Michael Beale wished Rangers well for the future as he issued a social media post within hours of his sacking backing the Ibrox club to get back on track. The 43-year-old was relieved of his duties as Rangers boss late on Sunday evening following a dismal start to the season. Three defeats in seven cinch Premiership matches left them third in the league – behind St Mirren – and seven points adrift of city rivals Celtic before the axe fell on the Englishman. A 7-3 aggregate defeat by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League play-off round in August also helped heighten the pressure on Beale, whose summer rebuild has been widely criticised with a raft of new signings failing to have the desired impact. Beale was swift to pay tribute to the club despite his sacking, as he took to Instagram in the early hours of Monday morning to wish new caretaker Steven Davis all the best. “Thank you @RangersFC to everyone behind the scenes at the training ground and Ibrox, to the board, staff, fans and all the players,” he wrote. “I will always follow and support the club from afar and wish you every success. “Now is the time for everyone to unite fully behind Steven Davis and the team in the coming games. “There is still so much to play for this season and I have a strong belief in this group of players. Thank you and good luck.” Beale’s backroom team of Neil Banfield, Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Jack Ade have also left the club. Davis, the long-serving former Rangers midfielder, has been placed in interim charge and will assisted be another couple of ex-Gers players in Alex Rae and Steven Smith, as well as coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart. Their first task is to rouse the team following Saturday’s humiliating 3-1 defeat at home to Aberdeen as they prepare to head to Cyprus to face Aris Limassol in the Europa League on Thursday. Rangers’ next league match is away to second-placed St Mirren on Sunday before the international break brings a fortnight in which they can try to regroup and bed in a new manager. Kevin Muscat, the former Rangers defender who is currently in charge of Japanese side Yokohama F Marinos, is the early bookmakers’ favourite for the role. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Luke Donald ‘would consider’ continuing as Europe captain for 2025 Ryder Cup Football rumours: Juventus seeking new long-term deal for Adrien Rabiot Late field goal lifts Kansas City Chiefs over brave New York Jets

What the papers say Juventus are reportedly working on a new long-term deal for midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The Daily Mail, citing Tuttosport, says the Italian giant is looking to tie the 28-year-old down for a further three years, after he turned down an approach from Manchester United during the summer in favour of extending his time in Turin. Chelsea are believed to be gearing up for an expensive January. According to The Guardian, the Blues are set to target Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Brentford forward Ivan Toney, after already spending £1billion on new signings in a year. And the Daily Mirror, via Cadena SER, says Luka Modric is on radar of multiple MLS teams, with Inter Miami believed to be especially keen on the Real Madrid midfielder. Social media round-up Players to watch Kalvin Phillips: Arsenal will chase the Manchester City midfielder in January, according to Fichajes. Lamine Yamal: The Daily Mail, citing Fabrizio Romano, says Barcelona are eager to sign the 16-year-old winger to a further three-year deal. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Carabao Cup but Mauricio Pochettino remains under pressure to get a Premier League victory as the Blues travel to Fulham in the west London derby tonight. Chelsea have won just once in the Premier League this season and last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa left Pochettino’s side with just five points from their opening six fixtures, despite another window of heavy spending. Fulham, who finished above Chelsea last season for the first time in 40 years, will be looking to pile the misery back on their neighbours after Wednesday’s victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge brought an end to their winless run. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League fixture. When is Fulham vs Chelsea? The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Monday 2 October at Craven Cottage. How can I watch Fulham vs Chelsea? It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with build-up only being shown as part of Monday Night Football from 6:30pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Fulham are set to be without Kenny Tete and Calvin Bassey, while Willian is in line to start against his former club. Ben Chilwell is the latest Chelsea player to join the club’s long injury list after Mauricio Pochetinno confirmed the left-back had suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Brighton. Reece James is also out, with his replacement Malo Gusto suspended after his red card in the defeat to Aston Villa last weekend. Nicolas Jackson is also suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season. Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke could return. Predicted line-ups Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Decordova-Reid, Reed, Palhinha, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez Chelsea: Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher, Fernandez; Palmer, Sterling, Mudryk Read More Mykhailo Mudryk trying hard to adapt to Chelsea culture after difficult start Fulham boss Marco Silva warns Chelsea ‘tough’ opponents despite recent form The Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ — and latest VAR farce is just the tip VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed Football rumours: Juventus seeking new long-term deal for Adrien Rabiot

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David Beckham has revealed he still cannot forgive himself for the abuse his family suffered amid the fallout from his red card at the 1998 World Cup, which left him a “mess”. A new Netflix documentary series titled ‘Beckham’ is set for release on Wednesday, looking back on the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder’s career as well as his marriage to Spice Girls singer and fashion designer Victoria. In episode two, titled ‘Seeing Red’, Beckham, now 48, reflected on the “stupid mistake” which changed his life after he was sent off for kicking the back of Diego Simeone’s leg during the last-16 clash against Argentina in Saint-Etienne. England went on to lose after a penalty shootout and Beckham found himself centre of a backlash – including a pub hanging up an effigy of the midfielder, who received a hostile reception from rival fans around the country when he returned to action for United the following season. In the documentary, Victoria Beckham said the continued abuse left her husband “absolutely clinically depressed” as the then 23-year-old tried to deal with the fallout alongside becoming a father for the first time in March 1999. Beckham admitted the saga “took a toll on me that I never knew myself”. He said: “I wish there was a pill you could take which could erase certain memories. I made a stupid mistake. It changed my life. “We were in America (on holiday after the World Cup), just about to have our first baby, and I thought, ‘we will be fine. In a day or two people will have forgotten’.” Beckham added: “I don’t think I have ever talked about it, just because I can’t. I find it hard to talk through what I went through because it was so extreme. “Wherever I went, I got abused every single day – to walk down the street and to see people look at you in a certain way, spit at you, abuse you, come up to your face and say some of the things they said, that is difficult. “I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping. I was a mess. I didn’t know what to do.” When I have gone through difficult moments, I was able to block it out, but inside it killed me David Beckham Beckham added: “It brought a lot of attention that I would never wish on anyone, let alone my parents, and I can’t forgive myself for that. “That is the tough part of what happened, because I was the one that made the mistake. “It is only now that I am 47 years old, it is now that I beat myself up about it (still). “When I have gone through difficult moments, I was able to block it out, but inside it killed me.” Beckham spoke of the support he received from then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club as he looked to focus on his football. “That was the only thing I could control – once I was on the pitch, then I felt safe,” Beckham said. “Anytime I was kicked during that season, it was like the (opposition team) had got two goals.” Beckham added: “As horrible as it was to look up to Victoria in the stand (getting that abuse), it was the one thing which spurred me on.” The Netflix documentary also charts Beckham’s triumphant end to the 1998-99 season, which culminated with United having won the Premier League, FA Cup and a memorable Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona. With Paul Scholes and Roy Keane suspended, Beckham played an integral role in United’s comeback win, which was secured by two goals in stoppage time. Reflecting on the match, Ferguson said: “With David, that night there was something inside him saying, ‘I am not going to let this happen’. It was a personal thing that he had in him, that stubbornness and determination.” Beckham’s former United and England team-mate Gary Neville was an executive producer of the Netflix documentary. Neville recalled the way he and Beckham were “absolutely destroying teams” down the right flank for United. “He was with his crossing. I was supporting him in a way which was to be fair, I would say I was a side dish really. Not the beef. I was the mustard on the side,” Neville said. “I was subservient because I needed David to go and do something magical. He was practicing free-kicks and I was practicing throw-ins.” Neville added: “It was telepathic on the pitch. Off the pitch as well, I knew where he was in his mind – it was not enough for him, he wanted to be more than a football player.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says Mykhailo Mudryk is making a concerted effort to adapt to life in England and fulfil his potential as a “unique” player after an indifferent start to his career at Stamford Bridge. The Ukrainian moved from Shakhtar Donetsk in January for a fee that could rise to £88million, but he has featured only inconsistently in the starting XI under successive managers and is yet to score his first Blues goal. He arrived having missed a significant amount of playing time during the previous 12 months after the war in Ukraine caused the suspension of the domestic league, and at the time of Chelsea’s bid he had made only 44 professional appearances for Shakhtar. It is the first time that the 22-year-old has lived outside of Ukraine, with Pochettino having previously made the point that young players in particular require time to settle into a new culture when moving abroad. Mudryk has started each of Chelsea’s last three games and has shown flashes of promising in short bursts, including the beginnings of a burgeoning on-field relationship with new striker Nicolas Jackson. And Pochettino said the winger is making the effort that he expects of his players to integrate as he waits for his expensively assembled side to gel. “The life of these guys, when they are so young, (it) changed,” said the manager, whose squad with an average age of just over 23 is the youngest in the Premier League this season. He’s unique. I can’t find a player to say he is similar. I can’t remember one Mauricio Pochettino on Mykhailo Mudryk “You pay big money, big change form where they came. Also it’s not about to arrive and to perform when you are young. “It’s about to adapt, it’s about to help them to settle. Then the most difficult thing is to understand what these guys need to settle and to feel comfortable and to express their talent. “If you ask me about Misha, he’s a very talented player of course, but you need to go with him very slowly. Cultural and everything is completely different to Latin people, from different countries or part of the world. “He’s now trying to be more open, to adapt and be more involved in every situation, not only on the field but outside also. I think he’s doing a massive effort to try to integrate himself and to understand better what it means to play like a team. “He’s unique. I can’t find a player to say he is similar, I can’t remember one. It’s a good challenge for him, and it’s a good challenge for us.” The manager again refused to blame injuries for his team’s slow start to the season, with as many as 11 players likely to be missing when Chelsea face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday in search of just their second league win of the campaign. There were three players aged 19 or under with no first-team experience named on the bench when the team drew at Bournemouth two weeks ago, and since then Ben Chilwell’s name has been added to an extensive injury list after he limped out of last week’s win over Brighton with a hamstring problem. “I cannot use the excuse of injuries,” said Pochettino. “The performances have been good. We cannot blame injuries, I think it’s not fair. We played well in every single game and we deserved more, but for different reasons, we didn’t score and we were not clinical enough. “But we cannot blame injuries. Of course it’s a factor that we need to improve. When you have your whole squad, you increase the level of the team. You put pressure on the players that play because it’s another player waiting for your place. We’re not winning the games that we deserve, but not because of injuries.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ireland cooking up a storm off the field thanks to Emma Gardner’s influence Ryder Cup day three: Europe’s winners urge Luke Donald to remain as captain Referees have to help themselves – Forest’s Steve Cooper frustrated by decisions

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Rangers have announced the almost inevitable departure of Michael Beale and have put club favourite Steven Davis in charge. Calls for Beale’s departure increased following the 3-1 defeat by Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday, with the players again booed off the park. A third loss in seven cinch Premiership fixtures left the Light Blues seven points behind leaders Celtic and with their title hopes already in jeopardy. Ahead of the Europa League tie against Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night, the Ibrox club released a statement which outlined the changes. It read: “Rangers can confirm it has parted company with men’s first-team manager Michael Beale. “The Rangers board would like to put on record their thanks to Michael and his staff for their efforts since joining the club last November. “Results this season have fallen short of what everyone connected to Rangers would expect. “Therefore, the decision was reached today to terminate the contract of the manager, as well as the contracts of coaches Neil Banfield, Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Jack Ade. “The club is pleased to announce that Steven Davis will lead the interim management team. It is clear that results have fallen well short of the board’s, Michael’s and our supporters’ expectations John Bennett “The team will consist of former Rangers player and hugely experienced coach Alex Rae, former player and current coach Steven Smith, coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.” Rangers chairman John Bennett said: “I’d like to thank Michael for his dedicated work since he rejoined the club as manager last November. “It is clear that results have fallen well short of the board’s, Michael’s and our supporters’ expectations. “The search process for the new manager is already under way. I wish Steven Davis and the interim management team every success – they will remain in charge for as long as it takes to make the right appointment.” Former midfielder Davis’ contract expired at the end of last season but the club had been letting him use the facilities for his rehabilitation following a serious knee injury. It is understood the new management team have all the required UEFA badges to lead Rangers into their European match on Thursday. Beale never recovered from the 1-0 defeat by an under-strength Hoops side at Ibrox last month, with four subsequent wins in three different competitions doing little to appease disgruntled supporters. Beale revamped his squad in the summer but new signings such as Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, Dujon Sterling and Jose Cifuentes have failed to impress. In mitigation, injuries robbed him of Danilo, Todd Cantwell, Kieran Dowell, Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Kemar Roofe for various lengths of time with Ryan Jack and Ridvan Yilmaz picking up injuries against the Dons. Beale, who was first-team coach at Rangers under Steven Gerrard, took over in the Ibrox hotseat in November 2022, following the departure of Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ryder Cup day three: Europe’s winners urge Luke Donald to remain as captain Referees have to help themselves – Forest’s Steve Cooper frustrated by decisions The final day in pictures as Europe win the Ryder Cup

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Liverpool have criticised the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and warned they will “explore the range of options available” following the VAR controversy at Tottenham. The PGMOL admitted VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to act after Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute strike at Tottenham was wrongly ruled out for offside. Still images of the incident showed Cristian Romero playing Diaz onside. The disallowed goal came with the match still goalless but after Curtis Jones had been controversially sent off following England’s intervention. Liverpool went on to lose 2-1. The officials were stood down from duty for the rest of the weekend but Liverpool will continue to pursue the matter. A statement read: “Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined. “We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR. “It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention. “That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency. “This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again. “In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.” England was due to be fourth official at Sunday’s Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, while Cook was to be assistant referee for Monday’s west London derby between Fulham and Chelsea. But the PGMOL announced on Sunday morning that England, the main VAR official at Tottenham, had been replaced by Craig Pawson, while Eddie Smart will step in for Cook, who was the assistant VAR to England. “Darren England, VAR on the Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool fixture, and Dan Cook, AVAR on the same game, have been replaced for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford and Fulham v Chelsea matches today and tomorrow night respectively,” a PGMOL statement said. “Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage.” Son Heung-min put Spurs in front moments after Diaz’s goal was disallowed, and although Cody Gakpo levelled, Tottenham won 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from Joel Matip, with Liverpool finishing the game with nine men after Diogo Jota also saw red. In a statement on Saturday, PGMOL said: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool. “The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. “This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene. “PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ryder Cup day three: Europe’s winners urge Luke Donald to remain as captain Referees have to help themselves – Forest’s Steve Cooper frustrated by decisions The final day in pictures as Europe win the Ryder Cup

Champions Chelsea opened their Women’s Super League title defence with a 2-1 win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Australia striker Sam Kerr, who had been injured at the World Cup, was not in the squad - but Chelsea debutant Mia Fishel headed the home side into a 27th-minute lead. England international Lauren James added another early in the second half from a cross by Guro Reiten, whose initial effort looked to have been cleared away from behind the line. Spurs set up a tense closing 15 minutes when Martha Thomas pulled a goal back, before Chelsea substitute Jelena Cankovic saw her late goal ruled out for offside. Manchester United came from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal from substitute Rachel Williams at Villa Park, where the hosts saw Kirsty Hanson sent off. Scotland winger Hanson was shown a straight red card in the 74th minute for her high tackle on United midfielder Hayley Ladd. Villa, though, soon took the lead through England international Rachel Daly, only for Lucia Garcia to quickly have United back on level terms. Just when it seemed both teams would have to settle for a point, Williams headed in Nikita Parris’ deflected cross to secure United a dramatic victory. Leicester came from behind to beat newly-promoted Bristol City 4-2 at Ashton Gate. The Robins, back in the top flight after an absence of two seasons, went ahead through a fine strike from Carrie Jones in the 33rd minute. New Leicester signing Aimee Palmer, playing against her former club, fired the visitors level in added time at the end of the first half. Leicester took control after the break, as Shannon O’Brien put them in front and German striker Lena Petermann, making her debut, headed a third in the 52nd minute. Fellow debutant Jutta Rantala increased Leicester’s lead with seven minutes left before Amalie Thestrup scored her first Robins goal from the penalty spot. Elisabeth Terland scored twice in the first half as Brighton opened their WSL campaign with a 2-0 win at Everton. Norway forward Terland headed in after the ball came back off the crossbar to give the visitors a third-minute lead and soon added a second after being played in by Katie Robinson. Everton captain Megan Finnigan reduced the deficit just after the hour, but the home side were unable to conjure an equaliser. Manchester City won 2-0 at West Ham as Jill Roord scored on her debut. Lauren Hemp broke the deadlock early in the second half with a curling effort before Chloe Kelly then saw her penalty saved. Netherlands international Roord, a club-record summer signing from Wolfsburg, slotted in to open her City account in the 55th minute. City finished a player down after Leila Ouahabi was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Emma Harries, but the Hammers could not get themselves back into the game. Read More Arsenal break Women’s Super League record – but suffer shock Liverpool defeat Manchester United claim WSL victory with last-gasp goal against 10-player Aston Villa Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur LIVE: Latest Women's Super League updates Arsenal break Women’s Super League record – but suffer shock Liverpool defeat Manchester United claim WSL victory with last-gasp goal against 10-player Aston Villa

Follow live coverage as Chelsea face Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s Super League today. Last season it was Chelsea who again took the WSL title, just edging out Manchester United, while Arsenal and Manchester City are expected to be contenders in 2023/24 too. Relegated Reading have been replaced by Bristol City after they won the Championship title by a single point last term, while the likes of Liverpool, Everton and West Ham will hope for continued progression this year too. On the back of the Lionesses’ magnificent runs at Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the women’s game continues to go from strength to strength with increasing crowds and exciting new signings from overseas. Follow live updates from today’s game in the live blog below.