Manchester United legend Gary Neville has backed Arsenal to win the title again as he believes Mikel Arteta has the best defensive unit in the Premier League ‘by a million miles’.

The reigning champions got their new campaign up and running in convincing fashion with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Frank Lampard’s newly promoted Coventry just over a week ago.

The Gunners will look to pick up where they left off when they return to action away to Aston Villa, who were hammered 4-0 at Brighton in their opening match.

Arteta will undoubtedly have been keeping a close eye on results over the weekend as Manchester City – last year’s runners-up – maintained their 100 per cent start with a 4-1 defeat of Crystal Palace.

Chelsea and Manchester United also emerged victorious at home to Brighton and Ipswich respectively, while Liverpool and Tottenham both suffered disappointing setbacks.

A win for Arsenal on Monday night would put Arteta’s men level on points with City, Chelsea and Premier League new boys Hull City heading into the third round of games.

Speaking after United’s victory on Sunday, Neville suggested Arsenal’s ‘amazing’ set of defenders set them apart from his former club and the rest of the division.

‘It’s incredible what Arsenal have done really, to sign Ezri Konsa, because they’ve got [Jurrien] Timber, [Ben] White, [Cristhian] Mosquera, [William] Saliba, Gabriel [Magalhaes], [Piero] Hincapie, [Riccardo] Calafiori, [Myles] Lewis-Skelly,’ he said.

‘They’ve already got eight amazing defenders and now they’ve signed another really good centre-half.

‘It’s almost like they’re doubling down and saying: we’re not going to concede goals, we’re just going to make sure we’re better than everyone else defensively by a million miles – and they are. That will win them a title again.

‘If you were to ask if you’d swap Arsenal’s front players for United’s, Liverpool’s, Chelsea’s, you might actually keep the front players. From a defensive perspective or in midfield, you’d swap all of them.’

Neville voiced his concerns over Chelsea’s defensive unit compared to that of Arsenal after Alonso’s men clung on for victory over Brighton after going three goals in front.

‘They had to make the decision to bring in a new goalkeeper [Emiliano Martinez]. They’ve done that and brought in a big personality,’ the ex-United and England right-back continued.

‘It was [Levi] Colwill, [Maxence] Lacroix and [Wesley] Fofana that played there [against Brighton] and I just look at that… what I see are very talented defenders in a lot of teams but I don’t see units.

‘You used to see a back-four and you would think there’s a very good back-four or they’re a good back three. You just don’t see that now.

‘I don’t know whether it’s just the quality of the attacking play maybe, I’m not sure.

‘But Arsenal, of course, when you think of Timber, Calafiori, Saliba and Gabriel, that’s a proper back-four with the goalkeeper David Raya behind them. That’s the only real team I look at right now.

‘Obviously Manchester City had it when they were winning the league and I just don’t see it. Obviously Liverpool had it but there’s a real lack of units that are good, solid units now.’

According to Neville, Liverpool and Chelsea may both need to turn to the transfer market again if they are to establish themselves as a defensive force under their new managers.

‘Liverpool have [Bradley] Barcola, [Cody] Gakpo, [Florian] Wirtz, [Hugo] Ekitike, [Alexander] Isak, [Rio] Ngumoha, they’ve got a great group of attacking players,’ the eight-time Premier League winner went on.

‘Then you think defensively, the full-backs, to not support Andoni Iraola and give him new full-backs and for United not to give back-up at left-back or right-back… Leny Yoro has come on today, that can’t be your back-up full-back.

‘For Chelsea, maybe that’s the next part of their recruitment. They have recruited well this summer, maybe that’s the next part.

‘They’ve got talented centre-backs but that defensive part for a few of the teams is a real problem.’

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Rangers boss Derek McInnes was under pressure after a slow start to the season, but the Light Blues claimed their first William Hill Premiership win of the campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Aberdeen

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Derek McInnes has admitted he was finally able to savour a Rangers display after their narrow 1-0 victory against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

The Gers manager had been facing mounting scrutiny following only two victories from seven fixtures since his summer switch from Hearts, which included elimination from both the Europa League qualifiers and Europa Conference League play-off rounds.

McInnes has recruited 12 fresh faces to the squad, amongst them first-timer Kim Min-su, the 20 year old South Korean wide player who joined from Girona on a four-year contract for an estimated £8.5million fee, and he made a promising impression before his second-half withdrawal.

Nevertheless, it was captain Lawrence Shankland’s 69th-minute spot-kick that ultimately secured the Light Blues’ opening William Hill Premiership triumph of the campaign.

The ex-Aberdeen manager McInnes commented: “Probably for the first time this season, I’ve really enjoyed watching the team.

“There’s been moments of enjoyment. There’s been a couple of wins and some passages of play, but we know when you come here you can’t be sparkling for 90 minutes but you need to compete, and you need to bring quality, and I thought we did all that in abundance today.

“Strong performance, deserved win. I thought we were good in the game. I thought we looked like a team, a sense of the team that I would like us to be.

“I think the added bit of quality from Min-su at the top of the pitch was much needed. We’ve been looking for that for a while now, so it’s great that we managed to get him in.

“Any sort of win today was vitally important for obvious reasons. So the fact of the matter is we’ve won a tough away game, and deservedly so.”

Rangers continue to be heavily linked with Portland Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy, while Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin was once more missing from the squad as rumours persist regarding his potential departure.

McInnes commented: “In terms of outs, I don’t think there’s anything imminent on that. There’s certainly not been any offers for Nico.

“Obviously, it’s normally the last couple of days of the window when things really crank up, so we need to be primed for that.

“We are really keen to get a striker in that we want.”

Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson expressed his frustration with referee Matthew MacDermid’s call to disallow captain Kevin Nisbet’s goal for a foul on Dujon Sterling in the Rangers penalty area, particularly after an earlier penalty appeal against the same Rangers defender had been waved away when his side were trailing 1-0.

The Northern Irishman remarked: “If I could give my thoughts (I would), but the authorities make sure we don’t give our thoughts.

“You all saw the game and the only thing I can comment on is I don’t know who judges the amount of force.

“There wasn’t enough for Kevin to get a penalty and there was enough to disallow the goal. Someone has made that decision rightly or wrongly and it certainly affects the game.

“They seemed quite similar to me but I’m not a referee.

“I can only control the things that I can in terms of our performance. There was lots of good stuff with battling qualities and real desire and determination.”

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Claire McKeown, 41, was “depressed and unhappy” and relied on daily painkillers to manage her mobility.

A woman who was “crippled” with pain due to her weight has shed an incredible 12 and a half stone.

Claire McKeown said mobility issues caused by her being overweight saw her taking eight Tramadol a day – a prescription opioid pain medication used to tread severe pain – “just to get through”.

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The 41-year-old from Glasgow weighed over 25 stone and says she was “depressed, unhappy, and had very little confidence” after living on a diet mainly consisting of fast-food takeaways, chocolates and sweets.

Claire now weighs 12 stone 13lbs and says her outlook on life has “completely changed”. She told Glasgow Live: “I didn’t feel comfortable in myself. I felt like people were constantly looking at me. I now have a new lease of life.

“I no longer need to take pain relief. I’m fitter, happier and more confident. Every day life is so much easier.”

Claire decided to make a change in November 2024 and joined a Slimming World group in Colton. The class “transformed” her relationship with food, replacing non-nutritious meals with homemade meals like fish and chicken.

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Claire said: “One of the biggest changes for me has been my confidence. Being able to walk into a shop and actually find clothes that fit me, rather than automatically going for the biggest size available, means so much to me.

“It might seem like a small thing to some people, but for me it’s huge.”

“I don’t think I could have done this without Slimming World. Going to my weekly weigh-ins keeps me accountable.

“If I’ve had a bad week, there’s no judgement. You simply draw a line under it, get back on track and try again.

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“This journey has given me so much more than a smaller number on the scales. It’s given me a life I can enjoy again.”

Sharon Kelly-Mitchell, Dunbartonshire and North Glasgow team developer, praised Claire for her hard work.

She said: “Claire’s 12 and a half stone award is so much more than a number on the scales. It represents hundreds of small decisions, countless meals prepared at home, choosing a Slimming World fakeaway instead of a takeaway, and most importantly continuing to turn up and believe that she could do it.

“She should be incredibly proud of yourself. Claire’s determination and commitment have been phenomenal, and her story is proof that when you decide to make a change and keep going, amazing things really can happen.”

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Tragedy has struck once again in Emmerdale as Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) died just hours after welcoming a baby boy, much to the devastation of fiancé Joe Tate (Ned Porteous).

Dawn was hospitalised in the wake of Jimmy King (Nick Miles) unintentionally crashing his car through the marquee, where she was set to wed Joe.

Jimmy perished in the crash and it was thought that Joe met a sticky end as well but he managed to pull through after Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) rescued him from the blaze.

Dawn, meanwhile, went into early labour and delivered a baby boy, much to the delight of Joe, who was excited about the future with Dawn and their little baby, but tragedy ensued soon after, with Dawn pronounced dead after suffering a devastating haemorrhage.

Joe was heartbroken, as was Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle), who Dawn exchanged harsh words with just hours earlier over his plot to get her away from scheming Joe.

Word of Dawn and Jimmy’s demises filtered through the village, leaving the residents reeling. If you’re eager to know what happens next then here’s what we can tell you about Monday’s episode.

What happens next in Emmerdale? Spoilers for Monday, August 31 episode 

The aftermath of Dawn’s death will inevitably take centre stage in the subsequent episode as Joe struggles to come to terms with the loss of the woman he loves.

Of course, there’s also the fact that he’s just become a dad to their newborn baby, who he and Dawn never officially got to name before tragedy struck.

Will Joe lean on his loved ones in Kim and Graham at this troubling time? Or will he push everyone away and try to cope on his own?

Nicola, meanwhile, struggles to come to terms with the death of her beloved Jimmy and she receives a visit from Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches), who gives her a hug she sobs in his arms.

The cafe owner also receives shocking news about Jimmy’s demise – and you can find out what exactly that news is in our new video clip below.

Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), meanwhile, is harbouring a big secret and she was all set to reveal it to Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) before she learned of Dawn’s death.

Is it in relation to what happened to Jimmy? Does she know more than she’s letting on? Upcoming scenes see something weighing heavily on her – but will she open up about what that something could be?

Monday’s episode also sees DS Ramsden announce her plan, which takes Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) aback.

The duo, as viewers know, have been working together, seemingly with the collective goal of taking down Kim.

The accident up at Home Farm has put Ramsden and Kim in each other’s orbit at last, so will Ramsen use this opportunity to get what she wants?

We’ll just have to wait and see!

Emmerdale airs these scenes Monday, August 31 at 8pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX or YouTube.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

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Bruno Fernandes was the hero for Man Utd as he scored a hat-trick in the 5-2 win against Ipswich at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick labelled Kobbie Mainoo’s performance as “immense” after the youngster shone on his first start of the season in the 5-2 win against Ipswich at Old Trafford.

While Bruno Fernandes stole the headlines with a hat-trick and an assist for Bryan Mbeumo, Mainoo was outstanding in midfield as he made his first start after a late return to pre-season.

The 21-year-old didn’t get a kick for England during the World Cup but has been back at United for three weeks and he played as the deepest midfielder in his partnership with Youri Tielemans, excelling on and off the ball.

Carrick was delighted with the academy graduate’s performance and felt he delivered another all-action display in midfield. With Carlos Baleba unveiled before kick-off after his £70million move from Brighton, there is now plenty of competition for places in that area of the pitch.

“I thought he was pretty much all-around very, very good for a first start back,” said Carrick. “We kind of managed him a little bit, and we’ve got good midfielders, so it’s about trying to make the best of the combinations.

“I thought Kobbie, I understand Bruno will get a lot of credit today and he deserves that as well, but I thought Kobbie was immense in the middle of the pitch for us and underpinned the performance of the team.”

Fernandes won the PFA Player of the Year award for 2025/26 on Tuesday and looks in the mood to make this another memorable season after netting a hat-trick and registered his first assist of the campaign. Carrick is running out of superlatives to describe his inspirational captain.

“He’s been here for a good number of years now,” Carrick said. “He’s experienced a whole load of different emotions and different things. He’s got a lot of experience now to pass on to others and show them the way a little bit as well, and lead by example and help them in different moments.

“Times like today, when sometimes you’re looking towards certain players to give us that little bit of something else, and he did that particularly well. He offers us a lot.

“What else can I say? We’ve said quite a lot about him already, and I’ve only been here six or seven months, so hopefully, there’s a lot to come.”

Fernandes still gets some criticism for his leadership and that was called into question after a disjointed display at Hull last week, but Carrick believes that comes with the territory at United.

“It doesn’t surprise me, no. It’s just the kind of things that get labelled when you lose games,” he said. “I said it last week, just because you lose a game, it doesn’t mean everything’s wrong, or the wheels have come off, or they don’t want to play, or they’re not passionate, or they’re not leaders.

“You lose games of football. The best teams lose games of football. I think again, talking about setbacks, the best teams bounce back. To be fair, since we’ve been here, together the boys have bounced back particularly well from different setbacks, and that will stand us in good stead moving forward.”

Ping! A message on your phone from your partner. What do you anticipate? A perfunctory request for your ETA for dinner or a kiss-strewn ‘can’t wait to see you – let’s go to our favourite Italian?’

After years together has your phone chat descended to clipped one-word replies and single-letter abbreviations? Or does he send strings of funny emojis and news articles he thinks you’ll be interested in?

And what’s your texting language to him like now – shopping lists, lengthy explanations or heart-felt declarations of love?

As a divorce lawyer, I’ve spent more than 30 years listening to what couples say about each other but I have also learned you can discover a lot about what’s going on in a relationship simply by looking at their texts.

As people return from their summer holidays and re-enter everyday life, I’m anticipating a surge in new divorce inquiries – and one of the first things I’ll do is ask how they communicate. In fact relevant texts and WhatsApp messages very often emerge as part of the legal process. 

Some of those seemingly insignificant exchanges can be surprisingly revealing. They give me a little window into the emotional temperature of a relationship and help me to understand whether there’s warmth, affection and humour, or resentment, distance and simmering anger.

Over the years, countless clients have thrust their phones under my nose and said ‘Look at this! How on earth do I respond?’

I’ve seen them anxious and hurt, often furious, sometimes completely bewildered as they re-read text exchanges, desperate to work out why he’s sent it and what he means. Not to mention agonising over how to reply.

When I’m relationship coaching, meanwhile, I ask couples to show me their everyday messages because they’re such a useful means of unpicking the way they’ve got used to speaking to each other. Quite often the texts (both sent and received) display far less kindness than they realise.

When couples take their eye off their relationship and allow it to drift, it all too often shows up in the pattern of their day-to-day messaging.

The tone and tempo of your text exchanges really do offer tiny but powerful clues about the health of your relationship.

Try for yourself. Open your phone and check the last ten messages exchanged between you. No cherry-picking the anniversary messages from six months ago. Pick the last ten. What do you see?

These messages are not a relationship diagnosis but they do offer hints. You can exchange heart emojis all day and still be miserable or have the most mind-numbingly boring text threads full of domestic logistics and still be madly in love.

Don’t read too much into a grumpy ‘k’ (shorthand for OK and much used among teens). What matters is the bigger pattern and whether the way you communicate on your phones reflects how your relationship feels offline, too. Is there kindness? Collaboration? A sense of fun? Or not…?

Do your texts show two people who actually like each other?

It’s worth checking in with your phone because this apparently mundane interaction could shine a light on relationship tensions in need of a fix.

Purely functional

Does your WhatsApp interaction look like a series of barked instructions from ‘mission control’? ‘Can you pick up milk?’ ‘What time are you home?’ ‘Parents’ evening Thursday’. ‘ETA: 6.30’, ‘Roger that’.

This kind of interaction shows a couple that is highly efficient and organised, with ‘Family Ltd’ running like clockwork.

There’s nothing wrong with practical and functional messages. And plenty of happy couples save the love, laughter and proper chat for when they’re together.

But problems can arise when these messages become your entire relationship chat and the business vibe starts to crowd out affection, curiosity, fun and laughter between the two of you.

Also notably missing is any evidence of the ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ that you might happily proffer to a waiter or at the supermarket checkout, but are apparently withholding from the one you love.

Action plan: Ask yourself: ‘Are we just functional texters or has our whole relationship just become one giant to-do list?’ And if it has, time to put some love back into the chat. Intersperse the functional messages with something funny, or a bit of flirtatious banter. A little bit of ‘sugar coating’ can go a long way to keeping your marriage alive.

If rage-filled, insulting or intimidating messages are becoming a regular feature of your relationship, it’s serious and shouldn’t be brushed off as ‘just anger’

Passive aggressive

Is there a snarky resentful tone creeping into your communications? Does every text come with a sting? ‘Oh, don’t worry then, I’ll do it. Again.’ Or, ‘Well, it must be lovely to have time for the gym’ and ‘I’m glad one of us got a lie-in’ or ‘I’ve only asked you three times already’.

Sarcastic and passive-aggressive texts often indicate resentment bubbling away furiously underneath with nobody actually saying what’s really bothering them.

Action plan: If your texts have become a running scorecard of who did or didn’t do what and who is more exhausted, it’s time to put the phone down and talk instead.

Drop the digs and say what you actually need – kindly and directly. 

Try: ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed and I need more help.’ Or, if they’re the one being pass-agg, let them know you find it hurtful and it’s more corrosive than they think.

Say: ‘I’m upset about this. Can we talk?’

Single words and emojis

Emojis and abbreviations have replaced a great deal of the subtle nuance of our everyday language. Is your line of communication peppered with a monosyllabic run of alternating ‘k’, ‘yep’, ‘cool’ or a thumbs-up emoji and an OK emoji (that’s the hand making a circle with forefinger and thumb).

This doesn’t automatically mean your relationship is in trouble. We’re all busy and distracted. But watch out for one-sided displays. If one of you is reaching out and only getting clipped pictorial replies, this can signal emotional distance – or even an affair. I’ve seen this kind of sudden coldness when someone starts to cheat and their attention and emotional energy has shifted elsewhere.

Action plan: Ask yourself if this is how you’ve always communicated, or has something changed? A few curt texts are not proof of cheating but if the warmth has suddenly vanished, it is time to ask: ‘You seem a bit distant lately. Is everything OK?’

Text messages might be brilliant for the quick stuff but for anything that matters, you need to put down the phones and talk properly. The human voice can soften tone and provide nuance in a way a text message never can.

Emojis and abbreviations have replaced a great deal of the subtle nuance of our everyday language

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Suddenly secretive

Watch out if one partner who once sent loving messages becomes strangely unavailable for long stretches, responding to text inquiries with: ‘Sorry. Busy.’ ‘Meeting’, ‘Phone died’ or ‘Working late – don’t wait up’.

Secretive phone behaviour doesn’t prove an affair either but after decades of dealing with infidelity in my divorce clinic, my alarm bells always ring when I hear about sudden, unexplained text changes. Accompanying red flags include: they’re up late texting, notifications disappear from their lock screen, their phone is always face-down or now accompanies them to the bathroom.

Action plan: Don’t play Sherlock Holmes (no snooping or accusing). The sudden secrecy could be completely innocent. But be alert for marked behavioural change, especially if it comes with defensiveness or emotional withdrawal. 

Ask: ‘I’ve noticed you’ve been different with your phone lately. Is everything OK?’

Walking on eggshells

A series of tentative texts: ‘Sorry to bother you…’, ‘Please don’t be annoyed but..’ or ‘I’ll cancel it if you don’t want me to go’ could be a sign that something is wrong with the emotional climate of your relationship. A healthy relationship should feel emotionally safe – online and off – and both of you should be able to ask a question, raise a concern or make a mistake without worrying about the other’s reaction.

Action plan: Ask yourself if you’re choosing words carefully because you’re considerate or because you’re scared of the reaction. It’s not good if one of you is constantly editing, apologising or worrying about upsetting their partner or how they will react.

One nervous text proves nothing but if this is a repeated pattern, it’s time to talk to someone you trust or seek professional support. If you are genuinely afraid, put your safety first rather than confronting a partner alone.

If you’re getting tentative texts from your partner, turn the question round. Ask yourself, ‘Why are they worried about how I’ll react?’ Be honest. Do you snap, sulk or go cold when you don’t like what’s going on? 

Try saying, ‘You seem worried about upsetting me. I don’t want you to feel you have to walk on eggshells. Is there something I do that makes you feel like that?’ Then comes the hard bit: listen properly, without jumping to defend yourself. You may not like what you hear but those nervous little texts could be giving clues about how your partner feels around you.

Sheela says secretive phone behaviour doesn’t prove an affair but after decades of dealing with infidelity, her alarm bells always ring when she hears about sudden text changes

Text-rage

Watch out if your texts are peppered with rage-filled caps and exclamation marks: ‘YOU NEVER LISTEN’, ‘Here we go again!!’ ‘I’VE TOLD YOU!!’ or ‘I’m sick of this.’

We all get angry and annoyed with each other – that’s normal. But a pattern of texts that looks more like the jabs and punches in a boxing ring is – fairly clearly – not a good sign. This antagonistic form of communication is designed to lash out, hurt back or win. When you’re furious, your phone can become a weapon. Worse still, without facial expressions, tone or touch that can soften a difficult conversation, a text row can easily escalate from nought to nuclear in seconds.

Action plan: Never text angry. If you’re the raging texter, stop before you hit ‘send’ and ask yourself if you’re trying to fix the problem or merely hurt your partner? Pause. Cool off first. Put your phone in another room, go for a walk, take a shower, breathe. Rant into your Notes app if you must but don’t press send.

Once you’ve worked out what’s upsetting you and what you need your partner to understand, talk it through face-to-face.

Start with: ‘I’m really upset about what happened’ rather than ‘You always…’

If you’re on the receiving end of text-rage, don’t get dragged into a furious ping-pong match. When you’re attacked it’s tempting to fire straight back – especially when something feels unfair – but that will only turn up the heat.

Don’t try to win an argument by text. Pause and, if you feel safe to do so, send a simple message saying something like: ‘I can see you’re really angry. I don’t want us to say things we’ll regret, so let’s talk when we’ve both calmed down.’ Then put your phone down and walk away for a while.

And if rage-filled, insulting or intimidating messages are becoming a regular feature of your relationship, it’s serious and shouldn’t be brushed off as ‘just anger’. An aggressive and antagonistic pattern of messaging needs to be addressed. If the tone makes you feel frightened, threatened or controlled, seek support rather than tackling it alone.

Checked out

Text-fighting is a worry, but nothing gets my divorce lawyer antennae twitching more than the emotional indifference that seeps out of bland, non-committal texts. If your phone is peppered with off-hand responses like: ‘whatever’, ‘I don’t care tbh’, ‘do whatever you want’ or ‘let’s just get through the weekend for the kids’, you could be in trouble.

When there are no rows, no questions, no curiosity, it could mean that one of you has stopped fighting altogether and might have emotionally checked out of the relationship.

Action plan: Don’t jump to conclusions over a few flat texts – we all get tired, stressed and distracted. But if warmth, curiosity, affection and desire to connect have disappeared both on the phone and in real life, please don’t dismiss it.

Ask yourself: ‘Have we stopped arguing because things are better or because one of us has stopped caring enough to argue?’ Don’t wait for the goodbye conversation. Have the difficult conversation now.

Try: ‘I feel like we’ve become really distant lately. Are you feeling it too? What’s going on between us?’ 

Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart is a divorce lawyer, relationship coach and author of How to Stay Together: 12 Daily Habits to Strengthen Your Relationship, available to pre-order, published by Octopus on January 21, 2027.

As told to Louise Atkinson

Cruz Beckham rocked Leeds Festival on Sunday amid a busy weekend for his budding music career which saw his parents Victoria and David support him at Reading.

The youngest of the Beckham sons, 21, has had an incredible year touring the UK with his band The Breakers and the two last big summer festivals took place this weekend.

After his family were at the side of the stage cheering him on at Reading Festival on Saturday, he then headed to Leeds to perform with the band – where he rocked a casual T-shirt and denim jeans on stage.

He performed to a packed tent of fans and looked in his element as he sang his heart out and played guitar.

After the two festival shows Cruz took to his Instagram to reflect on the biggest shows of his career so far as he paid tribute to his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, – who is also his music manager. 

He mentioned various members of his team in the post including Victoria’s niece Libby Adams who helps with photography for the band.

After the two festival shows Cruz took to his Instagram to reflect on the biggest shows off his career so far as he paid tribute to his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30 (seen together)

Alongside snaps from the weekend, including one where he kisses Jackie, he penned: ‘I am so grateful for everyone around me, not only are they my best friends but they are family, this journey has been so incredible and i have learned so much because of these people.

‘Harry man this tour really wouldn’t be the same without you, from your humour to the incredible content you create, Lib not only are you literally family but you are so incredibly talented and we are so lucky to have you on this journey.

‘Gabi this really wouldn’t be happening without you, you are the reason it all looks so amazing, Caroline you are our core. Dan Telmo and Dario, boys i love you i am so grateful to have you in my life, you have taught me so much already and it’s only the beginning, not only are you incredible musicians but as people i look up to you all so much. 

‘To the fans and everyone who came to the gigs, i am forever grateful for every single one of you, you are the reason this is happening. you are the reason i wake up in the morning and look forward to hanging out with you and chatting i love you. 

‘Last but definitely not least Jackie, you honestly have no idea how lucky we are to have you, not only do you take care of me but this whole operation, from creative to strategy to mgmt. We are a team and would not be doing this without you. i really love you so much.’

Underneath the post Jackie then penned: ‘I love you.’

On Saturday proud parents David and Victoria cheered on Cruz during the major career milestone as he made his Reading Festival debut.

After a summer touring around Europe on their luxury £16million yacht, his parents made sure to jet back from the Amalfi Coast to rainy Reading in time to watch their son play The Canopy stage at the renowned festival. 

Despite the torrential rain, the former footballer, 51, and Posh Spice, 52, were undeterred as they watched intently from the side of the stage, Victoria still donning her shades. 

The youngest of the Beckham sons, 21, has had an incredible year touring the UK with his band The Breakers and the two last big summer festivals took place this weekend

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After his family were at the side of the stage cheering him on at Reading Festival on Saturday, he then headed to Leeds to perform with the band

He performed to a packed tent of fans and looked in his element as he sang his heart out and played guitar

In his post after the shows Cruz mentioned various members of his team including Victoria’s niece Libby Adams who helps with photography for the band

Alongside snaps from the weekend, including one where he kisses Jackie, he penned: ‘I am so grateful for everyone around me, not only are they my best friends but they are family’

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Ahead of the 3pm show he took to his Instagram Story to share his excitement that he would be taking to the stage

Jade Thirlwall was also performing at Leeds Festival on Sunday 

Maisie Peters was also performing on Sunday 

Meanwhile Lola Young performed at Reading on Sunday

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Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet, 20, also performed at Reading over the weekend 

She is the eldest daughter of Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave

Cruz’s brother Romeo, sister Harper and Jackie were also watching as they beamed with pride. 

A concertgoer told the Daily Mail: ‘They are all there listening and supporting Cruz and Victoria has been embracing David affectionately while watching.’

Jackie also made sure to support the star as she took to her Instagram Story earlier in the day wearing a bright yellow T-shirt which read: ‘Cruz Beckham sang to me.’  

Cruz became the latest nepo baby to hit the festival stage with Liam Gallagher’s youngest son Gene, 25, performing with his band Villanelle the day prior. 

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s son Moses also played with his band People I’ve Met on Friday and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet is due to take to the stage on Sunday. 

Posting on his Instagram Story before his festival slot, Cruz shared a close up selfie as he penned: ‘Reading, I cannot wait.’ 

The festival run coincides with the release of the Wear & Tear EP.

The tracks are titled: Better Times, WANNABE, Seeing Red, Loneliest Boy and Wear & Tear.

Cruz, says the new EP, which he recorded with his band The Breakers, captures ‘a life lived’ – the good, the bad and all the ‘learning curves’ in between.

He added that he hopes the EP gets across the message that, despite people having different life experiences, they can still share emotions.

The singer mused: ‘We’ve been high, and low, in love and in pain, jealous, upset – we’ve lived and learned. We’ve all got our wear and tear.’

Cruz and his band embarked on their debut headline trek titled The For Your Love Tour in early 2026, playing sold-out shows across the UK and Europe before heading into a North American summer leg.

Thunderstorm warnings are in place for most of the UK as forecasters warned some areas could see 40mm of rainfall within hours.

Yellow alerts came into force at 11am in Northern Ireland, Wales, southern Scotland and most of England as the Met Office warned of winds up to 45mph in some areas.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms could impact driving conditions, delay public transport and cause flooding.

But rain did not stop revellers at events over the bank holiday weekend as partygoers at London‘s Notting Hill Carnival shielded themselves with cardboard and Reading and Leeds Festival fans donned ponchos.

The carnival staged its family day, usually held on Sunday for young people before the main parade on Monday, with many of those marching displaying flags as they braved the rain.

This year marks the carnival’s 60th anniversary since its first outing in 1966 and, while yesterday saw a quieter start with young performers taking to the stage at the traditional Panorama steelband competition, today’s celebrations drew far bigger crowds as the carnival took to the streets.

It comes after music lovers donned ponchos and braved the mud at festivals across the UK over the weekend.

In an online forecast today, Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk said people will ‘need that umbrella at hand’ as showers sweep the country this afternoon.

Those marching in Sunday’s parade were undeterred, with one woman proudly holding the DR Congo flag

The flags of Barbados and Jamaica were also on show as some marched in ponchos down the streets of Notting Hill

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Thunderstorm warnings are in place across most of the country and extend into this evening

She added: ‘Through the rest of the afternoon, there are Met Office yellow thunderstorm warnings in force across much of the UK, so expect some heavy, intense downpours, frequent lightning, rumbles of thunder and also some hail mixed in.

‘The showers mostly focus across the west through the afternoon and becoming a bit banded, so some longer spells of rain, especially across southern Scotland and northern parts of England.

‘Towards the far south and east, that’s where we largely hold on to drier conditions and some sunny spells, but the odd shower can’t be ruled out.

‘Some strong winds as well developing, especially across the south-west, and feeling cool underneath any of these intense downpours.’

Highs of 23C are expected in Norwich on Sunday, along with 22C in London and Hull, 21C in Cardiff and 18C in Glasgow, according to the Met Office.

Monday – which is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – will see a ‘fine and largely dry afternoon’ with showers in some areas, Ms Chalk said.

It comes after music fans at Reading Festival donned ponchos and umbrellas, and frolicked in the mud after getting caught in downpours over Friday and Saturday.

Friends arrived armed with their rain ponchos for Saturday at Leeds Festival

Festivalgoers sheltered from the rain in plastic ponchos yesterday as they walked through the muddy site at Reading Festival at Little John’s Farm, Reading, Berkshire.

The girls did not seem to have a care in the world as they had fun in the mud

While some were seen flinging mud at each other and playing in puddles, others hid beneath their plastic ponchos as they braved the poor weather conditions.

Elsewhere, England Men’s cricket team had their Test match against Pakistan at Lord’s in London halted by the rain.

Festivalgoers heading to Reading and Leeds, Creamfields and other live music events had previously been warned of unseasonably strong winds.

As of Sunday afternoon, seven areas are covered by Environment Agency flood alerts, meaning floods are possible.

It comes after continued hot weather across the UK, which coincided with extremely dry conditions.

These included the River Stour in Worcestershire, the Tidal Fal estuary and parts of the south Cornwall coast.

The Met Office has previously said the UK is on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves, with temperatures of up to 38.1C recorded in London.

A 46-year-old man suffered injuries to his abdomen in Gainford with police arresting two males, aged 16 and 20, on suspicion of attempted murder

A 16-year-old boy and 20-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an alleged shooting in County Durham which left a man critically injured.

The 46-year-old suffered “birdshot injuries” consistent with being shot with a shotgun to his abdomen at an address on Balmer Hill in Gainford just after 8.10pm on Saturday, August 29, police said.

Emergency services were called following reports that the suspects had allegedly driven to a property and fired at it from a car before fleeing the scene.

The man was taken to hospital, where his condition has been described as “critical but stable”. No one else at the address was injured and officers remain at the scene today, reports Chronicle Live.

A statement from Durham Constabulary said: “A 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The boy has also been arrested on suspicion of theft, failing to stop and driving without a licence.

“They both remain in custody. An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident reference 479 of August 29.”

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Kjell Scherpen: Superb save to deny Dalot the opener and crucial touch to deny Mbeumo an easy finish. No chance with the equaliser. 8

Dara O’Shea: Robust defensive display and did well, until Fernandes took control. 6

Issa Diop: Lot of scrambling defence for the former West Ham man but coped OK for the most part and talked the Ipswich rearguard through the game. 6

Jacob Greaves: Composed on the ball and held his position, not getting drawn out when Cunha dropped deep. Probably lacked a bit of class at this level. 6

Leif Davis: Superb pass inside Dalot to release Maeda created one good chance for the visitors. Precise execution for his goal and might have had another. 8

Marcelino Nunez: Busy, in front of defence, wants to get on ball and slot in between centre-halves. Disastrous slip at just the wrong time let Man Utd in for crucial equaliser. 6

Sasa Lukic: Excellent addition to Ipswich ranks. Had the game nous to halt the home side’s momentum, even at the expense of a yellow card. 7

Abdul Fatawu: Skinned Shaw close to the touchline and then had the awareness to pick out a team-mate as Ipswich took the lead. Booked for a poor tackle on Mbeumo but overall really good. 7

Julio Ensico: Held off Shaw and Mbeumo on length-of-field run but no reward as effort lacked power. A real threat. 8

Daizan Maeda: Good early raid down the left was early sign of Ipswich intentions. Shot from angle of area threatened home goal. 7

Emersonn: Tried use his size to pin Maguire and Martinez back and relished the physical tussle with the England man. 6

Subs:

Chuba Akpom (on 46, Emersonn): 7

Exequiel Palacios (62, on for Nunez): 6

Darnell Furlong (on, for Maeda 72): 6

Abdoul Ouattara (on for Lukic 73): 5

Kasey McAteer (83, for Fatawu): 5

Subs not used: Walton, Kipre, Egeli, Clarke