Mikel Arteta lauded “tremendous” Gabriel Jesus who he claims “changed Arsenal’s world last season”.

Gunners boss Arteta could start the Brazil striker for the first time this term at Everton on Sunday after he recovered from a spate of injuries.

Jesus has made two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring last time out in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United on September 3.

But Arteta insists the former Manchester City forward’s game is about more than goals.

“He is a tremendous player,” said Arteta, whose side finished runners-up in the Premier League in 2022-23.

“A really important player for us. He changed our world last season. You could all see that. He is going to be a really important player for us.

“I think he brought a different energy, a different belief, a different threat, a different fear to opponents.

“And he did it in a really natural way and I think he contributed hugely to the step that we had last season.

“He tracks a lot of attention and players in the way he plays and creates space for others and that’s a big quality.

“When you sign a player you know, who has done it in the league and he’s got the hunger to join us for the right reasons – it was a no-brainer for us to do it and we could see the impact he had straight away in the team.”

Arsenal’s last win at Goodison Park came in 2017 and they have scored just twice in their last five visits.

Former Everton player Arteta talked up Sean Dyche’s side and identified the levels his players need to be at if they are to take all three points.

“For me Everton’s quality is not physicality, it’s what they do and they play really well and Sean (Dyche) does well at doing that,” Arteta added.

“Just talking about physicality doesn’t reflect the qualities they have, the reasons they do it, the intentions they have, how they build sequences and momentum in matches. There’s a lot of work there so it is much deeper than that in my opinion.

“They know (Arsenal players on how hard Everton away is). Obviously we have experienced it so there’s a level of focus and attention you need when you play against a team like that.”

Arteta praised Eddie Nketiah after he featured in Gareth Southgate’s England squad earlier this month, despite the striker not playing a single minute during victories against Ukraine and Scotland.

He said: “I think it’s a big point to be named in the England national team, it’s a big point.

“I was really happy and proud of him and it’s the coaching staff’s decision (on who starts) and he’s going to have to earn the right to play, that shows you the level there is there.”

Reigning champions Jamaica College had their progress halted by bad weather conditions, as they were well on their way to a second-consecutive victory in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Friday.

Giovanni Taylor’s hat-trick had the “Dark Blues” 3-0 up against Cumberland High when the game was called off after 25 minutes due to rain and lightning. The fixture will be competed on a date to be decided.

That postponement resulted in Kingston Technical provisionally assuming pole position in Group B on six points, following their 4-0 beating of Meadowbrook High, who are current fifth on a point.

Meanwhile, third-placed Spanish Town High (two points) and fourth-placed Tivoli High (one point), played out a 2-2 stalemate in the other group b contest.

Despite the slight setback where their schedule is concerned, Jamaica College’s assistant coach Raymond “Stampie” Watson, pointed out that they remain on course to achieving their objective.  

“We are getting there. So far, we are looking positive, and the players are enjoying themselves, but this is the first round, and we are looking to be in it at the backend of the season where title contention is concerned so we continue to put in the work,” Watson told Sportsmax.tv.

Elsewhere in Group E, St Catherine High made it two-in-two with a 10-0 blanking of St Mary’s College, while last year’s semi-finalist Mona High, also secured a second win on the trot, with a 5-0 whipping of Innswood High.

Fourth-placed Norman Manley got their first points on the board, as they clipped Holy Trinity High 1-0.

Friday's results

Group B

Jamaica College 3, Cumberland 0 (Game called off due to inclement weather)

Tivoli High 2, Spanish Town 2

Kingston Technical 4, Meadowbrook 0

Group E

St Catherine 10, St Mary’s College 0

Mona High 5, Innswood High 0

Holy Trinity 0, Norman Manley 1

Saturday’s games

Group A

Penwood High vs Charlie Smith @ Maverley Football Field

Hydel High vs Camperdown @ Royal Lakes

Kingston College vs Calabar @ Stadium East

Group D

Clan Carthy vs STATHS @ Alpha Academy

Cedar Grove Academy vs Bridgeport @ Cedar Grove Academy

Excelsior High vs Tarrant @ Excelsior

Group F

Ardenne High vs Waterford @ Ardenne

Campion College vs St George’s College @ Campion College

Pembroke Hall vs Jose Marti @ Pembroke Hall

Group G

Donald Quarrie vs Ascot High @ Harbour View Mini Stadium

St Jago vs Wolmer’s Boys @ St Jago

Vauxhall High vs Papine High @ Vauxhall High

*All games are scheduled for 3:30pm.

Southampton manager Russell Martin insists Leicester should be criticised as much as his side despite winning 4-1 at St Mary’s.

Saints conceded after 21 seconds to a thumping Jamie Vardy finish before Kasey McAteer, Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi also netted as the Foxes ran riot.

But Martin, who saw Sam Edozie pull one back and Kamaldeen Sulemana sent off late on, thinks the result did not reflect the two sides’ performances.

He said: “It is a very different feeling to Sunderland (5-0 defeat). I am proud of the players, people will criticise me for saying that but they did what we asked of them.

“I take loads from that and it was a much better performance than Sunderland.

“If anyone expected there not to be any pain when it is such a big change then they are very naive.

“Leicester lost the ball as much as we did but they have come out on the right end of the scoreline so Enzo (Maresca) will not get criticised.

“I asked the players to go toe to toe with a really good team and I thought it was a very good game.

“We made life difficult for ourselves by conceding two early goals. They were really clinical and we weren’t. They took their chances and we didn’t.

“People can read what they want into it but if we took our chances it is a very different scoreline.

“It was a tough atmosphere which I understand because we were 2-0 down in 20 minutes.

“They have to do their best to shut that out. But the only way we can get them off our backs is to win games and make everyone feel positive.

“On Tuesday both the fans and the players have a choice about how to approach it. The supporters have the choice of coming to support or causing anxieties.

“They have been great since I’ve been here and I’d have been annoyed if we had started like we did and lost.”

Vardy’s opener, his first in the Championship this season after Mavididi’s fine pull back, was followed quickly by McAteer controlling and slotting in after Saints gave the ball away in midfield.

Edozie bagged his second of the campaign but Ndidi’s finish handed the Foxes back their two-goal advantage before the interval, with Mavididi getting the goal his performance deserved in the 67th minute.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca said: “I am very happy. Winning the game is always important, it is never easy but the performance on and off the ball was very good.

“Sometimes like tonight we were a little more clinical and more clear in our decision-making.

“Since day one we have arrived quite well in the last third but we miss the right choices and aren’t patient, but tonight it worked better.

“We still need to improve and add new solutions. I don’t like basketball games. We know they want the same way of playing as us – keep the ball and try to win. So we knew we couldn’t control the game for 90 minutes.

“The way we worked off the ball, how aggressive we were, was the key point.

“Stephy is an important player for us but tonight was a good performance from all the players.”

Head coach Liam Rosenior challenged Aaron Connolly to maintain his promising early-season form after his equaliser earned Hull a late 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.

The visitors looked in control after Joel Latibeaudiere headed home in the first half.

But Republic of Ireland international Connolly had the final word with an enterprising header with three minutes remaining – his fourth goal of the new campaign.

Rosenior said: “Aaron’s capable of anything he wants in his career, if he stays on track.

“He’s not 100 per cent fit, which is scary.

“He’s a leader in the dressing room. He’s a massive influence and has really taken Liam Delap under his wing.

“Some of his runs and some of his movement are top level. He knows when he needs a rocket but he knows I love him as I’ve known him since he was 15.”

Hull, who have now lost once in 15 league games at home, appeared in trouble following a poor first half.

They continually gave away possession and were punished when unmarked defender Latibeaudiere headed home Josh Eccles’ near-post corner after 27 minutes.

Coventry, despite having to soak up plenty of pressure after the restart, rarely looked troubled in a fascinating game between two well-matched sides.

But Connolly was a constant threat and he equalised after 87 minutes with an artful, glancing back-header off substitute Tyler Morton’s lofted cross from the right.

Rosenior said: “I thought first half they had a bit of the upper hand.

“They’re a good side. I live 200 yards away from Mark (Robins) – he’s been really good to me in my coaching career – and they’re going to be up there at the end of the season.

“But for us to dominate in the second half like that, I’m proud of my players.

“To go a goal down and come back, I couldn’t be happier.

“I want to build a squad. We’re going to need that through the season so I’m going to have to be really smart with my team selections.

“I thought Tyler was magnificent when he came on and showed exactly why we worked so hard to get him to the club from Liverpool.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins accepted that a draw was a fair result.

He said: “I thought it was a really good game between two good teams.

“Both teams asked questions of each other through the game and we took a deserved lead.

“There were some really good performances from us, but it was disappointing to get our noses in front and then to have chances to score again.

“On balance, though, it was probably a fair result.

“Every time you come away and you get something, you think, ‘It’s a good point’, but it’s tinged with disappointment because of the timing of their goal.”

Robins added: “Their substitutions were good and had a bigger impact than ours.

“With the timing of the goal and the nature of the goal – it was really poor from our perspective, was disappointing.

“But the weight (possession) of the ball that they had – that keeps the crowd interested – we ended up dropping deeper and made silly decisions.

“It was a really good, hard-fought game, but, on balance, I probably think it was a fair result.”

Paris St Germain fell to their first defeat of the season as Nice stunned the Ligue 1 champions with a 3-2 win at the Parc des Princes.

Terem Moffi scored a goal in each half for the visitors with Gaetan Laborde also on the mark as Francesco Farioli’s side raced into a 3-1 lead, after Kylian Mbappe had equalised in the first half.

Mbappe struck again three minutes from time to set up a tense finish but Luis Enrique saw his team succumb to a first loss of his tenure as Nice leapfrogged them into second place in the table, a point behind leaders Monaco.

It was the worst possible start to a run of three difficult matches that sees PSG kick off their Champions League campaign at home to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday before facing Marseille in the league next weekend.

They had been buoyed by the presence of Mbappe in the starting XI after he survived an injury scare whilst on international duty with France, but it was the striker who was at fault for Nice to take the lead in the 21st minute, giving the ball away in his own half and allowing Moffi to score with a deflected effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma on the break.

The 24-year-old made amends minutes later when Achraf Hakimi got clear down the right and cut the ball back for Mbappe to side-foot past the goalkeeper for his sixth goal in four league games and make it 1-1.

Moffi turned provider shortly after the restart as Nice regained the lead, another breakaway move seeing the striker hold the ball up well and cross for Laborde to volley home with Donnarumma stranded.

And the pair combined again as Nice went 3-1 ahead midway through the second half, Moffi playing a one-two with Laborde before making room to drill the ball into the corner despite the attentions of Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez.

Mbappe set up a grandstand finish when he volleyed Randal Kolo Muani’s cross into the ground and up over the goalkeeper three minutes from the end.

But it was not enough to deny Nice a famous win at the start of Enrique’s toughest week in charge.

Jadon Sancho’s future at Manchester United looks bleak after Erik ten Hag admitted he does not know whether the winger will play for the club again.

The 23-year-old is training away from the first team as a disciplinary measure after claiming on social media that he had been made a “scapegoat” following his omission from the squad for the defeat at Arsenal before the international break.

Ten Hag hinted that it was not just this misstep that was taken into consideration when deciding the punishment, though repeatedly declined the opportunity to speak about Sancho when asked at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s visit of Brighton.

The episode bears similarity to the way Cristiano Ronaldo was jettisoned out of the club after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan last year and Ten Hag said he did not know how long Sancho’s disciplinary procedure would last or whether he will represent United again.

Asked directly whether he would pull on the United shirt again, Ten Hag said: “I don’t know. I am sitting here. Tomorrow we have a big game, we are going into a new block of games, many games in a condensed programme. I focus on that.”

On how long the disciplinary process might last, the Dutchman replied: “I don’t know but, as I say, I don’t think about that. I think about tomorrow. I think about the way the team has to progress. I have a lot to consider to make the right decisions.

“He is not available, so in this moment, he is not important, because he can’t contribute.”

Ten Hag, who claimed he inherited a club with “no good culture” when he took over, was at pains to stress that he was not focused on Sancho and the team is the most important thing.

“It’s in favour of the team. That is what my decision is based on,” he said.

“That is not about me, and to be strict. No. This is in favour of the team. I don’t think about that (Sancho’s tweet) and I don’t talk about that, because I have to win a game. It is all about that.

“The players who are there and available deserve me. I have to guide them, I have to prepare them, it is about that. I only focus on the players who are available.

“It is also not about me, it is about the team and the club. I put my energy into giving the best performance tomorrow against Brighton.

“As a club, as a team we have to deal with that. But once again it is no importance to the coming games, I have to put my energy so that the team play their best tomorrow, in a week, the coming period. I have to focus on that.”

Sancho’s misdemeanour is the latest in a long line of off-field issues that Ten Hag has had to deal with since his appointment last summer and he said part of his brief was to instil better discipline at the club.

Ten Hag said: “Strict lines is what the club asked me because there was no good culture before I entered last season, so to set good standards, that is what I did and it is my job to control the standards.

“Of course, it is never someone only makes one mistake, it is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome about strict lines.

“If staff or players or whoever, there is a structure to cross lines so you have to be strong.”

Ange Postecoglou has laughed off talk he is in the honeymoon period at Tottenham but promised they will continue to improve.

Spurs’ flying start to the new campaign earned their new head coach the Premier League manager of the month award for August on Friday.

The last Tottenham manager to receive the accolade was Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of the 2021-22 season but he was sacked months later in October.

When it was put to Postecoglou that he was still enjoying the honeymoon phase of life in north London, he was happy to point out some of the challenges he has faced in N17.

“I don’t know what your honeymoon was like, but mine didn’t have me losing the greatest player (Harry Kane) in the history of this football club on the eve of a transfer window, me trying to scramble to get players into the club, fighting for everything I do mate. That’s not what my honeymoon was about,” Postecoglou reflected.

“I don’t sit here and think this has come to me or been served on a platter. I’ve worked hard, mate, I’ve worked really hard. It’s been a really tough period, nothing like my honeymoon.

“At Celtic I lost three of our first six. At Yokohama, we were battling relegation, but I can tell you the same sort of building stuff I did at the those clubs, I’m doing here.

“The only difference is the results have been better, encouraging, for sure, but I love this period because there is pretty much a day-to-day uncertainty about where we’re at. That will be here for the next six months to a year.

“Everywhere I’ve been, the second year is where I’ve felt like the team has really taken hold, but I also understand at this football club I can’t go three, four, five months without results because I won’t last. That’s the reality of it.

“If you measure on outcomes, yes, this looks like this has been smoother than the others.

“But I can assure you this has been just as challenging, if not more challenging because of the stakes here in the Premier League.”

Postecoglou admitted it would take two more transfer windows for him to feel his playing group has the squad depth it needs, with Spurs only required to challenge in the Premier League until January.

He added: “I definitely think we need at least two more windows to get to a space where I think ‘okay, we (are happy) as a squad.’

“Don’t forget this year we’re out of the Carabao Cup now and we’ve got no European football, so the fixtures are a little bit kinder to us between now and Christmas, but that’s not our aim.

“We want to have games, we want to be in Europe, we want to be in cup competitions. So we’re going to need a stronger squad and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that point where we’ve got a robust enough squad at the moment.”

Pep Guardiola admits he would have had a “big, big problem” if Kyle Walker had left Manchester City in the summer.

The England right-back came close to leaving the treble winners for Bayern Munich but ultimately opted to stay and this week extended his contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2026.

The 33-year-old had a spell out of favour last season but has started the new campaign strongly and Guardiola is pleased to have retained his services after losing experienced pair Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez.

The City manager said: “After Gundo and Riyad, losing Bernardo (Silva) and Kyle would have have been a big, big problem.

“It’s not about the quality – the skills you can find quite similar, or different players can help you – but there are some things in the locker room that are so difficult to replace.

“These guys have a lot of experience in the important moments of important games. You know exactly how he’s going to respond in the bad moments.

“It would have been a big loss. That’s why as a club of course we fought for him to stay with us.”

Walker joined City from Tottenham in 2017 and has since won 15 trophies, including the Champions League and five Premier League titles.

Guardiola believes he has matured into a far better player than when he arrived and recently underlined his qualities with his response to a calamitous error last month.

Walker was at fault as Sheffield United claimed a late equaliser against City in their Premier League clash at Bramall Lane but then recovered to tee up Rodri’s dramatic winner.

Guardiola said: “He made a wrong decision when they equalised but, right after the equaliser, the next two actions came from Kyle in the byline. It was a goal. What a top, top player.

“He forgets what happened, says, ‘OK I’m going to win the game’. That defines the big, big players.

“No doubt he’s a much, much better player than seven years ago when he arrived. That is clear.

“Everyone makes mistakes but he has an incredible heart. And he’s a really nice guy, really nice, always tries to help.

“When a player is injured, he always calls him. I was at home (after back surgery) and he called me twice. ‘How you feel, Pep?’ This counts a lot in the group of people.

“The reason why we have a lot of success? The quality of human beings that we have.”

Walker has captained City so far this season and, with Kevin De Bruyne currently sidelined, could be the favoured choice to succeed Gundogan in the role full-time.

A vote among the squad and backroom staff – in which Guardiola will not participate – is due to be held in the coming days.

Guardiola said: “The vote will be taken the next days and the players will decide. It belongs to the players, not to me. What they decide, I’m fine (with).”

Chelsea’s policy of targeting young players in the transfer market must be given time to prove its effectiveness, according to boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have led a recruitment drive that has prioritised youth over experience during the last two transfer windows.

At an average age of just over 23 the club have the youngest squad in the Premier League this season, with contracts of seven or eight years for new players common at Stamford Bridge.

They have broken the British transfer record twice in 2023 on two players who are under 23, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

Yet the team have taken just four points from the manager’s first four league games in charge, after a summer in which recruitment spend in the previous 12 months under the current ownership surpassed the £1billion mark.

The manager was unhappy with the ease with which Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga was allowed to run through the heart of his team’s defence to score the only goal in the visitors’ 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge before the international break, and mistakes in defence and in midfield have been a theme in the season’s early weeks.

Nevertheless, Chelsea have enjoyed periods of dominance in all four fixtures, particularly in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool on the opening weekend and in the 3-0 win over newly-promoted Luton.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic said this week that the squad lacked the kind of world-class individuals that helped the club win five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues over the past 20 years.

But Pochettino has seen enough to be reassured that his ideas are taking root amongst his young squad, and appealed for the necessary patience for an inexperienced group to find their flow.

“They were (once) young also, John Terry was young, Frank Lampard was young, (Didier) Drogba was young,” he said. “You know better maybe than me, that is a completely different pressure. This is a different Chelsea to what I saw when I was at Tottenham or Southampton. Worse or better? I’m not saying that.

“But it’s different pressure. Different circumstances. Now we cannot compare with the past. I think it’s not fair. It’s a different Chelsea. What I want to translate is the fans want to win because the normal way in the past for Chelsea is to win.

“We need to accelerate all the process, because Chelsea is about to win, and we want to win. But I understand that the process is completely different to in the past. Because we have a different approach to the game and the philosophy and the ideas, (it means) we have a young squad of course.

“(We have) very talented players that need time to perform. But for sure we have one of the best squads of young players with the project. But of course we need time. We need to be careful about how we evolve and how we develop these ideas. But it’s true, players that need to improve and improve.”

Chelsea travel to Bournemouth on Sunday looking to win away from home for just the second time since March, with their only victory on the road in that time coming on their previous visit to the Vitality Stadium at the end of last season.

Pochettino spoke positively about his side’s performances so far this campaign despite a points return that has left them 12th.

He emphasised that his young squad are carrying the club into a new era where success is planned over a longer period, investing in potential rather than ready-made stars.

“I cannot give my opinion about what (Begovic) said because I didn’t hear,” he added. “But it’s obvious that at the moment, if you’re talking about a name like John Terry or Lampard or Drogba… come on.

“Today maybe we have the potential of Lampard or Terry or Drogba, but they are young. They need to prove that they can be one of these guys.

“In the past, Chelsea was about to sign (big) players, like Drogba. Now the idea is to buy young people to have the possibility to develop and to build a team. We are in the process of building a team.”

Jamie Vardy grabbed his first Championship goal of the season as Leicester climbed to the top of the table with a 4-1 thrashing of Southampton.

Vardy needed just 21 seconds to open the scoring before Kasey McAteer, Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi made things dominant for the Foxes despite Sam Edozie’s goal.

Leicester and Southampton were the Championship’s favourites for promotion after their Premier League relegation last season.

Both had started with four matches unbeaten – including four wins for the Foxes – before suffering shock defeats before the international break.

As stunned as Southampton were at losing 5-0 to Sunderland, it was doubled by being behind inside a minute.

Former England striker Vardy made his first start since the opening day of the campaign and pounced in his trademark style after Mavididi had got in behind and pulled back.

Saints were lucky not to concede when Taylor Harwood-Bellis gave away the ball in his own area, but it was no surprise when Will Smallbone and Kyle Walker-Peters lost concentration and handed the ball over to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The midfielder fed McAteer who controlled and finished past Gavin Bazunu in style in the 25th minute.

Che Adams had teed up Edozie only for the winger to air-kick before forcing Foxes keeper Mads Hermansen into a fine diving save.

The frontman caught Callum Doyle dithering in midfield and threaded a through ball to Edozie, who calmly clipped in his second professional goal.

The away side desperately pushed to regain their two-goal advantage.

Ndidi had a shot pushed behind by Bazunu, before the Irishman twice denied Mavididi’s weak efforts.

Mavididi proved his main skill was providing as he used his strength to turn a defender and then his vision to pick out Ndidi – who prodded in his first league goal since January 2021.

Southampton improved after being booed off at half-time, but had to wait until the 60th minute for a gilt-edged chance. Top scorer Adam Armstrong almost hit the back row of the stand from seven yards.

At the other end, Mavididi got clean through but used the outside of his boot to hit off target.

He did not miss next time, the summer signing from Montpellier led a three versus one break, ran around Smallbone and rolled past Bazunu.

It was the former Arsenal youngster’s second goal for the Foxes.

St Mary’s began to empty for the last half an hour, with the home fans missing more misplaced passes, ole’s from the travelling end and Kamaldeen Sulemana dismissed.

The winger was shown a straight red card for jumping in on James Justin deep into stoppage time.

Aaron Connolly’s brilliant late header earned Hull a 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.

The Republic of Ireland international glanced home Tyler Morton’s cross following a sustained spell of pressure to deny the visitors a hard-earned victory.

With Hull short of ideas, Joel Latibeaudiere’s first-half header looked to have been the difference between two evenly-matched sides.

The Jamaica international put the gloss on a fine individual performance after 27 minutes to claim his first goal since joining last year’s play-off finalists in the summer.

And though Coventry were organised from the outset, Hull’s late burst of energy resulted in a well-worked equaliser after 87 minutes.

Substitute Morton, perhaps more in desperation than with finesse, lofted a cross into the box in a central area.

But Connolly had the street-smarts to make clean contact and direct the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net with the back of his head.

Following their win at Leicester before the international break, a near-full house at the MKM Stadium expected big things from the Tigers.

But the hosts laboured for much of the game and would not have had too many complaints had they lost, despite having controlled possession for much of the second half.

They had their moments – Connolly flashed one wide from a difficult angle early on – but Hull were raw at the back and gave the ball away countless times.

Such uncertainty provided Coventry with momentum.

Excellent wing-back Jay Dasilva served notice of the visitors’ growing confidence after 25 minutes.

Yasin Ayari cutely teed up his team-mate inside the penalty area, but Dasilva’s radar was just off from an inviting position on the left.

Hull continued to give away possession and were punished soon after.

Josh Eccles’ near-post corner from the right was strong, but Jamaica international Latibeaudiere was still given an extraordinary amount of space to head home.

Hull manager Liam Rosenior demanded improvement, but it never came until after the restart.

Indeed, the home side should have been 2-0 down when Haji Wright misdirected a whipped pass from the right over the crossbar after 30 minutes, when it seemed far easier to hit the target.

Mark Robins would have expected from Hull a response in the second half. But aside from Scott Twine’s hit from distance – easily saved by Ben Wilson – it never arrived until the death.

Yet, despite the best endeavours of Coventry’s well-structured defence, a one-sided final 10 minutes offered Hull supporters hope.

And their optimism was rewarded when Connolly expertly scored a fourth league goal this season.

Partick Thistle cruised to a 4-0 win at Ayr to go second in the Scottish Championship.

Steven Lawless’ brace along with goals from Brian Graham and Tomi Adeloye eased the visitors to a comfortable victory.

Graham’s close-range finish from Kerr McInroy’s pass opened the scoring after 73 seconds and the visitors never looked back.

They doubled their lead 11 minutes after the break when Lawless drilled in from 25 yards.

He made it 3-0 after 67 minutes when his deflected shot from the edge of the area found a way past Charlie Albinson.

Lawless then turned provider for Adeloye with 11 minutes left when the former Ayr man scored with his first touch.

Exequiel Palacios’ last-gasp penalty rescued a point at Bayern Munich to keep Bayer Leverkusen top of the Bundesliga.

Leon Goretzka looked to have fired Munich to victory with just four minutes left before Palacios snatched a 2-2 draw in injury time.

Harry Kane opened the scoring to make it four goals in four league games but he was unable to inspire Bayern to victory.

Alejandro Grimaldo’s brilliant free-kick levelled in the first half and Lukas Hradecky denied Kane, Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen remain ahead of Bayern on goal difference after the opening four games of the season.

The teams were the only sides to win all of their first three matches this term and Bayern went to make it four early on.

The hosts took the lead after just seven minutes when Sane’s corner was flicked on for Kane at the far post to nod in unmarked from close range.

Sane shot over soon after, with the hosts on top, but they were stunned after 25 minutes when Grimaldo bent in a free-kick from 20 yards.

It gave Leverkusen confidence and Victor Boniface had a goal disallowed for offside after 33 minutes.

Muller and Gnabry forced Hradecky into smart stops before he denied Sane with a fine fingertip save and then thwarted Goretzka from point-blank range just before the break.

Boniface – who has five goals in five games this season – lobbed onto the roof of the net as he tried his luck from the halfway line as the frantic pace continued into the second half.

Hradecky continued to frustrate the hosts when he superbly kept Kane out after 57 minutes.

But Leverkusen were breached with four minutes left when substitute Mathys Tel, who enjoyed an impressive cameo, crossed for Goretzka to sweep in a first-time finish.

Boniface, though, should have made it 2-2 just a minute later when he blazed over with the goal gaping but they were given a reprieve in stoppage time.

Alphonso Davies fouled Jonas Hofmann in the box and, after a VAR check, Palacios found the top corner from the spot.

There was still time for more drama when Dayot Upamecano thought he had won it for Bayern in the ninth minute of stoppage time, only to be ruled offside after lashing in from a corner.

Barcelona head coach Xavi remains relaxed over his contract extension, which is expected to be officially announced soon as he stays focused on the team producing the required results.

Xavi is determined the renewal of his deal through until 2025 will not distract from a key run of games which start at home to Real Betis on Saturday and also feature the beginning of the Champions League campaign against Antwerp.

“I spoke about it with Deco, with the president. It’s about achieving success, titles, not long contracts,” Xavi told a press conference.

“I will never be a problem for the club. When we see that my continuity is not the right decision, I will step aside.

“I am very excited and the project remains very relevant. My contract extension will be announced in a few days, without a doubt.

“Performance is important to me. If there are no clear objectives at the end of the season, it’s not worth having a long contract.”

Barcelona will check on midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who picked up a bruised back during Germany’s game against France, but has been able to train with his club.

Xavi is expecting a stern test from Betis, who won two of their opening four LaLiga games ahead of the international break and sit just three points behind Barca in the table.

“We have a difficult rival, a great team, technically one of the best with Isco, Ayoze (Perez), Borja Iglesias,” Xavi said.

“Having the ball will be key, having it, long possession. We need to win these three games at home and we need the fans.”

Xavi also expects to utilise all his options given the schedule ahead.

“We believe the squad is fine. Numbers are limited but we have faith in the young talent we have here,” he added.

“Lamine (Yamal), Unai (Hernandez), (Pau) Cubarsi – there are good youth players and we will make use of them. There will be rotations out of necessity. We have seven games in 20 days.

“We have the squad to deal with that, but there are players who have been playing internationals and some will be rested.”

Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini knows just what challenge awaits his side when facing a “complete squad” on Saturday evening.

“Barcelona are having a great season in terms of results and are a very performing team that won LaLiga with the (points) difference that they did. Now they are also unbeaten in this first stretch of LaLiga,” Pellegrini said.

“They have very dynamic players with proven experience and young players – like Pedri, Gavi and now Lamine.

“It is a complete squad in every sense, with youth, experience and quality, so we have to play a complete game without mistakes if we want to try to get points in Barcelona.”

Abde Ezzalzouli could feature against his old club having moved to Betis on transfer-deadline day.

Pellegrini added: “Abde has just arrived, but he is on the squad list and everyone who has been called up has a chance to play.

“He is a very important addition for us, he arrived at the last minute, we needed a winger with these characteristics.”

Harry Toffolo’s deteriorating mental health and belief that his football career was over were “very substantial mitigation” for him breaching Football Association betting rules, according to an independent regulatory commission.

Toffolo was given a suspended five-month ban after admitting 375 breaches of FA betting rules and was also fined just under £21,000. The Nottingham Forest full-back placed the bets between 2014 and 2017.

In written reasons published by the commission, it was stated Toffolo – who admitted the charge in full – placed 202 bets on matches in competitions in which his clubs were participating or had participated. There were also two spot bets placed by the player on events which involved himself as well as 15 identified to have been made against his own clubs.

Of the 375 bets, he staked £1,323.92, averaging £3.53 per bet. His total return was £956.22 – a loss of £367.70.

Toffolo placed a bet on himself to score in the 2015 League One play-off final at Wembley for Swindon, who lost 4-0 to Preston.

The independent regulatory commission accepted Toffolo’s explanation of having placed that bet “in excitement”.

The commission found Toffolo began placing bets on football, as well as other sports, when he was 18 and stopped at 21, with stakes “generally small”. He lost money overall, although he did profit from certain categories of bet.

There was no suggestion Toffolo was involved in match fixing or benefited from “any particular inside information” and he was “driven principally, if not exclusively, by his own belief as to what the outcome of a particular match or event might be”.

In the witness statements served on Toffolo’s behalf and also his own oral evidence, it was demonstrated the player “had a number of very difficult times in the period” when he was coming to terms with being told, during January 2014, he did not feature in the plans of then-Norwich manager Chris Hughton but could also not go out on loan to gain experience.

The commission reported “as a result he perceived that his future at NCFC (in the U23 development squad) looked bleak” and it was around that time Toffolo began gambling, partly to “alleviate his low mood but principally because he wanted to ‘fit in’ with players who were claiming to be gambling regularly and successfully”.

Following a loan move to Stoke, Toffolo said away from the pitch he “struggled with his mental health for a variety of reasons” which led him to gamble with increasing frequency.

The player also talked about feelings of loneliness when staying in a hotel during a short-term stint at Rotherham and that he became depressed when sent out on loan to Preston until the end of the 2015-2016 season, when he considered his career in football “to be over”.

The commission accepted there “appears to have been a link” between the state of Toffolo’s mental health and his gambling and noted when he joined Scunthorpe in August 2016 he “thrived far better”, with his family having also made the move. The frequency of his gambling decreased considerably and eventually stopped altogether.

On the basis of the evidence, the commission concluded the bets placed by Toffolo during the relevant periods “were the result, at least in large part, of the significant mental health challenges” he endured over those periods.

The commission found, with the support of his family and those around him and with external help from a sports psychologist, Toffolo made huge efforts to “turn things around”.

“That he did so, and did so so successfully, is a credit to him and, we hope, might serve as inspiration to other participants who might find themselves struggling with mental health issues,” the commission’s statement added.

On the sanctions, the commission stressed Toffolo’s breaches were “significant” and could not be described as “trivial despite the low stakes involved”.

While there was “substantial mitigation”, the commission felt a sporting sanction was nonetheless “appropriate and proportionate in light of the serious nature of the breaches committed over a lengthy period of time”.

It was acknowledged the suspended sanction could be viewed as “too lenient” but was concluded the “particular circumstances of this case justified the nature, duration and terms of the suspension”.

Forest have declined to comment on the sanctions imposed on Toffolo.

Manager Steve Cooper was among those to provide evidence to the commission, describing the defender as a ‘true professional’ and family man who has a positive impact on the dressing room and in the wider community.

The sanctions on Toffolo follow the imposition of an eight-month ban on Brentford striker Ivan Toney in May for breaches of FA betting regulations.