ON A night when Erik Ten Hag desperately needed something to change, his team proved that they seem to be getting worse.
It tells you everything you need to know about the state of Manchester United that it is no longer a surprise when they concede three goals.
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Erik ten Hag was rescued by Harry Maguire as Manchester United drew 3-3 with PortoCredit: Reuters
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Maguire equalised in the 91st minute after United had let a two-goal lead slipCredit: Rex
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Samu Omorodion had scored twice to complete a dramatic turnaround for PortoCredit: Getty
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And it is the very reason why, surely, we are coming to the end of the Ten Hag era, despite the injury time leveller from sub Harry Maguire.
Here was another 90 minutes of chaos and embarrassment.
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In what threatened to be morale-boosting victory for the beleaguered Dutchman, this shambolic team, a distant relative to the one which used to represent this club home and abroad, once again caved in despite securing a point.
Leading 2-0 with goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, United conceded three times for the 24th time under Ten Hag.
Striker Pepe headed Porto’s first and then 20-year-old Spanish striker Samu Omorodion – who is proving to be a fine summer signing from Atletico Madrid – equalised before the break and then scored the third before Maguire came to the rescue.
Ten Hag needed a captain’s performance from Bruno Fernandes but instead, he got sent off for the second game in a row.
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And unbelievably, it also means that under Ten Hag, United have managed just one win in 10 in Europe.
Surely, this cannot go on much longer. Here is a team with little organisation, no characters, no leaders or backbone.
This latest performance, after the three-goal defeat at home to Spurs four days earlier, was not even a surprise. And this is why Ten Hag surely has to go.
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When United considered the second goal, assistant boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy was booked for complaining.
Ex-Man Utd goalkeeper Howard criticised the club’s summer recruitment after losing against Spurs
Yet the former United striker knew he had to be on his best behaviour, particularly as the club might need him as manager in the next round…
But first of all, it is on to Aston Villa where Unai Emery’s side have just delivered arguably the club’s finest result for 42 years by beating Bayern Munich.
If United play like this at Villa Park, they will be lucky to get away with conceding three goals.
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United could not have wished for a better start when Rashford gave them a seventh minute lead.
Picking up the ball from Eriksen 40 yards from goal, Rashford cut inside from the left, carried the ball in the area and displayed some nifty footwork to dance through Joao Mario and Stephen Eustaquio.
While his near-post shot was hardly thunderous, it was enough to catch out keeper Diogo Costa who should have done much better.
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Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for United after just 10 minutesCredit: Getty
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Rasmus Hojlund doubled the lead before their first half collapseCredit: Reuters
It was from a Rashford cross which saw Porto defender Ze Pedro come close to scoring a spectacular own goal but a wild swing of his right boot saw the ball flash across the face of the goal.
On that occasion, Rashford was attempting to pick out Hojlund but the pair delivered the second goal soon after and United looked unstoppable.
Rashford slipped the ball to Hojlund and with a first-time shot, the normally reliable keeper Costa was once again beaten at his near post.
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It was a first goal of the season for Hojlund in only his fourth appearance.
He immediately sprinted over to the bench to celebrate with with physio David Binningsley, who helped him recover from the hamstring which saw him miss the start of the season,
Yet the least surprising turn of events was United capitulating.
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Pepe’s goal kickstarted Porto’s dramatic comeback at the Estadio do DragaoCredit: Getty
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Omorodion completed the turnaround with his second goal and his side’s thirdCredit: Reuters
While Onana delivered a flying save to prevent Noussair Mazraoui from scoring a headed own goal, the ball dropped in the path of Pepe who nodded the ball into the net.
He would also have been grateful that Linsandro Martinez had switched off completely and reacted far too late.
United’s defending was just as bad for the equaliser seven minutes later and on this occasion, it was all down to De Ligt.
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Firstly, he delivered a hopeless clearance and 10 seconds later, he was easily beaten by Omorodion who got his head to Joao Mario’s cross.
It does seem that De Ligt is not particularly good in the air and from that type of cross, Maguire would have won the challenge without barely trying.
At half-time, Ten Hag replaced Alejandro Garnacho for Rashford.
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Bruno Fernandes was sent off during the final 10 minutes as United’s night went from bad to worseCredit: Reuters
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Maguire came off the bench to salvage a draw with his late headerCredit: Getty
And he would have told his team to keep composed and avoid doing anything stupid, although they were clearly not listening.
Pepe, being played onside by Noussair Mazraoui, comfortably outpaced the sluggish Martinez and the cross was met with a fierce finish from Omorodion.
Although once more, De Ligt should have done much better
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Onana stopped a total humiliation by making good saves to deny Omorodion and Fabio Veira.
Fernandes then received a second yellow for sticking out a boot on Nehuen Perez. There was little contact but it was still an idiotic challenge.
Hated in these parts as an ex-Sporting Lisbon player, the home fans loved the sight of trooping off.
Maguire got his head to Eriksen’s injury-time corner but Ten Hag’s exit still seems inevitable. He seems incapable of turning this mess around.
It looks like almost the entire UFC featherweight title picture is in Abu Dhabi, and it was just a matter of time until paths were crossed during UFC 308 fight week.
Champion Ilia Topuria and former champ Max Holloway clash this Saturday in the main event of UFC 308 in a highly anticipated bout. And keeping a close eye on the result is former champ Alexander Volkanovski, who’s angling for a shot to reclaim his title.
On Tuesday, both Topuria and Holloway, separately, crossed paths with their former and potentially again future rival, Volkanovski, at the host hotel. It was all respect between them despite the history and potential implications.
You can watch videos of their cordial interactions below:
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It’s all respect between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski 🤝
“It’s like they say, everything happens for a reason,” David Malukas told Motorsport.com. “If I look back, I am probably 10 times the driver that I feel like before with everything that happened this year.
Malukas reckoned with some steep odds through his 2024 IndyCar Series season and has come out the other side better because of it. It was a year that began with Arrow McLaren, which quickly fell awry after he suffered a mountain biking crash less than a month before the season and forced him on the sidelines with an injured left wrist that required surgery. He was released less than three months later, with the team citing his unavailability and no return date confirmed.
The outgoing Chicago-born product then checked out of social media briefly and took a mental reset, of sorts, before landing an opportunity to return to the cockpit in early June with Meyer Shank Racing for the remaining nine races of the season. Despite not having fully recovered, he pushed through his injury with impressive pace, starting in the top six five times, including a best of second (twice – St. Louis, Milwaukee 1). He was also left wondering what could have been with potential wins fading after crashing after contact from Team Penske’s Will Power in St. Louis and being on the wrong end of a strategy call in Nashville.
The results table will only show two top 10s with a best result of sixth at the bumpy and tough concrete playground that makes up the streets of Toronto, but doesn’t do justice to the real pace Malukas was generating in his comeback.
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David Malukas, Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
“I’m still very young (23) and I’m still learning every single time,” Malukas said. “I made a lot of mistakes this year and had a wild ride of ups and downs, but in the end, I think everything worked out the way it should have been.”
Malukas also benefited from reviewing data from several talented drivers across his time at Arrow McLaren, along with MSR and its technical alliance with Andretti Global.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “I was able to get driver information from Pato (O’Ward), from (Alexander) Rossi, and (Marcus) Ericsson, (Colton) Herta, Kyle (Kirkwood) and (Felix) Rosenqvist. I mean, these are all top drivers and all special in their own ways. To get all that information to fill it up on me, I mean it was a big chunk.
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“I’ve also matured a lot. With having that incident and coming back from it, I’m definitely going to be taking care of myself this whole offseason. But overall, I’m very happy. I don’t have a full left hand back, but I think that’s a good price to pay to reach my max potential. If this year didn’t happen and things turned out differently, I don’t think I would be at the potential I am right now.”
When asked more about the injury, Malukas held both hands up and demonstrated the difference in available movement by bending back his right hand but unable to do the same with his left, with it barely moving from its vertical stance.
“Maybe it can get a little bit better,” he said. I think that was part of the risk, too, is getting back into a car I kind of had to put my hand recovery a little bit on hold.
“There’s still an opportunity to get some of it back. It’ll never be 100%, but if we can get some of it back then I think we’ll be out of the window of it being a bit of a pain in the car. But right now, it’s definitely still been an issue this year, getting to need it wrapped and giving it extra stability. Just with all that movement, it doesn’t have… I kind of need that little bit extra, like 10 more degrees.
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“So, I hope that we can get it and if so, then going into next season it should be something that I don’t even remember.”
And Malukas will want to be at his maximum as he prepares for next year with AJ Foyt Racing as part of a two-car lineup that also features Santino Ferrucci.
While that venture looms in 2025, Malukas also can’t help but look back fondly on his brief but stout time with the team co-owned by Mike Shank and Jim Meyer.
“The way things turned out with all the talking and all that stuff, things were a bit slower than we wanted it and we ended up going somewhere else. From my side, the team’s been incredible. I’m going to say it over and over again: I think this team, they saved me. They saved my career.
“When it comes to IndyCar, you can be known and unknown very quickly. You could be forgotten. And they took a chance on me. Without them, I probably would not have had an opportunity to get into a car this year and it wouldn’t be until next year. To get a seat, there’s so many good drivers available right now and it would have been a much harder situation if it wasn’t for them, so a big thank you to Mike, Jim and all the crew guys. They treated me like family. As soon as I came in there, it was smiles and having a good time.
“And no matter what the results were, I’m frustrated, pissed off, happy or whatever, they’re always just smiling and they’re like, ‘Dude, this has been awesome’ and having a good time. And the pit stops were insane. … They were rockets. Such a good group of guys. It’s definitely a little bittersweet to leave them, but at least we made some good memories along the way.”
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After England won a run-filled first Test of this series, Pakistan opted to reuse the same pitch in Multan for the second Test. Their spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan shared all 20 wickets as the hosts levelled the series.
Captain Shan Masood expressed a desire for the Rawalpindi pitch to turn, and pictures emerged on social media on Sunday of the surface being dried with industrial-sized fans, heaters and windbreaks.
Stokes had no objections to the preparation methods, but he also said it is “pretty obvious” the pitch has been raked.
“I’ve never been a groundsman, but you’d think a rake would assist the spin,” said Stokes. “We can have a good guess which ends the Pakistan spinners will operate from.
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“There’s not too much grass to hold everything together. It will be interesting to see how it goes. It will be a pretty good wicket for the first couple of days, at least.”
Ahmed, then aged 18, became the youngest man to play a Test for England in the final match of the series in Pakistan in 2022, marking his debut with a five-wicket haul.
The Leicestershire bowler has played three more Tests since, the last of which came against India in Rajkot in February. He has taken 18 wickets at an average of 34.5.
“Leg-spinners have an amazing ability to break a game open,” said Stokes. “Having his batting ability lower down the order is also a massive bonus.
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“The way Leach and Bashir have bowled has been fantastic in these first two Tests. Adding Rehan’s free spirit and desperation to change the game every time he’s got the ball in his hand is a massive bonus for us this week.”
The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi for UFC 308, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
In the headliner, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ Robert Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.
The second episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
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Khamzat enjoys sports with friends and teammates; Champion Topuria watches his son train BJJ; RDA visits a shooting range and spends time with his family at the park; Lerone Murphy prepares in England; Max trains and gives interviews in Dubai; Whittaker hits the gym with his father by his side.
Previous UFC 308 ‘Embedded’ episodes
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Editor’s note: In advance of Bronny James’ Los Angeles Lakers debut on Tuesday night, which will make him and LeBron James the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together in league history, we’re bringing back this list of notable father-son duos in sports history — including one pair that plans to be in attendance for LeBron and Bronny’s moment.
Like father, like son.
Many remarkable athletes have had sons follow in their footsteps in their respective sport, including new Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James and his superstar father — and now teammate — LeBron James.
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With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic father-son duos in sports history.
LeBron James and Bronny James
LeBron James has made an incredible mark in the NBA, becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer this year. A 20-time All-Star, four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP, LeBron James has played 21 seasons and six with the Lakers.
His oldest son, Bronny, was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in this year’s draft, making the pair the first father-son duo to play simultaneously and on the same team in the NBA.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
Ken Griffey Sr. played 19 seasons in the major leagues, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds. He won 10 Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards and two World Series to go along with 13 MLB All-Star Game selections. In 2004, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, finishing his career with a .296 batting average, 152 home runs and 859 RBIs.
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Griffey Jr., played 13 seasons with the Seattle Mariners and nine with the Reds. Griffey Jr. and Griffey Sr. played two seasons together with the Mariners, becoming the and still only father-son duo to play on the same MLB team and, in 1990, hit back-to-back home runs against the then-California Angels. Griffey Jr. was the American League MVP in 1997 and led the AL in home runs four times during his career. He’s seventh all-time with 630 career home runs. A 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and 13-time All-Star, Griffey Jr. was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
(Update: Until the James duo, Griffey Jr. and Sr. were the only father-son pair in North American professional team sports to play on the same team, and both Griffeys reportedly plan to be in attendance Tuesday to celebrate the James’ moment.)
Archie Manning and Peyton Manning, Eli Manning
Archie Manning is at the forefront of the Manning legacy, playing quarterback in the NFL for 13 seasons, mostly with the New Orleans Saints. A two-time Pro Bowler, Archie Manning was inducted into the Saints’ Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame.
Archie’s eldest son, Peyton, played quarterback at Tennessee, where he was the SEC Player of the Year in 1997 and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy Award that same year. He went on to be the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. A 14-time Pro Bowler, Peyton Manning was named NFL MVP five times and a first-team All-Pro seven times. He’s the only starting QB to win a Super Bowl for two franchises and holds the NFL records for career passing yards (71,940) and passing touchdowns (539).
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Eli Manning played quarterback at Ole Miss, like his father, and won SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. He went on to be the first pick in 2004 by the New York Giants, winning two Super Bowls and earning Super Bowl MVP honors both times. A four-time Pro Bowler, Eli Manning ranks sixth in passing yards in league history and his 210 consecutive starts from 2004 to 2017 is the second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.
Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds
Bobby Bonds, a three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, became just the second player to hit 300 career home runs and steal 300 bases.
Barry Bonds played 22 seasons, mostly with the San Francisco Giants, and was a seven-time National League MVP. Bonds holds the records for most career home runs (762) and most home runs in a season (73). A 14-time All-Star, 12-time Silver Slugger Award winner and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Barry Bonds tied his father for the most seasons with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases (five).
Dell Curry, the 15th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, played 16 seasons, averaging 11.7 points and shooting 40.2% from deep in 1,083 career games. He most notably played for the Charlotte Hornets, finishing second on the team’s all-time points leader list.
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Dell’s eldest son, Stephen, was selected seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He went on to become a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All Star and is widely considered the greatest shooter in NBA history, shooting over 43% from deep and 90% from the line in his career.
Selected with the first overall pick in 1978, Mychal Thompson averaged 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds in seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers (1980-86) before playing half a season with the San Antonio Spurs (1986-87) and finishing his career with the Lakers. He won two championships with Magic Johnson and the Lakers.
Klay Thompson was drafted 11th overall in 2011 by the Warriors and has developed into one of the game’s best shooters. A four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star, Klay Thompson averaged 19.6 points per game on 41.3% shooting from deep in 11 seasons with Golden State. He announced his departure from the Warriors in free agency earlier this month, opting to sign a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Bobby Hull and Brett Hull
Bobby Hull led the NHL in goals seven times and was the second-leading goalscorer in league history (610) when he retired. Hull won back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards in 1970 and 1971 after winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
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Bobby Hull’s son, Brett, scored 741 goals in his career, the fourth-highest total in league history. The right wing won Stanley Cups in 1999 with the Dallas Stars and in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings. A nine-time All-Star, Brett Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, joining his father to become the Hall’s first father-son duo.
Dale Earnhardt is one of NASCAR‘s most iconic drivers. He participated in 676 Winston Cups, winning 76 of them. Earnhardt’s career came to an end after he was involved in a fatal crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. He was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2010.
Earnhardt Jr. won 26 Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 twice (2004, 2014). He had 260 top-10 finishes in Cup races in his career and was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2000.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Howie Long played his entire 13-year career with the Raiders‘ organization. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 after helping the franchise win the Super Bowl the year prior. Howie Long finished his career with 84.0 sacks and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Chris Long was the second overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he became one of the few players in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls for different teams — with the New England Patriots in 2017 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. The defensive end recorded 70.0 sacks in his 11-year career.
CHELSEA have reportedly frozen out a highly-rated academy teenager until he signs a new contract.
It is claimed the Blues told defender Josh Acheampong he will not play for the first team or the development squad while he stalls over the fresh terms.
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Josh Acheampong has been frozen out by Chelsea after reportedly refusing to sign a new contractCredit: Getty
Acheampong, 18, is currently tied down at Stamford Bridge until 2026.
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According to The Athletic, Chelsea are said to have opened talks over an extension to secure his long-term future at the club.
But with negotiations stalling, he has been exiled from competitive action.
However, his only appearance of the season came as a second-half substitute against Barrow in the Carabao Cup on September 24.
Notably, though, he was not included in the matchday squads for the games against Bournemouth and West Ham last month when both James and Gusto were unavailable.
Chelsea declined to comment when approached by SunSport.
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Acheampong came off the bench for his Chelsea debut against Tottenham in MayCredit: Getty
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The young defender shone in pre-season for the bluesCredit: Getty
Chelsea ratings vs Liverpool
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By Ken Lawrence
LIVERPOOL held on to beat Chelsea 2-1 in a thriller as they moved to the top of the Premier League table.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring against his former club from the penalty spot after Levi Colwill tripped Curtis Jones in the box.
Chelsea went into the break trailing and it was nearly worse, only for VAR to overturn a second Liverpool penalty after Robert Sanchez’s lunge on Jones.
The Blues came out from the break flying and Nicolas Jackson equalised.
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But they failed to hold on with star of the show Jones netting the winner just minutes later.
Here is how SunSport rated the Chelsea players at Anfield.
ROBERT SANCHEZ – 5
Survived a shocker of a challenge on Jones to not give away a pen and never convincing.
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REECE JAMES – 6
Got through 53 minutes in first start since last December and will surely shake off the rust.
TOSIN ADARABIOYO – 5
Booked early on for clattering into Diogo Jota and no surprise was hooked for the second half.
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LEVI COLWILL – 5
Got away with one challenge against a diving Salah but a no- challenge penalty after hacked on Jones.
MALO GUSTO – 7
Intelligent display and constant threat down the left flank in the first half especially.
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MOISES CAICEDO – 5
At £105m and in Chelsea’s biggest test of the season was found badly wanting.
ROMEO LAVIA – 5
Got the nod over Enzo Fernandez from the start but failed to show any urgency.
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NONI MADUEKE – 6
Always mobile and was productive playing as a right-sided attacker – giving Robertson a tough afternoon.
COLE PALMER – 5
Deployed in central midfield but struggled to show his star quality and blazed over a good chance just before the break.
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JADON SANCHO – 4
Lacked any real spark and unsurprisingly hooked off at the start of the second half.
NICOLAS JACKSON – 7
Picked up a typically mouthy booking but the boy definitely has something – as his fine equaliser proved.
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SUBS:
PEDRO NETO (for Sancho 46) – 6
Looked a whole lot livelier than the wide man he took over from.
BENOIT BADIASHILE (for Adarabioyo 53) – 6
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Looked a lot steadier than the centre-back he replaced.
RENATO VEIGA (for James 53) – 5
Got stuck in and was booked.
ENZO FERNANDEZ (for Romeo Lavia) – 6
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Worked diligently to use his passing to make an impact late on.
CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU (for Noni Madueke 76) – 5
Found it difficult to make his presence felt as the Reds dug in to win.
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