The Las Vegas Raiders released Chandler Jones on Saturday, less than 48 hours after the defensive end’s arrest.

The club confirmed the move with a post on social media.

Jones, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, has been away from the team since before this season after a flurry of social media posts criticising the team’s leadership. He was placed on the non-football injury/illness list on Sept. 20.

Jones was in the second season of a three-year, $51million contract.

Jones’ arrest was the latest in a series of concerning developments that led to the Raiders cutting ties with the veteran sack artist.

Jones said on social media Monday that he had been hospitalised and taken to a behavioural health facility “against my will.”

The 33-year-old continued his concerning and bizarre social media activity throughout the week, including multiple live videos.

In one video, Jones spoke about a variety of topics for about 25 minutes before breaking down in tears while discussing the death of former teammate Aaron Hernandez.

Jones has since deleted those posts and said that his account had been hacked.

Early Friday morning, Vegas-area police arrested Jones on accusations of violating a domestic violence temporary restraining order. He was detained at the Clark County Detention Center before paying his $15,000 bail.

There has been a wave of growing concern about Jones’ mental health, given his erratic behaviour.

After Jones’ arrest, the Raiders posted a statement on social media saying they are “hopeful that Chandler Jones receives the care that he needs. He, his family, and all those involved are in our thoughts. As this is now a legal matter, we will not be providing further comment.”

Jones has 112 career sacks over 11 seasons with the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Raiders.

Lautaro Martinez scored four times after coming off the bench as Inter Milan returned to winning ways and the top of Serie A with a 4-0 victory at struggling Salernitana.

Inter, who slipped to a first loss of the campaign at home to Sassuolo in midweek, initially struggled to break down a Salernitana side that had not managed to win any of their previous six matches.

Martinez’s entrance in the 55th minute proved key and he broke the deadlock just after the hour, although Inter were grateful that Mateusz Legowski saw an equaliser chalked off for offside.

Martinez struck again and then completed a 23-minute hat-trick from the penalty spot before the Argentinian took his tally for the season to eight goals as Inter went back above city rivals Milan, who beat Lazio on Saturday.

Marcus Thuram had an early sight at goal but Salernitana keeper Guillermo Ochoa made a comfortable save while Alexis Sanchez and Denzel Dumfries were unable to direct their efforts on target.

Salernitana steadily grew into the encounter and Boulaye Dia tested Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who then had to get down low to keep out Grigoris Kastanos’ strike from distance.

The hosts ended the half on top and Inter’s listlessness in the final third after the interval prompted Simone Inzaghi to introduce Martinez, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Kristjan Asllani also brought on.

Martinez needed just seven minutes to make his presence felt as a low ball into his path from Thuram required a delicate chip to beat the advancing Ochoa and put Inter ahead.

They were almost immediately pegged back as Agustin Martegani’s perfectly-weighted through ball saw Lęgowski dash in to score what he thought was his first Serie A goal, only to be ruled offside on replay.

Inter got a gift as they doubled their lead as Ochoa’s throw caught Domagoj Bradaric unaware and the Croatian was dispossessed by Dumfries before the ball was worked to Nicolo Barella, whose cut back allowed Martinez to slam home in the 77th minute.

Salernitana’s plight worsened as Thuram turned away from Matteo Lovato before being hauled down in the area, allowing Martinez to step up and complete his hat-trick in the 89th minute.

Martinez was still not finished and completed a miserable second half for Salernitana with another first-time finish after being teed up by Carlos Augusto.

Darcy Graham climbed from sixth to joint-second on Scotland’s all-time try-scorer list with four touchdowns in a resounding 84-0 victory over Romania which sets up a mouth-watering World Cup shootout with Ireland next weekend.

The Scots ran in six tries in each half in Lille to inflict another demoralising defeat on their opponents, who were similarly outclassed by both Ireland and South Africa in their first two matches in Pool B.

Graham, who started the evening on 20 international tries, wreaked the most damage on the eastern European minnows as his first-half hat-trick and another after the break took him ahead of both Duhan van der Merwe and Chris Paterson and up to 24.

The prolific Edinburgh wing is now level with Tony Stanger and Ian Smith, and just three shy of record-holder and fellow Hawick native Stuart Hogg, who recently ended his career on 27.

The Scots were so confident of getting the result they required at Stade Pierre Mauroy that they made 13 changes from the side that started against Tonga the previous Sunday, preserving most of their A-listers for the Ireland match in Paris which they must win with a bonus point or by denying their opponents one in order to reach the quarter-finals.

There was no danger of the decision to field so many fringe men back-firing from the moment Hamish Watson got the Scots off and running with the first try of the match in the eighth minute.

The experienced Edinburgh flanker – who has lost the number seven jersey to the burgeoning Rory Darge this year – marked his return to the starting line-up by bounding over on the right after Cam Redpath offloaded into his path as he was thwarted on his own charge towards the line.

Ali Price – like Watson, another 2021 British and Irish Lions squad member who has become a peripheral player for the national team this year – got the second in the 17th minute after being played in by Graham.

It was Graham’s turn to get on the scoresheet just four minutes later when he touched down following a brilliant individual run, bringing him level with his Edinburgh team-mate Van der Merwe, one of those given the night off.

Romania – already bang up against it – completely imploded in the closing 10 minutes of the first half when they had three players sin-binned and conceded a further three tries.

Hooker Robert Irimescu was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Ben Healy and just a couple of minutes later they were reduced to 13, when back-rower Florian Rosu was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul.

Scotland took full advantage as Graham scored his second of the evening to move ahead of Van der Merwe and level with Paterson.

Matt Fagerson bulldozed his way over for the fifth, but only after Ollie Smith had been the victim of a nasty high tackle in the build-up from Marius Simionescu, who became the third Romanian to be sin-binned before the break.

There was still time before the interval for Graham to complete his hat-trick as the Edinburgh wing moved ahead of Paterson and into fourth place on his own. All six first-half tries were converted by Healy as the Scots went in 42-0 to the good at half-time.

The scores kept coming after the break, with Chris Harris, Smith, Healy, Johnny Matthews – shortly after coming on for his debut – and Darge all touching down.

Graham then raced over for his fourth of the night as the Scots ran up their second-highest win at a World Cup, finishing just five points shy of the 89-0 victory they enjoyed against Ivory Coast in 1995.

Danny Care insists England view it as a “privilege” to attempt to lift spirits after Jersey Reds’ financial collapse by delivering a successful Rugby World Cup.

A dramatic Thursday began with the news that Jersey face liquidation unless emergency funding can be secured and ended with England qualifying for the quarter-finals on the strength of Japan’s victory over Samoa.

The club that clinched last season’s Championship title are set to follow Wasps, Worcester and London Irish into administration, each of them victims of the financial crisis gripping the domestic landscape.

Care believes Steve Borthwick’s men can play their role in giving the English game a much-needed shot in the arm by progressing deep into the World Cup.

“It’s incredibly sad news – again. I can’t imagine how those guys are feeling. Alex Mitchell’s brother plays for Jersey and a couple of the lads have got good friends there,” Care said.

“In a similar vein, I looked at the Premiership launch picture the other day and it just looked so sparse and bare. The 10-team thing kind of hit home then.

“When you hear that a team that did so well in the Championship last season is no longer, it’s quite sobering. Our thoughts are with all their fans and all the players and staff involved there.

“As the national team we have a massive role to play. We’re the lucky 33 who are out here on the biggest stage trying to represent everyone.

“Is that more pressure on us? I don’t see it as that, I see it as a privilege that we can try and put smiles on a few people’s faces.

“If we can put some smiles on their faces by doing well at this World Cup and giving some hope because there’s a massive responsibility whenever you wear this rose.

“We’d like to win the whole thing, that’s why we’re here. The Jersey guys will be in our thoughts.”

England have refused to celebrate their passage into the quarter-finals as Pool D winners with a match to spare knowing they must first negotiate Samoa in Lille on Saturday.

By routing Argentina, Japan and Chile they have built momentum – albeit in the least competitive of the World Cup groups – that will sweep them into a knockout appointment most likely against Fiji on October 15.

It represents a startling mood swing from last month when three defeats in four Tests left expectations on the floor.

“The mood back homes seems to be that people are pleasantly surprised that we’re actually doing all right!” Care said.

“Before the tournament people were saying a lot of stuff about the team. When you don’t play well do you deserve the negative stuff? I don’t know, but you get it when you wear this shirt.

“The feeling we’re feeling is massive support and optimism and a belief that maybe there is something in this England team. We believe it as players.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp questioned the pressure being put on officials after the Professional Game Match Officials Limited vowed to investigate the decision to rule out a Luis Diaz goal in the Reds’ dramatic 2-1 loss at Tottenham.

Diaz looked to have put Liverpool ahead in the 34th minute when he raced on to Mohamed Salah’s through ball and rifled into the bottom corner of the net, but the offside flag was immediately raised.

A VAR check by Darren England in Stockley Park occurred, with screens inside the stadium informing supporters, but play was able to quickly resume with the effort remaining offside.

Referees’ body PGMOL has since acknowledged a “significant human error” occurred and that VAR “failed to intervene” to prevent the error.

Liverpool went on to finish the match with nine men and suffered stoppage-time heartbreak when Joel Matip deflected Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the post-match discussions focused on the crucial first-half error.

“Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Wolves-Man United game. Did Wolves get the points? No,” Klopp reflected when informed of the PGMOL statement.

“We will not get points for it so it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in that it might make things easier.

“I don’t know why the people…are they that much under pressure? Today the decision was made really quick I would say for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game, so that’s how it is.”

After a breathless start at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Liverpool were reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute when Curtis Jones was sent off following a VAR review.

Jones caught Yves Bissouma with a high, studs-up tackle on his shin that initially earned him a yellow card but referee Simon Hooper upgraded the decision to a red card after he used the pitchside monitor to review the incident.

Diaz found the net six minutes later, but after it was ruled out Tottenham went ahead when captain Son Heung-min tapped home from Richarlison’s centre in the 36th minute.

Cody Gakpo levelled for Liverpool on the verge of half-time but Klopp’s problems mounted when Diogo Jota was dismissed midway through the second half following two fouls on Destiny Udogie in quick succession.

It meant Liverpool had to play the final 21 minutes in north London with nine men and their stubborn resistance was finally broken when Porro’s dangerous cross was diverted past Alisson by Matip.

Klopp added: “I told the boys after the game I am super proud and especially with 10 men they were really good. They did everything that is necessary and on top of that we were courageous.

“I don’t think there is anything to say about the offside goal. I knew at half-time.

“In the first moment I thought it was clear offside but then it is right to think they have a better view and at half-time we knew with normal pictures. Easy to see, no offside.

“But I am pretty sure whoever did make that decision did not make it on purpose. It didn’t take extremely long to come to the conclusion, that is a bit strange, but someone else has to clarify that.”

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, was happy to accept the rub of the green with the Diaz ruled out effort but highlighted that VAR will never be “errorless” after he watched his team’s unbeaten record stretch to seven matches in the Premier League.

He said: “I think I’m on record as saying that I’ve never really been a fan of it since it came in. Not for any other reason than I think that it complicates areas of the game that I thought were pretty clear in the past.

“We used to understand that errors were part of the game, including officiating errors. You’d have to cop it and some people would cop it better than others but that was part of the game.

“The game is littered with historical refereeing decisions that weren’t right but we all accepted it that it was part of the game because we’re dealing with human beings.

“I think that people are under the misconception that VAR is going to be errorless.

“So much of our game isn’t factual. It’s down to interpretation and they’re still human beings. They’re going to make mistakes the same way managers make mistakes, the same way players make mistakes.

“When you put such a high bar on something it invariably is going to fail, so if people are thinking that VAR is going to be something that at some point that is perfect, that’s never going to happen.”

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has acknowledged a “significant human error” occurred during Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Liverpool after a Luis Diaz effort in the 34th-minute was incorrectly ruled out for offside.

Spurs claimed a dramatic three points after Joel Matip turned Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time to continue the hosts’ flying start under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

Referee Simon Hooper sent off Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota either side of half-time, but Liverpool were left aggrieved by the first-half decision to rule out a Diaz 34th-minute effort.

Mohamed Salah played Diaz through and the Colombian rifled into the bottom corner, but the offside flag was raised and a quick VAR check by Darren England at Stockley Park deemed the Liverpool attacker was offside.

Still images of the incident appeared to show Cristian Romero play Diaz onside and Spurs took the lead two minutes later when Son Heung-min poked home.

Cody Gakpo did level before half-time, but Matip’s last-gasp own-goal inflicted a first Premier League defeat of the season on Jurgen Klopp’s men.

“PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” a PGMOL statement read.

“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.

“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.

“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”

Europe need just four points from the final day’s 12 singles matches to complete their revenge mission in Rome and regain the Ryder Cup.

Luke Donald’s side will also have plenty of extra motivation after the second day’s play ended with angry scenes on the 18th green which later continued outside the clubhouse at Marco Simone.

Rory McIlroy was annoyed that Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava initially refused to move from his eyeline as he waved his cap over his head in celebration of Cantlay’s birdie on the last.

McIlroy and team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick still had birdie putts of their own to halve the hole and the match, but neither was able to convert.

“I talked to Rory,” Donald said. “He politely asked Joe to move aside. He was in his line of vision. He stood there and didn’t move for a while and continued to wave the hat, so I think Rory was upset about that.

“The Ryder Cup is always passionate. We’ve seen that many times over the past. I will address all 12 of my guys. I’ll give them the right messaging and they will be ready to play.”

Donald unsurprisingly sent out his strongest players early in the singles, with Jon Rahm first out against Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland taking on Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose drawn against Cantlay in match three.

McIlroy, who had gone out first in the last three Ryder Cups, was fourth in the line-up against Sam Burns.

Shot of the day

Statistic of the day

Top statistician Justin Ray outlines the size of the task facing the American side.

Quote of the day

Jon Rahm responds to being accused of acting like a child by Brooks Koepka after taking a swipe at a board on the 17th hole on Friday.

Tee times

(Europe names first, all times BST)

1035 Jon Rahm v Scottie Scheffler
1047 Viktor Hovland v Collin Morikawa
1059 Justin Rose v Patrick Cantlay
1111 Rory McIlroy v Sam Burns
1123 Matt Fitzpatrick v Max Homa
1135 Tyrrell Hatton v Brian Harman
1147 Ludvig Aberg v Brooks Koepka
1159 Sepp Straka v Justin Thomas
1211 Nicolai Hojgaard v Xander Schauffele
1223 Shane Lowry v Jordan Spieth
1235 Tommy Fleetwood v Rickie Fowler
1247 Robert MacIntyre v Wyndham Clark

Weather forecast

Sunday will feature sunny skies with a few afternoon clouds building up over the mountains along with temperatures near 30 degrees centigrade (86F) by early afternoon. No rain is expected with light winds up to 10mph.

Rory McIlroy had to be restrained by team-mate Shane Lowry as tempers boiled over after a dramatic end to the second day’s play at the Ryder Cup in Rome.

The world number two became involved in a heated exchange with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava on the 18th green at Marco Simone and the arguments later continued in the car park.

Pictures emerged of McIlroy shouting and angrily pointing his finger at someone outside the clubhouse before being pulled away and pushed into a waiting car by Lowry.

Europe captain Luke Donald revealed McIlroy had felt a “line had been crossed” by LaCava as he celebrated Cantlay holing the lengthy putt that ultimately secured a vital fourballs point for the United States.

At the time, however, both McIlroy and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick still had putts remaining that could have halved the match.

McIlroy thought LaCava had stepped across his line as he celebrated by waving his cap in jocular reference to Cantlay’s hatless appearance.

There had been reports throughout the day that Cantlay had not been wearing a team hat in protest at not being paid to play, something he denied.

McIlroy took exception to LaCava’s actions and a row broke out between the pair which the watching Lowry also became involved in.

Donald said: “Obviously I was on 18 and I saw it unfold. When Patrick made that putt, Joe was waving his hat – there was some hat-waving going on throughout the day from the crowd, not our players.

“I talked to Rory and he politely asked Joe to move aside as he was in his line of vision, he stood there and didn’t move for a while and continued to wave the hat and I think Rory was upset about that.

“Rory felt the line was crossed on the 18th green. He is a passionate player – we all are in this event – and I will speak to him later about it.”

After the match but prior to the car park incident, McIlroy said the matter would merely add motivation to his desire to succeed on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman said: “Obviously they had a great finish and Patrick made three great putts at the end to seal the deal, so hats off to them.

“They played a great match, yes, a few scenes there on 18 and just fuel for the fire tomorrow.”

Cantlay was also asked about what occurred beside the 18th green after the match but gave little information.

“He is the best,” he said of LaCava, who is better known for his previous work with Tiger Woods. “That is all there is to say.”

Donald was not aware of what later happened in the car park when he spoke to media after a day which his European side ended lead 10.5-5.5.

Donald said: “I will talk with Rory when I get back. I didn’t see the incident personally, I saw the one on 18.

“We always try to play with passion and energy but play with respect and that will certainly be my message to the players.”

US captain Zach Johnson said: “What I saw on 18 was a phenomenal putt and a celebration by some of our guys.

“I saw passion and all of what is great in the Ryder Cup come out, and to my knowledge, based on what I was told, that was defused after the match so I’m told it is all good. That’s really all I know.”

Harry Kane was on target as Bayern Munich came from two goals down draw 2-2 at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Leipzig struck early through Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba but Kane and Leroy Sane replied in the second half to earn the reigning champions a point.

But the draw saw Thomas Tuchel’s men end the day in third, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern almost scored inside three minutes when Kane’s smart pass in midfield played in the elusive Jamal Musiala but the attacking midfielder failed to hold his nerve and his shot was saved by Janis Blaswich.

Straight after, Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich was nearly caught outside his box, but Leipzig took their second opportunity to open the scoring after 20 minutes.

Xaver Schlager retrieved the ball in midfield and he slipped through Openda who sped away from his man before his deflected effort nestled in the corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead over the German champions.

And in the 26th minute Bayern shipped another goal as Leipzig stormed into a 2-0 lead.

Ulreich misjudged the flight of David Raum’s whipped corner and a knockdown in the box found the alert Lukeba who scored and stunned Tuchel’s side at Red Bull Arena.

Leipzig played with a higher intensity and quality which forced fouls from Kane and Dayot Upamecano who received bookings as Bayern searched for a way back.

And they brought one back in the 57th minute from the spot through Kane.

Musiala’s free-kick cannoned off the elbow of Benjamin Henrichs and after a VAR review the referee pointed to the spot which allowed Kane to bury his eighth Bundesliga goal.

Bayern grew in confidence and completed the comeback in the 70th minute.

Musiala showed his explosive pace when he countered from a Leipzig corner before he slipped in Sane who opened his body up and slid his effort home.

With 10 minutes to go Bayern searched for a winner and were camped in Leipzig’s final third, looking for openings to complete the turnaround.

Sane enjoyed touches of the ball in dangerous positions but Leipzig’s Schlager was quick to tackle and drive his team forward before he nearly picked out Benjamin Sesko in the 88th minute against the run of play.

Ulreich sensationally rushed out and beat Sesko to the ball in a 50-50 when the striker was played through and the game ended level after six minutes of added time.

Tottenham celebrated another jaw-dropping 2-1 stoppage-time victory as Joel Matip’s own goal finally broke nine-man Liverpool’s resistance.

Saturday evening’s box office battle pitted together exciting, resurgent sides that had both begun the new Premier League season unbeaten having bounced back from chastening campaigns last term.

Jurgen Klopp’s men were seconds away from leaving north London with a fantastic point after Cody Gakpo cancelled out Son Heung-min’s opener in a match which saw the visitors have two players sent off.

Curtis Jones and half-time introduction Diogo Jota were sent off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Spurs finally beat Liverpool at the fifth time of asking.

Just like in their last home game against Sheffield United a fortnight ago, Ange Postecoglou’s men triumphed thanks to a stunning stoppage-time conclusion.

This time it was Liverpool defender Matip providing the key touch, inadvertently turning home Pedro Porro’s cross to spark wild celebrations in the sixth minute of added time.

AC Milan turned on the second-half style to record an impressive 2-0 Serie A victory over Lazio.

Christian Pulisic and Noah Okafor were on target to finally end stubborn Lazio resistance at the San Siro, but Rafael Leao was the star attraction in a commanding performance.

Leao set up both Pulisic and Okafor – and the Portugal winger now has 72 goal contributions since joining Milan in 2019.

Felipe Anderson and Valentin Castellanos had half-chances for Lazio during a first period that took some time to burst into life.

But Lazio, who kept Ciro Immobile until the final 15 minutes, were largely toothless up front.

Milan lost Ruben Loftus-Cheek – who had scored his first goal for the Rossoneri against Cagliari in midweek – to an early injury but gained momentum as the contest moved past the half-hour mark.

Leao saw his near-post effort from a tight angle saved by Ivan Provedel in the Lazio goal.

The deadlock was almost broken on the stroke of half-time after Olivier Giroud brought Provedel into action again.

Provedel could not hold the shot and the loose ball fell to Tijjani Reijnders, who took it around the goalkeeper but, off balance, back-heeled it against the outside of a post.

Milan really upped the tempo after the break and took a deserved lead after an hour.

Leao surged down the left and his cut-back found Pulisic unmarked on the penalty spot.

The American’s shot had enough to get past Provedel for his third goal of the season, although the goalkeeper got a hand to the effort.

Provedel distinguished himself by saving from Yunus Musah after the American had brought the ball down and fired goalwards in one sharp movement.

Reijnders fired into the side netting before Milan put the issue beyond doubt two minutes from time.

Leao was again the instigator with another excellent run and cross which allowed Okafor to convert with a simple tap-in.

It was Okafor’s second Milan goal after his first for the club in the 3-1 win at Cagliari.

Lazio were denied a spectacular consolation in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Spanish substitute Pedro sent a 25-yard shot into the top corner of Mike Maignan’s net.

The officials had spotted an offside in the build-up and there was to be no joy for Lazio after a VAR check.

This was Milan’s third successive league win, while Lazio’s season has yet to get going after this fourth defeat in seven games.

Europe need just four points from the final day’s 12 singles matches to complete their revenge mission in Rome and regain the Ryder Cup.

Luke Donald’s side will also have plenty of extra motivation after the second day’s play ended with angry scenes on the 18th green which later continued outside the clubhouse at Marco Simone.

Rory McIlroy was annoyed that Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava initially refused to move from his eyeline as he waved his cap over his head in celebration of Cantlay’s birdie on the last.

McIlroy and team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick still had birdie putts of their own to halve the hole and the match, but neither was able to convert.

“I talked to Rory,” Donald said. “He politely asked Joe to move aside. He was in his line of vision.

“He stood there and didn’t move for a while and continued to wave the hat, so I think Rory was upset about that.

“The Ryder Cup is always passionate. We’ve seen that many times over the past.

“I will address all 12 of my guys tomorrow. I’ll give them the right messaging and they will be ready to play.”

The incident threatened to overshadow a record-breaking performance from Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, who had earlier thrashed Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7, the largest margin in any 18-hole match in the event’s history.

That sparked a 3-1 win in the morning foursomes and although the United States took the fourballs by the same scoreline thanks to Cantlay’s late heroics, Europe ended the day leading by 10.5 points to 5.5.

The United States have never trailed entering the singles on European soil and come back to win. The largest comeback of four points in any singles was achieved by the US at Brookline in 1999 and Europe at Medinah in 2012.

Cantlay was taunted by European fans all afternoon after it was reported that he was refusing to wear a team-branded baseball cap in protest at players not being paid to compete in the Ryder Cup.

But he and his team-mates had the last laugh, waving their caps above their heads after Cantlay birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th to partner Wyndham Clark to victory over McIlroy and Fitzpatrick and ruin McIlroy’s perfect record.

“It just doesn’t fit,” Cantlay told NBC regarding his hat. “It is as simple as that. I didn’t wear it in Whistling Straits. That is all it is.”

Donald felt his side were still in a “great spot” to secure overall victory, adding: “I think if you asked us to be at 10.5 after two days we would take it.

“There is always momentum shifts and I thought we were going to maybe snatch a 2-2 this afternoon but Cantlay birdied the last three holes. I have a plan (for the singles) and will relay it to the team.

“I’m going to put (out) some strong players and put some blue on the board early.”

Donald’s players had achieved that perfectly in the foursomes, the record win for Hovland and Aberg followed by victories for the powerhouse pairs of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.

The only bright spot of the morning session for the visitors came when Max Homa and Brian Harman secured a first full point for the Americans, Homa chipping in for an eagle on the 16th to see off Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka 4&2.

Scheffler, who was pictured fighting back tears and being comforted by his wife Meredith following the crushing loss with Koepka, lobbied to be given the chance to make amends in the afternoon fourballs but was left out by US captain Zach Johnson.

That decision paid dividends as Hovland and Aberg ran out of steam in a 4&3 defeat to Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa, while Homa and Harman enjoyed their second win of the day, beating Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard 2&1.

Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre recovered from an early deficit to beat Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 3&2 before the late drama in the anchor match gave the United States a glimmer of hope.