Forget, for a minute, the signing Everton did not make and concentrate on ones they did. Their deadline day ended in shambolic fashion, but the last buy they made conjured a spectacular, sensational end to his debut.

The consensus was that they lost the transfer window. Yet when they were losing against Manchester United, two newcomers delivered a draw in glorious fashion.

First to equalise was Tyrique George, proof that, while Everton left some of their business too late in the summer, they got much of it done early. Then it was Ainsley Maitland-Niles, whose arrival was only announced 45 minutes before the deadline.

He was perhaps Everton’s sixth choice among their right-back targets. He was the third right-back they used against Manchester United, only summoned because James Garner had to go off a minute after dropping back into defence. “Jimmy went down with cramp,” said David Moyes. “We are still trying to get to know Ainsley.” This was quite an introduction. “A brilliant goal,” purred his new manager.

Some 19 minutes into his debut, six minutes into stoppage time, the ball fell to Maitland-Niles; 25 yards out, he curled a shot into the top corner. “It’s amazing; everyone wants to start off like that and thankfully I did,” said the former Arsenal player.

Everton can reflect on another kind of late drama. Folarin Balogun, whose midnight U-turn on Tuesday left them short of strikers, may have starred at the World Cup, but the United States centre-forward may have struggled to conjure finishes of such quality.

George’s shot was rising and rasping, unstoppable and, for him anyway, unforgettable. At £18m, George is not the most expensive winger to arrive on Merseyside this summer; not when Bradley Barcola could cost Liverpool over £100m more. Maybe, had Iliman Ndiaye not been sold to Manchester City, he would not have been on the pitch. Instead, after starting on the left, he switched to the right when Jack Grealish was introduced for his second coming. His first Everton goal came after a pass from Hayden Hackney, another of the summer additions.

Moyes might have done some fine business on the cheap. At £4.2m, Maitland-Niles may be the last-ditch, cut-price replacement for Seamus Coleman, but over two spells at Everton, the Scot has shown a capacity to galvanise Everton in adversity. He could be doing it again.

He had a no-excuses mantra when he spoke to his squad. “The players have hugely bought into it,” he said. They sought to find a positive from a negative. “Sometimes when you have less players it means everybody has to be ready.”

And they have been. This was a second successive week when Everton delivered an injury-time equaliser, following James Tarkowski’s goal at Bournemouth, to extend their unbeaten start to the season. “As a manager you don’t plan it that you are going to get a result at the last minute, but when you are behind you need the boys to dig in deep,” said Moyes. They did.

And so Everton are above United in the table. “We haven’t started the season that bad,” insisted Michael Carrick. They haven’t started it that well, either, especially after Maitland-Niles let fly.

“It feels like a defeat,” admitted Carrick. “The cliche is the obvious thing to say. We are bitterly disappointed to be up twice, so close to the end and with all the work that went into putting us into that position. We have taken a point, but it feels like we should have got a lot more.”

But United were punished for twice sitting back and trying to defend a lead. They earned it belatedly. While Bruno Fernandes hooked a shot against the bar, their first half was notable for a failure to turn territory, possession and pressure into clear-cut chances. Marcus Rashford had the beating of Merlin Rohl, the makeshift right-back whose place is now under threat from Maitland-Niles, but United mustered a lone shot on target.

A minute into the second half, however, Bryan Mbeumo provided an immediate improvement, driving infield purposefully to drive a shot past Jordan Pickford.

It suggested that Carrick’s half-time team talk had drawn a response. There was a second managerial intervention to give United a lead, and one which may have made Moyes fear history was repeating itself.

Benjamin Sesko has been confined to the bench for the start of United’s season by a shin problem, but he has proved a very effective replacement in 2026. His fifth goal as a substitute for Carrick was a second at Hill Dickinson Stadium; it looked a second winner, too, when Luke Shaw, whose United career is so long that he was scouted by Moyes in his ill-fated spell as boss at Old Trafford, rolled back the years with his attacking efforts, surged forward and crossed. Sesko headed it in.

Shaw and Rashford had combined well before the Mancunian came off. “He was feeling a bit of something,” said Carrick vaguely, while allaying fears it was serious. Yet United were feeling something, too, as two points slipped from their grasp: bitter disappointment.

Shawn Porter could be about to make an audacious return to the ring.

Porter is a two-time welterweight world champion, having first held the IBF title from 2013 to 2014, before a reign as WBC champion from 2018 to 2019.

He fought some of the biggest names at 147lbs over the years, including the likes of Errol Spence Jr, Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi and Keith Thurman, before retiring following a stoppage loss to Terence Crawford in November 2021.

While it may be nearly five years since Porter last stepped into the ring, he has teased a potential bout with a Hall of Fame inductee, who hasn’t competed himself in over a decade.

Porter revealed the man in question whilst speaking to FightHype, saying that at some point he will get back into the ring against former two-weight world champion Tim Bradley.

“Honestly for me it’s up to that dude. If he want me to kick his ass, I’ll kick his ass. It’s the little man complex that we both have.”

“There is truly an amount of curiosity that [even though] I think we’re both past what would have happened [then], he says he will outbox me.”

“The bottom line is at some point we’ll get in the ring, we either decide on the weight class and put in the work and do it in front of everybody, or I just knock on his door and I say we do this real quick, I need you to know you can’t outbox me.”

Bradley held world honours at both 140lbs and 147lbs, notably taking part in a trilogy with Manny Pacquiao which included a controversial win for ‘Desert Storm’ back in 2012, while he also beat fighters such as Juan Manuel Marquez and Ruslan Provodnikov.

He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023 and has now become a prominent analyst in the sport, with his playful rivalry with Porter coming after the pair began regularly working together, but whether that ever leads to a genuine fight between the two remains to be seen.

Jaja Santiago-Minowa and Creamline during a game against PLDT in the PVL Invitational Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Jaja Santiago-Minowa felt a tinge of regret after missing the chance to win a championship for Creamline in her limited time in the PVL Invitational Conference.

Even Minowa’s huge addition wasn’t enough to lift Creamline in a 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12 loss to PLDT that ended their title bid on Sunday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

READ: PVL: PLDT denies Creamline, sends Nxled to first-ever finals

Jaja Santiago-Minowa after a heartbreaking loss. #PVL2026 @inquirersports pic.twitter.com/vmDXDgKIDl

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) September 6, 2026

Creamline’s loss was Nxled’s gain, as the Chameleons advanced to the final through the FIVB point-system tiebreak with 10 points, ahead of Creamline’s nine and PLDT’s eight.

“We were really aiming for the championship. I’m really sad and I feel bad that I wasn’t able to give that to them during the short time that I’ve been here,” said Minowa in Filipino after firing 25 points, highlighted by nine kill blocks.

“But I’m going to work harder on Tuesday, no matter what happens. At least, we can still fight for a podium finish.”

Creamline missed the Invitational final for the second straight year after ending the preliminary round with back-to-back losses.

But the 6-foot-5 middle blocker still wants to finish strong and bring home the bronze against PLDT also on Tuesday.

“It was definitely a tough loss. I think everyone gave their best, but we just came up short in the end. Maybe the short preparation for everything we’ve been facing also played a part. There are still a lot of things we need to improve as a team,” said Minowa.

READ: Creamline reaps rewards of Jaja Santiago’s presence

Jaja Santiago-Minowa vows to bounce back in the battle for bronze. #PVL2026 @inquirersports pic.twitter.com/lg3zA6apLH

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) September 6, 2026

“But like I said earlier, the fight isn’t over yet. We still have a game on Tuesday. It’s not the finals and it’s not for the gold, but we can change our mindset and treat it like a Finals game. If we win, we’ll still get a medal. It may not be gold, but a win is still a win. So we really need to work hard for Tuesday. It’s a must-win for us.”

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Minowa praised PLDT star Savi Davison, who erupted for a new career-high 37 points in their first-ever duel.

“She jumps really high and attacks at a high point. She’s difficult to block because of how high she contacts the ball, and she also hangs in the air for a long time,” said Minowa, who is set to play in the League One Volleyball in the United States starting in January.

“It’s also difficult to defend her, especially when she gets a good set. But I’m really lucky that I got the chance to play against her. It’s a good challenge because there are a lot of talented players like Savi that we can face, and it’s a good learning experience for me.”

Kimi Antonelli has managed to win the Italian Grand Prix against all odds after starting the race from P19 thanks to an engine penalty that dropped him toward the back of the grid. In doing so, the young Italian has achieved quite a few feats, so let’s take a look at some of them.

Antonelli managed to overtake Mercedes teammate George Russell in the very final stages of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, as he secured his seventh victory of the 2026 F1 season. In doing so, he has also extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings to 66 points over the Briton.

With his brilliant home victory, Kimi Antonelli has achieved some incredible feats, as the 20-year-old made history at Monza. So let’s take a look at what Antonelli achieved on Sunday.

5 feats Kimi Antonelli achieved with his Italian Grand Prix victory

Youngest ever Italian Grand Prix winner

Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest ever Italian Grand Prix winner, doing so just 12 days after his 20th birthday. Before him, this record was held by Sebastian Vettel, who won the race in 2008 to become the youngest ever F1 race winner at the time.

Third driver in F1 history to win from P19 or lower

Antonelli became only the third driver in F1 history to win a Grand Prix from P19 or lower on the grid. In fact, only John Watson, who won the 1983 Long Beach GP from P22, has won a race from further back than Antonelli.

The 20-year-old equaled Bill Vukovich’s record, who won the 1954 Indy 500 from P19 as well, when the iconic race was part of the F1 championship.

First Italian in 60 years to win the Italian Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli became the first Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix in 60 years with his win on Sunday. The previous man from the country to win his home race was Ludovico Scarfiotti, who did so in 1966 driving for Ferrari.

Youngest driver to win seven F1 races

The victory at Monza was Antonelli’s seventh career win, making him the youngest ever F1 driver to get to that number. He is also the youngest driver ever to win seven races in a single season, and the Mercedes driver does not look to be in the mood to stop at that number this year.

Only the fourth Italian driver ever to win the Italian Grand Prix

Antonelli also joined an exclusive list with his win at Monza, becoming only the fourth Italian driver ever to win the Italian Grand Prix. This list includes Giuseppe Farina, who won the race in 1950 driving for Alfa Romeo, Alberto Ascari, who won in 1951 and 1952 with Ferrari, and as already mentioned, Ludovico Scarfiotti, who also won for Ferrari.

Interestingly, Antonelli is therefore the first Italian to win at Monza with a foreign team in Mercedes. He is also the first Italian to win the race in the 21st century.