“Who would be a football manager, eh?

It has been quite the season for Declan Caddell as Crusaders manager, who has successfully secured the north Belfast side’s Premiership status for next season after a penalty shootout victory over Annagh United.

The Crues had a one goal lead after the first leg, but Philip Donnelly’s penalty levelled the aggregate score after just five minutes before Lee Upton edged Annagh ahead.

In the 71st minute Stewart Nixon equalised in the play-off and sent the game to extra time, but neither side were able to find a goal.

During the penalty shootout, Musa Dibaga saved two penalties as the Crues sealed their survival and avoided what would have been just their second relegation in the club’s history.

“Credit to Annagh, they put it up to us,” Caddell told BBC Sport NI.

“For me, that game summarised our whole season in terms of a wee bit of bad luck, not playing for a full 90 minutes, injuries, everything relying on a last gasp, last minute, and credit to Dibaga as well for stepping in and making a difference.

“I’m just relieved to get over the line because it’s been a difficult year. Who would be a football manager, eh?”

Whoever lifts the World Snooker Championship trophy aloft on Monday evening as the confetti streams down around them will have reached the pinnacle of their sport. If it’s John Higgins, it would be for the fifth time, for Shaun Murphy the second and for Mark Allen or Wu Yize, the very first occasion.

It will be a remarkable achievement, the highlight of a career and the fulfilment of a dream that began in childhood. But whoever emerges triumphant will inevitably, sadly, only achieve a fraction of the headlines that frame 14 of the second semi-final did.

After all, pure sporting accomplishment can never match abject farce when it comes to capturing public interest.

And make no mistake, what occurred at the Crucible Theatre on Friday afternoon was the most abject of farces. Allen and Wu played out the longest frame in Crucible history – an epic that lasted more than 100 minutes and ended with Wu snatching his only frame of the afternoon to escape the session locked at 7-7 in their best-of-33 encounter. Yet that barely begins to tell the story.

For 55 minutes, neither player potted a ball as – with Allen leading by 39 points to 13 – the black blocked the right corner pocket and all remaining eight reds gathered around it, creating a logjam that showed no signs of ending as both men sent the cue ball up and down the table, flicking off the cluster.

A state of delirium came over the Crucible as spectators vociferously cheered every shot, chants of ‘wooooooaaaaah’ and ‘Wuuuuuu’ echoed round the arena and harried referee Marcel Eckardt resorted to increasingly hopeless pleas for quiet and decorum to return.

Eckardt had the ability to end the stalemate at any time but instead let it continue until Rob Spencer – who will referee the final and is part of World Snooker Tour’s (WST) tournament director team – entered the arena and had a word with Eckardt, ostensibly informing him that should a re-rack (when a frame is restarted due to stalemate) be called, the frame wouldn’t actually restart there and then, due to the need to play the other semi-final between Higgins and Murphy in the evening session.

“Come on ref, you’ve got to do something here,” fumed 1991 world champion John Parrott on commentary for the BBC. “You’ve got to step in. This is just silly.”

Belatedly, Eckardt did act, warning the players that if the situation hadn’t been progressed by the time they completed three more shots each, he would order a re-rack, rendering the previous hour or so void. That decision was much to the chagrin of Allen, nursing his 26-point lead, and he was eventually forced to commit a foul by potting the black that – after half an hour of more drama – led to Wu winning the longest frame in Crucible history.

“In a nutshell that frame is an embarrassment to snooker, and the referees’ and the players’ association need to try to work out a way so that never happens again,” said six-time world champion Steve Davis, working as a pundit for the BBC.

Ways to stop such a unique situation from occurring appear tough to legislate for, with ideas such as a hard limit on the number of shots allowed without an attempt at a pot being fraught with difficulty. Truthfully, Eckardt had the power to end the farce at any time and should have intervened sooner to stop a scene that, while quite entertaining for its novelty value, was not a great look for the sport as a whole.

WST quickly ruled out making any sort of rule change around re-racks and defended its man, saying it felt that “the rule was applied correctly” by the referee.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry disagreed, saying at one point during the impasse: “The referee needs to call this, I’m afraid. In my opinion he should have called it a while ago… This is the dark side of snooker.”

While the description of some reds stuck around the corner pocket as “the dark side of snooker” is rank hyperbole, given the sport is still recovering from a match-fixing scandal, which saw 10 Chinese players banned from the game, it was certainly a ludicrous situation that was badly handled.

And it capped an arduous session of a semi-final that had begun with great promise on Thursday evening, when 22-year-old Wu – the only semi-finalist under the age of 40 but with the snooker world at the tip of his cue – produced a scintillating spell to build a 6-2 lead in the race to 17.

Friday afternoon’s encore was largely a slog as, in addition to the 100-minute epic, another frame took an hour before Allen got the snooker he needed and pinched it on the black. The Northern Irishman did make a majestic break of 145 in frame 11 and another century in frame 13 as he won each of the first five to turn a 6-2 deficit into a 7-6 lead but the fact there was only time for six of the scheduled eight frames to be played tells its own story.

Luckily, the two sides of the snooker coin were out in full force, with Murphy and Higgins engaged in a humdinger in the other last-four clash. As if to prove a point, they completed their first four frames of the evening, the mid-session interval and the early stages of a fifth frame in the amount of time it took Wu and Allen to play out their record-breaking marathon.

The snooker heavyweights had traded blows in the morning, entering the day at 4-4 before Higgins – chasing a fifth world title and trying to become the oldest world champion in history – notched breaks of 72, 67, 57 and 86 to open up a two-frame advantage, only for 2005 champion Murphy to hit back and level at 8-8.

The evening delivered more captivating snooker as Murphy produced runs of 60, 82 and 105 but was never able to keep his nose in front and his 50-year-old foe made three half-century breaks before a mesmerising 101 in the final frame to inch into a 13-11 lead. Saturday afternoon’s conclusion, with Higgins needing four frames for victory and Murphy requiring six, could make for an all-time classic.

While Wu and Allen’s semi-final may not have been quite as entertaining so far, the fact there is nothing between them means that their final two sessions might also deliver something special.

Who knows, perhaps tomorrow’s headlines will even be about greatness on the table rather than fiasco.

Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates are about to throw down in the Land Down Under. Della Maddalena and Prates, two of the welterweight division’s elite strikers, headline UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

Della Maddalena (18-3) fights for the first time since losing the UFC welterweight title to Islam Makhachev. It was a one-sided thrashing that hurt his stock, but Della Maddalena is ready to fix things. The adjustment from facing a dominant grappler to a pure striker is a stark one. With a world-class team behind him, Della Maddalena is well-prepared for welterweight’s resident knockout artist.

“He can put you down in a bad way,” Della Maddalena told CBS Sports. “I need to be switched on and focused. Being defensively minded is important, but I can’t shell up. I can’t shy away from bringing offense to the table, which will ultimately win the fight.”

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Finding a balance between offense and defense is paramount. Della Maddalena believes he was too complacent against Makhachev. He learned a tough lesson in his last fight that informs his approach moving forward.

“I think getting stuck and not having the footwork. There were opportunities on the back — when I was on the ground — where I was thinking too defensively, trying not to get subbed,” Della Maddalena said. “I should have been attacking and trying to create opportunities to scramble and get back to the feed. So it was a small decision-making and just being stuck too much in a real defensive mindset.”

Prates (23-7) isn’t buying the idea that Della Maddalena is spoiled goods. He’s keenly aware that Della Maddalena made tactical errors against a generational talent. 

“Makhachev is one of the best fighters. He is a two-division champ,” Prates told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “I think [Della Maddalena] did maybe a wrong strategy, but it is what it is. Makhachev is good. That’s why I’m expecting the best version of JDM right now. Probably, he’s going to come angry and hungry. He just lost his belt and wants a run back to the title.”

Prates is already a prolific finisher, less than two years into his UFC run. He’s in the top 10 all-time for welterweight knockouts and could tie the No. 5 spot if he lays out Della Maddalena. A big win puts him within striking distance of a title shot. 

“I heard about Makhachev and Ian Garry on Aug. 15, I think, two days before my birthday,” Prates said. “I hope to be there watching that fight and challenging the champ after the fight. Definitely, after I beat JDM, the second champ I’m going to beat in a row, I’m going to be next.”

In the co-main event, Quillan Salkilld aims to break into the lightweight elite. Salkilld is quickly becoming one of Oceania’s bigger names after notching CBS Sports’ 2025 KO of the Year. He’ll be ranked next week if he can put away perennial contender Beneil Dariush. That’s easier said than done. 

Dariush might be on a decline, but lightweight veterans are tough customers. Justin Gaethje, King Green and Renato Moicano, the latter of whom Dariush recently beat, have spoiled the rise of younger lightweights in the Paramount era. Dariush plans to do the same.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: May 2 | Start time: 7 a.m. (Main Card) | 4 a.m. (Preliminary Card)
Location: RAC Arena — Perth, Australia
Stream: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)

Prediction

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates: Two sensational strikers duking it out at the top of a division? Good luck finding a better Fight Night main event. Della Maddalena is the superior boxer. Prates switches between two styles: a Muay Thai stance and traditional kickboxing. Prates, a southpaw fighter, often gives up outside lead foot position in favor of proximity. He relies on head and trunk movement for protection to set up close-range kill shots. That’s a high-risk approach against Della Maddalena, the superior close-range fighter. We’ve seen athletes successfully blitz Prates at boxing range, putting his heavy back foot off balance. Della Maddalena has the skills to exploit that. Against the fence, Prates often shells up with a high guard. That works in kickboxing, but MMA’s four-ounce gloves make it hard to block punches that way. If Della Maddalena backs him up, he can shred him apart. 

Prates is most effective at covering range. He masterfully hides his punches behind kicks, using his legs to protect himself and mask the incoming punch. Weaponizing his five-inch reach and two-inch height advantage is key against Della Maddalena. Prates’ power is an instant tide turner. Less than two years into his UFC run, Prates is already tied for No. 7 all-time for most welterweight KOs. That always makes rooting against him difficult. However, Della Maddalena has more tools to win this fight standing. If they fought 10 times, Prates would score a few KOs. But, on average, Della Maddalena seems to have more at his disposal. Pick: Della Maddalena via unanimous decision

Who wins Della Maddalena vs. Prates and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 19, 2018, and find out.

As Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag slammed his first fifty of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Parag admitted that while he isn’t focused on outside criticism, his responsibility remains to deliver runs and results for the team. Parag slammed his first of IPL 2026 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Friday in Jaipur. DC snapped their three-match losing streak with a commanding seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Friday.

A blistering 110-run opening stand between KL Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33) laid the perfect foundation for a record 226-run chase, which was calmly finished by Tristan Stubbs (18*) and Ashutosh Sharma (25*) with five balls to spare.

Earlier, Riyan Parag led from the front with a superb 90 off 50 balls, his first fifty-plus score of the season, while Donovan Ferreira smashed an unbeaten 47 off just 14 deliveries to power RR to 225/6 after opting to bat.

Parag steadied the innings alongside Dhruv Jurel (42) following early setbacks, before Mitchell Starc (3/40) struck key blows, including the RR skipper’s wicket, on his return.

Parag also felt the total was competitive, noting the pitch had slowed and 200 seemed around par, but poor bowling, especially leaking boundaries consistently, cost them the game. He explained that the plan was to hold back hitters like Donovan Ferreira, rotate effectively against spin at around 8-9 runs per over, and then target the pacers later.

“I don’t need to answer critics (on his form), but my job is to score runs and get the two points for the team. I think it was a good score. Though 200 was par, the pitch was slowing down, but we bowled badly, conceded boundaries every over and lost a trick or two. With a left-right combination and 8-9 overs remaining, we wanted to delay our hitters (on not sending Donovan Ferraira early), aim for 8-9 runs per over from the spinners and then attack the seamers from the first ball. That was the plan. Hopefully, nothing serious (on his injury), just a tweak on the hamstring, we have a week to recover,” Parag said after the match.

Parag was fined 25 per cent of his match-fee and handed a demerit point after he was caught vaping inside the dressing room during his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Meanwhile, this marks DC’s highest run-chase in IPL history. The visitors sealed the match with 5 balls to spare.

This was a masterclass chase from Delhi Capitals. Coming off a collapse for just 75 in their previous outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and with no prior success chasing 220-plus totals, this was as emphatic a response as it gets, sealed with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

With this win, DC grabs its fourth victory of the season and is placed on 6th in the points table, while RR stays in fourth position with six wins out of their 10 matches.

This is also the second-highest successful chase against RR, behind the 229 runs chased by SRH at the same venue earlier this season.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Manny Pacquiao remains baffled by the result of his one of his fights, believing that even his opponent knows who deserved to emerge victorious.

Boxing legend Pacquiao has competed on 73 occasions in his professional career, but it was his most recent outing against Mario Barrios that has left him confused.

The pair squared off last July, with Barrios making the second defence of his WBC world welterweight title, which he eventually lost against Ryan Garcia in February.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, was entering his first professional outing since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

Yet despite his long layoff, the Filipino was able to hold Barrios to a controversial draw, showing he can still navigate the 12-round distance against a certain level of opponent.

In fact, many believe that Pacquiao deserved to claim the WBC title, which, given his age and inactivity, would have been a remarkable achievement.

As it happened, though, the 47-year-old was unable to return to the win column ahead of his rematch with Floyd Mayweather, which is set to take place later this year.

There is still much uncertainty though, with the two fighters disagreeing over whether or not it will be a fully sanctioned contest, while the respective date and location of September 19 and The Sphere, Las Vegas, are reportedly set to change.

If it does indeed go ahead, Pacquiao is hoping to exact his revenge on Mayweather, and he has told Vibe that it feels as if he is coming off his first win in six years, even if his record says otherwise.

“That was a good fight with Mario Barrios, and I am surprised by the result. It was a draw, supposedly.

“People know who won the fight, even him. I know he knows. I have to move on and look forward to the future.”

Regardless of his draw with Barrios, Pacquiao appears fully confident ahead of his proposed rematch against Mayweather, who won their first encounter via a unanimous decision in 2015.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on perilous ground Friday when they visit the Houston Rockets in their third attempt to close out their NBA playoff first-round series.

No team in NBA history has ever recorded from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, though four have forced a decisive Game 7. The Rockets are one victory away from doing just that following their gritty 99-93 road victory Wednesday in Game 5. Minus star Kevin Durant, who has played just one game in this series and will remain sidelined because of an ankle injury, Houston seeks its third consecutive victory Friday in Game 6 on its home floor. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from the Toyota Center in the Western Conference matchup. 

Led by vintage playoff performances by James and supplemental help from veterans such as Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, the Lakers won the first two games of the series on their home court in wire-to-wire fashion as underdogs. James then led a furious last-minute Game 3 comeback in Houston that resulted in a 112-108 overtime victory and a 3-0 series lead against what appeared to be an understandably deflated Houston club.

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However, the younger Rockets took advantage of a weary Lakers club in Game 4 and rolled to a 115-96 win to stave off elimination before using a defense-oriented effort to force 15 turnovers and hold the Lakers to 42% shooting in the 99-93 Game 5 victory.

Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points in the regular season (second on the team), returned from a nine-game injury absence for Los Angeles in Game 5. He scored 22 points but was just 4-of-16 from the field. Meanwhile, star Luka Doncic remains sidelined indefinitely because of a hamstring injury.

Although Durant is still out for the Rockets, they have found production from versatile big man Alperen Sengun, who is averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Four other Rockets are averaging at least 12.6 points, led by guard Amen Thompson at 19.4 ppg. 

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In addition to this NBA matchup, we’ll take a look at an NHL playoff elimination game and a late MLB contest. Here are the games to watch for Friday, May 1. All times Eastern.

NBA best bets, where to watch

Lakers at Rockets 

Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick — Model: Over 205.5

The SportsLine Projection Model has an ever-so-slight lean on the Rockets against the spread, but it sees this contest falling right near the number most of the time so there is not enough of an edge to recommend a confident play. However, the model’s 10,000-game simulation produced an average score of 108-104 in favor of the Rockets, resulting in a strong play on the Over 205.5 points.

This is an extremely modest total even by NBA playoff standards, but one the teams have clipped just once in regulation in the four non-overtime games. Oddsmakers anticipate another low-scoring, grinding affair, but the model sees just enough offensive output to carry the total Over. The model projects the Over hitting about 61% of the time in comparison to the implied sportsbook odds of around 52%.

MLB best bets, where to watch

White Sox at Padres

Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick — Model: Padres -150

Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. is still seeking his first home run of the season, though he is not the only San Diego regular who is struggling at the plate as the team currently carries a .231 batting average (No. 21 in MLB). The Padres have lost three of their last four, but solid pitching has still carried them to a 19-11 mark as they host the resurgent White Sox on Friday to kick off a three-game weekend series.

German Marquez (3-1, 4.38 ERA) who has won three of his past four outings and pitched a scoreless no-decision in the other, is set to take the mound for San Diego. He is opposed by rookie lefty Noah Schultz (1-1 3.52) for the White Sox, whose 13-13 finish in April was their first month at .500 or better since June 2023. The SportsLine Projection Model offers a fairly confident play on the Padres as a moderate favorite at -150. Its forecasted win rate for San Diego of 65% is greater than the sportsbook implied odds of 60%.  

NHL best bets, where to watch

Golden Knights at Mammoth

Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Salt Lake City | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick — Model: Mammoth -106

The Golden Knights have used back-to-back 5-4 victories to manage a 3-2 lead in this tightly contested series that has seen each game decided by two or fewer goals and each team win on the opponent’s home ice. Las Vegas can wrap up the first-round series with another victory, but the SportsLine Projection Model favors the homestanding Mammoth to force an elimination game.

Oddsmakers have this elimination game priced with about pick’em odds on both sides but the model leans toward the Mammoth, who are 23-16-4 at the Delta Center this season. The model’s 10,000-game simulation sees Utah winning about 60% of the time, a value window compared to implied sportsbook odds of about 52%. 

Liverpool have a number of injury concerns heading into their high-pressure encounter with Manchester United

Arne Slot appears set to be deprived of both Mohamed Salah and Alisson following injury updates on the Liverpool pair ahead of their Premier League showdown with Manchester United. The Reds’ first-choice goalkeeper has been sidelined for the last six weeks, while Salah picked up a problem last weekend against Crystal Palace.

In delivering his latest team news, Slot conceded that Salah will sit out the trip to Old Trafford but is anticipated to shake off the injury and feature again before the curtain falls on his final season at the club. Alisson, meanwhile, has an outside chance of returning but is more likely to be fit for the following weekend, with Slot admitting they will not “take any risks.”

Slot lamented Liverpool’s lengthy injury list in his pre-match press conference, with Milos Kerkez also among those causing concern. The Liverpool manager did confirm it was merely a minor complaint and that he remains expected to feature on Sunday.

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The absence of such high-profile stars marks a boost for United who face their familiar rivals at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Here, Manchester Evening News has the latest on Liverpool’s injury news.

Mohamed Salah

Earlier this week, Liverpool confirmed in an official statement that Salah would return to action this season. Slot echoed that sentiment in his injury briefing on Friday, though revealed he won’t quite make it back into contention against Man United.

What Slot has said: “He is always working incredibly hard when he is injured to get back as soon as possible. Usually, he is back earlier than other players. He has a minor injury, and we expect and need him back for the final part of the season, but not for Sunday [vs Man Utd].”

Potential return date: Aston Villa (A) – Sunday, May 17.

Alisson Becker

Liverpool could welcome Alisson back into the starting XI this weekend, though Slot has indicated that it remains uncertain.

What Slot has said: “Ali hasn’t trained with us yet. [He is] very close… I have to hear today from the medical staff if he is able to train today or tomorrow. Otherwise, the start of next week. He is very close, but of course, we don’t want to take any risks.”

Potential return date: Chelsea (H) – Saturday, May 9.

Milos Kerkez

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Kerkez was mentioned by Slot as one of the Liverpool players experiencing difficulties, though he subsequently acknowledged he anticipates the Hungarian will still be available.

What Slot has said: “Milos has had some niggles, and left the training pitch on Wednesday. I expect him to train today or tomorrow.”

Potential return date: Man Utd (A) – Sunday, May 3.

Giorgi Mamardashvili

Mamardashvili remains several weeks away from making his comeback, as confirmed by Slot earlier this month, following the injury sustained against Everton.

What Slot has said: “No, Giorgi will definitely not be available tomorrow, and not for the upcoming weeks.”

Potential return date: Aston Villa (A) – Sunday, May 17.

Wataru Endo

Liverpool are hopeful of welcoming Endo back for the final few matches of the campaign, with the midfielder having undergone ankle surgery earlier this year.

What Slot has said: “Endo is starting to go out, not with the team, but he is starting to do exercises outside with the rehab team. He will not be available next week or the week after. We are hoping for him to be back at the end of the season

Potential return date: Aston Villa (A) – Sunday, May 17.

Hugo Ekitike

Ekitike has been ruled out for the remainder of the season and this summer’s World Cup due to a serious Achilles injury.

What Slot has said: “The surgery went well, but in such a long rehab process, there are so many steps that need to be made. Experts will tell you this will take multiple months, and then it depends on the steps. We don’t know yet, but the first and most important step is that the surgery went well.”

Potential return date: Aston Villa (A) – Sunday, May 17.

Conor Bradley

Bradley is another player sidelined for a prolonged spell due to a significant injury, though he remains on course to return within this calendar year.

Potential return date: November/December 2026.

Giovanni Leoni

Young defender Leoni is just over seven months into his rehabilitation from a ruptured ACL.

Potential return date: Late 2026.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Leeds bounced back from their Wembley disappointment by beating already-relegated Burnley 3-1 at Elland Road to take another giant step towards Premier League safety.

Daniel Farke’s side, who lost 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final to Chelsea last Sunday, took an early lead through Anton Stach’s superb long-range strike before second-half efforts from Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Loum Tchaouna pulled one back for Burnley in the 71st minute but the managerless visitors, who parted company with Scott Parker by mutual consent on Thursday, slipped to a fifth straight league defeat.

Leeds’ third win in four league matches lifted them up to 14th in the table, nine points clear of the bottom three, with their relegation rivals all in action later this weekend.

Leeds’ former owner Andrea Radrizzani was watching from the stands and he did not have long to wait before cheering their opening goal.

Jaka Bijol rolled the ball to Stach in a central position 30 yards from goal in the eighth minute and the Germany midfielder arrowed a brilliant low shot inside Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka’s left-hand post for his fifth league goal of the season.

The early strike settled Leeds and they pinned Burnley in their own half in pursuit of a second goal.

Stach, back in the starting line-up after a four-game absence due to an ankle injury, was wayward with a free-kick from similar distance soon after and Ao Tanaka also fired over the crossbar.

Burnley’s relegation was confirmed after last week’s 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City and to their credit they maintained their composure under periods of heavy pressure, defending resolutely before half-time.

James Ward-Prowse’s deflected shot was easily gathered by Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow at the start of the second period before the home side struck twice in four minutes to kill the game.

A sweeping move down the right involving Calvert-Lewin and Jayden Bogle saw the latter cross for Okafor to volley into the far corner for Leeds’ second in the 52nd minute.

It was the Switzerland winger’s eighth league goal of the season and his fourth in as many league matches.

Tanaka’s 20-yard shot was then parried by Dubravka and Calvert-Lewin pounced to stab home their third in the 56th – his 12th league effort of the season.

Calvert-Lewin’s effort prompted chants of ‘We are staying up’ and ‘United are back’ from Leeds fans before Burnley responded through Tchaouna in the 71st minute to cut the deficit.

The French forward raced on to former Leeds winger Jaidon Anthony’s superb through-ball and got the better of Pascal Struijk before firing into the bottom corner.

Tchaouna’s goal lifted the Clarets, but Farke sent on substitutes Sean Longstaff and Brenden Aaronson to help steady the ship and they comfortably navigated eight minutes of stoppage time to extend their unbeaten league run to six matches.

Thierry Henry has sent a warning to Arsenal ahead of the final few games of their Premier League title race with Man City

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has cautioned the Gunners that their seemingly favourable fixture list will mean nothing in their Premier League title battle with Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s side sit three points ahead at the summit with four matches remaining, though Pep Guardiola’s outfit have a game in hand.

The Gunners have the chance to extend their lead to six points with victory over Fulham tomorrow afternoon, with City not in action until Monday evening when they face Everton.

Arsenal must tackle relegation-threatened West Ham United and already-relegated Burnley before rounding off the campaign with a trip to Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.

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City, meanwhile, face Brentford, Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa before the curtain comes down on the campaign.

However, Henry has cautioned Arsenal that their remaining fixtures count for nothing if they believe they can simply turn up and coast through their remaining games.

Speaking to Betway Insider, Henry said: “Not at all. It doesn’t change anything to me. Do you think it’s going to be easy away at West Ham when they’re trying to stay up?

“We dropped points against Wolves when we were 2-0 up, and we lost to Southampton. It was supposed to be difficult for Man City at Chelsea, right? You have to respect teams, go out there and perform.

“You just have to win games – it doesn’t matter who it is against, or how it is done. This Arsenal team is very different to mine, but at the end of the day if you win the league, no Arsenal fan will complain.

“Embrace who you are and what you do. We are not a team who are going to create a lot of chances, but we find a way to win games.”

Arteta has emphasised that his squad possess a siege mentality and will leave absolutely nothing on the pitch in their bid to clinch the Premier League title.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with the Cottagers, he said: “There is hunger to play, hunger to compete, hunger to win, and hunger to be closer to achieving our dream.

“We certainly have that (siege mentality). We need to face any context, and any situation to achieve our goal.

“What happened on Wednesday night was extremely disappointing. But we have enough fuel in the tank. We’re playing to win the Premier League. It’s exactly where we want it to be.

“Emotionally, we have to manage that in the right way. But I would place the emphasis more on desire and the determination that we’ve shown all season.

“Because we have only four games to play now, this is game two, and everything is at stake. It doesn’t get better than that.”

World number one Jannik Sinner remains on course for a record fifth consecutive Masters 1,000 title after reaching the Madrid Open final with a straight-set win over Arthur Fils.

The Italian won his 22nd successive match to reach his first Madrid final, where he will face second seed Alexander Zverev.

Sinner, 24, has won the opening three ATP 1,000 events of the season – in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo – and also triumphed in Paris last year.

If he claims a fifth Masters 1,000 title in a row on Sunday, Sinner would surpass Novak Djokovic, who won four consecutive events on three occasions, and Rafael Nadal, who clinched four straight tournaments in 2013.

Sinner has also become the fourth player – and the youngest – to reach all nine Masters 1,000 finals, joining Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

The Italian broke twice to take the first set of Friday’s semi-final 6-2 against 21st seed Fils, who won the clay-court Barcelona Open two weeks ago.

Fils, 21, was 3-2 up in the second set having saved two break points, but four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner finally broke to move 5-4 ahead and served out the match to progress 6-2 6-4.

Sinner becomes the third man to reach the final of the first four Masters 1,000 events of the season, after Federer (2006) and Nadal (2011), while his victory means he is the first player born in the 2000s to record 350 tour-level wins.

Later on Friday, world number three Zverev overcame unseeded Belgian Alexander Blockx 6-2 7-5 to reach the Madrid final for a fourth time.

Sinner and Zverev, 29, will now face off at a fifth consecutive Masters 1,000 event, with the German having lost in straight sets in four consecutive semi-final meetings.

Zverev, a winner in Madrid in 2018 and 2021, raced through the first set against 21-year-old Blockx, but had to be patient in the second, breaking in the 11th game before serving out the match.

Despite his defeat Blockx moves up 34 places to 35th in the ATP rankings, having previously beaten three seeds ranked in the top 20 to reach his first Masters 1,000 semi-final.