Managerless Hibernian finally brought some cheer to the Easter Road faithful as they put a jaded-looking Aberdeen side to the sword and lifted themselves off the bottom of the cinch Premiership.

With both sides involved in European action on Thursday night, it was perhaps predictable that substitutes would make a difference with Hibs scorers, Adam Le Fondre and Christian Doidge, both coming off the bench to earn a 2-0 win.

That was the Edinburgh club’s first league victory of the season and saw them climb above both St Johnstone and Aberdeen in the table.

Winless Aberdeen set out positively and after just two minutes they passed up a golden opportunity as Jamie McGrath’s cross from the left was headed over by Nicky Devlin from close range.

But the visitors, who sacked Lee Johnson after losing their opening three league matches, grew into the game and were unlucky not to go ahead when Will Fish, on loan from Manchester United, rose highest to meet Joe Newell’s free-kick from the right, but he headed over the bar.

McGrath was again involved when Aberdeen threatened again on the half-hour, this time his cross seeking out Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes at the back post, but he was crowded out by the Hibs defence.

It was the home side who were left to breathe a sigh of relief five minutes later, Elie Youan’s strong run down the left creating an opening for Martin Boyle, but this time it was the Aberdeen defence who rallied to block his effort.

And the Dons created a final first-half effort, as Connor Barron crossed for Bojan Miovski, but Josh Campbell was well-placed to block.

The second half continued in similar fashion, with both sides looking vulnerable at the back.

Newell flashed a shot wide for Hibs, while at the other end Miovski headed over from a Devlin cross.

The Dons thought they had won a penalty after 56 minutes when Duk fell under the challenge of Lewis Miller, but after a lengthy VAR check, no spot-kick was given.

And they were denied an opener just after the hour, when David Marshall produced a stunning save at full stretch to keep out substitute Ester Sokler’s effort, the goalkeeper seeming to be in slow motion as he threw himself across his goal.

That save proved to be even more crucial as Hibs took the lead with 15 minutes remaining, with two substitutes involved.

Doidge swung in a cross which Newell knocked down for Le Fondre, and the veteran striker curled past a helpless Kelle Roos.

And five minutes later, Doidge added a second for the visitors, heading home from close range after his initial header from a corner had come off the crossbar.

A well-worked goal from Callum Slattery earned 10-man Motherwell a 1-0 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle as the visitors joined Celtic on 10 points at the top of the cinch Premiership.

Slattery finished off a brilliant move in the 29th minute before the VAR officials reversed an offside decision against him.

Hearts pinned Motherwell back for the vast majority of the second half but could not find an equaliser despite Paul McGinn’s 69th-minute red card.

The home side rarely tested Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly, partly thanks to an outstanding performance from visiting centre-back Bevis Mugabi.

Motherwell have now gone 10 league games unbeaten stretching back to last season and added Tynecastle to the list of away grounds where they have got results from – they remain unbeaten in  the Premiership on the road in more than six months under Stuart Kettlewell.

Hearts made three changes following their 4-0 defeat by PAOK in Greece on Thursday while Harry Paton replaced Joe Efford in the Motherwell team after netting a late winner against Kilmarnock.

Both sides showed an attacking intent from the off but it was Motherwell who were making the opposition goalkeeper work.

Zander Clark tipped over efforts from Mugabi and Blair Spittal before the visitors took the lead.

Slattery and Spittal cut Hearts open as they exchanged passes following Stephen O’Donnell’s diagonal ball and the former Southampton midfielder slotted the ball home in yards of space.

Slattery almost scored an even better goal moments later after winning a tackle just inside his own half and launching a shot which beat Clark but just cleared the bar.

The frustration among the Hearts fans was audible in the aftermath of the goal and their mood might have grown worse only for Peter Haring to survive strong penalty claims for handball.

Alex Lowry had several first-half efforts for the hosts but his most dangerous effort was blocked by O’Donnell.

The on-loan Rangers player was taken off at half-time along with fellow wide player Yutaro Oda as Hearts moved to a back three to match Motherwell. Defender Tony Sibbick and striker Kyosuke Tagawa came on.

Kelly came out to stop Lawrence Shankland getting on the end of a through ball immediately after the restart and Spittal and Tagawa missed good chances at either end.

Hearts began to pin Motherwell back but the visiting defence diverted efforts from Shankland and Liam Boyce over the bar.

Any chance Motherwell had of changing the momentum disappeared in the 69th minute when McGinn hauled down Boyce after the striker got in front of him as he chased a long ball.

The former Hibernian player claimed he had his own shirt pulled but there was no recourse for overturning his second yellow card. He had been booked in the first half for a foul on Alex Cochrane.

Motherwell suffered more disruption when Slattery limped off.  Davor Zdravkovski came on and former Hibernian forward Oli Shaw soon joined him for his debut.

Kelly produced his first save in the 86th minute as Shankland’s effort bounced off the ground and Motherwell survived seven minutes of stoppage-time thanks to more resolute defending.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg won the Omega European Masters in just his ninth event as a professional to make a hugely compelling case for a Ryder Cup wild card.

Aberg, who only joined the paid ranks in June, carded a superb closing 64 at Crans-sur-Sierre to finish 19 under par, two shots ahead of compatriot Alexander Bjork.

Overnight leader Matt Fitzpatrick, who was bidding to join Seve Ballesteros as a three-time winner of the event, bogeyed three of the last four holes to slip into a tie for third with Scotland’s Connor Syme on 16 under.

That was still enough to replace Tommy Fleetwood in the final qualifying place on the World Points list, with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre holding on to the last spot on the European Points list.

Europe captain Luke Donald will name his six wild cards on Monday and it would be a major surprise if Aberg was not selected along with Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry, with Sepp Straka, Adrian Meronk and Nicolai Hojgaard potentially battling it out for the two remaining spots.

“I don’t even know where to start, it’s a pretty surreal feeling to be honest, but obviously super, super happy,” the 23-year-old said.

“I figured a win would put me in a good position (for the Ryder Cup) but honestly I’ve been doing a pretty good job of not thinking about it too much.

“I feel like I get reminded of it a lot, but once I get on the golf course it’s just me and golf and luckily I was able to finish well today and win the tournament.

“It would mean the world obviously. I think as a young golfer growing up in Sweden and in Europe those are the events you want to be a part of and if I ever get the chance to be a part of that I’m going to be over the moon. It would be really cool.”

Aberg began the final round two shots behind Fitzpatrick and was three adrift when the former US Open champion carded his third birdie of the day on the 13th.

Fitzpatrick also birdied the 14th, but then bogeyed three of the next four holes as Aberg compiled four birdies in a row from the 14th to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

MacIntyre had earlier finished in a tie for 55th after making a double bogey on the 18th in a closing 70, but neither Meronk or Yannik Paul were able to produce the top-three finish they needed to overhaul the left-hander.

“I am so excited,” MacIntyre said. “It’s been a tough qualifying campaign, but I am pleased with the way I have dealt with the challenge and to have earned one of the six automatic spots.

“I’ve worked hard to play in the Ryder Cup, but now it’s important that we go on and win it.”

MacIntyre, who played alongside Donald in the Czech Masters and was paired with Meronk and Paul for the first two rounds in Switzerland, added: “The last two weeks have been hell.

“Pairings in the first two rounds, media hype – everything has just been tough.”

Clever And Cool swooped late to claim the Coolmore Stud No Nay Never Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary on Sunday.

Jim Bolger’s filly has a tendency of giving away plenty of ground at the start of her races and once again she was slowly away as Matilda Picotte was swiftly into stride and led the field along.

Kieran Cotter’s 1000 Guineas third was enjoying herself on the front end and had most of her rivals in trouble when still at the head of affairs a furlong from home.

However, the petrol gauge began to flash red in the closing stages and having crept into contention, Rory Cleary delivered a race-winning challenge aboard the 6-1 shot Clever And Cool to find the scoresheet for the third time this season.

Having struck impressively at Listed level two starts ago, the daughter of Vocalised has now added a Group Three to her CV and was handed a quote of 16-1 from 25s by Paddy Power if making a quick return to action in the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes at Leopardstown next Saturday.

“She didn’t run a bad race in the Cambridgeshire at the Curragh the last day when only beaten five lengths, but she is her own worst enemy by dwelling coming out of the gates, despite the boss doing plenty of work with her,” said Ger Flynn, Bolger’s representative.

“On her last few runs she has been showing us what she is showing us at home and while she dwelt at the start again today, Rory said he was always confident she could get there and she went away and won well.

“That’s Listed and Group Three wins now and if she ever jumps, there’s a big one in her. You wouldn’t think she’s had four races in the last four weeks, her skin is like a seal. She is in the Matron on Saturday and the boss never shrugs a challenge – you have to be tough to be in Jim’s and she’s tough.”

Michael Beale went on the defensive after his Rangers side were booed at the end of their 1-0 defeat by Old Firm rivals Celtic at Ibrox.

The Light Blues controversially had a Kemar Roofe goal ruled out in the first half after a VAR check saw referee Don Robertson award a foul to Celtic for Cyriel Dessers’ challenge on defender Gustaf Lagerbielke in the build-up.

Kyogo Furuhashi’s late first-half strike proved to be a winner and took the Hoops four points clear of Rangers after four cinch Premiership games going into the international break.

Home supporters vented their frustration at manager Beale and the players at the final whistle.

Beale said: “I am speaking after a defeat. I don’t think everything at Rangers is broken and everything at Celtic is rosy after today’s game.

“Two teams played today, we made a huge mistake for a goal. We had chances to score and win that game and we didn’t.

“We have to dust ourselves down. We have two weeks now to work on the training pitch, it’s a good period for us barring the internationals who are away.

“And then we have to come back. I think we have five games in 15 days when we come back, so it’s a chance for us in that moment to show improvement.

“I understand the frustration with the fans. It is with the shirt. It is not just at Rangers, it is anywhere.

“It is a derby, a game where there is a lot of emotion involved and the fans expect their team to get a result and we didn’t.

“That’s par for the course. In terms of pressure, you are always under pressure in this job.

“You are only ever a couple of results not going your way to feel that. The most pressure is the one we put on ourselves and we have fallen short of that today because I expected and wanted us to get a result.

“Over the course of the 90 minutes I think the result is harsh on us but in terms of these games, they are only about the result.”

Beale was unhappy about Roofe’s goal being ruled out but equally unhappy about the goal his side conceded, when Furuhashi ran on to a Matt O’Riley header and rifled past goalkeeper Jack Butland.

He said: “The VAR decision I’m not sure about, I think Cyriel puts his foot down and the boy kicks him. I think he is a lucky boy.

“I am disappointed that goes against us. Having said that, there is a lot of football to be played afterwards.

“It’s a really poor goal, a goal that you cannot concede. It’s an isolated moment, we almost concede the goal ourselves.

“It’s a good finish from the lad but we shouldn’t concede a goal like that. In the second half we pushed, we chased the game, we had big moments to score.

“We could have created more but we certainly had big moments to score and we didn’t.

“It is a bitterly disappointing day, it’s not the result that anyone wanted. Obviously at this stage of the season it’s not where we want to be in terms of points difference either.”

England will need to chase 203 to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in their four-match T20 series with New Zealand after Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips scored half-centuries at Edgbaston.

Southern Brave batter Allen smashed Adil Rashid for three consecutive maximums on his way to an excellent 83 and Phillips backed up the opener with 69 off 34 balls in the third T20 of the four-match series in Birmingham.

The duo put on 88 for the third wicket and it propelled New Zealand to 202 for five with Gus Atkinson the pick of England’s bowlers with two for 31, while Liam Livingstone was smashed for 55 from his four overs.

Jos Buttler made two changes from Friday’s comprehensive win with Brydon Carse and Sam Curran the duo to miss out, while Chris Jordan was given his first international outing of the summer.

Luke Wood had played in Wednesday’s series opener at the Riverside and earned a recall, but Allen was able to inflict more punishment on the quick with two classy drives for four in his opening over.

The breakthrough did arrive in Atkinson’s second over through smart fielding by Moeen Ali and poor New Zealand running.

Allen spliced over the inner ring of fielders and wanted three runs, but Moeen raced in from deep and produced a flat throw which was perfect for Buttler, who whipped off the bails to send Devon Conway back for nine.

Black Caps opener Allen responded by driving Jordan for the first maximum of the match, but number three Tim Seifert struggled with his timing and received a life on nine when his slog sweep off Liam Livingstone was put down by Will Jacks.

It was a short-lived reprieve with Liam Livingstone’s turning delivery in his next over beating Seifert’s outside edge and unbalancing him enough to be stumped by Buttler for 19.

Allen continued on his merry way and after he hit Rashid for six, Livingstone was dealt with in a similar fashion and this latest maximum for the New Zealand batter brought up his half-century off 35 deliveries.

Rashid had managed to tie up an end and only went for 23 from his first three overs, but Allen sent him out of the attack with a bang after three successive sixes in the 15th over.

The first maximum was hit high over deep extra cover and Allen showed his range with another through cow corner before a stand and deliver shot down the ground moved him up to 77.

A second T20 century appeared in sight for Allen but his fine innings ended when he attempted one more big shot and lost his off stump to Wood’s inswinging yorker to walk off for an excellent 83.

Black Caps number four Phillips had provided able support to Allen in a crucial 88-run partnership and upped the ante following the opener’s departure with Livingstone’s final over smashed for 22.

Phillips pulled the all-rounder for back-to-back maximums before the last ball of the 18th over was driven for another six, but Atkinson concluded his fun.

The Surrey quick returned at the end and produced an excellent 77 miles per hour slower ball to dismiss Phillips for 69 before he accounted for Daryl Mitchell caught behind to end with respectable figures of two for 31 from his allotted overs.

Jordan wrapped up the innings by conceding nine with New Zealand setting England 203 for a series-clinching victory in Birmingham.

Crystal Palace earned their second victory of the Premier League season with a 3-2 win over Wolves at Selhurst Park.

Two goals from Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze’s sublime finish saw off a stubborn Wolves side who had equalised through substitute Hwang Hee-Chan and saw Matheus Cunha net a late consolation.

In a match-up between two sides who had scored just four goals between them coming into the game, the first half was unsurprisingly a somewhat dour affair lit up in flashes by the enterprising Eze.

The England international thought he should have had a penalty early in the first half when he went down under a Joao Gomes challenge but VAR official Stuart Attwell deemed the contact was insufficient to award a spot-kick.

Almost immediately the visitors should have found themselves a goal down when Jose Sa’s poor pass was nicked off the toes of Craig Dawson by Jefferson Lerma who teed up Jordan Ayew, but Wolves skipper Max Kliman blocked his shot on the line.

A Pedro Neto effort that was tipped over by Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone just before half-time was the only shot of note from Gary O’Neil’s side before the break, but the game exploded into life after the restart with all five goals coming in the second half.

A superb run and cross from Tyrick Mitchell down the left wing picked out Edouard who snuck between two defenders to steer the ball past Sa and give Palace a 56th-minute lead.

But Wolves hit back in the 65th minute when Hee-Chan made an immediate impact shortly after his introduction from the bench when he made contact with Neto’s superb free-kick with his shoulder with the ball looping over Johnstone.

But Palace always looked the more likely to score with Eze becoming all the more influential and it was the former QPR man who made it 2-1 in the 77th minute with a superb touch and finish after Jean-Philippe Mateta diverted Joel Ward’s pass into his path.

Six minutes later Edouard wrapped up the win after Mateta’s back-heel fooled the Wolves defence with the former Celtic striker burying the ball past the helpless Sa.

Eze almost added a fourth for Palace with another jinking run into the box but Sa saved well to his left and palmed the ball wide of the post.

Wolves pulled a goal back in the sixth minute of time added on when Neto’s cross was met in the box by the head of Cunha but Palace held on for the win.

Mohamed Salah ignored the Saudi Arabian spotlight focused on him with a goal and an impressive all-round performance in Liverpool’s comfortable 3-0 Premier League rout of Aston Villa which showed his commitment and desire has not wavered.

A rejected £150million bid from Al-Ittihad on Friday merely sparked reports the Pro League champions would return with a world-record offer – with their transfer window open until Thursday – but while the speculation continues, the Egypt international got on with what he is good at.

This was his 188th goal in 308 appearances, 139th in 222 Premier League matches, his seventh in seven games against Villa and the 150th different game in which he had found the target.

His close-range poacher’s finish at a corner made the result safe but even with the game won inside an hour, he was still chasing lost causes on an afternoon when scorching temperatures inside Anfield resembled Saudi Arabia on one of its cooler days.

But while Salah provided the killer blow with the third goal, the architect of the victory was Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose corner saw Dominki Szoboszlai open the scoring with his first goal for the club and then a clever whipped pass over the top released Salah – which ultimately resulted in a Matty Cash own goal.

However, the sight of him limping off and straight down the tunnel with 20 minutes to go will be of some concern as manager Jurgen Klopp has no one else who can do what he currently does.

Klopp himself marked his 300th Premier League match with his 188th victory, losing just 43, but as he stressed in his programme notes when urging fans not to sing his song until after the final whistle, the focus was on the players.

This was only the second of seven league matches Liverpool had won without Virgil Van Dijk, currently suspended, but wearing the armband in his place, local lad Alexander-Arnold led by example.

However, even he could not have anticipated his third-minute corner reaching Szoboszlai untouched by anyone but the Hungary captain, who arrived from RB Leipzig with a reputation for scoring from distance, made sure the right-back got full value for his delivery.

As the ball dropped to him on the edge of the box the 22-year-old hit a sweet, controlled left-footed shot which, on its way back also evaded the crowd to nestle inside the returning Emi Martinez’s left-hand post.

Alexander-Arnold was the instigator of Liverpool’s second but it was the helping hand from Salah, for whom the Kop sang their first song in the 10th minute, chasing his brilliant pass with greater determination than Pau Torres which presented the chance for Nunez.

The Uruguay international scuffed a shot against the post but the rebound went in off the unfortunate Cash.

Liverpool’s right-back-cum-playmaker should have had another assist when he opted to cross a free-kick in prime shooting territory only to find the worst possible option in Joel Matip, whose free header never even threatened the target.

Villa – who lost Diego Carlos to injury midway through the first half – saw John McGinn and substitute Leon Bailey (twice) miss their best chances but the final 20 minutes of the first half was played in a bizarre atmosphere with the visitors sitting off, Liverpool at walking pace and the crowd subdued.

Nunez can always be relied upon to liven things up though and he smashed a shot against the crossbar from the narrowest of angles after the offside Salah’s clever decision not to chase Alexander-Arnold’s ball over the top.

Early in the second half, Alisson Becker parried away Cash’s close-range header on the line before Salah broke down the right, leaving the collapsing Lucas Digne in his wake, to produce a sublime outside-of-the-left-foot cross to the far post – which Nunez somehow managed to bundle wide.

But Salah was not to be denied and from Andy Roberton’s 55th-minute corner, Nunez flicked on the ball to the far post for the Egyptian to blast home from close range for the biggest cheer of the day.

Sauterne finished with a flourish to deny the front-running Big Rock a top-level success in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Having picked up the silver medal behind Ace Impact in the the French Derby and Inspiral in the Prix Jacques le Marois, the Christopher Head-trained Big Rock sent off favourite to make it third time lucky in Group One company and went straight to the front in the hands of Aurelien Lemaitre.

After setting a sound gallop before easing off the pace, Lemaitre kicked again on the home bend and soon had the majority of his rivals in trouble in behind.

However, it became clear in the final furlong that Big Rock’s exertions were beginning to take their toll and he was unable to resist the late charge of Sauterne and Tony Piccone.

The winner, who placed in the French 1000 Guineas, the Prix Jean Prat and the Prix Rothschild earlier this season, was completing a big-race double on the card for trainer Patrice Cottier following the victory of the Champion Stakes-bound Horizon Dore in the Prix du Prince d’Orange.

Max Verstappen drove his way into the Formula One history books by taking his 10th-consecutive victory at Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.

Verstappen sat behind Carlos Sainz for 14 of the 51 laps at Monza’s Temple of Speed before fighting his way past the Ferrari pole-sitter at the second chicane.

From there, the commanding Dutchman never looked back to better the mark he shared with Sebastian Vettel and become the first driver in Formula One to reach double figures for straight victories.

Sergio Perez finished second in the other Red Bull, while Sainz held off team-mate Charles Leclerc in a tantalising late battle between the Ferrari drivers to take the final spot on the podium.

George Russell finished fifth with Lewis Hamilton, who served a five-second penalty for colliding with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, sixth.

“That is history,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to his superstar driver. “Unbelievable.”

Verstappen’s 12th win from the 14 rounds so far moves him 145 points clear in the championship.

Unbeaten since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, there remains an outside chance the 25-year-old could be crowned champion of the world for a third time as early as the Japanese Grand Prix in three weeks with half-a-dozen rounds still remaining.

Sainz lit up Ferrari’s home track by taking pole position and kept the dream alive of a victory in front of the Italian team’s 80,000-strong crowd by holding off Verstappen on the 500-metre drag to the opening Variante del Rettifilo.

Verstappen was the filling in a Ferrari sandwich with Leclerc maintaining third spot ahead of Mercedes’ Russell and Perez. Hamilton started eighth but dropped one position on the first lap.

Such has been the superiority of Verstappen’s Red Bull machine this year, Sainz was expected to be easy prey for the all-conquering Dutchman.

But to Verstappen’s surprise, Sainz was not prepared to make life easy for the double world champion.

On lap six, Verstappen was handed his first opportunity, drawing alongside Sainz on the 220mph run to the first chicane, only for the Spaniard to slam the door in his face.

“That was naughty,” said Verstappen. Three laps later, Verstappen was back on the intercom. “They have a lot of top speed, for f*** sake,” he said.

Further back and Russell’s mirrors were occupied by the other Red Bull of Perez. Asked to manage his rubber, the Englishman replied: “I don’t know if you can see, but I have got a car right up my a***.”

Up front and Verstappen sensed another chance to take the lead on lap 15.

A defensive Sainz locked up at the Variante del Rettifilo, handing Verstappen the exit speed on the 200mph charge to the Variante della Roggia.

The Red Bull and Ferrari machines were separated by mere centimetres as they went toe-to-toe into the second chicane before Verstappen, benefiting from the inside line, emerged in the lead.

Remarkably, Sainz’s 14 laps in the lead was the highest in any event this season by a non-Red Bull driver. The team from Milton Keynes could yet become the first team to go an entire campaign unbeaten with eight races to run.

On lap 16, Perez moved up to fourth with Russell – struggling for top-line speed in his Mercedes – unable to keep the Red Bull behind.

With Verstappen cruising imperiously to victory, Perez moved up third after seeing off Leclerc.

The Mexican set about passing Sainz, and, after a number of failed attempts, he finally blasted past the Ferrari with five laps remaining to ensure a one-two for Red Bull.

After emerging from his tyre stop in 10th, Hamilton moved ahead of Fernando Alonso before banging wheels with Piastri in the battle for eighth.

Hamilton was hit with a penalty for the incident at the Variante della Roggia as Piastri pitted for a new front wing.

“He just turned across me under braking,” bemoaned the Australian rookie.

Undeterred by his sanction, Hamilton then raced ahead of Lando Norris before moving past Alex Albon’s Williams to take sixth, finishing 7.4 seconds clear to ensure his penalty had no impact on his result.

Albon finished seventh ahead of Norris, with Alonso ninth.

Brendan Rodgers spoke about being under intense media pressure going into Celtic’s impressive 1-0 cinch Premiership win over Rangers at Ibrox.

The Hoops went into the game on the back of a loss to Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup and a home draw to St Johnstone and with some key players missing, but Kyogo Furuhashi’s late first-half strike stretched their lead over Rangers to four points after four games.

After the game, Rodgers said: “I understand I have been placed on death watch by the media.

“But whatever the result today I’m an experienced manager now and I’m staying calm.

“But that’s where you are powerless as a coach.

“For me I understand what we have, I understand what we are missing.

“Until we get the level of player back that will make a difference in some of our games we have to keep working and developing and improving and I have absolutely no doubt we will do that as the season grows.

“But listen, it’s three wins and a draw in the league and some of the games have been good, but we are still piecing together a team which will look a lot more like it by the end of the season.”

Rangers were aggrieved at a VAR decision that went against them in the first half.

Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke was challenged by Cyriel Dessers just inside the Hoops half and the Gers attacker raced clear and squared the ball for Kemar Roofe, who took a touch before firing past Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart.

When referee Don Robertson checked the pitchside monitor at the behest of the VAR, he ruled the goal out for a foul on the Hoops defender, albeit it looked soft.

Rodgers said: “Listen, there is enough people looking at it now. As I said to Gus at half-time, ‘you’ve got to learn your lesson there’.

“You’ve got to get the passing going quicker and he maybe needs another angle there quicker. But in saying that, as he turns around, he gets a nick.

“If you are Michael (Beale) and Rangers supporters you are maybe aggrieved. But at that point of the game we were dominating.

“So if we had conceded then I wouldn’t have been so happy.

“But they had a good look at it for long enough, so we accept the decision.”

Amid an ongoing ticket spat between the clubs there were no travelling supporters – Celtic rejected the offer of around 700 tickets, citing safety concerns – which irked Rodgers.

He said: “It’s not the same game. It’s not the same game and it’s such a shame.

“Look, it’s brilliant for us. Our resilience and everything we had to show as Celtic players was there today. As a group we had to withstand a lot, but it’s not the same game.

“When there is not a single supporter there for you then you know you have to be a man. And for this group of players to come and do that and get the victory was absolutely brilliant.

“Listen, I hope between the two clubs we can do that at some point.

“It’s obviously going to be a challenge this year, so it’s another year. But it’s not the same games.

“If you asked Rangers supporters, I’m pretty sure some of their best wins they have seen from their team were away at the other ground.

“Hopefully we will get back to that. Whether it’s 7,000 or 8,000 or whatever, it’s an iconic game, an amazing game.

“And a big part of it is the supporters. So hopefully in time we can get that back.

“But for us today to come here with no supporters and win…hopefully wherever they are, Celtic supporters across the world will be proud of their team.”

Christophe Soumillon conjured up some magic aboard Zagrey as Yann Barberot’s colt prevailed in a thrilling finish to the 153rd Wettstar.de Grosser Preis von Baden.

The four-year-old brought some high-class form to the table ahead of the Baden-Baden Group One having finished third behind Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic in the spring before picking up a silver medal when bumping into an on-song Westover in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

However, victory in Germany looked doubtful when Soumillon found his passage repeatedly blocked at the business end of the 12-furlong contest.

The experienced rider managed to get his mount rolling at just the right moment and timed his challenge to perfection as he edged out Henk Grewe’s Mr Hollywood in the shadow of the post.

“From the start it was a very difficult race and the jockeys changed their lines quite fast,” Soumillon told Wettstar.

“I wasn’t in a great position approaching the first turn and I had to take a bit forward down the backstraight.

“When I came into the straight, my horse changed legs and he was not fine. I gave him time and there was not a big gap but I knew the main contender was right in front of me, so I was just trying to follow him.

“He has such a big heart and he fought so hard the last 150 yards. He is an amazing horse and it is a pleasure for me to be here.”

Torquator Tasso won the Grosser Preis von Baden before tasting Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe glory in 2021, while last year both Mendocino and the defending champion booked their place in the ParisLongchamp line-up when finishing first and second respectively in this contest.

Not only does Zagrey’s victory enhance his own Arc claims, but it also provides a welcome boost to the form of Ralph Beckett’s Westover, who is as short as 8-1 for Europe’s richest middle-distance contest.

Zagrey could now head to the French capital on October 1 with a first Group One success under his belt and his handler was full of praise for the horse.

“It is never easy to win a Group One, even with a horse as good as him,” said Barberot.

“It was a great race in the straight. Obviously there wasn’t a lot of room in the last 500 metres, especially in a race where there was no pace early on. But the horse showed a lot of courage to get there.

“Having said that, I was quite worried heading into the home straight.”

Jack Draper arrived at the US Open simply hoping to stay fit, yet now he is chasing a place in the quarter-finals.

The British number four, 21, has endured an injury-hit year and slipped from a career-high ranking of 38 to outside the top 100.

A shoulder injury saw him miss Wimbledon and threatened his participation at Flushing Meadows.

Yet despite serving within himself in a bid to manage the problem, Draper is the only British player reach the last 16 after winning a tight four-set battle with American Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 on Saturday.

And having reached the second week of a grand slam for the first time, Draper is now looking to go even further.

“I mean, when I am playing, I’m not here just to be here and be happy to play. I’m a competitor when I get into the matches. I want to win everything,” he said.

“Definitely at the start of the week, there was real concern about my body and with the year I’ve had, whether I’d be able to play one match.

“Obviously it’s the best-of-five sets, so it’s completely different to what a three-set match even holds.

“You know, we just wanted to stay fit this trip. That was kind of the goal, you know, to get consistent competition in, because that’s just something I haven’t had.

“To come here this week and to play the way I have and to compete the way I have and for my body to hold up has been, it’s been pretty special for me, really.”

Draper faces Andrey Rublev, the combustible Russian eighth seed, for a place in the last eight.

“He’s been top 10 for many years, having great results, consistently doing well in the slams and won his first 1000 event this year,” added Draper.

“Anyone who you play in the fourth round, I suppose they’ve won three matches and they’re playing good tennis and feeling good out here, so it will be really difficult either way.”