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USC coach Lincoln Riley kept his offense on the field on fourth and four at the USC 13.

The decision was so confounding, Penn State coach Matt Campbell burned the Nittany Lions’ final timeout with 4:15 remaining. Riley grinned with his team protecting a 31-23 lead in front of a rowdy crowd of more than 106,000 fans decked in all white at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.

USC punted after the timeout and Riley watched his maligned defense recover Penn State receiver Brett Eskildsen’s fumble on the Nittany Lions’ first snap of the ensuing drive.

With no timeouts remaining, Penn State had no room for error while trying to stop USC. The Trojans burned as much clock as they could and were again prepared to snap the ball on fourth down when the Penn State defense jumped offside, effectively sealing the Trojans’ win.

Riley has long been scrutinized for clock management and late-game decision making, but in one of the most hostile environments in the country, he helped the No. 19 Trojans work their way to a 31-23 win.

USC (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) had the better record and national ranking, but Penn State (3-3, 0-3) was favored to win by 1½ points in a sign of the plunging confidence in Riley and his Trojans.

“We came in here against the odds,” Riley said during his postgame on-field interview with NBC. “Everybody in the country counted us out and said we weren’t going to win a tough road game.

“Trojans came [to] play. Great environment here. Tonight the white-out game went cardinal and gold.”

Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who had struggled at times the past few weeks, completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked once.

Trent Mosley, who returned after missing the past two games with an injury, and Tanook Hines delivered a series of highlight catches to support Maiava. Mosley hauled in nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Hines added four catches for 82 yards and another touchdown.

King Miller ran for 102 yards in 19 carries and scored off a Maiava option pitch.

USC wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt catches a touchdown pass ahead of Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas during the second half of the Trojans’ 31-23 win Saturday.

(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)

The teams traded touchdowns and field goals early, entering halftime tied 17-17.

Riley made the curious decision to open the third quarter with an onside kick, but his defense limited Penn State to a field goal.

Miller ran for a 13-yard touchdown on USC’s next drive.

Penn State mounted a long drive that the Trojans’ defense again limited to a field goal, giving USC a 24-23 lead with 14:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Maiava then led a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive. On the final snap of the drive, Maiava had time to sit in the pocket, scan the field and connect with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown. USC hit the extra point and led 31-23 with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter.

USC’s defense forced a Penn State punt and Riley worked the clock to protect the win.

Desman Stephens II returned from his one-game suspension for his hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and led the Trojans with nine tackles.

Freshman Luke Wafle delivered five tackles and one massively important sack of Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht for a loss of 10 yards with six minutes left in regulation.

It was raining in State College late in the fourth quarter. The Trojans’ defense danced on the sideline as the song “Umbrella” played in the stadium and the Trojans lingered on the field to soak up a big road victory.

The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool will be renewed when they meet in Sunday’s supercharged Premier League clash at Anfield.

History suggests Liverpool are often favourites in this fixture, but recent form heavily favours the Manchester club.

City, who have dominated headlines in recent weeks over serious financial breach charges, lead the league’s points table with 15 points – six ahead of Liverpool, who are sixth in the standings.

Sunday’s match will be the 202nd fixture between the teams across all competitions, with Liverpool firmly leading the head-to-head with 95 victories, while City have won 53 matches with 53 drawn.

As Enzo Maresca faces off with Andoni Iraola this weekend, Al Jazeera looks back at the top five clashes over the years:

Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City (January 14, 2018 – Premier League)

Our list begins with this seven-goal league thriller from eight years ago.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool an early lead that night at Anfield before Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in a rousing eight-minute spell in the second half to build a staggering 4-1 lead.

But Man City struck twice in the final six minutes through Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, forcing Liverpool to hold on for a nervous finish.

That result not only strengthened Liverpool’s top-four bid but also ended City’s unbeaten run that season.

Nonetheless, City went on to lift the title that term with a record-breaking 100 points, while Liverpool came fourth.

Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City (April 13, 2014 – Premier League)

This game goes further back in history and it’s another laden with goals.

On the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 97 Liverpool supporters died, a 10-man Liverpool side beat City 3-2 in a dramatic title-race clash.

Early goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control, but City fought back through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal before Philippe Coutinho struck the winner for Liverpool 12 minutes from time.

Coutinho pounced on a loose clearance by City’s Vincent Kompany in the box, drilling the ball into the bottom corner as Anfield went wild for the ‘Little Magician’.

The victory marked a huge step towards Liverpool’s title charge, but ultimately it was City who won the league that season, finishing two points ahead of the Merseyside club.

Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool (January 3, 2019 – Premier League)

The next game on our list sees City on the winning side.

Sergio Aguero had given City the lead with his first-half strike before Firmino equalised four minutes from the hour -mark.

But Leroy Sane won the three vital points for the hosts, scoring the winner in the 72nd minute.

After a quick counterattack, Sterling picked out the onrushing Sane on the left side, just outside the box, before the German’s left-footed shot hit the inside of the post and the ball rolled into the bottom corner.

With that, Liverpool suffered their first loss of the season, ending a 20-game unbeaten streak.

City also went on to reduce Liverpool’s lead at the top to four points and eventually lifted the trophy, beating the Reds by just one point.

Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City (November 10, 2019 – Premier League)

This match goes back to the season that was the first to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goals from Fabinho, Salah and Mane guided the Reds to a hugely impressive 3-1 home win over the title holders.

The match is best remembered by Liverpool fans for Fabinho’s stunning goal, as the Brazilian launched the ball into the net from about 25 yards (23 metres) out.

The result also opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table and went down as a defining moment in Liverpool’s campaign as they ended their 30-year quest to win the league.

That season, Liverpool finished with 99 points, a whopping 18 points ahead of second-placed City.

Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City (April 4, 2018 – Champions League quarterfinal, first leg)

Our top five list ends with a Champions League clash.

Liverpool fired three goals in the opening half-hour, ripping through their opponents in the first leg of this UCL quarterfinal clash.

Once again, Salah, Mane and Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the scorers as Liverpool took control of the knockout tie.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fierce finish – a thundering strike from outside the box – was the highlight of this fixture.

Liverpool went on to reach the final, where they fell to Real Madrid.

AC Milan are looking at Bournemouth‘s Alex Scott, Bayern Munich have held fresh talks with Manchester United‘s JJ Gabriel and Liverpool are interested in Barcelona defender Jules Kounde.

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, 23, is wanted by AC Milan, who remain keen on the England international despite his increasing value. (Tuttomercatoweb – in Italian), external

Bayern Munich have held fresh talks with 16-year-old Manchester United attacking midfielder JJ Gabriel but they have not made him an offer as there is a feeling he is leaning towards a move to Spain, with Barcelona and Real Madrid favourites to sign him. (Sky Sports Germany), external

Porto have increased the release clause in the contract of 20-year-old Brazil forward William Gomes to 100m euros (£85m) amid interest from Liverpool. (A Bola – in Portuguese), external

Liverpool are also interested in Barcelona’s Jules Kounde, with the La Liga side open to offers of £60m for the France full-back. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Chelsea remain interested in a move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, 22, after missing out on him in the summer but the Blues will not pay the Ligue 1 club’s 70m euro (£59m) valuation for the Senegal international. (Goal), external

Manchester City made an approach to sign 17-year-old USA forward Mathis Albert from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. (Goal), external

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior sent off for pulling Villarreal player’s hair in 1-0 La Liga victory.

Yan Diomande earned Real Madrid a tight 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday to keep them six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, even though winger Vinicius Junior was sent off for hair-pulling.

Brazil international Vinicius, on as a substitute, scored, but his goal was disallowed. He was then dismissed after a VAR review showed he had pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba.

Jose Mourinho’s Madrid battled through the final stages with 10 men but held on to win and go provisionally third.

Champions Barca lead La Liga after a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are five points behind in second after they edged Alaves 2-1.

Striker Kylian Mbappe was fit to start the match for Madrid at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium after suffering a knee problem playing for France during the international break.

There was a smattering of whistles for the superstar forward, with some fans believing he has been unprofessional in recent weeks, but also applause from other supporters.

Mbappe, a candidate for the Ballon d’Or trophy later this month, was Madrid’s most threatening player in the first half, although he had little competition.

Mourinho started with out-of-form winger Vinicius on the bench, following his trips to Australia and India with Brazil during the international break.

Madrid improved defensively, giving Villarreal few chances of note, but struggled to build much in attack themselves in a drab opening half.

Mbappe struck the post from Alvaro Carreras’s layoff as Madrid pushed Villarreal back early on.

Villarreal soon gained a foothold and restricted Madrid’s opportunities, until Mbappe forced a good save from Peter Gulacsi.

There was some more mild whistling for Madrid’s display from their fans at half-time, but they were soon able to celebrate summer arrival Diomande’s first goal for the club.

The Ivorian winger, Madrid’s record 140 million euro ($157m) signing, produced a sharp low finish into the far corner after good work from Federico Valverde to play him in.

Vinicius thought he had doubled Madrid’s lead after Jude Bellingham charged in down the left and cut the ball back for him.

However, the winger’s joy turned to anger after referee Isidro Diaz de Mera was called to watch Vinicius’s hair pull on Saliba in the buildup by VAR and sent off the Brazilian, voiding the goal.

Madrid’s Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had made a couple of smart saves earlier in the half, produced an acrobatic stop to thwart Carlos Romero.

Mbappe was denied again by Hungarian goalkeeper Gulasci as the forward left the Bernabeu frustrated in his hunt for goals, although his team were able to clinch three important points to stay on Barca’s trail.

Naderi now has three goals in his past two league games, having scored the winner in Rangers’ 1-0 league win away to Celtic before the break.

That alone elevated his status among an initially sceptical support who had watched the 23-year-old struggle to make an impact after singing from German third-tier side Hansa Rostock in February.

Just one league goal – and two in a League Cup trouncing of Queen’s Park – followed last season, with observers unconvinced he had the attributes to be a starting striker at the club.

Such assessments seem to have dissipated as he has surged to the fore in the absence of injured team-mates Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti.

Six goals and three assists, often key interventions, have elevated his status as he adds end product to his physical prowess.

A crucial assist in the late win over St Mirren when Bojan Miovski scored a vital winner was notable.

Naderi has netted winners against Motherwell and Celtic and his two goals against Kilmarnock proved decisive.

His manager agrees Naderi, who made his Czech Republic debut last week, has stepped up to the plate for Rangers at a good time.

“Yes, and fair play to him,” McInnes said. “He’s always such an honest boy, he’s willing to put defenders under pressure.

“I’ve always felt as a striker that if the ball goes in the box, he’ll score his goals. He’s not the type of striker that creates a lot for himself, so he needs that service.

“If we put the ball in the box, as we did in the first half, then he looks a threat.

“He’s had such a good few weeks. Everybody’s so pleased for him. We need someone who would regularly be the goalscorer here at the club.”

Ten-man Tottenham fight back from a goal behind to draw 1-1 at Manchester United in the Premier League.

Dominic Solanke rescued a 1-1 draw for 10-man Tottenham to ramp up the pressure on Manchester United boss Michael Carrick on Saturday.

Solanke’s stoppage-time header edged Spurs off the foot of the Premier League table after it seemed like they would pay a heavy price for not taking their chances in a dominant display at Old Trafford.

Bryan Mbeumo put United in front against the run of play 17 minutes from time before Rodrigo Bentancur was shown a straight red card.

But not for the first time this season, Carrick’s men failed to make a man advantage count.

Manchester City won 1-0 at Old Trafford last month despite playing for more than an hour with 10 men.

Solanke stooped to head in Sandro Tonali’s cross to leave United with just six points from their opening six league games.

Tottenham had three weeks to fester on dropping to the bottom of the table during the international break after a disastrous start to their 300-million-pound ($397m) rebuild in the transfer window.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men took until the closing stages of their fifth league game to even score a goal, and a much-improved performance was undone by a familiar lack of cutting edge up front.

Before kickoff, the United supporters took aim at local rivals City, who have been found guilty on more than 100 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules.

But the home fans soon had their own troubles to concentrate on as Spurs penned United inside their own half.

Solanke should have opened the scoring when he fired too close to Senne Lammens before Mohammed Kudus blasted wide at the end of a flowing Tottenham move.

Chances continued to come and go for the visitors after the break, much to the frustration of a visibly animated De Zerbi.

Solanke spooned over, and Destiny Udogie curled wide before the game appeared to run away from Spurs.

Carrick helped turn the tide with a triple substitution on the hour mark.

Carlos Baleba added more dynamism to United’s midfield on his first appearance since a 70-million-pound ($92.6m) move from Brighton, while the introduction of Joshua Zirkzee allowed Matheus Cunha to drop into a deeper role.

United had barely threatened Antonin Kinsky’s goal until Mbeumo was afforded too much room to spin onto Cunha’s pass and fire into the far corner.

To compound Tottenham’s woes, Bentancur was then shown a straight red card for a headbutt on Luke Shaw after an angry confrontation between the pair.

But United again failed make their man advantage count.

Solanke finally ended Tottenham’s wait since May for an away goal when he outmuscled Lisandro Martinez to glance in Tonali’s cross.

The point edges Spurs up to 18th, with only goals scored keeping them inside the relegation zone.

United are just three points better off in 12th.

When Marco Silva was appointed Fulham boss in 2021 he brought a stability to the club that ensured they were competitive in the Premier League, without ever really being in danger of being relegated.

Silva departed in the summer to become head coach of Benfica and in appointing Arbeloa as his replacement, Fulham were undoubtedly taking a bit of a gamble.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid player arrived with limited managerial experience at senior level, having had a brief spell in charge of Real Madrid from January until May this year.

The biggest problem Fulham have had under him is conceding late goals, with his side having let in goals in the final 15 minutes in four of their six Premier League matches.

Despite that, Arbeola was defiant after the Ipswich defeat, insisting he is right man for the job at Fulham, and he can handle the pressure of needing to turn things around.

“Maybe you don’t know me but I played for the best team in world. I have coached the best team in the world,” he said.

“Maybe you don’t know, but just to let you know, that pressure is part of my life since I was a kid.

“So, it is normal in football. It is normal for players, it is normal for coaches and everybody that is around a team.

“I think pressure is something that is important for me and I like it.”

If that is not a major concern for Antonelli, it certainly is for McLaren.

They had their own purple patch in the summer, when Lando Norris took consecutive wins in Hungary and the Netherlands, and would have won in Madrid had it not been for the unfortunate timing of a virtual safety car.

But the world champions have slipped from competitiveness in recent races, and before the Singapore Grand Prix they lie in third place in the constructors’ championship, only 11 points ahead of Red Bull.

Saturday in Singapore was a bad day at the office for McLaren.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were heading for fourth and fifth places in the sprint when Norris made a dive down the inside of his team-mate at Turn Five on the final lap.

This is not a common overtaking spot and from a McLaren point of view it was a move with no reward, only risk.

The move might have made sense if it had come earlier in the race and enabled Norris to challenge Leclerc, struggling in front of them, for third.

But on the last lap, Norris was not going to have a go at Leclerc even if he had got through – the only remaining overtaking place was at the end of the following straight into Turn Seven.

If the McLaren drivers swapped places, it would make no difference to the team in terms of a collective points haul, but if it went wrong, the cost could be high.

And so it did. Norris was in a position to make a legitimate move, but they came together, pirouetted in tandem, Piastri into the barriers and out of the race and Norris slipping down to eighth. Nine points had become one.

The stewards took no action, feeling that “both drivers had contributed to the incident”.

Piastri had explained in the hearing that he did not expect Norris to try a move there, and attempted to leave space when he saw him.

Norris argued that his his car was in a position that, according to the rules, entitled him to make an overtaking attempt, so expected to be left space and had braked and gone over the kerb when he realised he was not going to get as much as he expected.

He said: “There are two sides, one is what the stewards say and that’s a fair reasoning, no-one’s to blame. But I did apologise because it was still me attacking, as I had the right to do. If I just sat there and was boring like I should be, nothing would have happened. So really it’s still my fault but I deserved to go for the space and I still believe I had the right for it.”

Norris added: “As you probably expect, no-one’s very happy. I’m not happy, Oscar isn’t happy. None of us wanted it to go that way. There was things both of us could have done better and, yeah, we spoke about it and we moved on.”

Zebre: Giovanni Montemauri, Mirko Belloni, Giulio Bertaccini, Damiano Mazza, Simone Gesi, Giacomo da Re, Alessandro Fusco; Sergio Pelliccioli, Tommaso di Bartolomeo, Juan Barboti, Matteo Canali, Leonard Krumov, Alessandro Ortombina, Samuele Locatelli, Davide Ruggeri.

Replacements: Francisco Minervino, Federico Pisani, Filippo Alongi, Giacomo Ferrari, Bautista Stavile Bravin, Patricio Baronio Gauna, Marco Zanon, Tommaso Allan.

Edinburgh: Piers O’Conor, Malelili Satala, Matt Currie, Moses Tuipulotu, Geordie Gwynn, James Grayson, Hector Patterson; Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Callum Hunder-Hill, Glen Young, Liam McConnell, Freddy Douglas, Magnus Bradbury.

Replacements: Harri Morris, Jamie Stewart, Paul Hill, Marshall Sykes, Tom Currie, Conor McAlpine, Cammy Scott, Rory McHaffie.

I’ve been a Justin Herbert fan since his days in Oregon. I kept believing he was going to lead the Chargers to new heights, even after all the leadership changes he’s been through. He’s talented, tough and all-in. I gave him every benefit of the doubt. But now, I can conclude only that Justin Herbert is the problem. Inconsistent, often slow to react, but mostly he’s unable to finish. He’s lost more games in the fourth quarter than he’s won.

So far this season the Chargers have the greatest negative point differential in the fourth quarter in the NFL. The pattern is consistent regardless of the coach. Is it all on Herbert? No. But he is the common denominator through all of this.

Charlie Pankow
Moorpark

The fumbling, bumbling Chargers keep stumbling in their unprecedented 0-4 start in the Jim Harbaugh era.

First, the fumbling. Thank you, Derius Davis. Your inability to simply complete a fair catch led directly to a Seahawks touchdown. How many points did your team lose by?

Next, the bumbling. Call it a banged up offensive line, (AGAIN!), a moderately skilled and depleted receiving core, or a lost, interception prone Justin Herbert, the Charger offense remains sketchy, inconsistent, and self-destructive.

Finally, the stumbling continues … as they cannot beat teams they should or pull out potential victories over the more challenging ones.

Good luck turning this around!

Rick Solomon
Lake Balboa

I don’t care much about the Chargers. I rarely read stories about them and would be elated if they’d return to San Diego where they belong.

But, much like a car accident on the 405 that you instinctively know you shouldn’t stare, I just can’t seem to avert my eyes from the wreck the Chargers have become.

Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo

Here is a modest proposal: Lincoln Riley and Jim Harbaugh waive their buyout clauses and swap jobs. It might be the rare trade that improves both organizations. It is difficult to see how it could make things worse.

Paul Hunt
Sierra Madre

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his second pole position in a week by beating the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s first lap in final qualifying was enough to take pole, his time fending off a second lap from Leclerc that was 0.054 seconds off pole.

Hamilton was closest to Verstappen after the first runs but was unable to improve on his second run.

In fact, most of the front runners struggled to improve on their second runs, as Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took fourth on the grid, from McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell was sixth fastest but will drop to the back of the grid with a penalty for using too many engine parts.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was the only driver in the top four teams other than Leclerc to improve on his second run but could do no better than qualify seventh.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.

More to follow

Pualani Olotoa-Le’au, a 15-year-old sophomore at Carson High, has become a major contributor in flag football and softball for the Colts.

She’s the starting safety and linebacker for the flag football team. She’s also a catcher for the softball team.

She’s excelling off the field by being a dual enrolled student, taking classes at L.A. Harbor College and Carson.

She’s part Samoan, Filipino, Mexican, Japanese and Native American.

Carson is 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the Marine League for flag football.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Max Verstappen’s sprint race win was ​Dutchman’s first of any kind in Singapore as he finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a wet and wild Singapore Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday after George Russell crashed his Mercedes while leading at the end of the opening lap.

Four-time Formula One champion Verstappen held off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to win by 2.50 seconds, with Charles Leclerc third as the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri touched and spun on the final lap while in fourth and fifth.

A heavy shower 10 minutes before the scheduled start meant a delay of 30 minutes.

All cars began on intermediate tyres, with some sectors of the Marina Bay Street Circuit much drier than others as the field embarked on two formation laps behind the safety car.

The eventual standing start saw Russell start on the front row alongside pole-sitter Verstappen and it was the Englishman who got away better.

His lead was short-lived as he lost control after touching a treacherous white line on the final bend of the opening lap. He slid sideways into the pit lane wall, bringing out a safety car.

It was another setback in a season of bad luck for Russell, who will start from the back of the grid in Sunday’s Grand Prix because of engine penalties.

“It was a miscalculation,” Russell told Sky Sports. “Came through the corner, had more battery deployment than I thought, pushed me a little bit wider than I hoped and went on to the white line.

“Silly mistake. Big consequences.”

It left Hamilton, who had a brilliant start from sixth on the grid, in second place, having leapfrogged Ferrari teammate Leclerc and the two McLarens.

The big beneficiary of Norris and Piastri’s “papaya spat” on the last lap was championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who inherited fourth place in his Mercedes having started seventh on the grid.

Fifth was RB’s Liam Lawson, sixth was the Haas of Oliver Bearman, seventh was Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Norris got going again to limp home in eighth and round out the points scorers.

Riders at the Giro di Lombardia staged a protest which delayed the start of the race for five minutes as they sought to draw attention to safety concerns following a series of incidents.

Organisers completed the countdown and a starting flag was waved but the peloton remained stationary, creating confusion among spectators in Bergamo, Italy.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel then addressed the crowd, saying “there’s too many incidents happening with vehicles in the race” and highlighting the death of British cyclist Fin Tarling, who died in a collision with a vehicle at the Volta a Portugal in August.

“Unfortunately we lost the life of a brother and of a colleague of us, so we want to make this statement to show to the world that we cannot keep accepting the fact that guys are getting injured or literally dying in what we like the most to do,” added double Olympic champion Evenepoel.

After five minutes had elapsed, a second starting flag was waved and the riders set off for Como.

“This week alone, there were multiple incidents of vehicles on race courses,” said the CPA union, which represents professional cyclists, in a statement which was re-posted on Instagram by riders including Evenepoel and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock, external.

“This summer, a life was tragically lost to exactly this kind of failure. We will not stand for this any longer.”

The CPA has called for cycling’s governing body, the UCI, to help ensure race organisers “take responsibility” and “act” to improve safety standards.

Earlier this week, Thomas Gloag and Marcel Camprubi were struck by a police motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction during the Tre Valli Varesine race.

“Riders race at high speed with little protection, and we depend on the UCI and race organisers to secure the roads. That responsibility is not being met,” the CPA statement added.

“We did not want to affect the race, only to show what riders can do when we stand as one.

“We love this sport. We respect the race organisers. We want to race hard and put on a show for our fans. However most importantly we want to come home safe to our loved ones.”

The Giro di Lombardia is the last of the season’s five Monuments, a set of long-standing, prestigious one-day races.

It has been won by Tadej Pogacar for the past five years but the Slovenian is not present at the race, which is also the penultimate event on this year’s UCI World Tour calendar, after sustaining a season-ending injury at the Vuelta a Espana.

Cole Palmer has signed a new Chelsea contract on improved terms until 2034.

The England international, 24, was already under contract until 2033 but is being rewarded for his performances following his emergence as one of Chelsea‘s key attacking players.

He is also increasingly viewed as a dressing-room leader behind the scenes.

The deal leaves Palmer on one of the longest contracts in the Premier League, with only Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland and Chelsea team-mates Joao Pedro and Geovany Quenda also contracted to 2034.

“Chelsea means a lot to me and I think the club is going in the right direction, so I’m delighted to sign and I’m obviously very happy,” said Palmer.

“Speaking to the owners, to the sporting directors and obviously the manager, they gave me a lot of confidence so it was only right to sign.

“Speaking to players as well, everyone has the same ambitions. I feel like we win major trophies here consistently and I want to be a part of that and play a big role in it too.”

Palmer signed his previous contract only two years ago having joined in a £42.5m move from Manchester City in 2023.

The renewal is the latest in a series of contract extensions at Chelsea designed to reward established and emerging players while maintaining the club’s wage structure.

Joao Pedro also signed a new contract until 2034 in August, followed by Pedro Neto signing a new six-year contract last month.

Palmer has developed a strong understanding with the Brazil forward, while also rekindling his on-pitch partnership with his “best friend in football”, Morgan Rogers, during the early stages of Xabi Alonso’s reign as manager.

He was one of the few people privy to Chelsea‘s negotiations to sign Rogers from Aston Villa for a club-record £117m fee this summer.

Palmer has scored four goals and provided two assists in seven matches this season.

It represents a return to form for Palmer after suffering a niggling groin issue throughout last season, when he admitted he had played through the problem even though he “probably shouldn’t have done”.

Ultimately, his lack of availability led to his omission from England’s World Cup squad over the summer, having previously sought specialist advice on whether surgery was required.

Palmer has played more minutes than any Chelsea player this season but missed England’s recent international break, prompting Thomas Tuchel to say he “misses too many opportunities”.

Alonso confirmed Palmer is expected to be available for Saturday’s game against Bournemouth and insisted he remains committed to playing for England.

“Absolutely. He’s committed, but he needs to be fully fit to play,” Alonso said.

“And when he’s fully fit, he will enjoy his minutes. We need him in that moment. The club and the national team.

“He trained over the past week and has been feeling better, but we didn’t want to rush him.”

Alonso’s side are 10th in the table after five matches, having conceded 12 goals.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won an incident-packed sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix after Mercedes driver George Russell crashed out of the lead.

Russell was leading in tricky conditions, with half the track dry and half wet, when he got a little too wide at the final corner at the end of the first lap.

He lost control of his Mercedes, which spun across the track into the inside wall, before bouncing back again to the outside, the rest of the field somehow avoiding him.

A final-lap collision between the McLarens as Lando Norris tried to pass Oscar Piastri at Turn Five promoted Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli to fourth place.

In combination with Russell’s retirement, that extends the Italian’s championship lead to 89 points.

More to follow

Bledisloe Cup – First Test

New Zealand (17) 50

Tries: Lakai, Vaai, Roigard, Taylor, Carter, Moorby, Jordan Cons: McKenzie (6) Pens: McKenzie

Australia (14) 19

Tries: Wright, Wilson, Nasser Cons: Lonergan (2)

New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup for a 23rd straight year as they powered past Australia to extend their remarkable unbeaten run at Eden Park.

The All Blacks have not lost at the venue since 1994, with a dominant second-half display increasing their unbeaten run in Auckland to 54 Tests.

Australia remained in touch at half-time at 17-14 down but New Zealand blew the visitors away after the break, scoring five tries.

Peter Lakai, Tupou Vaa’i, Cam Roigard, Codie Taylor, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Will Jordan all scored as fly-half Damian McKenzie kicked 15 points to help the All Blacks retain the trophy which is contested annually between the two nations.

Victory halted a three-match losing streak for the All Blacks after the 3-1 series defeat by world champions South Africa this summer.

Defeat for the Wallabies was their first since head coach Les Kiss succeeded Joe Schmidt in July, ending their six-game unbeaten run.

Australia were looking for their first win at Eden Park since 1986 and went ahead after controlling the early stages through full-back Tom Wright’s try.

New Zealand responded strongly, and inspired by scrum-half Roigard’s searching kicks, turned the match around with tries from Lakai and Vaa’i.

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson scored a try to keep New Zealand at arm’s length, but the All Blacks moved through the gears in the second half.

Roigard grabbed a try for himself shortly after the break, before Taylor, Carter, Moorby and Jordan went over as Australia struggled to hold back the hosts’ waves of attack.

Josh Nasser added a late try for the visitors, but the match was well beyond their reach by that point.

The second match of the two-Test series takes place in Sydney at the Accor Stadium on 17 October.

New Zealand: B Barrett; Jordan, Tupaea, J Barrett, Carter; McKenzie, Roigard; De Groot, Taylor (c), Newell, S Barrett, Lord, Vaa’i, Lakai, Sititi

Replacements: Aumua, Bower, Tosi, Frizell, Segner, Preston, Loane, Moorby

Australia: Wright; Jorgensen, Henry, Ikitau, Sua’ali’i; Donaldson, Lonergan; Bell, Paenga-Amosa, Alaalatoa, Williams, Salakaia-Loto, Valetini, McReight, Wilson (c)

Replacements: Nasser, Ross, De Lutiis, Shaw, De Crespigny, McDermott, Meredith, Potter

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)

Assistant referees: Luke Pearce (Eng) & Damian Schneider (Arg)

TMO: Mike Adamson (Sco)

Erin Cuthbert expressed joy and relief at making her first appearance of the season in Scotland’s impressive 2-0 win over the Czech Republic.

By winning the Women’s World Cup round-one play-off away leg, the Scots are well set up for the return in Paisley on Tuesday, with Sweden the likely opponent for the team that progresses.

Chelsea captain Cuthbert, 28, is yet to feature at club level this season following a knee injury and came on as a substitute in Pardubice. Fellow sub Claire Emslie finished superbly for the Scots’ second after captain Caroline Weir’s stunning opener.

“It’s so good,” Cuthbert told BBC Scotland.

“It’s been such a long summer. It’s always great to come on and play for my country again – I’ll never take it for granted when I get a serious injury.

“I’m just glad to get back on a football pitch. The relief, the amount of self-doubt that you have, the amount of stress – am I going to be back to the same level, how am I going to perform, is my knee going to be alright? All those things run through your head.

“It was a bad one. I was in crutches and a brace for the best part of a month. I lost a fair amount of muscle and over the summer I was trying to rebuild all of that again.

“It’s been a really, really hard journey.”