Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl took on an unenviable task when he decided to join the club to replace Russell Martin, who had won just five of his matches in charge.

The German head coach has had to take over a side that was incredibly low on confidence and turn things around without any signings, which he did with four straight Scottish Premiership wins.

However, the Gers were unable to make it five after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Falkirk at Ibrox on Sunday, and the manager made it clear that underperforming players will face consequences.

One of the team’s underperforming flops who will not make the starting line-up for the clash with Dundee United on Wednesday is Oliver Antman, who has been ruled out for two months through injury.

Why Danny Rohl must replace Oliver Antman

Even without the injury, the Finland international should have been dropped by Danny Rohl because he failed to deliver a quality performance for his side from the start against Falkirk.

Antman ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of seven goals and 17 assists in all competitions for Go Ahead Eagles, per Sofascore, yet his time at Ibrox has been barren in comparison.

In 20 appearances for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, the Finnish forward has failed to provide a goal or an assist in 18 different games, providing three assists in the other two outings.

The 24-year-old flop played 57 minutes against Falkirk on Sunday without registering a shot on target or creating a ‘big chance’ for his teammates, per Sofascore, and his absence through injury will now provide others with an opportunity to nail down that position.

The Rangers talent who could end Antman's Ibrox career

The Light Blues head coach could end Antman’s Ibrox career by finally unleashing academy graduate Findlay Curtis as a starter on the flank, as the Scottish youngster could nail down that position and leave the ex-Eredivisie star starved of minutes.

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Rohl must give the 19-year-old star his first senior start in the Premiership this season on Wednesday night because his output this year suggests that he deserves more minutes on the pitch for the Gers.

Vs Falkirk	Findlay Curtis
Minutes	15
Crosses attempted	1
Fouls won	2
Pass accuracy	100%
Clearances	3
Tackles won	1/1
Ground duels won	3/4
Aerial duels won	1/2
Stats via Sofascore

Curtis, as shown in the table above, showed that he has the physicality to compete at first-team level in his cameo off the bench on Sunday, winning four of his six duels and winning two fouls.

The teenager starlet, who was dubbed a “Boy Wonder” on Premier Sports against Panathinaikos in July, has also shown glimpses of his exciting quality at the top end of the pitch this term, with three goals in 259 minutes of action.

Curtis, who scored off the bench against St Mirren in the Premiership in August, has not started a game for the first-team since he started both of the games against Panathinaikos in July, despite scoring two goals since then.

His lack of minutes, as a starter or off the bench, has been fairly surprising, particularly given Antman and the team’s general form, which is why now is the time for Rohl to finally unleash him from the start.

If the Scotland U21 international can get a run in the side and provide goal contributions on a regular basis for the Light Blues, the underperforming Antman would surely struggle to get back into the team given his lack of form this season.

Therefore, Curtis, who delivered four goals and three assists in eight B team matches at academy level, could be the player who ends the Finland international’s career at Ibrox, as the winger, who can play either flank, could snatch his place in the squad away from him.

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However, it is, firstly, down to the Rangers manager to provide the academy graduate with the platform that he needs to kick on and end Antman’s career at the club, starting with the league clash with Dundee United on Wednesday night because of Antman’s injury.

Tottenham Hotspur are now pushing hard to sign a “powerful” midfielder who has been likened to Manchester City star Rodri, and his current employers could be willing to sanction a move for £30m…

Tottenham looking to strengthen in midfield after Fulham setback

Tottenham remain without a home win since the opening day of the season in the Premier League, having succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham on Saturday afternoon, and Danny Murphy has since criticised the lack of creativity in the middle of the park.

As such, Spurs may need to enter the market for some new signings in the January transfer window, and bringing in a new forward may be of key significance, given that Thomas Frank has decided he no longer wants Richarlison.

However, signing another midfielder could also be a savvy move, given the lack of creativity, and there has now been a new update on the north Londoners’ pursuit of Anderlecht maestro Nathan De Cat.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange is now pushing hard to sign De Cat, who has impressed scouts from across Europe, with Aston Villa, Brighton and Bayern Munich also keen.

The Belgian club had been hoping to keep hold of the 17-year-old until 2027, but they could now be willing to cash-in on the youngster, who has been compared to Manchester City star Rodri, for £30m.

"Powerful" De Cat could be future star

Likened to Rodri due to being a deep-lying playmaker, the teenager has been praised for his creativity by scout Ben Mattinson, who said he is able to unlock defences “from deep or as creator in the final third”, while also describing the starlet as “powerful.”

Fellow scout Jacek Kulig also clearly believes the Anderlecht ace could be destined for big things, having praised his performances at youth level back in July.

Since then, the Belgian has gone on to become a key player for the Anderlecht first team, making 20 appearances in all competitions this season, which is an impressive feat as such a young age.

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At just 17, De Cat is likely to need more time to develop before being able to slot into Tottenham’s starting XI, but he clearly has a lot of potential, and £30m could end up being a bargain in the long run.

A modest Alex Carey reflected on being “pretty proud” of his performance behind the stumps in Brisbane as he was lauded as the best wicketkeeper in the world after a putting on a masterclass of glovework in the second Test.Carey produced the finest performance of his career, with his work behind the stumps becoming a defining element at the Gabba, while scoring 63 in Australia’s first innings when the game was at a tipping point late on the second day.On the opening day he took a spectacular running catch to remove Gus Atkinson, but the most notable aspect was his keeping stood up to Michael Neser and Scott Boland which culminated in him gathering an edge off Ben Stokes on the fourth day.Related

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There was some irony in the amount of time Carey spent standing up in this Test given Australia had left out Nathan Lyon and gone with an all-pace attack but he formed a compelling partnership with Neser in particular.”Self-reflection, yeah, pretty proud of my efforts out there,” Carey told . “Thought opportunities to come up to the stumps against some really good bowling and the boys were able to beat the bat. So thought I did a good job for the team. I also thought the bowlers did an amazing job to create those chances.”Carey revealed that standing up to pace bowling is something he doesn’t replicate with bowlers in training but backs his skill to take over when needed.”I don’t practice up to the stumps against fast bowling, think that probably could be a little bit dangerous at times,” he said. “You work on the fundamentals of the game, and for me that’s keeping up to the stumps to Nathan Lyon a lot but doing my drills in the nets with a nick bat, getting throws, trying to get in good positions.”Then when you are in a game of cricket I feel like your instincts take over most of the time, so trusting the positions that I’m in then hoping my instinct takes over and I get into the right position to hang onto them.”Former wicketkeepers lined up in admiration of Carey four years on from when there was scrutiny over his glovework as he began his Test career in the 2021-22 Ashes.Alex Carey celebrates his catch to remove Ben Stokes•AFP/Getty Images

“I think he’s clearly the best in the world, probably even before this [Test],” Ian Healy said on SEN radio. “To have such long periods [standing up] to quite fast bowling on a pitch that looks as if something might happen – but didn’t a whole lot of times – clearly cements him as the best. To be able to be effective with it as long as he was, you know, he hardly misgloved any of them.On Triple M radio, Brad Haddin said: “I’ve not seen a better keeping display.”Captain Steven Smith, who was standing alongside Carey at slip for much of the match, including when he produced his own piece of brilliance to remove Will Jacks with arguably the finest catch of his career, said he had not seen a better display.”That performance behind the stumps was something else,” Smith said. “Ness [Neser] was getting the ball up around 137-138kph at times. Boland similar. He just gets in behind it. He finds a way to just get the ball in his hands. It hits the batter’s pads and it ends up in his hands somehow.”He works exceptionally hard. He’s as fit as anyone. He just turns up day in, day out. Rarely makes a mistake and pulls off unbelievable catches.”When I was at slip, when he was up to the stumps, I was so wide just because of how much he covers. He just gets his hands out there. It’s like he knows they’re going to nick it almost at times and gets his hands out there. That keeping performance was as good as I’ve seen.”Neser, who said after the third day’s play that, as a pace bowler, he was reluctant to operate with the wicketkeeper up to the stumps earlier in his career, was quick to acknowledge the role it had played in his maiden five-wicket haul”That wouldn’t be possible without Kez [Carey], and what Steve did there at the end was special,” he said. “I didn’t even have to ask Kez to come up, he just does it … to have a keeper like that is great.”Neser’s comeback has emerged as one of the feelgood stories of the series after he hadn’t played a Test for three years and feared his chance may have gone with a severe hamstring injury last season.”There was a moment earlier in the season where I was just like, man, I hope he gets his chance,” Marnus Labuschagne, a team-mate at Queensland, said. “Obviously a few injuries, and I saw the writing on the wall there, that there’s potential [he wouldn’t play again]. For him to be able to come in and deliver…maybe a bit of nerves that first innings, then to come out second innings and play that role and get five-for, I was just so happy.”Just the work that he’s put in, the body of work in Shield cricket, the consistency that he keeps delivering and delivering, and we didn’t see the best of his batting either. I think that’s probably the exciting part as well, is he’s got a lot to offer with not only the ball, but that and his fielding, he’s got five of the best catches in Big Bash.”

Liverpool ended a run of three successive defeats in all competitions by claiming all three points against West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arne Slot’s team had lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest and 3-0 to Manchester City in their last two outings in the top-flight, which is why it was so important for them to bounce back with a win against the Hammers.

Alexander Isak scored his first league goal for the Reds after his £125m move from Newcastle United in the summer, as part of an attack that looked very different after some impressive tweaks from the head coach.

The key tactical tweaks Liverpool made against West Ham

Instead of playing Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, Slot opted to go with a natural defender in Joe Gomez in the back four and it was a tactical decision that paid off big time.

The former England international was not dribbled past a single time in the 90 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, and provided an assist for the second goal with an excellent cross after Szoboszlai, who was able to play further up the field, did well to lay the ball off to him.

Slot also played Florian Wirtz in the number ten role, after he was left on the bench against PSV, and the Germany international completed 93% of his attempted passes in a controlling and metronomic display in the middle of the park.

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The Liverpool boss also made the bold call to drop Mohamed Salah from the starting line-up to play Szoboszlai out wide on the right, days after Alan Pardew suggested that the Egypt international has looked “lost”.

In Salah’s absence, though, Reds forward Cody Gakpo showed that he is the manager’s most clutch player this season with an impressive display.

Liverpool's most clutch player

In March of last year, the £40m signing from PSV was criticised by former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher, who claimed that the Dutchman “plays like the game is in slow motion”.

Believe it or not, that’s not the first time the former centre-back has criticised the Dutchman.

Indeed, just after he signed, Carragher wrote that he was ‘baffled watching Gakpo’s early performances,” further stating that ‘Gakpo is not a typical Klopp signing, lacking lightning pace and the capacity to lead a high press.’

There is a languid demeanour to the way that Gakpo plays for Liverpool on the wing, but that is not an inherently bad thing because it is not down to a genuine lack of effort, as shown by his output this season.

The Netherlands international added a goal and an assist to his tally in the 2-0 win over West Ham, setting up Isak for the opener before burying a finish late on to seal the win.

With Salah out, Gakpo once again showed that he is the most clutch player in the squad in the Premier League this season, because he has been the most productive player in front of goal.

Last season, Salah was the player Liverpool looked to when they needed a goal, as he ended the campaign with a staggering 29 goals and 18 assists, per WhoScored.

xG

3.8

1st

Goals

4

1st

Big chances created

7

1st

Chances created

25

1st

xA

2.6

1st

Assists

3

1st

Goals + assists

7

1st

As you can see in the table above, it is Gakpo who has been the go-to man for Slot in the top-flight so far this term, leading the way in pretty much every significant attacking metric.

These statistics show how clutch the Dutchman has been for the Reds this season, because he has been their main star for both goals and creativity at the top end of the pitch, which was on full display with a goal and an assist on Sunday.

Until Salah is able to get back to his best in the Premier League, which will hopefully happen in the coming weeks, Gakpo should be considered the most clutch player in the squad for his output so far.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has issued a passionate defence of under-fire manager Xabi Alonso following the club's 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City. The Belgian shot-stopper insisted the squad remain "united" behind the coach and pledged that the players will support him "wholeheartedly" as they look to end a poor run of form.

• Madrid beaten again on home soil

  The atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu was tense on Wednesday night as Real Madrid suffered their second home defeat in the space of just three days. After falling to a 2-0 domestic loss against Celta Vigo over the weekend, the Spanish giants were beaten 2-1 by City in Europe, a result that has increased the scrutiny on manager Alonso.

  Goals from Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland overturned Rodrygo's opener to hand victory to the Premier League side in the league phase encounter. The final whistle was met with frustration from sections of the home support, but Thibaut Courtois stepped forward in the mixed zone to offer a defiant message regarding the dressing room's relationship with their head coach.

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  Courtois 'fighting to change this dynamic'

  Speaking to reporters after the match, Courtois rejected any suggestion that the players had lost faith in Alonso’s methods or that the squad was fractured. The goalkeeper emphasised that the performance against Pep Guardiola's side, despite the adverse result, was evidence of their commitment to the manager.

  "I think today we showed that we are a united team, that we support the coach and that we are all fighting to change this dynamic," Courtois declared.

  Madrid have managed just two wins in their last eight matches across all competitions, a streak that has seen them slip to second in La Liga and seventh in the Champions League table. The defeat to City was particularly stinging as it marked back-to-back losses at the Bernabeu, a rarity for the 15-time European champions.

  The match itself saw Madrid start brightly, with Rodrygo ending his long drought to put the hosts ahead after 28 minutes. However, City responded quickly through O'Reilly, before Haaland converted a penalty just before half-time after Antonio Rudiger was adjudged to have fouled the Norwegian striker.

• Understanding the Bernabeu's anger

  Courtois also addressed the reaction from the stands. The goalkeeper acknowledged the frustration of the supporters following the recent dip in form, while defending the effort the team put in against a high-calibre opponent.

  "I understand the anger after a run of matches like this, but I think we reacted on the pitch, we did everything possible and we lost against a very good rival," the Belgian explained.

  Courtois pointed to the quality of the opposition as a factor in the result. City, who sit fourth in the Champions League standings on 13 points, controlled significant portions of the game. Despite the defeat, Courtois felt the team "reacted" well during the contest, creating chances in the second half as they searched for an equaliser that ultimately did not come. The goalkeeper himself was called into action to make a double save to keep the score at 2-1, denying City a third goal that would have killed the game off earlier.

  When asked directly about the future of the manager and the squad's stance, Courtois offered an unequivocal pledge of loyalty to Alonso.

  "Everyone here will support the coach with all our heart," Courtois stated.

  This public backing comes at a critical time for Alonso, who took charge earlier in the year. The defeat leaves Madrid on 12 points in the Champions League league phase, still inside the top eight automatic qualification spots but with a reduced margin for error heading into the final fixtures against Monaco and Benfica in January.

  The squad situation has been complicated by fitness issues, with Kylian Mbappe remaining on the bench throughout the match due to a knee concern, forcing Alonso to rely on a front line of Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia.

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  Focus shifts to Alaves

  Madrid return to La Liga action immediately with a trip to face Alaves on Sunday. For Courtois, this fixture is the priority to arrest the slide and restore confidence within the camp.

  "It is by winning on Sunday that we will change this dynamic," he added.

  The goalkeeper made it clear that the team must translate their internal unity into victories on the pitch. Real Madrid currently trail league leaders Barcelona by four points in the domestic table. The trip to the Mendizorrotza Stadium offers an immediate opportunity to respond to the defeats against Celta and City. A win would stabilise the situation before the winter break, while another negative result would further extend the difficult run Courtois referred to. The focus now turns solely to Sunday as the squad attempts to turn their "wholehearted" support into three points.

Vital display in adversity at Mount Maunganui gives showcase for hard-hitting, hard-bowling credentials

Cameron Ponsonby27-Oct-2025So this is what a Jamie Overton is.Through little fault of his own, Jamie Overton has cut a curious figure in England colours over the past 12 months. Seemingly destined to retire with one international cap to his name – coming in 2022 when he made 97 on Test debut against New Zealand – he has since been the designated square peg to fit any round-hole problem England has faced.On his ODI debut 12 months ago – a full five years after he had last played a List A match – Overton was selected at No.8 as a specialist batter. “It felt a little bit like I shouldn’t be there,” he said at the time.A couple of months later against India, in his lone appearance of the series, he was picked as the side’s out-and-out all-rounder to bat at No.7. And then after seemingly switching his attention to white-ball cricket, he was picked for the series decider in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval. He announced his red-ball retirement shortly after.But after six weeks away from cricket where he was able to take a breath, he showed why England have valued him so highly at Mount Maunganui with 46 crucial runs, a probing – albeit wicketless – spell with the ball, and two pieces of high-quality fielding. There’s a reason England like Overton so much. It has just taken until now to put it all together.”100%,” Overton said after play at the Mount. “At No.8 I want to be contributing runs whatever the situation. And in the middle overs keep hammering the wicket and make those breakthroughs. Then in the field, I feel like I’m a good fielder, so get in those hotspots, and take the catches and the run-outs when they come.”Unusually for a fast bowler, Overton is a fantastic slip fielder. His catch to dismiss Rachin Ravindra was completed long before it reached his hands. He was denied the same courtesy in return when Joe Root put down Michael Bracewell off his bowling on two. Overton would later run Bracewell out himself, completing a diving one-handed pick-up-and-throw from midwicket.Overton’s success at Adelaide Strikers came after his batting had attracted the franchise’s initial interest•Getty ImagesDropped catches happen, but it would have stung Overton more than most. For the first time in his international career, there is a genuine settled role on the table. England have their opening bowlers sorted through a combination of Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and whoever else may be available when fit (see Saqib Mahmood), but the role of middle-overs enforcer is up for grabs and an area that Harry Brook specifically noted as one that England need to improve.”We’re still trying to learn how to take wickets in the middle stage,” Brook said after his team’s four-wicket defeat to New Zealand. “We’ve bowled really well in the powerplay in the games I’ve captained, so I don’t feel that’s as much of an issue as the middle overs. We’ve got to try and find a way of taking wickets through there and not just rely on Rash [Adil Rashid] to have a bit of wizardry.”Related

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Overton has played eight ODIs for England, of which they have lost six and won two. He has only bowled more than six overs on one occasion: a statistic that is a symptom of an underperforming team who are defending meagre totals. A critic, however, would point out that Overton has only taken three middle-over wickets of top six batters across that time. To take Liam Plunkett’s final eight ODIs as a comparison, he took 11 top-order wickets in those middle overs, and bowled more than six overs on all but one occasion.It is cruel to compare any one player to the standard of a predecessor that no-one has yet been able to emulate. But that is what England are looking for. Overton should have both the remaining matches of this series to stake his claim. A run of games he has so far been denied in his brief, multi-hatted career.His batting will buy him extra time. When his two stress fractures in 2023 and 2024 forced him to take a break from bowling, it gave him extra time in the nets and allowed him to develop his game to the point where he was playing as a specialist batter in the Blast for Surrey and the Hundred for Manchester Originals. It even got him a deal with the Adelaide Strikers.”I spoke to one of the analysts halfway through the tournament,” Overton said last year of his time in the BBL. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, we didn’t really pick you for your bowling.”At Mount Maunganui, he arrived at the crease in the 12th over and added 87 with Brook as they went blow-for-blow. That he was able to strike at close to 100 even with England in the depths is a big tick in his favour. So too was his on-the-spot decision to move away from his natural gameplan of standing still at the crease, and instead copy his captain Brook in moving around to disturb New Zealand’s lengths.”There were times when I was thinking ‘what am I doing here?'” Overton said of his innings. “I normally don’t move around. Whereas today I feel like because the wicket was doing a lot to try and move across or step back, and it’s one of those which was trial and error. I actually found out today it will suit my game going forward.”Two boundaries off Nathan Smith, the first backing away and hitting through cover, followed by a whip through mid-wicket after walking across his stumps, proved his point.For a year now, Overton has been a nice-to-have for England. A multi-talented cricketer capable of fitting in wherever and whenever. But with two games to go in the series and a spot up for grabs, Overton has the opportunity to prove to England he is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must.

Aggressive maiden fifty ruffles England attack, before Smith, Labuschagne cement advantage

Tristan Lavalette05-Dec-2025

Jake Weatherald made his maiden Test fifty off 45 balls•Darrian Traynor/AFP/Getty Images

After Travis Head had hogged the attention in the build-up, fellow opener Jake Weatherald emerged from his shadow with a rollicking maiden Test half-century as Australia capitalised on a ragged England bowling and fielding effort in the day-night second Ashes Test.Australia ended day two well on top after half-centuries from Weatherald, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It was the first time in a decade that Australia put on 50-plus stands for the first four wickets in a Test innings but no batter has yet been able to kick on for a big score.Just a fortnight ago, England hustled Australia for 132 in Perth with hostile pace bowling that evoked peak West Indies but they have been undisciplined since and conceded 5.17 runs an over so far in this innings.Related

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On the back of Weatherald setting the tone with 72 off 78 balls, including 59 in the first session, Australia moved into a powerful position at 291 for 3 and just 43 runs behind England’s first innings.Under major pressure after their first-Test humiliation, England appeared to be wilting amid a totally lacklustre bowling effort until Cameron Green and Smith succumbed in the same over to a short-ball ploy from Brydon Carse, who had been very expensive to that point.Leeds-born Josh Inglis was later clean bowled by indefatigable skipper Ben Stokes as England mounted an unexpected fightback after a totally underwhelming day. But Alex Carey and Michael Neser benefited from sloppy fielding – amid five dropped catches by England so far in the innings – as they finished with an unbroken 49-run partnership to steady Australia.After England were dismissed for 334 in their first innings early on day two, with Joe Root finishing unbeaten on 138, the focus immediately turned to Head following his extraordinary century in Perth as a makeshift opener.

With veteran Usman Khawaja ruled out due to a back injury, Head is playing this match as a specialist opener – a role he had only occupied previously in South Asia.There was intrigue over how he would approach the situation on a ground where he bagged a king pair in the day-night Test against West Indies in January 2024.Head had no troubles negotiating the first delivery, with Jofra Archer spraying down the leg side in a sign of things to come for England’s attack. Archer could not find the right length but Head and Weatherald were circumspect as the innings started with three maidens.Weatherald was unruffled and smacked a boundary in the fourth over to open Australia’s account and the runs soon flowed. Crouching very low, watching intently and talking to himself as the bowler approached, Weatherald was compact early before growing in confidence with a trio of boundaries off seamer Gus Atkinson.Head, meanwhile, made a watchful start and did not score until his 15th delivery. He had only made 3 of Australia’s 30 runs when Archer finally got his length right and produced a cracking back-of-a-length delivery that angled in and nipped away to catch the outside edge.But wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, playing his first day-night match, was wrongfooted and dropped a straightforward chance much to the delight of an increasingly rowdy contingent of Australian fans in the terraces.Head crawled to 4 off 29 balls before finally scoring his first boundary in the 10th over, followed by a six off the wayward Carse. It ignited Head whose trademark cavalier style returned and he was matched by Weatherald as they knocked England’s quicks off their lengths. England were either too short or full with Weatherald punishing modest bumpers with several belligerent uppercuts.Jofra Archer reacts to a dropped catch•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The wheels were quickly falling for England, reminiscent of many horror shows at this graveyard site for them, but they had a brief respite when Head on 33 threw away his wicket, holing out to mid-on in a rare bright spot for Carse.Head’s wicket did not slow down the momentum of Weatherald, who notched his half-century off 45 balls – the fastest in a Test at the Gabba in a decade.Stokes resorted to spinning allrounder Will Jacks before the 40-minute tea break but his solitary over went for nine runs. After some soul searching, England’s quicks bowled better on resumption and were rewarded when Archer trapped Weatherald plumb lbw with a fierce full delivery that hit flush on the toe.Lacking support, Archer pushed through with a seven-over spell but could not produce another breakthrough as Labuschagne and Smith built a formidable partnership.Both reached their half-centuries in 67 balls with Labuschagne judging the length superbly and unfurling the pull shot when required as he became the first batter to reach 1000 runs in day-night Tests. But he fell tamely to Stokes when he feathered an attempted cut close to the body, ending his bid for a first Test century since the 2023 Ashes.Smith, sporting black adhesive stickers on his cheekbones, looked in control and combined in another half-century stand with Green, who batted one spot higher at No. 5 than in Perth.England hoped to rally under the lights but wickets looked unlikely until Carse, who sported macabre figures of 1 for 92 from 12 overs to this point, bluffed Green by bowling a full delivery that rattled the stumps after the batter had been backing away against the short ball.Carse then delivered a brute of a delivery that hit Carey on the glove but was dropped at gully by Ben Duckett. England’s spirits quickly lifted when Smith on the next delivery was brilliantly caught at deep backward square by Jacks as Stokes threw his cap in the air in celebration.But England’s momentum was halted by sloppy fielding and they appear to be staring down the barrel.England had started the day’s play in considerably better shape after a momentum-swinging last-wicket partnership between Root and Archer. Making Australia’s weary bowlers back up amid stifling humidity, England hoped to add more invaluable runs to their overnight total of 325 for 9.With his century jinx on Australian soil over, Root looked to cross 150 but was content in taking singles and there was no need for anything outlandish like his reverse scoop off Scott Boland that registered his first ever Test six in the country.In a madcap final stretch of play on day one, Archer zoomed past his highest Test score of 30 and his bid for a maiden Test half-century started well when he cracked a superb drive through the covers off Mitchell Starc. But Archer fell on 38 when a diving Labuschagne took a blinder of a one-handed catch at deep backward square to end the 70-run stand – the highest 10th wicket partnership for England on an Ashes tour since 1951.

Liverpool have reportedly opened talks this week to sign a key reinforcement who Arne Slot loves ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2026.

Slot urges Liverpool to "remain humble"

Sunday’s 2-0 victory against West Ham United simply cannot be a false dawn for Liverpool or record signing Alexander Isak. After a disastrous run of form, the Reds must make it back-to-back victories by defeating Sunderland this evening.

Anything but three points would only spark further concerns about Slot’s tenure, as reports continue to suggest potential managerial candidates such as Ange Postecoglou.

Ahead of Liverpool’s clash against the Black Cats, Slot told reporters: “The challenge now will be to build on this win. We do not get to believe that a corner has been turned or that a recovery is under way.

“We have to remain humble, work hard and continue to fight. If we do this then maybe we can continue taking the small steps forward that are very much required.

“I would like to welcome Regis Le Bris, his players and staff as well as the supporters and directors of Sunderland to Anfield for tonight’s game. What they have done in the Premier League already this season reflects incredibly well on all at the club having earned promotion back in May.”

FSG could see £75m bid accepted to sign Liverpool their best LW since Mane

Liverpool are in the market for a left-sided winger this winter.

2 ByAngus Sinclair Dec 3, 2025

It’s been the type of run that sparks serious questions about the January transfer window and the need for reinforcements – particularly on the defensive front. As things stand, Liverpool have just two senior centre-backs available, but have been linked with moves for the likes of Castello Lukeba and, of course, Marc Guehi.

Liverpool open talks to sign Marc Guehi

According to TeamTalk, Liverpool have now opened talks to sign Guehi this week in an attempt to get their deal back on track and land their No.1 defensive target ahead of Real Madrid.

The Reds came within hours of signing the Crystal Palace star in the summer, only for the Eagles to pull the plug on the deal at the death. Now, they’re attempting to jump ahead of the chasing pack by making their move as early as the January transfer window.

Those at Anfield are reportedly willing to offer a deal worth around £30m next month, whilst others wait in line to secure Guehi’s signature as a free agent in the summer.

Not even Slot could hide Liverpool’s admiration for Guehi when they missed out on his signature in the summer, telling reporters: “It would be ridiculous if I were to deny we were close to signing him.

“That is so out in the open. These things happen in football. We would have liked to have signed him, of course. If we feel we can strengthen the team, we never hesitate to do so.”

Whether Crystal Palace willingly part with their defender, who was described as a “monster in defence” by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi, remains to be seen, however.

Liverpool star is now very quickly becoming "the next Diaz" at Anfield

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