Mauricio Pochettino believes under-fire Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has done an “amazing” job and harbours no lingering animosity over his sacking in 2019.

Chelsea manager Pochettino will return to Spurs for the first time since being dismissed by Levy for Monday evening’s derby against his former side.

The Argentinian was a popular figure during a five-and-a-half-year spell in north London but risked tarnishing his legacy by joining one of their fiercest rivals in the summer.

Levy – the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman – has endured criticism and protests from fans since the end of that era, albeit his recent appointment of Ange Postecoglou and a strong start to this season has restored some credit.

Pochettino received a message of congratulations from his former boss following his move to Stamford Bridge and insists they are on good terms ahead of an eagerly-anticipated reunion.

Asked about the state of the relationship, he replied: “Very good, yes.

“We are very respectful and he sent a text when I signed here, wishing the best to me and everyone.

“We need to be natural. Nearly six years working together, how many things happened in six years? Good and not so good.

“We are responsible for our relationship. We cannot now forget our relationship in a period which was very important in our careers and for the club.”

Tottenham challenged for the Premier League title, became Champions League regulars and built a £1billion stadium during Pochettino’s time working under Levy.

Pochettino feels the 61-year-old businessman deserves credit for helping grow the club.

He also acknowledged intense scrutiny comes with the territory when asked for his view on some Spurs supporters calling for Levy to go.

“Football is football,” said Pochettino.

“He is involved now more than 20 years in football and understands the situation.

“I think it’s really important to understand that the fans are very emotional, more than us, and they want that your team every time win and play well.

“I cannot say fair or not fair (the calls for Levy to step down). (Or) if it was fair that we were sacked or not – that is football and we need to accept the rules of football.

“Daniel is really clever, clever enough to understand that the feelings are the feelings. But that doesn’t mean that the people don’t recognise your job.

“He was amazing, the job he’s doing for Tottenham, for the club.

“You see Tottenham 20 years ago and now, how it changed, how it moved on and I think you need to recognise his job.”

Pochettino is unconcerned about the reception he will receive from fans of his former club.

The 51-year-old suggested he could still be Tottenham boss, if he had not been dismissed.

“I am going to accept what they will show,” he said of the supporters.

“I didn’t decide to leave. We parted ways because I was sacked.

“But it’s not a criticism to the club. That is a difference, we didn’t decide to leave. Maybe (we could be) still there.”

Barcelona snatched an unlikely victory after Ronald Araujo headed home the only goal of the game in the third minute of stoppage time at Real Sociedad.

The defending LaLiga champions had captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank after the German goalkeeper made several crucial saves to keep an energetic Sociedad side at bay.

Xavi’s side struggled to muster any genuine openings until the final embers of the match and cruelly took all three points when Araujo planted a power header through the legs of goalkeeper Alex Remiro, which was initially ruled offside, with virtually the last attack to seal the 1-0 victory.

The hosts made a rapid start when Ander Barrenetxea forced ter Stegen into a fine diving save inside the first minute.

Aihen Munoz was next to try his luck and should have done better, while Mikel Merino glanced a free header wide during a frentic opening three minutes.

La Real continued their momentum as Barcelona struggled to get into the match and Takefusa Kubo found himself with a great chance to break the deadlock, but ter Stegen denied the Japan international’s fierce far-post effort.

Mikel Oyarzabal should have done better when he latched on to a slack back pass from Barca defender Jules Kounde, but the Sociedad captain poked his effort wide when one-on-one with ter Stegen.

Sociedad ensured play was deep in Barca’s half and piled on the pressure further through a series of corners around the half-hour mark, which created more opportunities to opening the scoring.

Martin Zubimendi juggled the half-clearance from a Kubo corner before sending in a low cross. His centre was deflected to ter Stegen, but he spilled the ball and Oyarzabal was fastest to react as he stabbed an effort goalwards, only to be denied by the goalkeeper for another corner.

As half-time approached, Barcelona appealed for two penalties, firstly when Robert Lewandowski went down under a challenge before Joao Felix jinked past Zubeldia, where there was substantial contact, but referee Javier Alberola Rojas and VAR decided it was not worthy of a spot-kick.

In the 66th minute, the home side appealed for a penalty when Oyarzabal was felled in the area but to no avail, before Sociedad tested the visitors’ goal once more.

A long throw was half-cleared by the Barcelona defence, which fell in the direct of Barrenetxea on the edge of the box to fire a brilliant volley which was pushed wide by ter Stegen.

From the following corner, Kubo then raced around Gavi to get to the byline inside the area, but his cutback was cleared by a retreating Pedri.

Substitute Raphinha fired a 25-yard free-kick just over for the away team before they produced one of their best moves of the match, with a flowing counter-attack resulting in Ferran Torres picking up the ball on the edge of the area, but he blazed way over.

Barcelona almost snatched victory when another break led Pedri to patiently lay off to Gavi inside the area, but his effort was expertly saved by Remiro.

Araujo initially looked in anguish as he headed home Ilkay Gundogan’s teasing cross after the assistant flagged him offside. However, following a VAR check, the Uruguayan defender had timed his run to perfection to be Xavi’s unlikely match-winner.

Udinese heaped more pressure on AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli with a 1-0 win at the San Siro for their first Serie A victory this season.

Roberto Pereyra’s penalty just after the hour proved decisive as the Rossoneri slumped to a second successive home defeat and saw their winless run extend to four matches in all competitions.

AC Milan now find themselves in a fight to stay in the top four heading towards the international break – with Pioli facing more questions on his future.

Udinese created an early opening when Jordan Zemura cut the ball back and it was not cleared properly, but Pereyra could only fire his shot over the bar from 15 yards.

Zemura was involved again when he sent a pass across the face of the Milan goal following a free-kick, but no-one was able to get a telling touch.

The Rossoneri, missing Theo Hernandez through an ankle problem, finally showed some signs of life when Rade Krunic headed wide from a corner and then Davide Calabria had his shot beaten away by Udinese keeper Marco Silvestri.

American midfielder Yunus Musah again tested Silvestri with a fierce drive.

Alessandro Florenzi was unfortunate not to be rewarded for a fine piece of individual skill when he took a pass from Rafael Leao and spun around on to goal, but could not find a finish.

AC Milan made a couple of changes for the second half as Yacine Adli replaced Krunic and Swiss forward Noah Okafor came on for Luka Jovic, who looked to have picked up an injury.

Udinese wasted another chance to break the deadlock when a corner was flicked on to the back post, where defender Christian Kabasele lashed it over from close range.

The hosts then broke quickly as Okafor was sent clear, but his chipped effort over the on-rushing Silvestri dropped wide.

On the hour, Udinese were awarded a penalty when Festy Ebosele went down as he got in between Tijjani Reijnders and Yacine Adli, which was backed up by a VAR review.

Pereyra kept his cool to send Milan keeper Mike Maignan the wrong way as he rolled the ball into the bottom right corner.

Pioli made another change to try to spark his Milan side, with fit-again midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming on for a first appearance since the end of September.

It was Udinese, though, who then almost grabbed a second when Isaac Success’ downward header from a corner was palmed away by Maignan.

Milan pushed for an equaliser, with Rafael Leao threatening down the left before Florenzi lashed a shot high over the crossbar when a corner was cleared out to the edge of the box.

In the 89th minute, a deep cross from the left by Leao found Olivier Giroud, who diverted the ball towards the top corner off his shoulder, but Silvestri made a superb save at full stretch.

Silvestri tipped away a rising drive from Florenzi and Leao flashed a 20-yard drive just wide as Milan pressed in during seven minutes of stoppage time.

There was, though, to be no late reprieve as boos rang out from the disgruntled home fans at the final whistle while Udinese joyously celebrated a memorable first win under new manager Gabriele Cioffi.

Mansfield made their second cup exit in five days as they lost 2-1 at home to Sky Bet League Two promotion rivals Wrexham in an exciting FA Cup first-round tie.

After starting the season with a 19-game unbeaten run, the Stags fell to a 1-0 reverse to Port Vale in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before Wrexham arrived to deliver another cup defeat.

Sam Dalby and Paul Mullin put the Welsh visitors ahead before Rhys Oates’ effort proved in vain at a soggy One Call Stadium.

Arthur Okonkwo denied Oates one-on-one after only three minutes, but Dalby made the breakthrough with a superb rising finish in the 23rd minute after being slipped into the left side of the box by James McClean.

On the half-hour, Elliot Lee set up Dalby, but this time his finish came back off the crossbar. Home goalkeeper Christy Pym made a crucial double save in the 42nd minute, turning away successive shots from Lee and Dalby.

Three minutes after the restart Louis Reed forced Okonkwo to parry, then denied Oates from close range before Jordan Bowery volleyed the wrong side of the near post soon after as Stags fought hard.

Instead, Wrexham went 2-0 up as a lucky break of the ball saw Dalby set up Mullin to finish low in the 58th minute.

Two minutes later, Oates won the ball and powered into the box to bury a powerful finish, giving Mansfield a lifeline, but Wrexham held on to book their spot in the second round.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s goal in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle “an absolute disgrace”.

Gordon turned home the winner in a scrappy game of few chances from close range midway through the second half to end Arsenal’s 10-game unbeaten Premier League start.

After referee Stuart Attwell awarded the goal, jubilant Newcastle fans had an extended, anxious wait as the VAR made a triple check to see whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and whether Gordon had been offside.

Arteta, whose side slipped two points behind leaders Manchester City, could not hide his anger after the match.

“You have to talk about how the hell did this goal stand up? Incredible. I feel embarrassed,” the 41-year-old Spaniard said.

“I have to now come in here and try to defend the club and please ask for help because it’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed. An absolute disgrace.

“For many reasons, it’s not a goal. More than one reason, it’s not a goal. And there’s too much at stake here. We put so much effort (in).

“It’s so difficult to compete at this level and it’s an absolute disgrace. Again, I feel embarrassed.

“I’ve been more than 20 years in this country and this is nowhere near the level to describe this as the best league in the world, I’m sorry.”

When asked to comment on Arteta’s reaction, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said he had not seen replays of Gordon’s winner.

Howe said: “Maybe he’s seen something I haven’t because I’ve only seen it with the naked eye, live and from my angle I had no idea what was going on, to be honest.

“I had no idea what was going on with the VAR checks either, so in the lap of the gods really, you’re waiting like everybody else was in the stadium.

“With every check going through I was thinking they were probably going to find something. Very bizarre to have three VAR checks, but the goal was given and that’s all I know.”

As well as inflicting on Arsenal their first league defeat of the season, Howe’s side extended their unbeaten league run to seven games and closed to within four points of the Gunners.

Howe said: “It was probably more of a midfield battle than we expected. I think Arsenal respected us, there was a lot of direct play from them.

“We were really competitive. We needed to be. Thankfully we kept 11 men on the pitch. There were more bookings than there needed to be.

“Both teams threatened to lose their discipline and I’m delighted we didn’t. It’s a massive win for us.”

Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz’s ill-judged high challenge on Sean Longstaff sparked a first-half melee and Howe was annoyed three of his players were also booked as a result.

When asked if Havertz’s challenge warranted a red card, Howe added: “Again, I’ve not seen anything on replay.

“My initial thought was yes, because it was high and dangerous. That was just what I thought. I’d need to see it again to confirm my opinion.”

Jan Vertonghen believes his former Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane could be the "missing link" that helps Bayern Munich back to Champions League glory.

Kane has enjoyed a superb start to his career with the Bavarian giants, scoring his third hat-trick of the season in Saturday's 4-0 Klassiker win over Borussia Dortmund, taking his Bundesliga tally to 15 after 10 matches. No player has ever scored more than 13 in their first 10 games in the competition.

He is already just one goal behind the number the 2022-23 top scorers managed (Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug – 16), while he is halfway to the record for the most goals scored in a debut Bundesliga season, currently held by Uwe Seeler (30) in the 1963-1964 campaign.

His record-breaking form is giving Bayern fans hope that he can lead them to a seventh Champions League title and their first since the 2019-20 campaign, and Vertonghen, who reached the final of that competition alongside Kane with Spurs in the 2018-19 season, believes the England international can be the man to return Bayern to European success.

Asked if Kane could be the final puzzle piece to a Bayern Champions League win, Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform: "For sure.

"There's not a lot of great number nines at the moment – that's why Barcelona paid the money for [Robert] Lewandowski, that's why Bayern Munich paid the money for Harry.

"The young number nines are very rare – you have [Erling] Haaland, Gabriel Jesus. A lot of teams are looking for them.

"Harry was there, he's fit, he's got a lot of good years ahead of him and for sure he could be the missing link there."

Kane's Spurs exit in August saw him end a 19-year association with the club, leaving as the club's record goalscorer, having found the net 280 times in 435 appearances in all competitions.

Despite Kane's departure, Spurs have started the season very well under new head coach Ange Postecoglou and will return to the Premier League summit if they can beat Chelsea at home on Monday.

Vertonghen feels Kane would not have taken the decision to leave Spurs lightly, saying: "On his side it wasn't a no brainer, because Tottenham is in his heart – he's a legend there, everyone loves him, born and raised in London. It wasn't easy for him to leave, Tottenham really wanted to keep him as well.

"But I understand why he did it. He plays now for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, he probably thought he had more chance of adding some silverware.

"It's a shame for Tottenham, it's a shame for Harry – especially now you see the way they're performing now, but nobody would have predicted that.

"Everyone at Spurs wants him to do well; he's a legend, a great guy and he never put a foot wrong for Tottenham. He never complained, even in the bad times, he was always there as a leader, so everyone just wants him to do well."

Blackpool were too good for National League high-fliers Bromley as they secured a 2-0 FA Cup first round victory at Hayes Lane.

Neil Critchley’s Seasiders made sure of their place in the draw thanks to clinical first-half strikes from Shane Lavery and Karamoko Dembele.

Bromley made the worst possible start when they conceded after just five minutes as Lavery charged on to Kylian Kouassi’s measured through-ball before burying a super shot high into the roof of the net.

The hosts created their first clear opening in the 18th minute but Corey Whitely could not quite divert his side-footed effort on target.

That was a rare foray forward, however, and it was no surprise to see Blackpool double their lead shortly before the half-hour mark.

The impressive Dembele, on loan from French outfit Brest, tucked a shot past Grant Smith from a tight angle following a tidy one-two with Kouassi.

Bromley had the first chance after the interval, with Ayodeji Elerewe fizzing in a low strike which veteran Blackpool goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell dived full length to beat away.

The Seasiders responded almost immediately and Owen Dale turned smartly inside a defender before forcing Smith into an eye-catching near-post save.

Time was running out for Bromley and Michael Cheek’s near open goal miss in the 89th minute capped what proved to be a miserable evening.

Harry Kane’s hugely impressive start to life at Bayern Munich continued as a hat-trick on his Der Klassiker debut sealed a 4-0 victory for the Bavarian giants at Borussia Dortmund.

Kane bagged his third treble in the Bundesliga in just his 10th match, taking his tally to 15 goals, as Bayern bounced back from their embarrassing German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken in style.

Dayot Upamecano quietened the famously noisy Signal Iduna Park as Bayern made a fast start before Kane took centre stage, putting Bayern two goals to the good inside the opening 10 minutes.

The England captain then struck twice more in the second half to record a second successive hat-trick, having put three past Darmstadt last weekend while he did likewise against Bochum in September.

While Bayern sit two points adrift of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, Kane’s display and his nerveless eye for goal was an emphatic statement in the defence of their crown.

After being rested in midweek, Kane was restored to Bayern’s starting XI alongside the likes of Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman and Upamecano, who gave the visitors an ideal start in the fourth minute.

Upamecano was filmed sharing a joke with Nico Schlotterbeck moments before the Frenchman got in front of his marker and headed into the net from close range from Leroy Sane’s teasing corner.

Bayern went two up in the ninth minute, with Kane bagging his 13th league goal in just his 10th match since swapping Tottenham for the Bavarian giants in the summer.

Kane put the finishing touch to a nice move which was started by Sane’s clever backheel before he collected the ball back and unselfishly squared for the England striker to tap into an empty net.

Goretzka tried an audacious overhead kick that missed the target and Bayern’s only setback of the first 45 minutes came just before half-time when Thomas Tuchel was booked for remonstrating with officials.

Dortmund almost ended a forgettable half – in which they struggled to contain their opponents – by pulling one back but Netherlands forward Donyell Malen angled his effort just over the crossbar.

Former Bayern defender Niklas Sule was introduced at the start of the second half in an attempt to shore up Dortmund’s defence, but they were soon on the back foot as Bayern again sprung out the traps.

Just seconds into the resumption, Kane’s pass played through Jamal Musiala, who was denied by the spreadeagled Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Bayern had the ball in the net again soon after through Coman, but that was chalked off because Kane was offside in the build-up.

Dortmund were offering not much in the way of a threat but the long-serving Marco Reus, on his 400th appearance for the club, forced a fine save with a turn and shot parried away by Manuel Neuer.

Another Musiala effort was kept out and while he finally breached Kobel’s defences after tapping in from Kane’s pass, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Kane ended any faint hope of a Dortmund comeback by bagging Bayern’s third goal in the 72nd minute, collecting Coman’s low cross, taking a touch to compose himself then sending Kobel the wrong way.

Kane had his hat-trick in the third minute of added-on time after latching on to Aleksandar Pavlovic’s through ball and finishing brilliantly to put an emphatic stamp on Bayern’s victory.

Serie A leaders Inter Milan ensured they would remain top of the table for another week with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta under heavy rain at Gewiss Stadium.

Though the hosts had the better early chances, it was Hakan Calhanoglu’s spot-kick that ultimately broke the deadlock for the league leaders, his 36th goal in the Italian top flight enough bring him level with Sukru Gulesin as Turkey’s all-time top scorer in the league.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez extended his side’s advantage after the break before Gianluca Scamacca swiftly pulled one back.

Atalanta substitute Rafael Toloi was sent off for a second yellow late on.

Marten de Roon had a chance to level with a late header, but the visitors walked away with all three points.

A largely uneventful start picked up after the 20-minute mark when Davide Zappacosta sent a cross into the 18-yard box, narrowly missing the outstretched leg of Teun Koopmeiners trying poke past Inter keeper Yann Sommer.

Berat Djimsiti missed a free header before both Ademola Lookman and Koopmeiners  rose to meet Zappacosta’s cross in an aerial battle bravely defended by Benjamin Pavard, who was forced off with what appeared to be an ankle injury after coming down awkwardly from the challenge.

It was his substitute, Matteo Darmian, who found himself involved in the build-up to Inter’s opener just seven minutes after his 33rd-minute introduction as he latched on to a Calhanoglu through ball and Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso came out for a late challenge.

A penalty was upheld following a VAR review and was expertly taken by Calhanoglu, who finished into the bottom-left corner.

Sommer was only properly tested in the first half through Giorgio Scalvini’s weak stoppage-time header. 

Federico Dimarco came inches away from extending Inter’s lead after the break before Martinez had the ball in the back of the net but saw his header chalked off for offside.

There was no question about the skipper’s next attempt, Martinez giving Musso no chance as he curled past the keeper on 57 minutes for his 12th goal in 11 league games.

It took just four minutes for the hosts to claw one back when Lookman beat Dimarco on the edge of the area and squared to Scamacca for a straightforward finish from near the penalty spot.

The hosts pushed for an equaliser, Lookman coming close when he skipped an effort towards the Inter net to force Sommer into a low stretched save, the Swiss international later evading danger after first punching away Charles De Ketelaere’s cross, then smothering Scamacca’s effort from the rebound.

Musso kept his side in the contest with a low block to deny Nicolo Barella in the final 10 minutes, but the hosts were down to 10 men after substitute Toloi was sent off in the second of six minutes of added time.

Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half winner clinched Newcastle a 1-0 win against Arsenal, whose unbeaten Premier League start was halted at St James’ Park.

Gordon’s close-range finish was confirmed as a goal after a triple VAR check and was all that separated the two sides in an attritional encounter of few chances.

The Gunners slipped to their first defeat in 11 league games this season, while victory for Newcastle was affirmation that they can continue to mix it with the big guns.

Arsenal remain third in the table, two points behind new leaders Manchester City, with Newcastle four points adrift in sixth.

After a scrappy opening 15 minutes, Arsenal began to build momentum, but after forcing a series of corners had only Jorginho’s skied volley and William Saliba’s wayward header to show for their efforts.

Newcastle had barely threatened before Callum Wilson blazed Dan Burns’ knockdown over the crossbar from in front of goal in the 29th minute.

An intense physical first half was low on quality and littered with full-blooded challenges, one of which raised the home fans to fever pitch as Kai Havertz’s late lunge sent Sean Longstaff sprawling.

That sparked a players’ melee that took referee Stuart Atwell some time to control, with Havertz, Longstaff and Anthony Gordon eventually shown yellow cards.

Furious Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall made clear to the Arsenal bench what he thought of Havertz’s mis-timed challenge.

A third Newcastle player, Fabian Schar, was booked soon after to the wrath of Magpies fans.

Arsenal threatened to on the stroke of half-time, but Gabriel Martinelli’s fierce drive was comfortably held by Nick Pope.

Gordon lifted the home fans soon after the restart as he ran across the edge of Arsenal’s box looking to make space for a shot, but he was crowded out.

Declan Rice became more influential for the Gunners and he headed wide before Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.

Both substitutes had hand in the goal soon after entering the action as Jacob Murphy’s shot span wide and was kept in play by Joe Willock, whose cross was headed down by Joelinton for Gordon to turn home.

There then followed a lengthy delay before the goal was confirmed as VAR checked whether the ball had gone out of play before Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and if Gordon had been offside.

Newcastle were dealt an injury blow when Murphy popped the same shoulder which had kept him of recent games and was replaced by Matt Ritchie.

The Gunners probed for an equaliser, but their front line continued to mis-fire, creating no further chances on a disappointing afternoon for the north Londoners.

Wayne Rooney accused some of his substitutes of falling short after Birmingham surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against high-flying Ipswich at St. Andrew’s.

Rooney picked up his first point since becoming City manager but was denied his first win after substitute Marcus Harness’ late brace extended Ipswich’s unbeaten league run to 11 games.

Jay Stansfield’s fifth goal of the season gave City a 13th-minute lead and it was followed by a Cameron Burgess own goal after 51 minutes.

Ipswich were a different proposition after the break though and substitute Harness replied in the 79th and 89th minutes.

Ipswich made four substitutions in the 72nd minute and three of them combined for Harness’s first goal.

“Their subs made the difference and I felt ours didn’t,” said Rooney.

“Some of the lads who came on didn’t do enough. The lads worked extremely hard to put us in the position we were in, and when you’re coming off the bench you need to be better than a few of them were.

“When you make changes and bring players into the game, you have to pick that (intensity) up, especially as Ipswich were starting to get a bit of control, so we needed them to give us that energy to continue what we were doing.

“I just felt there were a couple of players who didn’t do that for us. That’s something for us to improve on.”

Rooney admitted City are trying to improve players’ fitness so they can maintain their intensity for longer.

“The way I want them to play is different – it’s more front-footed and it takes a lot more energy to do that,” he said.

“We’re constantly trying to build that up so they can get to a level where they can do it for 90 minutes.

“But as we started tiring, Ipswich started to get control and pushed us back and we couldn’t hold them.

“Ideally I want to be making changes for tactical reasons, not necessarily for physical reasons.”

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna praised the character of his team and substitutes after coming back from two goals down to retrieve something from a game for the third time this season.

“I was really pleased and proud of the players and for the supporters as well,” said McKenna.

“The biggest credit due was our reaction to their second goal because that was the one that could have really deflated the group. But we managed to pick straight up and keep going how we were.

“We’ve seen it before with this group and we’ve built that resilience over time to keep playing our football, and trust if we do the right things we can always score.”

In contrast to Rooney’s view on his substitutions, McKenna was full of praise for his replacements, who changed the game.

“Credit to all the subs who came on – the boys all knew what slots they were going to come into and they all had a really good impact,” he said.

“Marcus scored twice to back up his goal from last week and that was great for the spirit in the group.

“It was also great for the understanding that with the challenge we face this year, it’s going to take the whole squad.”

Shrewsbury boss Matt Taylor praised his side for scoring three goals for the first time this season after a 3-2 win against Colchester in the first round of the FA Cup.

The U’s remained in contention throughout and made it a nervous watch at the end for the home fans after Zach Mitchell headed home in the 86th minute.

Jordan Shipley made a spectacular return to action for the Shrews, scoring a superb two-touch goal and assisting after two months out through injury.

Cameron McGeehan had opened the scoring for the visitors before Daniel Udoh levelled in the first half.

Shipley then put Shrewsbury in front before an own goal made it 3-1, with Mitchell getting one back late on.

Taylor said: “I felt we were for large periods of that game totally dominant. We conceded from their first attempt on goal.

“We started the game really well. What I liked is the players didn’t give in; they didn’t lose belief and kept going.

“We scored a really good goal to equalise. I spoke to the players at half-time, our decision-making in and around the opposition’s box I didn’t feel was at the level they can produce. So second half the challenge was to go out there and make better decisions.

“We did that, we should have scored more than the three. I think we had 17 shots but only hit the target six times, which when you look at it wasn’t probably good enough.

“The aim at the beginning of the day was to be in the hat for the next round of the cup, and ultimately we fulfilled that.

“I am pleased that we have scored three goals for the first time this season but disappointed in the second goal and the way we conceded it.”

U’s interim boss Matthew Etherington said: “It was pretty close in the end. I thought the boys rallied really well, albeit not starting the second half great.

“The changes that we made had an impact and we finished the stronger team, so overriding feeling is opportunity missed but I didn’t think there was a great deal in the game.

“The two goals we conceded in the second half were poor goals to concede, and it is kind of a common theme with this team at the minute. We have to stamp that out because we are scoring plenty at the same time.

“As I have said to the players, in terms of the energy, effort, and commitment, I can’t fault it; it’s outstanding, but we need to tidy up those areas.

“It was an unbelievable goal (Cameron McGeehan’s). The move leading up to that was a good move, and we know Cam has that quality. It was a great strike and finish.

“Overall, I thought we were competitive in the game against a League One side. I thought we were more than competitive and causing them problems.”

Russell Martin praised Southampton’s bravery as Ryan Fraser was again their late hero at Millwall.

The Saints have scored crucial injury-time goals in their last three away games with Fraser, who scored a last-gasp winner at Hull last month, sealing the spoils with a 93rd-minute strike.

Martin’s side are now motoring – having also drawn with Preston thanks to Ched Evans’ stoppage-time own goal – but were made to wait for their fifth win in seven, peppering Bartosz Bialkowski’s goal but unable to get past the Pole until the last gasp.

“The lads responded and stayed so brave in the second half,” said Martin. “The amount of running we made them do made the game look like it did in the last half-hour.

“We were relentless in attack and at the hour mark I thought ‘we’ve got them’ but their keeper made a few good saves and we couldn’t get the goal.

“Thankfully we got it right at the end and it’s a moment of composure. I’m really grateful for that and proud of the players.

“I think we had control, we limited them to one shot on target and they hit the bar from a set-piece.

“The second half looked a lot different because we were aggressive, we made runs for each other to open them up and I was really pleased with that.”

Bialkowski made a string of fine saves, keeping out Stuart Armstrong’s shot in the 20th minute and then powerful efforts from Carlos Alcaraz and Will Smallbone.

Frustration grew in the Saints ranks with Kamaldeen Sulemana, another denied by Bialkowski in the second half, reacting angrily to being substituted by Martin.

“We had guys coming off the pitch annoyed that they’ve come off and I don’t mind that,” said Martin.

“I’ve told them it’s a squad game. And if you show you’re annoyed when you come off I honestly don’t have a problem with that at all.

“They’re human beings and want to play football and that’s how it should be. I don’t see that as disrespectful and all that nonsense. As long as they celebrate with the guys when there’s a moment like that, which they did, then there’s never a problem.”

Adam Barrett continues to take caretaker charge at the Den, with Millwall now winless in five having also conceded late in their draw with Watford.

“You know with the quality players they’ve got and their play that they will wear you down a bit,” he said of Saints.

“I’m frustrated with the ending because when you switch off for one moment against these tough teams they punish you. They keep working and probing and it was a real sickener to concede so late again.

“I haven’t watched it back, but my initial thoughts are we spoke about the way they play and move and I don’t think we dealt with it well enough.

“They’re good players and they go and punish you. It’s two games there where we should be coming away with four points and we’ve got one.

“It’s vital we get results back on track here, it’s been disappointing.

“We’ve hit the bar first half and that could have changed it. The fans were with the boys all game, it was a great atmosphere. But we’ve got to get The Den back to being a real difficult place to come.”

Curtis Fleming admitted his future was uncertain after starting his spell as Bristol City’s interim head coach with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Sheffield Wednesday.

The Irishman stepped up to replace sacked manager Nigel Pearson, but has no intention of putting his name forward as a permanent replacement.

Rob Dickie’s close-range strike from Tommy Conway’s 64th-minute cross was enough to secure the points against opponents reduced to 10 men after 32 minutes when Barry Bannan was shown a straight red card for fouling Jason Knight on the edge of the box.

Fleming hailed it as “a huge win at the end of an emotional week” before admitting he had no idea what the future held for him.

“I am just taking things day by day,” he said. “I will enjoy a glass of beer tonight and then see what the club’s plans are going forward.

“If it proves my only game in charge, at least I will have a 100 per cent record!

“It has been a tough few days, losing friends who have left and trying to prepare the players for what we knew was going to be a massive game for us.

“You try to paint pictures for them in training, but those pictures can change when the lads are performing in front of 20,000 people.

“I tried to tweak a few things and some worked better than others. We can play better, but sometimes the result is more important than the performance.

“What I couldn’t fault was the effort of the players. The last five minutes seemed to go on forever. But in the end we have the three points and that’s great.

“It makes such a difference in a tightly-packed table. Now we can look forward positively to the next game.”

City should have gone two up after 72 minutes when Conway shot against a post and Sam Bell somehow contrived to hit the other upright from the rebound.

After that it took a brilliant Max O’Leary save from substitute Ashley Fletcher to prevent Wednesday from equalising.

Owls boss Danny Rohl said: “After the red card I saw a team on the pitch who were giving everything.

“I am so proud of them. We had three or four chances to equalise and deserved something from the game.

“I didn’t think Barry deserved his red card. It was a foul, but we had two defenders covering, so it was not a clear scoring chance.

“Bristol City are a strong side, who press high, but we feel a bit unlucky today.

“Things tend to go against you when you are at the wrong end of the table.

“Now we have to recover and move on. We know we need wins, but I saw so much to please me.

“In my short time at the club I have seen players with the right mentality for a fight.

“At the moment things are not going our way, but if we continue to create chances that will change.

“It’s about maintaining a belief and conviction that results will come and I am seeing that in training and matches.

“We have to keep working hard to reward our fans, who were fantastic today.”

Reading manager Ruben Selles admitted that he was pleased that his struggling side avoided an upset against lower-division opposition after their 3-2 FA Cup first-round win over MK Dons.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan gave Reading a third-minute lead with his sixth goal of the season, but Alex Gilbey levelled before the break.

Second-half efforts from Harvey Knibbs and Lewis Wing eased Reading into a two-goal cushion, with Max Dean halving the deficit with a late consolation for the Sky Bet League Two outfit.

Selles, whose side sit bottom of League One after losing their last five games, said: “The FA Cup is always difficult.

“Whoever is your opponent, we have often seen teams from higher categories falling to teams in the categories below. So, we put in a good performance.

“Perhaps we should have finished the game a little bit earlier. We just made it complicated in the last minutes.

“But I’m happy with the performance and keeping the team together, no injuries and we go into the next round. It was a good day.

“We got a little bit caught out in the first half, especially with their first goal. It was just that pass in between, we should have defended it much better.

“We were missing a few things in the first half, which is why we changed at half time. We were missing with the wingers, the one-against-one situations and the pressure.

“It was a matter of changing the dynamic of the game. We had to be much more on the front foot, much more aggressive with the pressure. We were much better in that way in the second half.”

New MK Dons head coach Mike Williamson, who succeeded Graham Alexander last month, said: “The halves were contrasting and, from our point of view, that was disappointing.

“That’s been a bit of a theme, our starts to the second half, and that’s something that we need to address.

“But I think that you can see the detail that we’re putting in and it’s evident what the boys are taking on.

“We’ve just got to find a way of wrestling the momentum back when we do go behind.

“We have to accept that we are going to suffer in periods of games. It’s how we get back into it and get back on the ball.

“In the first half, you could see what we were trying to achieve. But there was still an element of frustration getting the better of us.

“When other teams do step on and step up, we haven’t quite got to grips with that yet.

“Again, though, the boys fought all the way to the end. Even though we were running out of time, we never gave up. So there was still so many positives to take.”