Trent

It was only the shadow of brilliant Real keeper Thibaut Courtois that threatened to stop Liverpool getting what they merited, with a stunning individual performance that revived memories of how he defied them when Jurgen Klopp’s team lost the 2022 Champions League final in Paris.

The Belgian made a string of magnificent saves, including four from Dominik Szoboszlai and a remarkable reflex stop from Virgil van Dijk’s header, before even he was powerless to stop Mac Allister’s header from the Hungarian’s free-kick.

Liverpool’s narrow victory margin does not touch the sides of their domination from first whistle to last, these crucial three points pushing them into sixth place in the Champions League table, a standing that will put them in the last 16 without the need to resort to a play-off if maintained.

Szoboszlai and Mac Allister ruled midfield, while Florian Wirtz provided some of the subtle touches that made his name at Bayer Leverkusen. Hugo Ekitike was a constant menace.

Liverpool were, unlike so often this season, rock solid at the back as Kylian Mbappe was marginalised, delivering a dreadful, error-strewn display. Vinicius had been beaten by Bradley long before the end.

If it was a miserable night for Alexander-Arnold, it was not much better for Jude Bellingham, offered the Anfield stage to deliver a reminder of his class before England head coach Thomas Tuchel names his squad to face Serbia and Albania after excluding him last time.

He provided one moment of danger in the first half when he forced Giorgi Mamardashvili to save with his legs, but was otherwise anonymous as Real failed to establish any sort of stranglehold.

Bellingham conceded the free-kick in a dangerous position that led to Mac Allister’s goal, offering little as Real tried to force their way back into contention, although he was not alone there.

He offered words of sympathy to Alexander-Arnold: “Obviously, it is one of those things in football. The fans booing isn’t a reflection of how they feel about him.

“I think it is more to give their team the edge and throw him off a little bit. I am sure they’re appreciative of what he has done for the club.”

Alexander-Arnold, once an Anfield idol, probably could not wait to get back to his new Madrid home, while life for Liverpool suddenly looks much brighter ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha and tactics correspondent Umir Irfan join Sam Harris to discuss Trent Alexander-Arnold’s tough return to Anfield with Real Madrid.

READ MORE: Liverpool ‘back to their best’ as they dominate Real Madrid

WATCH: On-the-whistle reaction on BBC iPlayer

Warnock said: “There is a great player in Conor Bradley, but he needs to stay fit and get a run of games to build up a relationship with Salah. These things can take time, even with the best players.

“Trent leaving has had an impact on Salah. Their partnership, if not exactly unnoticed, was almost taken as read. Yes, they are world-class individuals, but it was also a partnership.

“They really complemented each other. Trent could go inside, draw people towards him, which freed up more space for Salah. And when Salah drove at people he had the ability to feed Trent because teams were backing off.”

Alexander-Arnold’s comfort in possession with his fellow defenders, plus the ability to move into midfield, means his presence is also sorely missed elsewhere.

Warnock said: “I think Ibrahima Konate probably misses him as well. He knew he could give Trent the ball under pressure. I think it is having an impact on the right-hand side of the pitch, both in defence and attack.

“Liverpool also created a box system in the centre of midfield, which they did so well, when Trent was in the side.

“There was a lot of praise given to Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, but Trent was a big part of that as well. Losing that extra body in the midfield area, when he was in there, is also missed because opponents were drawn to him, fearful of what he could create.”

Jeremie Frimpong, signed in a £29m deal from Bayer Leverkusen to compete with Bradley for the place vacated by Alexander-Arnold, has had his Anfield start curtailed by hamstring injuries.

Warnock said: “The biggest issue with Frimpong is not only injuries, but what is his best position? At Bayer Leverkusen he spent a lot of time as a right wing-back.”

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State fired coach Trent Bray on Sunday after the team fell to 0-7, its worst start to a season since 1991.

Robb Akey will be the interim head coach for the rest of the seson pending a national search for Bray’s successor, athletic director Scott Barnes said.

“I want to thank Coach Bray for the energy and determination he brought to the role. A former student-athlete, proud graduate, and dedicated mentor, Trent’s connection to Oregon State runs deep — he will always be a Beaver,” Barnes said. “This was a difficult decision, but the results on the field were not acceptable and after evaluating every aspect of the football program, I believe it is in the best interests of OSU football student-athletes, our fans and our university.”

The move came a day after backup quarterback Deshawn Purdie threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns in his first start for Wake Forest and the visiting Demon Deacons beat Oregon State 39-14 in front of a listless home crowd. The Beavers haven’t started this poorly since 1991, when they started 0-10.

After the game, Bray said he planned to keep showing up “until they tell me I can’t.”

“I’m frustrated. I’m disappointed. I look at myself, and I’ve got to fix it,” Bray said after the game. “It’s unacceptable to me where we’re at. That’s just how I look at it. What can I do? I’ve got to look at it. What can I do different to get these guys going?”

A week ago, Oregon State fired special teams coach Jamie Christian and Barnes said he and Bray were evaluating the program with an eye toward making immediate changes.

The buyout of Bray’s contract will be paid “exclusively using donor-generated funds,” the school said.

Akey is a veteran coach with experience in college and as an NFL assistant.

If ‘the best things in life are free’ then clearly nobody told the 20 Premier League clubs, who spent an eye-watering £3.1bn this summer.

The top tier of English football is in a unique position. As the Premier League’s popularity and profits have grown, the money awarded to clubs competing in it far outweighs that of their European counterparts.

But Real Madrid once again proved this summer that money can only do so much.

There can be little doubt that when it comes to acquiring world-class talent for nothing or next to nothing, the Spanish giants are in a league of their own.

When Los Blancos signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool for 10m euros (£8.4m) in June, the fee was just to accelerate the move so he could be registered in time to play in the Club World Cup.

That signing meant for the fourth time in five years Real Madrid had won the free transfer lottery after signing David Alaba in 2021, Antonio Rudiger in 2022, Kylian Mbappe in 2024 and Alexander-Arnold, who would have joined for free if Real had decided to wait, in 2025.

What makes their hoard even more impressive is that they have signed talent from their biggest European rivals in Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris St-German and Liverpool respectively.

La Liga commentator Phil Kitromilides told BBC Sport that when the 36-time champions of Spain come calling it’s almost impossible to ignore them.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter who you played for before. It doesn’t matter who your team was when you were growing up as a kid, this is it. This is the biggest thing you will ever do in your career,” he said.

“Take Trent for example – he was playing for his boyhood team [Liverpool]. He wouldn’t have done this for any other club but Real Madrid. It’s the allure, the grandeur.”

The fact Real Madrid sign these players for nothing is not the surprising factor. What’s intriguing is more often than not the players are aware the La Liga club perhaps can’t afford or are maybe unwilling to pay the asking price for them.

However, they are so keen to join they are willing to run down the final year of their current deals to make it happen.

Real Madrid have a long and illustrious history of winning major trophies – and the same can be said for landing a prized free agent, notably dating back to 1988 when German international Bernd Schuster famously left Barcelona to ply his trade at the Bernabeu.

Add to the list Steve McManaman, Michael Laudrup and Fernando Morientes – a few other names who’ve made the move for free.

Kitromilides added: “[In Madrid] second is nothing, absolutely nothing. The club has a relentless desire to win everything, every single possible trophy. This philosophy has helped them to build an aura of mystique. That is what’s helped convinced big-name players to run down their contracts at big clubs.”

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson

Defenders: Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice

Forwards: Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins

Spectacular fifties from Jordan Cox and Sam Curran fired Oval Invincibles to a thrilling six-wicket victory over Trent Rockets in a table-topping clash in The Hundred.

Cox hammered an unbeaten 58 from 32 balls and Curran struck 54 from 24, as the Invincibles hit a remarkable 103 runs from 28 deliveries to drive to victory with 11 balls to spare.

Opener Joe Root struck a season-best 76 as Rockets reached 171-7 and the visitors looked well-placed in their reply when they had their opponents 70-2 after 60 balls.

However, Cox and Curran launched a superb turnaround from that point, adding 51 from the next 10 legitimate deliveries.

The pair smashed six sixes and a four between them as they took 19 off David Willey and 32 from Sam Cook, who bowled the most expensive five-ball set in men’s Hundred history.

Curran reached his fifty from 22 balls, but fell before the close, caught on the ropes off Rehan Ahmed.

Cox pushed on, reaching his own half-century from 30 deliveries, guiding his side home alongside Donovan Ferreira and Sam Billings.

The win near guarantees Invincibles a play-off spot and offers further evidence as to why the two-time defending champions remain the team to beat in the men’s competition.

Trent Rockets kept their slim qualification hopes alive with a six-wicket win over Oval Invincibles in The Hundred women’s competition.

Rockets made hard work of chasing just 110 at The Kia Oval after a flurry of middle-order wickets, but Heather Graham held her nerve with an unbeaten 19 from 11 balls and they reached their target with 16 balls to spare.

The visitors had a flying start from Bryony Smith and Grace Scrivens, who added 51 in 35 balls together, but the Invincibles fought back to remove Smith for 24 and claimed the huge wickets of Nat Sciver-Brunt for two and Ash Gardner for 11.

Scrivens then fell for 34 but Graham and Jodi Grewcock, with 21 not out, settled the Rockets’ nerves and sealed their first win against the Invincibles.

In contrast to the Rockets’ rapid start, Invincibles crawled to 13-1 from their powerplay, which included 16 dot balls, as captain Lauren Winfield-Hill fell for seven from 14.

Former Australia skipper Meg Lanning revived the innings as she kicked on to 45 from 35 balls, but Ash Gardner changed the course of the game as she dismissed Lanning and Marizanne Kapp in the space of three balls.

Paige Scholfield whacked the last ball for six to take Invincibles to 109-7 but her 16 not out was the second highest score of the innings as they failed to put partnerships together throughout.

Both Rockets and Invincibles, who are two-time winners, need to win all of their remaining games and still hope for other results to go their way.

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hits an unbeaten 51 to help Trent Rockets secure their first win of this year’s Hundred as they beat London Spirit by 33 runs, ending the defending champions’ perfect start.

MATCH REPORT: Spirit’s winning run ended by resurgent Rockets

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