Jim Harbaugh's deal with the NCAA infractions committee on a four-game suspension to start the 2023 Michigan football season is now off.Sorry ECU, UNLV, Bowling Green and Rutgers fans. That slight hope you had about facing Michigan without head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines is now gon...

James Maddison has promised to fill the creative void at Tottenham after he admitted to a sense of inevitability about joining the club. The England international completed a £40million move to Spurs from Leicester in June and will make his debut in Sunday’s Premier League opener away to Brentford. It will mark the start of a new era for Tottenham with a huge sense of mixed emotions amongst the fanbase after Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich was finalised on Saturday. While Kane’s departure is a bitter pill to swallow, there remains optimism about the attacking brand of football new manager Ange Postecoglou will try to implement and excitement around signings like Maddison. Speaking at a TNT Sports event last week before Kane’s departure, Maddison said: “When I was speaking to my agent about moving clubs and you come to a place where you need to make decisions, where you want to go and what you think fits best, I could actually see myself playing for Spurs. “There’s a little window for me at Tottenham Hotspur, a creative player that they’ve always had, maybe not had in recent years. “I could definitely see myself, when making the decision, playing for Tottenham, in that kit, in that stadium and being the creative player I know I can be. “I’ve always had a strong self belief and I’ll always back myself and my own ability to succeed. It hasn’t failed me so far so I will continue to have that mindset and attitude. I just saw myself playing at Tottenham.” Maddison, 27, had been tracked by Spurs since he was a teenager at Coventry and following spells with Norwich and Leicester, he will finally wear the white of Tottenham. He appears the natural heir to Christian Eriksen, who wore the crown as the team’s chief creator until his departure in 2020. Kane has carried the creative burden alongside his goalscoring exploits in recent seasons under the pragmatic football of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but his exit on the eve of the season will further put the onus on Maddison. “There was interest that never really fully materialised for whatever reason,” Maddison reflected on Spurs’ past interest. “When I spoke to the chairman (Daniel Levy), he shared with me that he was a fan of mine and had followed my career for a while. That was obviously nice to hear. “Sometimes things don’t always work out and you can’t just like a player and get them, it doesn’t always work like that. It is a little bit more complicated than that, but it was nice to hear and that there had been interest. “You do see sometimes hear rumours and paper talk and stuff, but when it did materialise and I ended up speaking to the manager and chairman, it was a thing I was flattered by and I’m really happy to be at Tottenham.” If Maddison buys into the notion that he fits in at Spurs, he has a similar opinion of new boss Postecoglou, who made the former Leicester playmaker one of his vice-captains on Saturday. Postecoglou will make his Premier League bow at Brentford and while his name does not carry the same weight that Mourinho and Conte did, there seems no doubt fans will quickly get on board if his bold, attacking style can translate into results. Maddison added: “I think that’s why he’s at Tottenham as well because of how he likes to play. “It kind of suits Tottenham and maybe what they lacked a little bit with managers of recent times. The club has obviously had some big name managers and the type of football I imagine Spurs fans want to see has been a little bit lacking. “But the quality is there to be an attacking team. The players are there to do it and the manager made no hesitation on the way he wants to play.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Harry Kane makes debut as Bayern Munich suffer defeat in German Super Cup Late Thomas Ramos penalty earns France victory over battling Scotland Steve Borthwick to ‘wait and see’ on England captain Owen Farrell’s suspension

Harry Kane made his debut for Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup, but missed out on his first trophy as Leipzig won 3-0 at the Allianz Arena. The England captain stepped off the bench as a 63rd-minute replacement for Mathys Tel but made little impact, with DFB-Pokal holders Leipzig running out convincing winners thanks to Dani Olmo’s hat-trick. Kane, who wore the number nine shirt after training with his new team-mates for the first time on Saturday morning, has yet to win any silverware in his 14-year senior playing career. Kane, who has signed a deal until June 2027 after Tottenham agreed an £86.4million deal plus add-ons with the German champions, was given a rapturous reception by the Bayern fans after stepping out of the dug-out. The striker had earlier taken to social media to announce his departure from Spurs, which chairman Daniel Levy said the club “reluctantly” agreed to as Kane, who had entered into the last 12 months of his contract in north London, had made it clear he was seeking a fresh challenge. Kane said: “It’s not a goodbye because you never know how things pan out in the future, but it’s a thank you and I’ll see you soon.” He told his new club’s website: “I’m very happy to be a part of FC Bayern now. “Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I’ve always said that I want to compete and prove myself at the highest level during my career. This club is defined by its winning mentality – it feels very good to be here. “I feel like it was the right step in my career to really push myself and test myself on the highest level so that’s why I’m here and I look forward to that challenge.” Shortly before the deal was officially confirmed, Kane posted a message on social media in which he thanked the fans and said he had not wanted to start the season with his future unresolved. “From the moment I’ve been playing I’ve been one of your own and I’ve given everything that I possibly could to make you proud and give you as many special moments and memories to hopefully last forever,” Kane said. “This is a message to all you fans around the world, every single Tottenham fan that’s supported me and been with me throughout my journey. “Me and my family will cherish it forever, we’ll never forget all the moments we’ve had together so thank you. “I felt like it was the time to leave. I didn’t want to go into the season with a lot of unresolved future talk. “I think it’s important for the new manager and the players to concentrate on trying to get Tottenham back to around the top of the table and fighting for trophies, so I wish Ange (Postecoglou) and all the boys all the very best of luck. “I’ll be watching from a fan point of view now and really hope the team can be successful.” Postecoglou had revealed on Friday that Kane’s move was “imminent” after a breakthrough in negotiations between the clubs was reached on Wednesday night. It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club for Bayern. Kane leaves Tottenham as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 280 goals but without a trophy. Bayern had seen their previous bids for Kane turned down, but refused to give up their pursuit of the 30-year-old, who remains 47 goals shy of equalling Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260. Levy told the club’s website: “We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term. “Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer. “We have seen a product of our academy system become one of the best players to ever pull on a Spurs shirt and become one of world football’s elite strikers. It has been a truly remarkable journey.” Kane’s strike partner at Spurs, Son Heung-min, paid tribute to his departing colleague in a post on Instagram and was later confirmed by the club to have been appointed as their new captain. Son, who holds the Premier League record for goal combinations with Kane, wrote: “Leader, brother, legend. “Since day one it has been a joy to play by your side. So many memories, amazing games and incredible goals together. “Harry, thank you for everything you have given to me, to our club, and to our fans. Wish you nothing but the best in your new chapter. Good luck brother.” Tottenham said of Son’s appointment as skipper on their website: “Heung-Min Son has been named club captain. “Sonny, 31, takes over the captain’s armband from Hugo Lloris, who first captained the team in 2014-15 and was named skipper for the start of 2015-16 – Sonny’s first season at Spurs. “James Maddison and Cristian Romero have been appointed vice-captains.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Late Thomas Ramos penalty earns France victory over battling Scotland Steve Borthwick to ‘wait and see’ on England captain Owen Farrell’s suspension Eddie Howe reveals his admiration for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has revealed he signed £52million midfielder Sandro Tonali after he “fell in love” watching his play for AC Milan last season. The 23-year-old Italy international made a stunning Premier League debut in the Magpies’ 5-1 rout of Aston Villa on Saturday evening, announcing himself in English football in style with the opening goal and a commanding engine room display. Asked if Tonali had exceeded his expectations, head coach Howe said: “I don’t know. I wouldn’t say so because that would be disrespectful to his ability. “We pursued him for a long, long time, paid a big fee for him because I fell in love watching him play the game last year. “He’s an outstanding talent. He can do a little bit of everything. Very similar to our other midfielders, he’s got a combination of a lot of attributes that I think will suit the Premier League. “This is one game. I don’t want to go over the top and put more pressure on him, but it’s a really good start and I’m just pleased that he looked confident in the shirt, and the fans have certainly taken to him. That’s a great thing to see.” Tonali set the ball rolling with the opener just six minutes into his first competitive appearance in a black and white shirt only for equally impressive Villa debutant Moussa Diaby to level in short order. However, Alexander Isak struck either side of half-time to put the home side in control and late goals from substitutes Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes rounded off a thrilling performance. The romp left Newcastle top of the fledgling table, although Howe admitted that was of little significance to him. He said: “It’s nice, but it’s not important at this stage for me. The most important thing today was our performance, our attitude to the game, how we tried to deliver what we asked the players to do. “There’s a long season ahead and we know we come back to earth quickly because we have Manchester City away next week and that’s going to be a huge challenge, so my mind is already turning to that.” Villa’s disappointment at the way the game unravelled was compounded by what looked like a serious injury to England defender Tyrone Mings which saw him carried from the field on a stretcher before the break. Head coach Unai Emery said: “We don’t know what’s happened with this injury, but it doesn’t look good. Tomorrow we will scan him and hopefully it is not important. We have to wait for the scan, but it doesn’t look good.” Howe, who saw Mings suffer an anterior cruciate ligament in 2015 shortly after he had signed him for Bournemouth, said: “I have to say he faced that period out with incredible courage and resilience, and what he’s done since that moment, to go on and play for his country and be outstanding in the Premier League, is testament to that resilience. “We certainly wish him well and I send him all my love.” Asked if he had been shocked by his team’s performance, Emery said: “At the end, 5-1 is a little bit more than we deserved. “They [Newcastle] deserved to win, but not like that and that with the impact of injuries this week is very, very tough. We have lost two very, very important players for today in the match and for the next weeks.”

Sandro Tonali paid off the first instalment of his £52million transfer fee as he marked a fine debut with his first goal and inspired Newcastle to a 5-1 drubbing of Aston Villa. The 23-year-old Italy international opened the scoring just six minutes into his first competitive appearance for the Magpies and had a hand in two more of their goals as Alexander Isak helped himself to a double and substitutes Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes struck late on after Moussa Diaby, also making his bow in England’s top flight, had levelled. However, a hugely entertaining game win was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to Villa’s England defender Tyrone Mings, who was carried from the pitch on a stretcher to warm applause from a crowd of 52,207 at St James’ Park after going down following a clash with Isak. Neither Tonali nor Diaby wasted any time in making a significant impact for their new employers. Less than six minutes had elapsed when the Italian timed his arrival into the six-yard box perfectly to volley home Anthony Gordon’s cross after Emiliano Martinez had parried Bruno Guimaraes strike, and he might have doubled his tally two minutes later but for the goalkeeper’s block. However, Newcastle’s advantage lasted only fleetingly when Diaby, who had seen an earlier attempt from a tight angle saved by Nick Pope, was similarly well placed to equalise after Ollie Watkins had flicked on Lucas Digne’s left-wing cross. But the impressive Tonali was not finished and it was his deep 16th-minute cross which was turned acrobatically across goal by the stretching Sven Botman for Alexander Isak to open his account for the season from close range. Pope was relieved to see Watkins’ scuffed first-time effort from livewire Diaby’s pull-back after another menacing run slide just wide as an end-to-end encounter unfolded at frantic pace. Villa’s fortunes took a further turn for the worse when Mings, just days after midfielder Emiliano Buendia suffered a serious knee injury, was carried from the field following a tangle of legs with Isak. The visitors nevertheless refused to take a backwards step in a breathless contest and Watkins might have done better after meeting Digne’s corner unopposed, while Diaby fired into the side-netting from Luiz’s intelligent pass three minutes before the break. Martinez picked up a stoppage-time booking for hauling back Miguel Almiron outside his penalty area with the home crowd calling for a red card and making their feelings towards referee Andy Madley abundantly clear when he did not produce one. Another Villa new boy, Youri Tielemans, entered the fray as a half-time replacement for Leon Bailey, but Gordon saw a 51st-minute attempt deflected wide after Almiron had led a pacy counter-attack. Tielemans helped to drive the visitors forward once again, but that allowed the Magpies to exploit the space they left behind, and they went further ahead with 58 minutes gone when Isak pounced on a slip by Ezri Konsa before chipping the ball over the advancing Martinez. The Villa keeper had to race from his line once again to deny Joelinton, but recovered in time to field Almiron’s follow-up, although it was Pope who was called upon to repel Watkins’ 64th-minute drive before Matty Cash blazed over from the rebound. Martinez was beaten once again 13 minutes from time when Barnes collected Tonali’s pass and crossed for Wilson to score, and although the Argentina international denied Wilson a second with an instinctive save, he was beaten again by Barnes in added time. Read More Rob Edwards admits Luton must make a rapid improvement after Brighton defeat Roy Hodgson brushes off Max Lowe spat as Crystal Palace beat Sheffield United West Ham boss David Moyes considering using Jarrod Bowen as striker Neal Maupay exposes Everton’s damning void as season starts in defeat Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra hit debut goals as Brighton stroll past Luton Mikel Arteta says Eddie Nketiah forced his way into Arsenal team in training

Sandro Tonali paid off the first instalment of his £52million transfer fee as he marked a fine debut with his first goal and inspired Newcastle to a 5-1 drubbing of Aston Villa. The 23-year-old Italy international opened the scoring just six minutes into his first competitive appearance for the Magpies and had a hand in two more of their goals as Alexander Isak helped himself to a double and substitutes Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes struck late on after Moussa Diaby, also making his bow in England’s top flight, had levelled. However, a hugely entertaining game win was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to Villa’s England defender Tyrone Mings, who was carried from the pitch on a stretcher to warm applause from a crowd of 52,207 at St James Park after going down following a clash with Isak. Neither Tonali nor Diaby wasted any time in making a significant impact for their new employers. Less than six minutes had elapsed when the Italian timed his arrival into the six-yard box perfectly to volley home Anthony Gordon’s cross after Emiliano Martinez had parried Bruno Guimaraes strike, and he might have doubled his tally two minutes later but for the goalkeeper’s block. However, Newcastle’s advantage lasted only fleetingly when Diaby, who had seen an earlier attempt from a tight angle saved by Nick Pope, was similarly well placed to equalise after Ollie Watkins had flicked on Lucas Digne’s left-wing cross. But the impressive Tonali was not finished and it was his deep 16th-minute cross which was turned acrobatically across goal by the stretching Sven Botman for Alexander Isak to open his account for the season from close range. Pope was relieved to see Watkins’ scuffed first-time effort from livewire Diaby’s pull-back after another menacing run slide just wide as an end-to-end encounter unfolded at frantic pace. Villa’s fortunes took a further turn for the worse when Mings, just days after midfielder Emiliano Buendia suffered a serious knee injury, was carried from the field following a tangle of legs with Isak. The visitors nevertheless refused to take a backwards step in a breathless contest and Watkins might have done better after meeting Digne’s corner unopposed, while Diaby fired into the side-netting from Luiz’s intelligent pass three minutes before the break. Martinez picked up a stoppage-time booking for hauling back Miguel Almiron outside his penalty area with the home crowd calling for a red card and making their feelings towards referee Andy Madley abundantly clear when he did not produce one. Another Villa new boy, Youri Tielemans, entered the fray as a half-time replacement for Leon Bailey, but Gordon saw a 51st-minute attempt deflected wide after Almiron had led a pacy counter-attack. Tielemans helped to drive the visitors forward once again, but that allowed the Magpies to exploit the space they left behind, and they went further ahead with 58 minutes gone when Isak pounced on a slip by Ezri Konsa before chipping the ball over the advancing Martinez. The Villa keeper had to race from his line once again to deny Joelinton, but recovered in time to field Almiron’s follow-up, although it was Pope who was called upon to repel Watkins’ 64th-minute drive before Matty Cash blazed over from the rebound. Martinez was beaten once again 13 minutes from time when Barnes collected Tonali’s pass and crossed for Wilson to score, and although the Argentina international denied Wilson a second with an instinctive save, he was beaten again by Barnes in added time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Leigh hero Lachlan Lam reveals cup-winning drop-goal was step into unknown Rob Edwards admits Luton must make a rapid improvement after Brighton defeat Rangers boss Michael Beale pleased to end ‘rough week’ on high note with big win

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Michael Beale spoke of “a rough week behind the scenes” ending on a high after a late Rangers surge gave them a 4-0 cinch Premiership win over Livingston at Ibrox. The Govan outfit came in for heavy criticism after losing their league opener 1-0 at Kilmarnock last weekend and there were still some misgivings after the Gers beat Servette 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier at home on Wednesday night. On a day that midfielder Jose Cifuentes made his first start, Sam Lammers opened the scoring with a drive after 10 minutes but it was a struggle thereafter until Brazilian attacker Danilo headed in a second in the 78th minute, with further goals from substitutes Abdallah Sima and Kieran Dowell putting gloss on the scoreline. Beale said: “The game was in three parts. The first part we started really well and scored a really good first goal. “Todd (Cantwell) did great linking with Cyriel (Dessers) and it was nice for Sam to get his first official goal. “Cifuentes had a fantastic debut but after his goal gets called off (for handball) we slowed down and got stuffy. “We spoke about that but it didn’t improve till the subs came on. If anything part of our play was wasteful when we had good moments. It was a mixed bag. It was a rough week behind the scenes. Michael Beale “There was tension in the stadium. We had some good moments when we should have killed things off and didn’t. “Fair play to Sima and Rabbi (Matondo), they gave us what we needed and took us up the pitch and we got back to where we started in the game. We improved and I’m pleased that those three then got their first goals too. “So it was a mixed bag. It was a rough week behind the scenes. Players going into the first home game in the league in a season when we are under more than a little bit of pressure. “For the new guys they rode every emotion this week. That’s why at the end of the week when I pick the bones out of it I’ll be positive rather than pessimistic. “The new guys have scored their goals, Dujon (Sterling) had his debut, Jose was excellent and Jack (Butland) has his first clean sheet so all in all, the week has ended better than it started.” Livi boss David Martindale was somewhat bemused to leave Ibrox on the back of such a negative scoreline. He said: “Goals change games. Believe it or not, I was sitting there thinking that (goalkeeper) Shamal George had a good game but he’s picked the ball out of the net four times. “I think this has been my 10th year at Livingston and we’ve played Rangers in eight of those years. “I’ve been battered in games, I’ve lost them 1-0, I’ve lost them 2-0. I think this is my heaviest defeat at Ibrox and I genuinely think we’ve been in the game for 78 minutes. “We managed to nullify a lot of the threats that Rangers posed, so I was fairly happy. “Listen, we can do better at the first goal, but I genuinely thought we could get a goal at 1-0. “I was just about to make a couple of changes before the second goal went in, but we allowed a cross to come in from (Borna) Barisic which we knew they were going to do and we didn’t defend the back stick well enough. “Rangers got huge energy, confidence and momentum from the crowd because up until that point, the game could have swung – they looked like they could score again and we looked like we could get one back. “I’m frustrated, but also proud of the players up to a certain level, and also disappointed for them. I could see how much they put into it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tom Pidcock wins mountain bike cross-country at World Championships Sean Dyche bemoans Everton’s lack of cutting edge in defeat to Fulham Roy Hodgson brushes off Max Lowe spat as Crystal Palace beat Sheffield United

David Moyes is considering converting Jarrod Bowen into an out-and-out striker following his latest goal for West Ham. Bowen had fired the Hammers into the lead early in the second half at Bournemouth with a spectacular curler from the edge of the box. But Moyes’ side were denied an opening-day win when Dominic Solanke rounded Alphonse Areola to snatch a 1-1 draw with eight minutes remaining. Bowen’s last kick of last season was the late goal which secured the Europa Conference League trophy against Fiorentina in Prague, 66 days ago. This time he collected the ball off Tomas Soucek 20 yards out, cut onto his left foot and buried a superb, curling effort beyond the dive of Neto. “It was a brilliant goal,” said Moyes, who previously successfully turned Marko Arnautovic from winger to striker at West Ham. “Jarrod is becoming our major goalscorer. There’s a lot of talk about needing to buy a centre-forward but I’m going to see if Jarrod could do the job. “He’s got the instincts and the sharpness. Hull played him at centre-forward so it’s not me trying to be a genius.” West Ham were pegged back when Antoine Semenyo’s wayward shot fell at the feet of Solanke, who showed tremendous composure to slip the ball around Areola and tap into an empty net. “The goal was really scruffy,” added Moyes. “I don’t know if the boy is crossing or shooting, it clipped Tomas Soucek’s heel and was bad fortune for us, but we probably brought it on ourselves.” Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta put in an eye-catching display in a deep-lying midfield role, showing glimpses of why Manchester City made an approach to sign him. Moyes, who has already lost Declan Rice this summer, does not want another of his best players to leave but is realistic enough to know he might not be able to stop him. “There’s a price on everyone’s head somewhere,” he said. “We don’t want Lucas to go, it’s as simple as that. But sometimes it’s difficult to say to these boys you can’t join Manchester City, or Real Madrid, the biggest clubs in the world. “We’ve had a bit of news on Lucas but we’ve had nothing that’s made us wobble.” Bournemouth’s new boss Andoni Iraola enjoyed his first taste of Premier League football. “It’s a good point, we wanted three,” said the Spaniard. “We were better at the end of both halves. “After tying the game the momentum was with us and we finished better, but it was one point. “We improved after the first half and second half we were a bit more direct. We have to improve, this was the first game of the season. We have to grow from this starting point.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tom Brady addressed Birmingham squad before last-gasp victory over Leeds Lachlan Lam lands golden point drop goal to give Leigh dramatic win over Hull KR Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson was surprised at himself after getting involved in a touchline spat with Sheffield United’s Max Lowe as his side enjoyed a winning start to the Premier League season. Hodgson clashed with the Blades defender, who appeared to shove the 76-year-old in the midriff, midway through the second half after he stopped the ball in the dugout. His side were winning 1-0 at the time through Odsonne Eduoard’s 50th-minute goal and that is how it ended at Bramall Lane as Palace started the campaign strongly. “It took me a bit by surprise, I suppose I don’t take many challenges these days at my age, so it took me by surprise,” Hodgson said of the incident. “It was nothing at all and immediately afterwards Max Lowe looked over and we smiled at each other. “He obviously realised he hadn’t done a lot to hurt me and I was probably a bit surprised I have got the energy to react in the way I did.” Hodgson also distanced himself from wantaway goalkeeper Vicente Guaita’s pre-match tweet, which appeared to question his exclusion from the matchday squad. The Palace boss said earlier this week that the Spaniard had refused to play in pre-season, but he tweeted: “Where is my name? So how can I play for Palace?” Hodgson said: “I didn’t know that happened, I don’t really think about it at all. “I’m more than happy we got through today’s game, our goalkeeper was largely untroubled throughout the game, everything he had to do he did well.. What you’re talking about will be something that he and the club will need to sort out, for me it doesn’t affect me whatsoever.” Defeat for the Blades worsens the gloom around the club following last season’s promotion. They have sold star men Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge and have yet to replace them, with boss Paul Heckingbottom admitting that the loss exposed how far away they are from competing at this level. But he expects that to improve between now and the end of the transfer window. “It’s obvious. That’s not the story,” he said when asked whether this loss highlighted the gap. “The story is that’s where we are at the minute, but we’re only going to improve. We’ve sold players so we have got the money to spend to bring players in. “I can’t be critical, I think we needed the first goal if I am honest. We compromised the way we wanted to play with the difference in the team. “But I felt by being disruptive and aggressive, we had an impact on the game, especially in the second half. “To concede the first goal so early in the second half made it difficult. These are a well established team, they have experience, they have some real quality. I have not come away from there scared and the players shouldn’t either.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tom Pidcock wins mountain bike cross-country at World Championships Sean Dyche bemoans Everton’s lack of cutting edge in defeat to Fulham West Ham boss David Moyes considering using Jarrod Bowen as striker

Everton manager Sean Dyche was frustrated by his side’s inability to convert their chances and disappointed by the lack of VAR intervention on Michael Keane’s disallowed goal in the 1-0 defeat to Fulham. Despite an encouraging performance in which they created twice as many chances as the visitors, they were undone by a sucker-punch goal as two Cottagers substitutes Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andreas Pereira combined to provide the third, Bobby Decordova-Reid, with a 73rd-minute tap-in. But it was the chalking off of Keane’s goal, when he turned the ball into an empty net after goalkeeper Bernd Leno had dropped it in a challenge with James Tarkowski, which was crucial to an Everton side who were the Premier League’s lowest scorers last season. “Very frustrated with the outcome. We played well and a lot of the things we are looking for were there, especially first half,” said Dyche. “We limited them to almost no chances or nothing clear while creating nine or 10 in the first half, five of which are high quality. We had one of the highest chance counts in my time. So the mix of the performance is right, but we have to score a goal. “I am a big fan of VAR, I don’t know why (Keane’s goal was not referred) on this occasion, I get the idea they are promoting the idea the referee’s decision is first but they should step in on this one. “I can’t really work it out. I have seen it back, Tarky does nothing really, minimal contact other than the keeper landing on him. “The minimum should be that you go and look at the monitor. He didn’t do anything to put the keeper off and he drops it.” Fulham boss Marco Silva – a former Everton manager – admitted his side got fortunate with the result. “It was not a good performance from ourselves. Overall during the game we didn’t perform at our level,” he said. “Even if we started the game well. after the first 15 minutes we started to lose too many balls in areas it is difficult to lose balls in. “We gave Everton so many chances to punish us in counter-attacks. It was more our fault because we didn’t perform. Bernd keeps us in the game – a great performance. “That we are able to win in such circumstances, it is a great feeling. It is not a problem for me to say Everton deserved better. “It’s a great feeling when you don’t play at your level for 95 minutes and you are able to win away from home.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tom Pidcock wins mountain bike cross-country at World Championships Roy Hodgson brushes off Max Lowe spat as Crystal Palace beat Sheffield United West Ham boss David Moyes considering using Jarrod Bowen as striker

Rob Edwards admits Luton must quickly improve after their Premier League debut ended in a thumping 4-1 defeat at Brighton. Just nine years on from being a non-league side, the newly-promoted Hatters were taught a punishing lesson on their first return to top-flight action since relegation from the old First Division in 1992. Carlton Morris’ 81st-minute penalty gave Town hope of snatching something at the Amex Stadium after Joao Pedro’s spot-kick added to Solly March’s first-half header. But, despite some encouraging signs, they were second best on the south coast and ultimately suffered a resounding loss following late finishes from Seagulls substitutes Simon Adingra and Evan Ferguson. “We have to do it our way,” said manager Edwards. “We have got a plan, we’ve had that over the last decade or so and had a lot of success. “We’re now going into what’s probably going to be the biggest challenge the club’s had. We know the scale of the challenge. We’re going to have some tough days. “I don’t want anyone to be happy about losing football matches – we’re certainly not. “I was pleased with stuff I saw today. I know we’re going to get better. But we’ve got to get better quickly.” March nodded the hosts ahead nine minutes before the break before Brighton’s £30million record signing Pedro slotted home from 12 yards, having been brought down by Luton captain Tom Lockyer. Morris’ successful spot-kick, after Jacob Brown’s cross struck the elbow of Lewis Dunk, looked to have set up a tense finale. But an inexplicable error from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu allowed Albion debutant Adingra to swiftly restore the hosts’ two-goal advantage before fellow substitute Ferguson added another deep into stoppage time. Edwards, who felt both penalty decisions were “harsh”, was left to rue his side’s mistakes. “I thought we were right in the game at 1-0 and at 2-1 but we shot ourselves in the foot,” he said. “We made a couple of clear errors in the build up to the third goal and we got punished and at this level you do get punished. “It shows the ruthless nature of the league.” Brighton set aside Moises Caicedo’s ongoing transfer saga to launch their first campaign to feature European football in commanding fashion. Build up to the contest was dominated by news of Albion accepting a British record transfer fee of around £111million from Liverpool for the absent Ecuador midfielder amid reports he would prefer to join Chelsea. Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi, who handed debuts to James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud, in addition to goalscorers Pedro and Adingra, also lost Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool during the summer, while Levi Colwill returned to parent club Chelsea. The Italian warned it will take his team time to hit the heights of last season, which brought a club-record sixth-placed finish, and does not view Dahoud as a direct replacement for Caicedo. “Dahoud is a great player for us because he’s specific for our idea of football, for our style of play,” he said. “But we lost different characteristics because Dahoud is different from Moises Caicedo. “We played well, not one of the best games in my time, but we need much time to reach the same level, the same quality of play of last season. “We won a very tough game. I’m really pleased.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rangers boss Michael Beale pleased to end ‘rough week’ on high note with big win Tom Pidcock wins mountain bike cross-country at World Championships Sean Dyche bemoans Everton’s lack of cutting edge in defeat to Fulham