his hand into the face of Mbappe before the PSG captain stepped up to take the spot-kick

Mbappe’s kick was pushed out by Bizot but the ball fell kindly for him to stroke home the rebound and, his 10th goal of the league campaign, as PSG made it four successive wins in all competitions.

St Johnstone and manager Steven MacLean have parted company following a shocking start to Saints’ season.

The Perth club are bottom of the cinch Premiership with just four points from nine fixtures and without a league win.

The McDiarmid Park club released a statement which read: “St Johnstone Football Club can announce that it has parted company with Steven MacLean and Liam Craig.

“In the interim, Alex Cleland will assume responsibilities for first team matters.”

St Johnstone also lost to Stenhousemuir, Stirling Albion and Ayr in the Viaplay Cup earlier in the season.

Former Saints striker MacLean, who was first-team coach under former boss Callum Davidson, was scathing after his side’s 4-0 league defeat by St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday and warned that some of his players might have played their last game under him.

He said: “The goals we lost are unacceptable. It’s the basics of football. In the second half, we just imploded and it looked like a couple of players chucked it.

“It is my responsibility and some of these players will be lucky if they play for me again. It is not happening under my watch and it might be I need to play young boys. I thought it was really, really poor.

“You need to show a bravery in those situations and you need people to lead. I just thought we lacked that all over.”

St Johnstone play Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday night.

Kilmarnock moved up to fourth in the cinch Premiership with a deserved 2-0 victory over a poor Aberdeen at Rugby Park.

Captain Kyle Vassell gave the home side the lead with a superbly taken goal on the stroke of half-time.

And Marley Watkins extended their lead just after the hour mark after a mistake by Dons defender Stefan Gartenmann.

Danny Armstrong also hit the crossbar for the impressive hosts while Aberdeen were toothless throughout as they remained in 10th.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes made just one change from the side who defeated Livingston last weekend, with Matty Kennedy coming to face his old club in place of Corrie Ndaba.

Aberdeen also made just one change to the side who agonisingly lost to PAOK in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, with Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes replacing Dante Polvara.

In a tight opening period it was the hosts who had the better of the chances, with Kennedy firing straight at Kelle Roos in the seventh minute with the first shot of the match.

Kilmarnock were very nearly in front 10 minutes later as Watkins picked out David Watson in the centre of the box but the midfielder’s shot was deflected over the bar from eight yards.

Kennedy also fired wastefully over in the 24th minute, with Aberdeen’s only chance of the first half coming in a long ball up the field that Duk almost tucked around an onrushing Will Dennis.

It had been a cagey half but the home side had been on top and they made the breakthrough just seconds before referee Kevin Clancy was set to blow his whistle.

A long ball from Dennis was flicked on by Armstrong to Vassell who cut inside Slobodan Rubezic and fired past Roos from just outside the box.

Aberdeen looked to respond after the break and Duk did well to get to the byline but Dennis clawed away to safety.

But it was Kilmarnock who continued to look more likely to add to their advantage. From a short free-kick, Kennedy unleashed a dipping effort that was tipped over by Roos, before Watson headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner.

The impressive Armstrong had been threatening all game and he was inches away from extending the hosts lead in the 62nd minute as he curled against the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Kilmarnock only had to wait two minutes to make it 2-0 though, as a dawdling Gartenmann saw his attempted clearance charged down by Watkins who calmly stroked the ball past Roos.

Aberdeen boss Barry Robson made four substitutions and he looked to get back into the game.

One of the replacements was Ester Sokler and he almost made an instant impact, heading narrowly wide when well found by Duk.

The visitors continued to probe but they never came close to threatening a comeback as Kilmarnock saw out the game comfortably to record a second consecutive home win.

Liverpool have confirmed an “ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz” amid reports the forward’s parents were kidnapped in Colombia.

Colombia’s president said Diaz’s mother “has been rescued” but his father remains missing.

Liverpool said they were supporting the player and he sat out the Reds’ Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

“Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia,” read a club statement.

“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”

Colombia president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”

The country’s football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz’s father.

“The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” they said.

“From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”

Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.

The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.

Diaz was an unused substitute for Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win against Toulouse after starting the Premier League victory over Everton last weekend.

He was not in the 18-strong squad that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp named for Forest’s Premier League visit to Anfield.

Eddie Nketiah dedicated his first Premier League hat-trick to his recently deceased aunt after his treble sank Sheffield United.

The newly-capped England striker put the Blades to the sword, scoring the opening three goals before a Fabio Vieira penalty and a first Arsenal strike for Takehiro Tomiyasu wrapped up a convincing 5-0 win.

The result takes the Gunners two points off the top of the table, with Mikel Arteta’s side unbeaten in their first 10 league games of the campaign.

Nketiah, who has started eight of those matches, had not scored since August but topped a special day by finishing the game wearing the captain’s armband.

“To do it at Emirates Stadium, in the Premier League, in front of my family and friends is an amazing feeling,” the 24-year-old said of his hat-trick.

“I lost my aunt not too long ago and I just want to dedicate that to her and her family.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamt of this moment – to get three goals in a Premier League match.

“I’m a childhood supporter of the club, so to do it in front of the fans, my friends, my family and my teammates is an amazing feeling. It’s a day I’ll remember forever.”

There could another goal for Nketiah after he picked the ball up to take a late penalty, given after a lengthy VAR check for a foul on substitute Vieira.

Instead, the Portugal midfielder asked to take the spot-kick himself to mark a special moment in his life.

“I was going to take it – I wanted to take it,” explained Nketiah.

“I always want to get more goals. Fabio came to me and he wanted to take it. He won the penalty as well. He’s expecting a little one and it was a really good moment for him to get on the scoresheet and dedicate it.

“I’m a team player – I’d scored a hat-trick and I could allow other players to get in on the act. He took the penalty and scored, so we’re happy.”

Captain Oliver Norwood conceded the penalty as Sheffield United slumped to another defeat that leaves them bottom of the table and with just one point from 10 games.

He was bullish when asked about the performance in north London.

“It is very disappointing,” he said.

“We go in at half-time 1-0 down. Second half it’s difficult to really come and speak and say too much other than it’s not acceptable to keep losing the way that we are.

“It is easy to stand and say ‘we stick together through the hard times’, it’s easy to say that, but now we’ve got to show it.

“We’ve got to really dig in, have a look in the mirror at ourselves individually, because it’s not good enough.”

Liverpool have confirmed an “ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz” amid reports the forward’s parents were kidnapped in Colombia.

Colombia’s president has said Diaz’s mother “has been rescued” but his father remains missing.

“Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia,” read a club statement.

“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”

Colombia president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”

The country’s football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz’s father.

“The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” they said.

“From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”

Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.

The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.

Diaz did not feature in Liverpool’s 5-1 Europa League victory over Toulouse on Thursday but had been expected to return for Nottingham Forest’s Premier League visit to Anfield on Sunday.