Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor vowed his side will bounce back after they relinquished the lead in the Women's Super League with a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. 

Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten both scored in the space of four minutes late in the second half as defending champions Chelsea condemned City to their first league defeat and leapfrogged them to the summit. 

Sonia Bompastor's side now have a two-point lead at the top and a game in hand over City, but Taylor was confident his side will continue fighting the Blues for the WSL title. 

"We've always done really well on the occasions we have lost, and we don't lose often. It's a tight challenge," Taylor told Sky Sports after the match. 

"We are coming to a team that has done well over the years. We will bounce back for certain. The league is never won in November.

"Football is about getting kicked, and it's how you get back up. We are right up there."

The game looked to be heading for a draw for the most part before Ramirez and Reiten struck in the 75th and 79th minutes respectively, as Chelsea ended the game with an xG of 0.85, compared to City's 0.56. 

Sonia Bompastor says "every record has to be broken" after becoming the first manager in Women's Super League history to win their first seven games.

Chelsea maintained their perfect start to life under Bompastor on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over title rivals Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

In a tight affair, it took two goals in four minutes from Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten late in the second half to wrap up the points for the Blues, who leapfrogged City to the top of the WSL table.

Chelsea are just the third team in the WSL to ever win each of their opening seven games of a campaign after City in 2017-18 (finished second) and Arsenal in 2018-19 (finished first).

While Bompastor admitted she did not care too much for personal records, she was delighted with how the team pushed to ensure they would come out on top.

"Every record has to be broken," Bompastor told Sky Sports. "Every game is an opportunity for the opposition to break that record.

"I don't care about myself. The players are doing great. I'm so proud of them.

"I really liked the performance, especially more in the second half. The girls were great tonight.

"We could have scored earlier in the game, but two goals against Man City in the second half and a clean sheet. I think that is a great performance and a great result.

"Sometimes [in the first half] we had time on the ball and space, and we were rushing our decisions. This is what we spoke about at half-time and in the second half, we were more efficient. We had the opportunities, and we scored two great goals."

Erin Cuthbert was one of the standout players for the Blues as she orchestrated things from midfield. She won nine duels (out of 11), more than any other Chelsea player.

It was perhaps not the most memorable game between the top two, but the Scotland international believes it proved Bompastor's mentality to winning games.

"It was a different type of performance. We have dominated a lot of games possession-wise, but tonight we were happy to sit behind the ball, be compact," she told BBC Sport.

"It was more of a traditional performance, but Sonia is a winner and will do whatever it takes to win, and we got the tactics spot on today.

"We are loving [playing under Bompastor]. Emma [Hayes] left some brilliant foundations, and Sonia has added to that."

England interim manager Lee Carsley said the widened pool of young players available for selection will help incoming boss Thomas Tuchel.

Carsley was handed the reins to the national team temporarily following Gareth Southgate's departure and has given opportunities to young players during his short spell, which will end with the Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday. 

The 50-year-old has handed debuts to six players - Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Lewis Hall, Morgan Rogers and Curtis Jones - during his five-match reign. 

"The challenge [for the young players] is to stay there now. It's a tough squad to get into, and they've put themselves in the picture," the outgoing coach said. 

"It's good for Thomas [Tuchel, who takes charge on January 1] that the pool has increased.

"I've seen them up close. I know what they're capable of, and they've got the mentality to compete. There are so many quality players, the competition is extreme, and they've got to stay in the race."

Carsley came under pressure after the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Greece at Wembley in October, but a 3-0 win in the return fixture on Thursday has put them in a strong position in their Nations League group. 

Chelsea left it late, scoring twice in four minutes, to secure a 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Women's Super League to leapfrog them to the top of the table.

Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten got the all-important goals, condemning City to their first league defeat of the campaign.

The visitors, who were without the injured Lauren Hemp, arguably should have taken the lead in the first half when Khadija Shaw latched onto Sandy Baltimore's wayward backpass, but the forward could only drag it wide of the far post.

In a tight game, Chelsea stayed calm, though Ramirez wasted a chance to square it into the box to give a team-mate an easy tap-in early in the second half.

The Colombian did not make the same mistake a second time. On a quick counter-attack, she brushed Alanna Kennedy aside to reach Maika Hamano's throughball before weaving away from Alex Greenwood to drive it into the bottom-right corner in the 75th minute.

Just four minutes later, they doubled their lead. Reiten was left in acres of space on the right of the box and curled a delightful finish out of Ayaka Yamashita's reach.

Chelsea maintained their perfect record under Sonia Bompastor, making it 10 wins from 10, and moved two points clear of City at the top of the WSL, still with a game in hand over their title rivals. 

Data Debrief: Battling to the end

Even so early in the season, there was a lot riding on this in regards to the title race, and City have seemingly blinked first.

They looked far from their usual best, possibly in part due to Hemp's absence, as they struggled to create many meaningful chances.

Chelsea were also guilty of being wasteful early on but looked the more likely to score, managing 15 shots compared to City's eight while also edging the expected goals (xG) count (0.85 to 0.56).

Bompastor also became the first-ever manager to win each of their first seven games in the WSL.

Romelu Lukaku has joined four other players in withdrawing from the Belgium squad due to injury ahead of Monday's Nations League finale against Israel.

Belgium sit third in Nations League Group A2 following their 1-0 defeat to Italy on Thursday, a result that ended their hopes of reaching next year's quarter-finals.

They are simply playing to avoid automatic relegation when they face Israel behind closed doors in Hungary, with a draw enough to send the Red Devils through to a play-off against a third-placed finisher from League B.

Napoli striker Lukaku – Belgium's all-time leading scorer with 85 goals in 120 caps – has joined Aston Villa's Amadou Onana, Chelsea's Romeo Lavia, Arthur Theate of Eintracht Frankfurt and Brugge's Maxim De Cuyper in dropping out with unspecified issues.

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne had already asked not to be included in Domenico Tedesco's party as he works his way back to full fitness after suffering a thigh injury.

Sebastiaan Bornauw, Koni De Winter, Jeremy Doku and Youri Tielemans were also left out of Tedesco's squad due to fitness concerns, while uncapped Coventry City striker Norman Bassette has now been called up as cover. 

Haiti extended their unbeaten run in the Concacaf Nations League as they secured top spot in Group C of League B when they hammered Sint Marteen 8-0 Friday.

That win earned Haiti promotion to League A and, by extension, secured their participation in next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. 

Meanwhile, the race in Group B took a twist as Grenada defeated leaders Saint Lucia, while Curacao earned a victory to jump into the number one spot.

Saint Lucia vs. Grenada

Grenada knocked Saint Lucia out of the top spot in Group B with a 4-0 victory at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao.

After playing out a goalless first half, Grenada eventually broke the deadlock in the 50th through Jermaine Francis’ header.

Regan Charles-Cook doubled the lead six minutes later with a firm finish from deep inside the 18-yard box.

Trevon Williams added a third in the 74^th, before Myles Hippolyte struck a blazing left-footed shot from the edge of the box in the 86th to cap Grenada’s win. 

With the victory, Grenada moved to seven points and assured itself at least a third-place finish to avoid relegation. Saint Lucia dropped to second place on nine points, one point behind Curacao, on 10 points.

 Saint Martin vs. Curaçao

Curacao registered a 5-0 rout of Saint Martin in the feature game at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad.

Jearl Margaritha stole the show by scoring four goals, two in each half, in commanding fashion.

His first came in the 24th as he used good footwork to lose defenders and blast the opener.

He added a second 10 minutes later, when he pulled off an excellent backheel flick to put Curacao 2-0 up at the break.

In the 54th, Margaritha sprinted into the box and ripped a loose ball for his hat trick. 

Juninho Bacuna scored a penalty kick in the 78^th, before Margaritha finished off his outstanding performance with another tidy finish in the 80th.

With one point separating them, Curacao and Saint Lucia will lock horns in an intriguing clash to determine the group winners on Monday. 

Sint Maarten vs. Haiti

A hat-trick from Frantzdy Pierrot and a Duckens Nazon brace laid the platform for Haiti’s 8-0 beating of Sint Maarten at Estadio Centroamericano de Mayagüez in Mayagüez in Puerto Rico. 

It was Attys Christopher who fired home as Haiti made the most of a corner kick.

Pierrot struck a double blow in the 14th and 25th, with Markhus Lacroix adding a fourth in between in the 19th.

The onslaught continued in the second half as Haiti tallied three more goals in rapid fashion. Nazon struck in the 49th and 58th as Pierrot completed his hat trick in the 52nd.

Mondy Prunier capped the win with a 67th-minute strike.

Haiti, has now scored 26 goals in five matches. They will play second-placed Puerto Rico, who defeated Aruba 5-1 on Monday.

Puerto Rico remains in the hunt for a Gold Cup preliminary spot as one of the best runners-up.

Sint Maarten has been relegated.

Harry Kane says his comments on club versus country got more attention than he expected and were "just a reminder" to his team-mates instead of a criticism.

England suffered nine injury withdrawals after Lee Carsley's squad was announced, with Kane seemingly questioning the commitment of those who dropped out, saying "England comes before everything".

Despite their many absences, a young England side recorded a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday to send them top of their Nations League group.

However, the Three Lions have since seen a 10th withdrawal from the squad, with Ezri Konsa returning to Aston Villa after going off with a hip complaint in that game.

Speaking for the first time since that interview, Kane explained he was keen to preserve the team culture Gareth Southgate fostered by using these international breaks effectively.

"All the players try and give their best whenever they come with England. I know it's a really tough stage of the season," he said in a press conference.

"Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing. Whatever we have here is all we can work with.

"Going forward there are always going to be injuries, it is just whoever is with the squad is ready to make a difference."

On the attention his comments got, Kane added: "I didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been difficult - you're in the heart of a lot of games.

"So, it's just my opinion that it is really important after a major championship, where September, October, November camps are really important in a year ahead to the World Cup.

"These are the camps as well where you build that culture and that togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that it's really, really special to play for England."

Kane started the match against Greece on the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line in his place. The Villa forward scored seven minutes in, before being replaced by the England captain in the 66th minute.

Interim boss Carsley, who is taking charge of his final game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1, confirmed that Kane would be back in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

"Yes, he is definitely playing," Carsley said.

"With Harry Kane, you always think goals, but he brings a lot more to the squad and the team than that. His leadership skills, he's a good guy, which is really important as well.

"The example he sets to the younger players, he's a crucial part of the England team and also moving forward."

England and Greece are both level on 12 points after five games, but the former have a better head-to-head goal difference, so a win over Ireland would see them promoted back to League A. 

Guyana defeated Barbados 4-1 in the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League Play-In series at the Barbados Football Association Technical Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados on Friday

The Concacaf Nations League Play-In consists of a home-and-away direct elimination round. The aggregate score winner in each matchup will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims.

Niall Reid-Stephen opened the scoring for Barbados in the 17^th minute, his seventh goal of the current campaign, with a left-footed strike from inside the penalty arc.

Omari Glasgow equalized for Guyana nine minutes later with a left-footed strike inside the penalty area.

Then, 14 minutes into Glasgow added a second to his tally in the by pouncing on a deflected ball in the penalty area.

Osaze de Rosario extended the lead in a minute later with a chip over the goalkeeper to capitalize on an error from the defense.

Enoch George scored in the 90'+2 to put a bow on the victory, connecting on a timely pass from Isaiah Jones.

Guyana will host Barbados in the second leg on Tuesday at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora, Guyana.

Gianluigi Donnarumma says Kylian Mbappe's absence will not make Italy underestimate France ahead of their top-of-the-table Nations League clash.

Both teams have already qualified for the quarter-finals, but top spot in Group A2 is still up for grabs.

Italy currently sit top of the pile, three points ahead of France, who they beat 3-1 in early September, but a win for Les Bleus could see them drop to second.

However, for the second international break in a row, France are without their captain, Mbappe, with Didier Deschamps insisting he made the decision to leave the Real Madrid forward out of the squad.

France are unbeaten in their last three games without Mbappe, winning two and drawing one, and though they struggled in front of goal against Israel in a 0-0 stalemate last time out, Donnarumma believes they will still pose a threat to the Azzurri.

"Yes, I don't know about the choices that are made in other squads. I don't know what happened, it's [Mbappe] certainly an important absence," Donnarumma told a press conference.

"I know Kylian, he is one of the strongest in the world and if he was here, he could have troubled us a lot, but there will be other players.

"I know all of them well, they have great quality, strong strikers like [Bradley] Barcola, [Randal] Kolo Muani and [Warren] Zaire-Emery, who play with me. Barcola is an incredible talent, so they have very strong substitutes who can bother us."

Italy are unbeaten in the Nations League, only dropping points in a 2-2 draw with Belgium in October after going down to 10 men.

It comes on the back of a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign in which they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Switzerland, winning just one game in their title defence.

However, Donnarumma believes Italy have found their rhythm again and have more in common with the Euro 2020 winning team.

"It's a healthy group, I'm starting to see the spirit of the old European Championship," he added. "They're all young guys who want to show what they can do, who want to wear this jersey.

"The difficult part is to continue these performances. Our goal now is to continue to improve, work and enjoy ourselves and entertain the fans."

Arsenal retained their unbeaten record under interim manager Renee Slegers by thrashing North London rivals Tottenham 3-0 in the Women's Super League on Saturday.

Slegers had overseen a return of four wins and one draw from her first five matches in charge of the Gunners following Jonas Eidevall's exit, and her team managed another statement victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They needed just 63 seconds to open the scoring through Alessia Russo, who fired across goal and in after turning on the left-hand side of the area.

Arsenal continued to dominate and only a fine block from Amanda Nilden denied Katie McCabe from eight yards, but Tottenham's resistance was broken again in the 22nd minute. Frida Maanum exchanged passes with Kim Little before slotting her finish into the bottom-left corner, with a static Spurs defence applying no pressure whatsoever.

Beth England drew a full-stretch save from Daphne van Domselaar as Tottenham briefly improved, but Arsenal killed the contest 66 minutes in, substitute Stina Blackstenius breaking onto Mariona Caldentey's delicate throughball to finish when one-on-one.

The victory takes Arsenal fourth in the table with 15 points, one adrift of Brighton, who continued their impressive start to the campaign with a 3-2 victory over West Ham earlier on Saturday.

Fran Kirby scored an 82nd-minute winner for the Seagulls after West Ham had fought back from 2-0 down to level the contest, having also assisted Rachel McLauchlan's opener. That first goal involvement took Kirby to 100 in the WSL, making her just the fourth player to reach that milestone.

Data Debrief: Fast start key for Arsenal

Tottenham improved in the middle period of the game but a slow start cost them, which will be a particular blow to coach Robert Vilahamn after they conceded within 24 seconds versus Manchester City last time out.

Russo's goal, scored after one minute and three seconds, is the second-fastest in Arsenal's WSL history, after Jordan Nobbs' 28-second strike against Liverpool in October 2014. 

Cristiano Ronaldo says it will be one or two years before he retires from football as he aims to enjoy the end of his career.

The 39-year-old scored twice on Friday, including a stunning overhead kick, as Portugal cruised past Poland 5-1 in the Nations League, to clinch top spot of Group A1.

Overall, Ronaldo has now netted 910 times in his career, with 135 of those coming for Portugal, including five goals in five Nations League appearances this campaign.

Ronaldo has dropped hints in recent months though that his retirement is drawing closer, with his 40th birthday coming up in February, and he says his main goal is to enjoy playing football while he still can.

"Planning the retirement of football... It will happen in a year, two years, I don't know," Ronaldo said.

"I say honestly, it's not a joke, it's enjoying the moment, feeling that I'm enjoying football. Get up and go to training and to the game motivated.

"When I don't feel that, I'll step forward and say, 'I can't do it anymore.' It's an excellent career, I haven't felt it yet."

He was a standout once again for Portugal as he finished the match against Poland with a game-high 2.06 expected goals (xG), generated from five shots, the most of any player on the pitch.

Ronaldo hit the 900-goal mark in September, with many believing he would next be targeting 1,000 as another goal in his storied career.

The forward has scored 10 more goals since then but insisted he was not actively thinking about making it to four figures.

"If you ask me if I want to reach a thousand goals... It's normal to want it. But I don't think about it," he added.

"Think game by game. In three months, I will be 40 years old. It's about taking it easy and enjoying.

"That's what I've been doing, especially in the national team, which is where I like to play the most. I like to play for the national team, and I really enjoy coming here. Scoring goals and good performances helps too.

"Day by day. Enjoy goal after goal. Enjoy the moment. The thousand goals don't matter to me at all, honestly."

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was left bloodied after he was struck with a beer can in the aftermath of El Tri's 2-0 CONCACAF Nations League defeat to Honduras.

The can was thrown from the stands and struck Aguirre as he approached Honduras coach Reinaldo Rueda for a post-match handshake on Friday.

Celtic winger Luis Palma came off the bench to score both Honduras goals as they seized a 2-0 lead in the teams' quarter-final tie, which will be settled in Toluca on Tuesday.

CONCACAF has said it will investigate the incident, which Aguirre was unwilling to speak about after the match.

"They deserved to win, they were better than us in al areas, I've got nothing left but to congratulate them, and well, to try to lift my team's spirit," said Aguirre.

"The other thing, there's no point in even mentioning it because, well it's football, I'm not one to complain. Their fans made us feel very welcome."

Honduras boss Rueda, meanwhile, said the incident had overshadowed an impressive victory for his team.

"I'm sad because he's a human being. They hit the coach, that can't happen," said Rueda.

Marcelo Bielsa believes Uruguay's memorable 3-2 win over Colombia in World Cup Qualifying, secured by Manuel Ugarte's 101st-minute strike, will "bring everyone closer".

Former Leeds United boss Bielsa had found himself under pressure, with La Celeste going five matches without victory since finishing third at the Copa America.

However, they climbed to second in the CONMEBOL qualification group – ahead of Colombia on goal difference – by edging a five-goal thriller in Montevideo.

Andres Gomez's 96th-minute strike had appeared to salvage a point for Colombia, but Ugarte volleyed home following a knock-down from Facundo Pellistri mere moments after Uruguay had kicked off again.

Speaking after the dramatic finale, Bielsa said: "Victories like today are healing in the sense that they bring everyone closer, around a feeling as strong as Uruguay's connection with the national team. 

"It was a very exciting match, and the players' determination to secure the win was evident.

"They have a well-oiled style of play; they defend, press, manage the ball, and have individual brilliance, which makes them a tough rival to beat.

"It's not easy to win against this opponent, as they have physically gifted, technically proficient players across all positions, many of whom can change the game's dynamics."

Next up, Uruguay face Brazil, with the Selecao languishing in fourth after they played out a frustrating 1-1 draw with Venezuela on Thursday.

Bielsa, however, is under no illusions regarding the magnitude of the task awaiting his team in Salvador on Tuesday.

"If Colombia is an athletically strong team with an offensively capable system that creates danger and has organisation in possession, Brazil has that and more," he said. 

"We will try to control the ball in their half and not ours. Sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we don't, like against Venezuela."

Ruben Amorim wants his Manchester United players to be inspired by the club's history as he bids to bring a winning mentality back to Old Trafford. 

Amorim, taking over at the Premier League club following the departure of Erik ten Hag, was speaking in his first interview with the club after a tour of their home venue. 

The Portuguese tactician had visited Old Trafford earlier in the week and met a group of supporters, as well as the women's team's vice-captain, England star Ella Toone.

"When you come [to Old Trafford], it's so different. You see the trophies, you see the tragedy that we have as a club. The history," said Amorim. 

The 39-year-old added the manner in which the club defied the odds to succeed under Matt Busby after the Munich air disaster in 1958 should be a particular source of inspiration.

"This kind of strength, I think it's important to put in our team. When the players come here, they should take the stadium tour all the time. I think this is very important to do," Amorim said. 

"It's normal if you go a lot of years without winning, you start losing that feeling. So I think we need to put all the players doing the same thing, to regain that feeling.

"We haven't won the Premier League for a long time. But if you ask, United is the biggest club in England.

"So this is part of history, it is not now. So we have to address that, to show that and to try to win again."

Asked what his footballing philosophy is, the former midfielder said it all comes down to being a team. 

"The team is the most important thing for me. And if you work as a team, then the talent individually is going to shine," he said. 

"But if I have to explain the importance of everything, it is the character, the way we fight, the way we play, and we must have an identity.

A new ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup champion will be crowned after Kingston College (KC) registered a decisive 2-0 victory over reigning titleholders Mona High in their Group A quarterfinal showdown at Stadium East on Friday.

Kvist Paul (8th) and Demario Dailey (70th) did the damage for Kingston College in a win that not only ended Mona's campaign but also propelled the North Street-based team into the semifinals alongside Jamaica College (JC), who trounced Tivoli High 4-0 in a simultaneous fixture at the Ashenheim Stadium.

By virtue of the results, Jamaica College topped the group on seven points, one point ahead of Kingston College (six points), while Tivoli High (three points) and Mona High (one point) will now turn their focus to the Walker Cup knockout competition for redemption.

Kingston College’s Head coach, Vassell Reynolds, lauded his team's composure and execution.

"It was a fantastic performance. We knew Mona would come out strong, but the boys stuck to the game plan and delivered when it mattered. Now, we look ahead to the semifinals, but as always, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. The aim is to keep the boys grounded and focused, and we will see what happens when that time comes,” Reynolds said.

With a lot at stake for Mona in particular heading into the contest, it was expected to be a close affair, but the manner in which Kingston College started ensured otherwise.

In fact, Mona had very little say in the contest as Kingston College’s show of intent resulted in an early strike inside 10 minutes. Damaine Smith delivered a perfectly placed corner kick, which Paul rose to meet and headed past Mona's goalkeeper, Riquelme Edwards.

Mona High, desperate to respond, almost found themselves further behind in the 15th minute when Dailey fired wide from a promising position.

As Mona struggled to contain Kingston College’s tactical discipline and attacking enterprise, Deshawn Byfield almost added his name to the scoresheet but had his effort dramatically cleared off the line by Dante Peralto.

Despite KC’s dominance, Mona’s goalkeeper Edwards produced a string of superb saves to keep his team in contention.

Just before halftime, he acrobatically parried a powerful shot from Kajay Fletcher, diving full stretch to his right, and Byfield failed to capitalize on the rebound.

Seconds later, Edwards was called upon again to deny a stinging shot from Smith.

Matrim Martin then unleashed a venomous right-footer, but Edwards once more stood tall, ensuring the scoreline remained 1-0 at the break. 

The purples continued to assert their authority on the resumption as Dailey threatened in the 68th with a firm shot from close range that went straight at Edwards.

However, the Kingston College striker, sporting the number nine jersey, made amends two minutes later. Sent on his way by a brisk through pass, Dailey powered a low drive past a flat-footed Edwards to double Kingston College’s lead and effectively end Mona’s hopes of a comeback.