sport

To understand the dedication and determination of football players from unbeaten Cleveland High, let’s review the commitment of backup quarterback Julio Avalos. He was so excited after guiding the Cavaliers to a 14-9 win over City Section power Birmingham that he spent all night watching film.

Asked what time he finally decided to go to sleep, Avalos said, “4 a.m.”

The entire offensive line eats together at lunch in the cafeteria.

“You see people hiding their food,” one lineman quipped.

They also get together on Thursdays for pasta night, where one player acknowledged eating “six to eight” chocolate chip cookies to close out a night of shared love for carbohydrates.

Then there’s the 34-year-old coach Mario Guzman. It’s been decades since a young coach armed with a teaching credential has pulled off the kind of breakthrough season in the City Section that Cleveland is enjoying, at a time when the City has lost such historic coaching figures as Robert Garrett, Angelo Gasca, Lorenzo Hernandez, Paul Knox and Mike Walsh.

Think back to 1992 when Troy Starr of Taft was 30 years old and took his team to the City 3-A final after a winless 1991 season.

If Cleveland (7-0) wins out and captures the West Valley League title, the Cavaliers likely will receive the No. 2 seeding behind defending champion Carson in the City Section Open Division playoffs. Cleveland never plays in the Open Division.

“I told him, ‘Good luck, baby,’” Birmingham coach Jim Rose said of his message to Guzman.

“They have 30 seniors. That’s a huge help,” Rose said. “He’s got his guys believing in what they do as a program. Their identity is to pound the ball on offense. The first two series, we gave up touchdowns. One thing about Cleveland is they always get athletes, but they put it together this season. He’s got enough big guys and enough speed to get it going.”

Cleveland also went on the road to beat another City power, Crenshaw, 24-18. Each win came with Avalos at quarterback, replacing the injured Domenik Fuentes. Avalos normally plays receiver, but he had to fill in last season when Fuentes got hurt before returning for the playoffs.

Cleveland’s offensive line has been a strength, including, from left, right tackle Carlos Gomez, right guard Carter Fitzgerald, center Pedro Castaneda, center Adam Garbisch, left guard Jovanni Orellana and left tackle Josue Fonseca.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times )

Guzman was caught by surprise last season when he didn’t prepare for losing Fuentes, so all summer, he vowed to never again to be without a fully ready backup quarterback. Fuentes returned on Friday night to pass for 208 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-20 win over El Camino Real.

Cleveland has multiple running backs, led by Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi. The defense features middle linebacker Joseph Hurtado, who Rose said is impressive as a tackler.

Guzman is a third-year coach who was an assistant under former coach Peter Gunny. Guzman graduated from Grant and served as an assistant there for several years while going to Valley College, Cal State Northridge and National University to gain a teaching credential. His wife, Elizabeth, helps out with her cooking skills during preseason practices. She’s a prekindergarten teacher for ages 4 and 5, which means she has lots of patience.

“She was fired up,” Guzman said about the Birmingham game. “She wanted a headset.”

TK Drayton, who’s been in Cleveland’s program for four years, said of Guzman, “He loves us outside of sports. He checks on you. You want to go the extra mile for him.”

Discipline has been big for Guzman, whether that means players show up to weight training wearing all black or making sure they never walk when heading to the practice field.

Guzman also has integrity. He’s the last adult to leave Cleveland after games. Sometimes it takes until nearly midnight for the final player to be picked up by a parent. Guzman waits with him. Yes, it would be easy for Guzman to give the player a ride home, but that’s against LAUSD rules for teachers and coaches.

“All you can do is watch,” Guzman said.

The players have placed their trust in Guzman, as have parents. He’s delivering.

Marco Bezzecchi triumphed at the Indonesian Grand Prix, while Jorge Martin finished third to retake the lead from Marc Marquez in the MotoGP world championship.

Italian Bezzecchi made his move on pole-sitter Raul Fernandez with nine laps to go at a sweltering Mandalika International Circuit.

Fernandez finished second ahead of compatriot Martin, with the Spanish duo locking out the podium for Italian manufacturer Aprilia.

Ducati’s reigning seven-time world champion Marquez finished sixth, losing the championship lead he had taken for the first time this season by winning Saturday’s sprint race.

Fernandez and Bezzecchi had clashed and crashed out in that race, with the Spaniard needing to brake with his middle finger for the whole of Sunday’s race after fracturing his index finger.

Starting at the front of the grid, the pair negotiated the first turn and then surged away from the chasing pack.

Having initially looked comfortable, Fernandez began to fade and Bezzecchi seized an opportunity on lap 19 before putting distance on his rival.

The result for 2024 world champion Martin moves him up to 355 points at the top of the championship standings, with Marquez second on 353 and Bezzecchi third with 309.

There are five grands prix remaining in the 2026 season, with the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island the next meeting in the calendar in a fortnight’s time.

LAS VEGAS — Mitch Marner scored a power-play goal from the high slot at 2:41 of overtime to give Vegas a 2-1 victory over the Kings on Saturday on a night in which the Golden Knights paid tribute to their past.

Trevor Connelly scored the other goal for the Golden Knights. Connelly, Marner and Mark Stone each had two points, with Stone getting both of his on assists. Carter Hart made 26 saves.

Artemi Panarin scored for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves.

Vegas (5-1) is off to a quick start this season, and the Kings (0-2-2) are still searching for their first victory.

Each club swapped power-play goals in the second period, with the 20-year-old rookie Connelly scoring after Stone’s pinpoint cross-ice pass. Panarin answered with a shot from the high slot later in the period.

In overtime, the Golden Knights quickly took advantage of a tripping penalty on Kings center Scott Laughton. Marner skated from near the blue line toward the slot, scoring just seven seconds into the penalty.

The Golden Knights, in their 10th season, paid tribute throughout the game to their inaugural “Misfits” team that reached the Stanley Cup Final. Gerard Gallant, who coached that team, was in attendance along with several players from that squad. Fan-favorite Ryan Reaves, who retired last month after 16 NHL seasons, cranked the pregame siren.

Referee Furman South briefly went down to the ice early in the third period when Vegas center Nic Dowd collided with him. South got up holding his midsection, but remained in the game.

Up next for the Kings: vs. Edmonton at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

Man City face Liverpool in their first game since being found guilty of serious EPL financial breaches.

Red flares, smoke-filled pyrotechnics, strongly worded banners and trenchant chants.

Manchester City can expect a raucous and hostile reception when they arrive at Anfield for their Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool supporters are angry, and they are planning to parade their emotions for City as the league leaders play their first match since being found guilty of breaking more than 100 financial rules.

In a decision that could have a drastic effect on the future of the English top flight, an independent commission found that City and their Emirati owners had arranged “sham” deals to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.2bn) from 2009 to 2018.

City, who deny any wrongdoing, have appealed against the devastating verdict.

The multiple breaches of Premier League regulations came during a period when City won three league titles and a clutch of other trophies while Liverpool struggled to break City’s stranglehold on the game in England.

City were given a taste of the resentment that awaits them when Manchester United fans goaded them during their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Man City’s players and manager Enzo Maresca will get the full taste of a potentially fiery reception from Liverpool fans, who have also waited three weeks to watch their team back in action after the extended international break.

Social media posts and video reactions have made no secret of the anger that will be directed towards City by Liverpool’s supporters.

Spion Kop 1906, a Liverpool supporters group that organises flag and banner displays on The Kop, the famous single-tier south stand at Anfield, urged attendees to come prepared to show their support when the Reds host Man City.

“There’s loads riding on Sunday’s game on and off the pitch, but it’s down to us as a collective to bring the noise and get behind the team,” Spion Kop said on X.

“Bring your flags, bring your scarves and be at it from the very first minute.”

‘LFC vs Cheats’

A social media post promoting a “Bus greeting”, urging Liverpool supporters to gather near ‌‌‌‌the stadium several hours before kickoff ahead of the arrival of the City players’ bus, is also making the rounds on X.

Another post about the bus greeting took a dig at Man City, describing the match as “LFC vs Cheats”.

Merseyside Police said there would be an appropriate policing operation ⁠⁠⁠⁠in place on the day of the match.

Liverpool fans are no strangers to creating a hostile welcome for City.

In 2018 during a Champions League quarterfinal tie, City’s team bus was attacked with bottles and flares when it arrived at Anfield. Liverpool were subsequently fined 20,000 euros ($22,400) by UEFA, European football’s governing body.

Dom Farrell, author of the book Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays, which chronicled City’s rise from the third tier to European champions, expected Sunday’s showdown to be “massively hostile”.

“If they were to win against Liverpool and then beat an off-form Paris Saint-Germain [in the Champions League on Wednesday], you really get a siege mentality going,” Farrell told the AFP news agency.

“But there’s also a decent chance they get turned over, and then it just starts to feel like you’re in this sort of dead zone waiting for the verdict.”

‘Brutal day’

Former Manchester United captain and England defender Gary Neville expected Sunday to be a “brutal day” for visiting Man City, who lead the standings with a 100 percent record and are six points ahead of Liverpool.

“If they want an understanding of how angry the game is going to be, then Anfield will tell them like you would never believe,” Neville said on The Overlap podcast.

“I suspect there may be banners. There will certainly be chanting. There will be a reception like you have never seen for them at Anfield.”

Ulster hooker Tom Stewart admits “I don’t think I’ve come to the party well enough” and says the squad must have “honest conversations” after an underwhelming start to the season.

Successive draws with Glasgow and Munster after a loss to Edinburgh leaves Ulster winless in the United Rugby Championship before starting their Challenge Cup campaign away to Zebre next week.

Head coach Richie Murphy said he was “bitterly disappointed” after his side were forced to fight back for a 26-26 draw with Munster, while Stewart questioned his own contributions to the game in Belfast.

“From a personal point of view, I’m not happy with my performances about it. I don’t think I’ve come to the party well enough, I don’t know if it’s my preparation or the mental side to the game,” said Stewart, who captained Ulster against Glasgow and Munster in the injured Iain Henderson’s absence.

“It’s something I really need to have a look at and plan better or whatever it is, but I need to start understanding why that is the case.”

Stewart, who marked his seventh Ireland cap with a try against Japan over the summer, added: “From my own point of view, I need to properly watch back my intent in some of the collisions and my actual process around what I’m doing.

“Then I think we need to have some honest conversations this week within ourselves, with the team, players and coaches to see where we’re at.”

Ulster travel to Zebre on Saturday (15:15 BST) before travelling to South Africa for difficult URC assignments against the Bulls and Stormers.

For Stewart, Ulster “can’t shy away” from the shortcomings in their performances as they strive to kick-start their season.

“It’s hard, when you have a game like that you don’t want to watch it back,” added the 25-year-old.

“You don’t want to review yourself properly, you don’t want to look at the hard stuff, the nitty-gritty that you haven’t done well, but that’s where you find the fixes, the learnings.

“The hardest stuff you watch will be the most impactful stuff going forward.”

Oct. 10, 2026 10:25 PM PT

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Arleta 45, Monroe 0

GALA 21, Verdugo Hills 0

Granada Hills Kennedy 57, Sylmar 0

Jefferson 28, Santee 6

Los Ángeles 28, Lincoln 10

North Hollywood 53, Sun Valley Poly 0

Panorama 27, San Fernando 0

San Fernando Arroyo 8, Grant 0

Southern Section

Aquinas 14, Yucaipa 6

Bishop Montgomery 45, Compton Early College 0

Chaminade 45, Immaculate Heart 0

Edison 25, Corona del Mar 7

Hueneme 35, Bishop Diego 0

Peninsula 32, Chadwick 0

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 41, Louisville 0

Sierra Canyon 19, Harvard-Westlake 12

St. Mary’s Academy 21, Environmental Charter 0

Whitney 20, Oxford Academy 19

Intersectional

JSerra 44, Campo Verde 14

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section

Adelanto 19, Arroyo Valley 0

Bloomington 6, Colton 2

Chaminade 32, Flintridge Sacred Heart 7

Kaiser 47, Rialto 8

Murrieta Valley 12, Temecula Prep 0

Rosary 15, Sunny Hills 13

San Dimas 42, Corona 28

Serrano 38, Arrowhead Christian 12

St. Bonaventure 41, Cate 6

Summit 25, San Gorgonio 0

Windward 7, Burbank Providence 0

Intersectional

Gilbert (Ariz.) 20, Channel Islands 19

Real Madrid forward has a goal disallowed, is sent off for the hair-pull offence and could miss the next three games.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr has apologised ⁠⁠to ⁠⁠his teammates and the club’s fans after being sent off in the 1-0 ⁠⁠win over Villarreal in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu but now faces a ⁠⁠nervous wait for a ruling by the disciplinary committee, which could see him miss Real’s fixture with rivals Barcelona in two weeks.

The Brazilian thought he had scored Real’s second goal in the match on Saturday, but his effort was disallowed after a video assistant referee (VAR) review found he should be dismissed for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in the build-up.

After the match, Vinicius, ⁠⁠who came on in the ⁠⁠52nd minute and was red-carded 20 minutes later, posted on social media, saying, “sorry to the team and the ⁠⁠fans”.

Vinicius was celebrating after scoring when referee Isidro Diaz de Mera was called by the VAR to review the moments before his goal. The referee waved off the goal and pulled out a red card for Vinicius.

When he thought Vinicius had doubled the lead, Real manager Jose Mourinho ran to join the celebrations with his players.

But moments later, Vinicius was left livid by the referee’s decision. He screamed at Diaz de Mera while his teammates tried to calm him down as he left the field.

“I don’t think he meant to hurt anyone, but it is a red card,” Villarreal defender Juan Foyth said about the hair yank of Saliba.

Diaz de Mera wrote in his match report that after being shown the red card, Vinicius “protested my decision, raising his voice, toward where I was standing in an aggressive manner, and being held back by teammates”.

Royal Spanish Football Federation regulations state that pulling an opponent’s hair ⁠⁠is regarded as violent conduct.

The ⁠⁠sanction for violent conduct without causing injury to an opponent, according to Article 130 of the league’s rules, is a ban of one to three ‌‌matches.

Real’s next three La Liga games are against Sevilla, Barca and Racing Santander, but missing El ‌‌Clasico ‌‌would be a bitter blow for the 26-year-old Brazil international.

Mourinho did not appear at the mandatory post-game news conference.

Ryan Poehling broke a tie with a short-handed goal at 5:35 of the third period, but was injured on the play in the Ducks’ 4-2 victory over the winless Calgary Flames on Saturday night to start a home-and-home series.

The teams will meet against Tuesday night in Anaheim.

Poehling was injured when he slid into the post and Flames goalie Dustin Wolf. Poehling, who also had an assist, didn’t return to the game.

Jackson LaCombe, Frank Vatrano and Nikita Nesterenko also scored for the Ducks (4-1-0), who won a second road game in two nights after a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Ducks have won their first three road games to start a season for the first time.

Ville Husso stopped 27 shots in his first start of the season.

Morgan Frost and Aydar Suniev scored for Calgary (0-5-0), which started a season with five straight losses for the first time.

Matt Coronato had two assists and Wolf stopped 24 shots.

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.