ARSENAL wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly was left baffled after being temporarily blocked from entering the pitch during Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The 18-year-old was introduced to replace Riccardo Calafiori in the 72nd minute.

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However, he was briefly stopped from entering the pitch by the fourth official due to an earring.

The official would not let him go on until he took the earring out – even though it was taped up.

Lewis-Skelly quickly resolved the issue before running on for his second-ever Champions League appearance.

Fans on social media found the mishap hilarious, with one person writing: “Myles Lewis-Skelly trying to come on for Arsenal with a brand new earring taped over. 4th official not having it 😂.”

Another commented: “They made Lewis-Skelly take out his fresh piercing 😂 He better hope that don’t heal up and close on him.”

While a third joked: “Lewis-Skelly’s mum is gonna be fuming 😭 his entry into a champions league game delayed because he has to take his earring off 🤣.”

Arsenal went on to win the match 1-0 thanks to an own-goal.

Gabriel Martinelli‘s 29th-minute strike was deflected in off the back of Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk.

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The Gunners had plenty of chances to extend their lead but failed to make the most of them.

Leandro Trossard missed a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 from the penalty spot with 15 minutes left to play.

The Belgian fired his shot straight down the middle, making it relatively easy for Riznyk to save.

Arsenal now have seven points from three games in the Champions League.

The UFC 308 fight card, start time is for the UFC pay-per-view Saturday afternoon from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

In the main event, Ilia Topuria will put his UFC featherweight title on the line against former UFC champion Max Holloway. Topuria has won all seven of his UFC fights en route to a 15-0 career record, while Holloway (26-7) has won four of his past five fights.

Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker will square off against Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event.

Check out the UFC 308 fight card below.

Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 2 p.m. ET)

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

Prelims (ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET)

Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Mateusz Rebecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai

Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett

Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal

Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira

After starting with a tap-in to level the scores, Vinicius Jr’s last two strikes against Dortmund were something special.

At 3-2, with the threat of a Dortmund equaliser hanging over Real Madrid, he picked up the ball in his own half, raced down the left beating Emre Can with pure pace and fired a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

He completed his hat-trick in stoppage time, this time running from 40 yards out, beating three defenders, and hammering a strike into the roof of the net.

He then celebrated by removing his shirt, sprinting to the home fans who chanted “Ballon D’or – Vinicius Ballon D’or”.

After the match, Vinicius Jr told Spanish news outlet Movistar: “It’s a dream made reality when our fans chant my name, I want to keep rewarding them with more and more goals.

“I’m 24 and I want to stay with Madrid forever. I want to give everything back to a club which has given me so much.”

ABU DHABI – Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway has the MMA world split as to who will leave UFC 308 as champion.

Former interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez gave his thoughts and prediction on the highly anticipated championship bout Saturday night at Etihad Arena. Rodriguez (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who’s fought Holloway in the past, believes the Hawaiian will reclaim his belt and take the undefeated status from Topuria.

“It’s going to be an interesting match,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I think Max Holloway has more tools, and he’s a super smart fighter. Also, Topuria is a real power puncher. I just think if Max Holloway is smart enough to keep his distance, he can win the fight. My prediction is Max Holloway.”

Earlier this year, Topuria had plenty to say about Rodriguez and vice versa. Topuria questioned Rodriguez’s skillset, and Rodriguez fired back a few verbal shots his way.

“I don’t have a relationship with him at all,” Rodriguez said. “Yeah, some words have been said, and I hope he’s ready to back them up, because I’m ready.”

Rodriguez hasn’t fought since losing to Brian Ortega in February. He says he’s healthy and ready to return and just waiting on the green light from the promotion. There’s nothing official, but Rodriguez said the UFC has shown interest in having him fight in February in Mexico City.

Jhon Duran has made a habit of coming off the substitutes bench and scoring for Aston Villa this season.

On Tuesday, the Colombia forward made his first start at Villa Park for 11 months and marked it with his side’s second goal against Bologna in the Champions League.

Duran’s celebrations were cut short when he was immediately replaced by Ollie Watkins, and he showed his displeasure by kicking the back of one of the dugout seats in frustration.

Unai Emery is not too upset with Duran’s reaction, however.

Duran now has seven goals in all competitions while Watkins has five – two forwards delivering goals as Villa enjoy one of their best starts to a season for years.

“Duran got a goal again and he’s on fire,” former England defender Matt Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Villa have great competition for that centre-forward role, with him and Watkins capable of scoring goals.”

As the Premier League returned after the international break, there was plenty of action on Saturday. However, the most exciting fixture of the weekend, at least on paper, is set to take place on Sunday. Liverpool, who began the gameweek as league leaders will take on Chelsea, who were placed fourth. 

Coming into gameweek eight, Chelsea were second in the league in terms of goals scored with 16, only behind Manchester City on 17. But, Chelsea had also missed 16 big chances against City’s 10. So, it could be argued that in terms of pure goal threat, Chelsea has been the best team in the Premier League so far this season. 

Meanwhile, Liverpool has had the best defence in the league so far, conceding only two goals (the next-best record was for Arsenal with six goals conceded).

It then looks like the Sunday fixture, at 9pm IST, will very much be a case of attack against defence. However, not quite in the traditional sense, as both teams will want to control the game—Liverpool ranked second for passes, behind City, with 4,000, while Chelsea were fifth with 3,575 passes. When you consider the fact that the Reds are not far behind Chelsea in terms of goals scored—they are joint fifth on 13—and that the match is being played at Anfield, it becomes increasingly clear that Chelsea will find it difficult to upset the table-toppers. 

One battle that will be key to the outcome of the match though will be Chelsea’s most potent attacking threat Cole Palmer against Ryan Gravenberch, who is playing a more defensive role in Liverpool’s midfield this season. Both have been excellent in their roles this term, and it seems as if whether Chelsea can overcome the home team depends on whether Palmer, who has six goals and five assists so far, can win the midfield duel against the Dutchman. 

The 22-year-old has looked revitalised by his new role under Dutch coach Arne Slot and has been a key cog in Liverpool’s dynamic midfield. He has broken up play with ease and has looked comfortable driving into the opposition’s final third. These runs often draw opponents in, freeing his teammates to receive the ball and Gravenberch stood second in the league for passes at the end of a ball carry, behind City’s Mateo Kovacic, ahead of the gameweek. However, Chelsea’s attacking threat may see him playing a slightly more reserved role. 

Therefore, it maybe his ball-winning capabilities that are more prominent on Sunday. 

And, he has been among the best players in the league for both ball recoveries and duel success. 

The biggest threat for Liverpool could be quick counter-attacks. Their only defeat of the season so far was at home and was the result of a successful counter-attack by Nottingham Forest. Under new manager Enzo Maresca, Chelsea has excelled in counter-attacks. Indeed the Blues were clear at the top in terms of shots from quick counter-attacks after the first seven gameweeks, with 11 (the teams in joint second, which included Forest, had 9 each).

Palmer, also 22, expectedly, has been key in the most impressive of these breakaway chances. Indeed, since he joined Chelsea last season, the Englishman has been brilliant at creating chances from fast breaks, both for himself and for his teammates. He has created eight such chances this season, while taking on seven shots. As a result, in terms of direct attacking threat from dribbles, he has arguably been the most well-rounded—goal contributions, shots and chances created—threat this season, even ahead of City’s Erling Haaland and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. 

Therefore, while Liverpool has plenty of potency in the attack, they will have to keep Palmer quiet to avoid nervy moments in defence. To achieve this, Gravenberch will have to stay close to Palmer and prevent him from getting into his stride. It will take a dogged and determined performance and he will need plenty of help from his partner in midfield. 

If Gravenberch wins the battle of the two 22-year-olds, that will most definitely give Liverpool the platform to comfortably see off Chelsea’s challenge. If Palmer finds space and time, it could lead to another upset at Anfield.