New Zealand’s Ryan Fox staged a brilliant comeback to win the BMW PGA Championship as rising star Ludvig Aberg was brought down to earth at Wentworth.

Fox began the final round three shots behind leader Aberg and looked out of contention after running up a triple-bogey seven on the third, but covered his last 13 holes in eight under par for a closing 67.

An 18-under-par total gave Fox a one-shot victory over playing partner Aaron Rai and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Rai agonisingly missing a long eagle putt on the 18th which could have given him the title or at least forced a play-off.

Jon Rahm, who had been runner-up on each of his two previous appearances at Wentworth, carded an erratic 68 to claim fourth on 16 under as seven members of Europe’s Ryder Cup side packed the top 10, with Rory McIlroy surging through the field with a 65.

Aberg, who had been seeking back-to-back victories in just his 10th event as a professional, held a two-shot lead after 54 holes but slumped to a closing 76 which included two double bogeys in the space of three holes.

“I don’t really know what to think at the moment to be honest,” Fox said.

“It’s not a tournament that has treated me very well in the past, although I’ve loved coming here. I don’t know what changed today but it’s pretty special to make a birdie on the last to win.

“To have a back nine like that, especially after how I started the day, it’s amazing. I played great and pretty much didn’t miss a shot from the third hole onwards.”

Fox, who is the first New Zealander to win the title, added: “It’s such an iconic tournament. I know Michael Campbell won the World Match Play here and to add to that history with my family here to support me just made the week.

“We have been through a pretty tough year as a family. Lost my father-in-law in June after a really, really short battle with cancer and that kind of rocked the family.

“To have them here and have number two with us, little Margot who is four months old, is very, very special.”

Hatton had started the day five off the lead but birdied the second and third, almost made a hole-in-one on the fifth when his tee shot clattered into the pin and then holed out from a bunker on the sixth.

After dropping a shot on the eighth, further birdies on the 10th and 11th gave Hatton a four-shot lead before Fox began his charge with four birdies in five holes from the 10th to get within one.

Hatton then drove out of bounds on the 15th and was facing a seven-foot putt for bogey before play was suspended due to the threat of lightning, a putt he duly made after an 82-minute delay.

Fox was fortunate that a wayward drive on the same hole did not run deep into the trees but took full advantage, hitting a superb second shot from the pine straw to 10 feet and converting the birdie putt to lead outright.

Hatton birdied the last to set up the prospect of a play-off but, after Rai’s eagle attempt agonisingly caught the edge of the hole and stayed out, Fox calmly holed from six feet to seal a fourth DP World Tour title.

Hatton, who won the title in 2020 when fans were absent due to Covid restrictions, said: “It’s definitely mixed emotions.

“This tournament means a lot to me. Would have been nice to win with fans, especially my dad being here, that would have been cool.

“Not sure I’ll even be disappointed with the tee shot on 15, it had started raining pretty heavy. It is what it is. Tried my best and it was a great week.”

Aberg, whose victory in the final qualifying event earned him a Ryder Cup wild card, admitted failing to close out victory would “sting for a long time”.

“This was the first time I was leading a tournament and I felt like I handled it quite well, to be honest,” the 23-year-old Swede said.

“It was quite difficult out there and I made a few stupid mistakes where I missed on the wrong side and was a little bit too cute with the chips.

“It cost me today and I’m trying to learn from it and I’m looking forward to the next time I’m in that same position.”

McIlroy was pleased to shoot 12 under par over the weekend after only making the cut with a birdie on the 18th on Friday evening, but disappointed not to birdie either the 17th or 18th to put more pressure on the leaders.

Defending champion Shane Lowry finished in a tie for 18th after running up a quadruple-bogey nine on the 17th in a closing 71.

Mauricio Pochettino said he cannot control Chelsea fans’ reactions after a section of the away support appeared to boo Ben Chilwell at the end of the team’s drab 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

Chilwell was a second-half substitute at the Vitality Stadium but failed to substantially alter the team’s fortunes as they laboured in vain to break the hosts down in wet conditions.

Pochettino named three outfield players aged 19 or under on the bench as well as two goalkeepers as the club’s injury crisis continued to deepen.

Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke were fresh additions to the absentee list at Bournemouth, taking the total number of players unavailable to the manager to 12.

Chelsea threatened only sporadically, looking to use the channels to attack but only rarely finding a final ball to open up the home side.

Raheem Sterling hit the crossbar with a fiercely hit free-kick whilst Nicolas Jackson also struck the woodwork in the first half but it was Robert Sanchez who was called upon to make the save of the game when he spread himself low at the feet of Dango Ouattara as the striker bore down on his goal.

It leaves Pochettino’s side 14th in the table with just one win from five matches, and with an uneasy sense that last season’s problems in front of goal are a long way from being fixed.

And some fans seemed to vent their frustrations when England international Chilwell went over to applaud the away end at full-time.

“What can we do?” said Pochettino. “For me, I have nothing to say. The fans can do whatever they want.

“We know what we need to do, we are strong in our belief. We have 12 injured and today we had three or four young guys and two keepers on the bench.

“I’m going to cry? I’m going to complain? To who? I need to accept this, the challenge and keep being positive.”

The Argentinian continued: “Bournemouth is a good team, they are going to compete. Every team is going to compete and be difficult.

“But these are the circumstances we need to accept and be positive, patient. We are not going to change in the way we do things.

“What can I do? Only to keep believing. If you say to me we have today all of our players, all of our signings, no injuries, and maybe we cannot win this game? Then maybe I can tell you we need to see (it) in a different way. But we cannot lie to the people.”

Chelsea have failed to score in their last two Premier League outings and have won just twice in the league since March, at the Vitality Stadium late last season when Bournemouth were already safe and last month at home to newly-promoted Luton.

Pochettino was asked whether he was sympathetic to the reaction of those supporters that booed the players off.

“What I can tell the fans is the circumstance that we cannot change,” he said. “The reality that we cannot change. We have too many players (injured). We’re a team that would be strong if we are together.

“Even Manchester City, Arsenal, when they have all the squad fit, they can compete for everything. Why is it different for us? It’s because of what? We don’t have all the squad available from the beginning of the season.”

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola reflected on a performance that showed promise despite the winless run at the start of his tenure now stretching to five league matches.

“I’m really happy with the performance,” he said. “The game was quite level. Both teams had their chances. Overall, we had very good individual performances and finished the game even better.

“There were moments later on where we thought the game could be ours.”

Mauricio Pochettino said he cannot control Chelsea fans’ reactions after a section of the away support appeared to boo Ben Chilwell at the end of the team’s drab 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

Chilwell was a second-half substitute at the Vitality Stadium but failed to substantially alter the team’s fortunes as they laboured in vain to break the hosts down in wet conditions.

Pochettino named three outfield players aged 19 or under on the bench as well as two goalkeepers as the club’s injury crisis continued to deepen.

Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke were fresh additions to the absentee list at Bournemouth, taking the total number of players unavailable to the manager to 12.

Chelsea threatened only sporadically, looking to use the channels to attack but only rarely finding a final ball to open up the home side.

Raheem Sterling hit the crossbar with a fiercely hit free-kick whilst Nicolas Jackson also struck the woodwork in the first half but it was Robert Sanchez who was called upon to make the save of the game when he spread himself low at the feet of Dango Ouattara as the striker bore down on his goal.

It leaves Pochettino’s side 14th in the table with just one win from five matches, and with an uneasy sense that last season’s problems in front of goal are a long way from being fixed.

And some fans seemed to vent their frustrations when England international Chilwell went over to applaud the away end at full-time.

“What can we do?” said Pochettino. “For me, I have nothing to say. The fans can do whatever they want.

“We know what we need to do, we are strong in our belief. We have 12 injured and today we had three or four young guys and two keepers on the bench.

“I’m going to cry? I’m going to complain? To who? I need to accept this, the challenge and keep being positive.”

The Argentinian continued: “Bournemouth is a good team, they are going to compete. Every team is going to compete and be difficult.

“But these are the circumstances we need to accept and be positive, patient. We are not going to change in the way we do things.

“What can I do? Only to keep believing. If you say to me we have today all of our players, all of our signings, no injuries, and maybe we cannot win this game? Then maybe I can tell you we need to see (it) in a different way. But we cannot lie to the people.”

Chelsea have failed to score in their last two Premier League outings and have won just twice in the league since March, at the Vitality Stadium late last season when Bournemouth were already safe and last month at home to newly-promoted Luton.

Pochettino was asked whether he was sympathetic to the reaction of those supporters that booed the players off.

“What I can tell the fans is the circumstance that we cannot change,” he said. “The reality that we cannot change. We have too many players (injured). We’re a team that would be strong if we are together.

“Even Manchester City, Arsenal, when they have all the squad fit, they can compete for everything. Why is it different for us? It’s because of what? We don’t have all the squad available from the beginning of the season.”

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola reflected on a performance that showed promise despite the winless run at the start of his tenure now stretching to five league matches.

“I’m really happy with the performance,” he said. “The game was quite level. Both teams had their chances. Overall, we had very good individual performances and finished the game even better.

“There were moments later on where we thought the game could be ours.”

Rogue Lightning looks a sprinter going places and could take his chance in Prix de l’Abbaye following a cosy victory in the Betfred Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.

Tom Clover’s three-year-old is improving at a rate of knots and since being gelded is unbeaten in three outings.

His last victory came in a valuable Ascot handicap and upped to Listed class on Town Moor he faced only three rivals.

However, one of those was Raasel, a very solid 110-rated sprinter who arrived off the back of a good win at Haydock last week. But he was always fighting a losing battle as Danny Tudhope coaxed Rogue Lightning (9-4) home for a three-quarters of a length success from the even-money favourite.

“He’s always been a horse that we’ve liked,” said Clover. “It’s just fantastic for The Rogues Gallery (winning syndicate) as we’ve got 55 of them here today, Doncaster have been brilliant with them and gave them a box.

“To have a runner at the St Leger meeting with so many here, it means an awful lot.

“We actually put him in the Prix de l’Abbaye with the five-furlong division looking so open. He’s very fast, he’s got so much speed and he’s just a lovely horse. Gelding has obviously helped, he was very keen but relaxes a bit better now.

“If he gets in the Abbaye we’ll probably go.”

Poet Master (9-2) looks another very nice prospect for Karl Burke and took his record to three wins from just four outings in the Betfred City Of Doncaster Handicap.

Well beaten on his handicap debut at Haydock, he seemed suited by dropping back down to seven furlongs from a mile.

Always handy under Sam James, he saw off his rival for the lead, Dark Thirty, and held the challenge of Zouky by two and three-quarter lengths.

James said: “It felt like we went a good gallop, but I was always travelling comfortably the whole way, in my comfort zone.

“I think the better the race he runs in the better he’ll be but he still needs to learn about the game, he was a little bit on it and I struggled to pull him up afterwards but he’s obviously got plenty of ability.

“He’s just got his own ideas a bit and even though he’d won a couple, he’s still green. To me it didn’t feel like he was in love with the ground, but he was still able to travel.

“He’s probably a very decent horse and he’d have to be black type now, the faster they go the easier he’ll win.”

Swift Salian (7-2) ran out a very easy winner of the I Love Julie Parkes Nursery Handicap for David and Nicola Barron.

Fresh from winning a Grade One in Canada on Saturday evening, it looked like William Buick had come to Town Moore especially for Charlie Appleby’s State Of Desire but he was a major disappointment.

Swift Salian kicked clear under Connor Beasley well over a furlong out to win by three and a quarter lengths.

Ala Kaifi justified 100-30 favouritism under Kieran Shoemark in the Hippo Carpet Protector Handicap for Ismail Mohammed.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox staged a brilliant comeback to win the BMW PGA Championship as rising star Ludvig Aberg was brought down to earth at Wentworth.

Fox began the final round three shots behind leader Aberg and looked out of contention after running up a triple-bogey seven on the third, but covered his last 13 holes in eight under par for a closing 67.

An 18-under-par total gave Fox a one-shot victory over playing partner Aaron Rai and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Rai agonisingly missing a long eagle putt on the 18th which could have given him the title or at least forced a play-off.

Jon Rahm, who had been runner-up on each of his two previous appearances at Wentworth, carded an erratic 68 to claim fourth place on 16 under as seven members of Europe’s Ryder Cup side packed the top 10, with Rory McIlroy surging through the field with a 65.

Aberg, who had been seeking back-to-back victories in just his 10th event as a professional, held a two-shot lead after 54 holes but slumped to a closing 76 which included two double bogeys in the space of three holes.

Hatton had started the day five off the lead but birdied the second and third, almost made a hole-in-one on the fifth when his tee shot clattered into the pin and then holed out from a bunker on the sixth.

After dropping a shot on the eighth, further birdies on the 10th and 11th gave Hatton a four-shot lead before Fox began his charge with four birdies in five holes from the 10th to get within one.

Hatton then drove out of bounds on the 15th and was facing a seven-foot putt for bogey before play was suspended due to the threat of lightning, a putt he duly made after an 82-minute delay.

Fox was fortunate that a wayward drive on the same hole did not run deep into the trees but took full advantage, hitting a superb second shot from the pine straw to 10 feet and converting the birdie putt to lead outright.

Hatton birdied the last to set up the prospect of a play-off but, after Rai’s eagle attempt agonisingly caught the edge of the hole and stayed out, Fox calmly holed from six feet to seal a fourth DP World Tour title.

Frankie Dettori was out of luck in the feature event at Bro Park on Sunday – but still managed an undercard winner as he continued his international farewell tour.

The weighing-room great, who is planning to retire at the end of the campaign, made the trip principally to partner Hard One To Please for trainer Annike Bye Hansen in the Stockholm Cup International.

Run over just short of a mile and a half, Hard One To Please won the Group Three last year, when he beat the Archie Watson-trained Outbox in a photo.

That rival was in the field once again and chased along early he took an early lead for Hollie Doyle, with Dettori settling in early before eventually letting his mount stride on to challenge Outbox.

However, Doyle was eager to cling to the initiative and Hard One To Please dropped away before the home turn, leaving Outbox to go for home.

French raider Big Call tried his best in the final furlong, but it was Espen Hill who finished best of all down the middle of the track to grab victory for rider-trainer Madeleine Smith.

For Outbox it was a third successive runner-up spot having also been beaten in 2021, while Hard One To Please trailed home in ninth.

Dettori shook off that disappointment to team up again with Hansen in the following Listed Lanwades Stud Stakes, with Takeko coming home a cosy winner over a mile.

Doyle and Outbox’s owners Hambleton Racing also enjoyed a measure of compensation for their Stockholm Cup reverse, as the Kevin Ryan-trained Washington Heights won the Listed Bro Park Sprint Championship earlier on the card.

Chelsea’s indifferent start to the Premier League season continued as they were held to a drab goalless draw by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were again short on creative threat as the hosts dealt comfortably with what their opponents could muster in attack, only once looking genuinely troubled when Raheem Sterling’s second-half free-kick cracked the underside of the crossbar.

For Chelsea it was a familiar case of failing to find the critical pass, as possession and overall control of the match counted for little.

It leaves the team assembled for more than £1billion by co-owner Todd Boehly languishing in 14th place with just one win in their first five league games.

Andoni Iraola saw the winless streak with which his Bournemouth tenure has started stretch to five matches but also witnessed moments of genuine attacking intent from his team, most notably when Dango Ouattara was denied brilliantly in the first half by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Sterling had the first sight of goal in the 10th minute when he darted into the box to latch onto Conor Gallagher’s chipped pass but his shot was horribly miscued and rolled away to safety.

Nicolas Jackson made better use of his first opportunity, striking the outside of the post from Mykhailo Mudryk’s through-ball, but on the whole the opening exchanges passed with little incident.

It took a superb sprawling save from Sanchez to keep out Ouattara, the goalkeeper diving at the striker’s feet after Bournemouth had caught Chelsea out with a quick free-kick.

Sterling looked in the mood to continue the rich vein of form with which he has started the season. In the 22nd minute, Malo Gusto linked up well with Gallagher down the right and sent over a low cross that Sterling was first to react to, but his shot was deflected to safety.

Neto got a strong right hand down to beat away Gallagher’s effort from 18 yards after he had been set up by Mudryk. For Chelsea, the first half had traced a familiar pattern; plenty of possession and probing balls into the channels, but little to suggest they had fathomed how to break Bournemouth down.

Sterling nearly gave them the perfect start to the second period, his free-kick from 20 yards crashing off the bar and down onto the goal line. Levi Colwill tapped home the rebound but was rightly called offside.

The Blues had conceded five goals in their first four league games, and there were again signs of defensive frailties in Dorset.

Axel Disasi failed to get height or distance on his clearance from the edge of the box, heading the ball to the feet of Ryan Christie who curled a well-struck effort into the palms of Sanchez.

Chelsea’s breakthrough looked to have arrived after 65 minutes when Sterling slid a ball in behind for Jackson, whose low cross was almost turned home by the stretching Colwill – with Neto clawing the ball to safety.

But the visitors were looking increasingly desperate in their approach. Gusto and Sterling each epitomised the dearth of creative ideas that has dashed Pochettino’s early ambitions, lashing speculative shots high and wide from distance when there were options on.

At the other end, Bournemouth were increasingly a threat. First Philip Billing saw a free-kick deflected narrowly wide, before Dominic Solanke’s low drive was well saved by Sanchez.

Cole Palmer was summoned from the bench to help find Chelsea’s rhythm, but the summer signing from Manchester City had little more success than the player he replaced, Mudryk.

Ben Chilwell also came on and made one good burst forward and crossed for Jackson, but the striker’s header was easy for Neto.

The exciting Ile Est Francais is set to be campaigned in Britain later in the year following a dominant success on his chasing debut at Auteuil.

The five-year-old was a Grade One winner over hurdles at the Parisian track last year for Tom George and is now trained in partnership by his son Noel and Amanda Zetterholm.

He returned from a summer break for his first start over fences on Tuesday and could hardly have been more impressive in the hands of James Reveley.

“Auteuil is not easy to jump round for your first time and he jumped round like he’d been round there a hundred times. He was very impressive,” said Noel George.

“We’ve been waiting to run him over fences for a while and now we’ve been able to do it, he impressed us as much as we thought he would. Hopefully he’s got a big career over fences ahead of him.”

Ile Est Francais is set for one more run at Auteuil this autumn before potentially being readied for major meetings on UK soil.

George added: “We have to discuss it with the owners, but I think he’ll probably run at the beginning of November at Auteuil – there’s a Listed race for a five-year-old chasers, which I’d like to think would be a penalty kick for him.

“After that we’ll maybe consider the Coral Gold Cup meeting at Newbury or Kempton at Christmas. He’ll be travelling over to the UK this year, that’s for certain, but when and where that will be, I can’t say for certain yet.

“Newbury would be a nice place for him to start for his first run in England as it’s flat with a nice, long straight.

“I think we’ll probably start him over two and a half miles because he runs over two and a half a lot over here and we can then make a decision on whether he needs to go up or down in trip.

“He’s very versatile and for me, with his speed and jumping, he could easily be a two-miler in England, but we’re dreaming of winning a French Gold Cup with him one day and that is over three and a half miles, so we don’t want him going the wrong way.”

England have finalised their 15-man Cricket World Cup squad after dropping Jason Roy from the provisional list in favour of Harry Brook.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how the decision was reached and what it means.

How big of a surprise is Roy’s omission?

Roy has been a mainstay of the team for the past eight years and forged one of the most productive opening partnerships in history alongside Jonny Bairstow. Just a few months ago, travelling to India without him would have looked a fanciful notion, but things have changed quickly.

His form over the last four-year cycle has been patchy – well below what came before – and when back spasms saw him ruled out of the recent series against New Zealand, question over the opener’s place got louder and louder by the day.

So was it an issue of form or fitness?

Surely both. Had Roy been in peak condition he would have faced the Black Caps and been in control of his own destiny.

The back spasms, which came in two separate bursts, were a concern on the eve of the tournament that will test the durability of players over seven weeks. But England are not hiding behind that issue and the selectors were also mindful that Roy was no longer undroppable.

His influence has been on the slide for a while and he was also axed from the T20 squad just before last year’s World Cup. In summary, Brook was backed as a superior option.

Is this the end of his international career?

It would not be a surprise if Roy has played his last England match.

A wider changing of the guard is expected once the tournament is completed and with Roy already losing his place in the T20 team last year, he could have reached the end of the road.

Earlier this year he cancelled the remainder of his ECB central contract to take up a deal in the United States’ Major League Cricket and, at 33, life as a hired hand on the franchise circuit may appeal.

What about the reserve list?

England will have the chance to take three additional squad members as travelling cover, but it could be too much to expect Roy to fill that role in the circumstances.

Instead, they may look to the second string who start an ODI series against Ireland on Wednesday. That brings the likes of Ben Duckett, Phil Salt and Will Jacks into consideration, with the latter’s spin bowling an interesting factor.

Who made the decision?

Head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler both have a key say in the team they lead, with the influential director of cricket Rob Key and national selector Luke Wright also involved. None were in post when a similar move was made in 2019 to bring Jofra Archer in at David Willey’s expense.

How did Brook make his case?

On the face of it, the Yorkshireman put in a modest audition during three innings in the recent New Zealand series, totalling just 37 runs. But he has had an exceptional start to his international career, including some eye-catching efforts in this summer’s Ashes.

His immediate reaction to being left out of the provisional squad – a blistering century in The Hundred, followed by rapid knocks of 43 not out and 67 in T20s against the Black Caps, was exactly the response required to inspire a U-turn.

Will he come straight into the team?

Dawid Malan is inked in to open with Bairstow after a prolific spell standing in for Roy. He goes about his business in a different way to Roy, a slower starter but a more consistent scorer, but has thoroughly earned his chance.

Brook will likely start the tournament as the spare batter but has the versatility to cover any of the top six. At some point during a seven-week competition, he should get his opportunity.

Matilda Picotte made every yard of the running to win the Japan Racing Association Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster.

Third in the 1000 Guineas in the spring, Matilda Picotte had failed to strike in three subsequent starts but returned to form in some style in this Group Three contest.

Oisin Murphy had Kieran Cotter’s charge smartly away, seizing the initiative from the off and settling into a nice rhythm on the front as Cachet, last year’s 1000 Guineas winner who was making her seasonal bow, raced on her heels.

Cachet was starting the feel the pace with a couple of furlongs to run, however, dropping back as Murphy kicked on again on Matilda Picotte, opening up a handy gap.

Nigiri tried to challenge inside the last of the seven furlongs, but Matilda Picotte (6-1) was too good, coming home three and three-quarter lengths clear, with a further two lengths back to Vetiver, who just pipped Cachet for third by a nose.

Mason Greenwood made an impact off the bench during Getafe’s 3-2 defeat of Osasuna in LaLiga.

The 21-year-old made the switch to Spain on deadline day after it was announced last month that he would continue his career away from Old Trafford.

Greenwood was suspended by United last year over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online and faced charges including attempted rape and assault but the Crown Prosecution Service announced in February this year that the case had been discontinued.

On Sunday he made his first appearance for his new club, coming off the bench with 13 minutes of the contest remaining and the teams level at 2-2.

Greenwood looked bright and he had a hand in the home side’s winner, earning a corner from which Nemanja Maksimovic scored.

Earlier, Stefan Mitrovic opened the scoring for Getafe but Iker Munoz equalised just before half-time.

Jose Carmona headed in to restore the home side’s lead in the 51st minute but Ante Budimir’s penalty six minutes later levelled things up for a second time and that was the extent of the goalscoring prior to Greenwood’s introduction.

Unused substitute Fabrizio Angileri received a red card for dissent in the closing stages but the hosts held on during 10 added minutes to seal the win and maintain their unbeaten home record.

Getafe’s next match is at high-flying Real Sociedad next Sunday.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke hailed his side’s mentality to overcome the hostile atmosphere of The Den and return home with three points as they beat Millwall 3-0.

Striker Joel Piroe scored once in each half to put Leeds in control before Georginio Rutter added a third 10 minutes from time to seal a memorable visit to the capital.

Farke’s side weathered an early storm from the hosts before Piroe opened the scoring after 15 minutes and the German lauded the way his side stood strong in trying circumstances at times.

“I’m proud of my guys today because I’ve played here several times at The Den, I know it’s an unbelievably tough place to come,” he said. ”You have to be on it and it was a pretty complex performance.

“There are periods of the game where you have to show some steel and reliance. You have to be there and show these qualities because you can’t win all these long balls and all these long throw ins and sometimes they’ll have a corner kick.

“It is so difficult, you have to dig in and give your life in these moments and also to stay cool and mentally strong and wait for the moments where you can let your qualities shine and that’s what we did today.

“To return back from such a tough place with a clean sheet to the dressing room and to score three goals is pretty amazing.”

A comprehensive defeat at home continued Millwall’s slow start to the season, with the Lions taking just seven points from their opening six matches.

But manager Gary Rowett insisted the scoreline did not accurately reflect the balance of the contest.

“It felt a little bit harsh,” he said. “You concede three goals, and the opposition don’t concede then of course a 3-0 scoreline is what it is.

“It doesn’t look a fair reflection of the effort the players put in.

“I thought we got up against them, I thought we pressed really well, I thought we took a gamble in playing a little bit higher.

“We won a lot of good balls in and around the Leeds half and got into some good areas, forced lots of corners and (had) moments around the box without really creating obvious chances. But I don’t think Leeds did either.

“We go from those periods of pressure where we’re doing a lot of things well and a lot of things right to concede a poor goal.

“To be 1-0 down felt a little unjust and maybe gave Leeds a tiny bit of a lift, but after that we continued to put them under pressure, continued some of those moments.”

Dan Evans fought back from a set and a break down to defeat teenage debutant Arthur Fils and give Great Britain a 1-0 lead in their crucial Davis Cup clash with France in Manchester.

Although Leon Smith’s side were unbeaten after victories over Australia and Switzerland, other results meant only a win in the three-match tie would be enough to finish in the top two in the group and send them through to the final-eight event in Malaga in November.

Nineteen-year-old Fils showed his huge potential to put himself in a winning position and quieten the 13,000-strong sell-out crowd at the AO Arena – the biggest single-day attendance for a Davis Cup match in Britain.

But a combination of a drop-off from the Frenchman and a strong fightback from 33-year-old Evans carried him to a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory, putting Britain in the box seat.

“There’s something about Davis Cup, it’s never, ever simple,” said Evans. “It’s an amazing crowd today.

“You really helped me get through when I was a set and a break down and not feeling exactly how I wanted to be playing. To be playing in front of such a big crowd for the country again, it’s everything to me.”

Team selection has been one of the most intriguing aspects of this week and here it was France springing a surprise by turning to Fils ahead of the experienced Adrian Mannarino, against whom Evans has a great record.

Smith opted for his two highest-ranked singles players, overlooking Jack Draper, who made his own impressive debut in beating Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, and Andy Murray.

Fils is the highest-ranked teenager in the world at 44 and the most exciting of a crop of young French players.

It was immediately clear this was not a comfortable match-up for the 5ft 9in Evans, who struggles to impose his finesse-based game against power hitters.

He was not helped by a poor first-serve percentage in the opening set and a forehand winner drilled down the line earned Fils the break for 5-3.

Evans was in deep trouble when he was broken again to start the second set and he slammed his racket down in frustration at his inability to make life uncomfortable for his young opponent.

But the teenager’s assurance deserted him in the sixth game when he missed a succession of first serves and then a backhand to give Evans the break back.

Suddenly the spring was in the British number two’s step and, with the crowd right behind him, he kept the pressure firmly on Fils, breaking again to lead 5-3 and then again to start the deciding set.

The teenager stayed in contention by saving break points in his next two service games and the arena was racked with tension as Evans served for the match, leaping with delight when a final shot from Fils landed in the net.

Tom Scudamore steered I Still Have Faith to victory in the Vickers.Bet Leger Legends Classified Stakes at Doncaster.

Scudamore, who retired earlier this year, was having his first ride in the mile race confined to retired jockeys which raises valuable funds for the Injured Jockeys Fund Jack Berry House and the National Horseracing College.

This year’s line-up featured a range of recently-retired names, including Paul Hanagan, who only bowed out at the Ebor meeting, as well as the likes of Gary Bardwell, Gay Kelleway, Davy Russell, Robbie Power and Jamie Osborne.

The Ben Brookhouse-trained I Still Have Faith was sent off the 100-30 favourite and was covered up early on by Scudamore before launching his challenge with a couple of furlongs to run.

I Still Have Faith shot clear and while Hanagan tried his best to catch him aboard Biplane, the market leader had lots in hand, coming home a two-and-a-quarter-length victor.

Grand National-winning rider Power took third on Lion’s Pride, while Osborne finished with a flourish for fourth with Cliffs Of Capri.

Scudamore – who retired with 1,499 winners to his name over jumps – was sporting the colours of owner Roger Brookhouse, a long-term ally of his during his professional career.

He said: “It’s lovely. I had more winners for Roger than just about any other owner I rode for – I think I rode 60 or 70 winners for him. It’s a lot of winners and he was fantastic to me all through my career, right from as a claimer.

“We had some wonderful days – Western Warhouse for David (Pipe), we had some really special days. It wasn’t just Western Warhouse, I’m So Lucky – he had a fantastic family that’s still going well.

“He gave me some of my best days in racing and it’s a nice way of bowing out.”

He added: “Everybody wanted to do this, it shows the admiration and respect Jack Berry has from the whole of the sport. It was a great honour and privilege to be asked.”

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