Zach Eflin teamed with two relievers on a two-hitter as the Tampa Bay Rays earned a 7-1 win over the slumping Baltimore Orioles on Friday, creating a virtual tie between the American League East rivals for first place in the division.
Tampa Bay has now taken the first two matchups of this pivotal four-game series to move just percentage points behind Baltimore in the standings. The Rays, who trailed the Orioles by four games just six days ago, have won nine of 11 while Baltimore has tied a season high with four straight losses.
Harold Ramirez belted a three-run homer and Brandon Lowe had a solo shot to back a dominant outing from Eflin, who yielded only a solo homer to Heston Kjerstad and struck out eight over seven innings to collect his AL-leading 15th win of the season.
Randy Arozarena and Manuel Margot added three hits each for the Rays, with Margot and Lowe both finishing with two RBIs.
Kjerstad's homer was the first major league hit for the 24-year-old, who was promoted from the minor leagues prior to Thursday's series opener.
Orioles starter Jack Flaherty lasted just four innings and yielded three runs despite striking out six.
Rockies no-hit Giants over eight innings, rally to win in ninth
The Colorado Rockies took a combined no-hitter into the ninth inning in their game against the San Francisco Giants, then scored twice in the bottom of the frame to rally for a dramatic 3-2 victory to open a four-game series.
Chase Anderson kept San Francisco hitless before being pulled after throwing 101 pitches in seven innings, and the no-hit bid was extended into the ninth before J.D. Davis led off the inning with a double off Nick Mears.
The Giants later loaded the bases before Rockies reliever Matt Koch walked pinch-hitter WIlmer Flores to force in a run and break a 1-1 deadlock.
The tie was short-lived, however. Charlie Blackmon began the bottom of the ninth with a double off San Francisco closer Camilo Doval, who later walked Nolan Jones with one out to put the potential winning run aboard.
Elehuris Montero then delivered a single in which Giants left fielder Mike Yastrzmeski threw errantly to home as Blackmon slid across the plate, allowing Jones to come in as well with the deciding run.
The loss could prove costly for San Francisco, which fell a game behind Arizona and Cincinnati in the race for the National League's final wild card with both the Diamondbacks and Reds winning their games.
San Francisco also wasted a terrific effort from Logan Webb, who held Colorado to one run on four hits over eight innings.
Giolito fans 12 as Guardians snap Rangers' six-game winning streak
Lucas Giolito struck out a season-high 12 batters over seven scoreless innings to help the Cleveland Guardians snap the Texas Rangers' six-game winning streak with a 12-3 rout.
Giolito permitted just two hits and one walk to record his first win since Aug. 8. The 2019 All-Star, who was claimed off waivers by Cleveland from the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 31, had posted a 7.48 ERA while losing each of his previous five starts.
Josh Naylor went 4 for 5 with three RBIs to lead Cleveland offensively, while Andres Gimenez, Ramon Laureano and Kole Calhoun all homered as part of the Guardians' 15-hit attack.
Gimenez finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and put Cleveland up 2-0 with his second-inning homer off Texas starter Jon Gray, who was pulled after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings.
The Rangers remained scoreless until Sam Huff's solo homer in the ninth. Catcher Austin Hedges later added a two-run single after pitching the bottom of the eighth and retiring all three batters he faced.
Texas missed out on a chance to regain first place in the AL West from Houston, which was dealt a 4-2 loss by the Kansas City Royals on Friday. The Astros remain a half-game ahead in the standings.
Simon Yates sealed victory in La Vuelta on this day in 2018 to complete a British clean sweep of the year’s Grand Tours.
The 26-year-old Bury racer headed into the largely processional final stage into Madrid with a one minute and 46 seconds lead and avoided any late mishaps to land his first Grand Tour title.
Yates’ success followed that of Chris Froome at the Giro d’Italia and Geraint Thomas at the Tour de France to round off an unprecedented year for British cycling.
The three titles had never before been held by three riders from the same country.
Yates said: “It’s astonishing really. Growing up I was so accustomed to seeing the French, Italian and Spanish riders lead the way, so for myself, Chris and Geraint to all win a Grand Tour in the same year just shows how far the sport has come in this country.”
Froome, whose Tour-Vuelta double in 2017 meant British riders had at that point won five Grand Tours in a row, paid tribute to Yates’ achievement, saying: “Simon has looked so strong over the last three weeks and it’s great to see him take home the maillot rojo. It’s been a perfect year for British riders.”
Justin Thomas found some much-needed form ahead of the Ryder Cup as he shot a second round 67 in the Fortinet Championship.
Sadith Theegala shot a second round 64 to tie SH Kim at 12-under-par on top of the leaderboard.
But it is the presence of Thomas, winless on the PGA Tour this season and reliant on a wildcard pick from Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, four strokes back in a tie for sixth which caught the eye.
Having hit just three fairways in an opening 69, Thomas switched to a longer driver he has been experimenting with in recent weeks.
“I could tell in one video I was getting stuck underneath it,” said the double Major winner, who hit eight fairways in the second round. “If I drive it like I did today, I’ll use it for the rest of my career.
“I had a good thought from just a little 10-minute range session that I felt like could get me through today and it worked pretty well.
“That’s a part of what I think has made me as successful as I’ve been in my career, I’ve been very good at adjusting on the fly.”
Thomas’ fellow Ryder Cup player Max Home was among those tied with him on eight-under par, one better than a group including English dup Callum Tarren and Harry Hall.
US Ryder Cup captain Johnson was among those to miss the cut.
Barbadian teenage sensation Zane Maloney welcomed an almost three-month break to reflect ahead of the final Formula 2 race for the year on November 25 in Abu Dhabi.
Formula 2 is the second tier to Formula 1 racing organised by the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and held on select circuits on the F1 schedule.
It is the ultimate training ground for prospective F1 drivers, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of F1 teams on some of the most challenging and renowned racing circuits in the world.
Maloney, 19, has been enjoying fairly good form this season with second-place finishes at the British Grand Prix in July at Silverstone, and the Dutch Grand Prix in August at Zandvoort, complemented by third-places at the Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of the season in March at Sakhir, and the Monaco Grand Prix in May at Monte Carlo.
He heads into the break occupying 10th position in the 22-driver standings on 96 points, after 13 of the 14 races on the schedule for this year, with the final race of the season at the Yas Marina circuit.
“I’d love to have a race next weekend to be honest, but I’ll just be focusing on life in general, have some time at home, train hard, and be back for Abu Dhabi,” the Rodin Carlin driver told F2.com website.
“We’re nowhere near where we want to be in the Championship, but we are there on pace. Hopefully, we’ll have a very good race, and I’ll put myself in a good position for what’s to come next year.
“It’s a nice circuit (Yas Marina). In terms of targets, it’s always to get on the podium and win races. We’ll see. I’m going to go home first, relax with family. The team are doing a great job, so we’ll be back in Abu Dhabi strong,” he added during the recent interview.
On that note, Maloney reflected on his recent setback when he crashed out of contention at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
“It was a really good race actually. I was P14 after the first lap. When the crash happened, I was probably net P10, and we would have already made up 10 places, which is a good day at the office. Pace was good, I was just driving down the straight and then one second later I’m heading to the wall,” Maloney shared.
“To be honest, I didn’t really take much away from the race. We knew that we had good pace all weekend, but I qualified bad, which put us in a difficult situation. Everything became difficult after that. We had good pace, but that wasn’t a surprise,” he noted.
As Sandals Resorts moves to deepen and strengthen ties with its international partners, it was the United Sates Travel Advisors turn to have their fun in the sun at the 19th annual golf tournament at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in St Ann.
After two days of enticing competition, which allows Travel Advisors to experience and, later sell Jamaica as the destination of choice for sports and tourism, it was Team 10 that finished tops in the four-man scramble format, played over 18 holes.
Pete Drab, Damon Spady, Megan Sams and Scott Austin made up the winning team that scored 58 across both days to end with a total of 116.
Team 10 won ahead of Teams six and eight, as they ended with a similar score of 123, after both had similar scores of 62 on Thursday’s first day and 61 on Friday’s final day.
Adam Anderson, David Anderson, David Schutz and Jeremy Lee made up Team six, while Team eight comprised of Craig and Angela Mansperger, Ro Gallo and Mike Tipple.
Aside from the main event, the serious side of the golf tournament, saw Sandals Foundation raising US$1,210 (approximately $187,000 Jamaican dollars) for its outreach programmes to assist those in need.
Mike Zuch and Linda Hyde bettered rivals in the men’s and women’s Closet to the Pin event, while Harold Kelly and Julie Gildner, finished tops in their respective categories of the Longest Drive competition.
Adam Zampa claimed an unwanted record while Travis Head gave Australia a World Cup injury concern as they were thrashed by 164 runs in the fourth one-day international against South Africa.
Zampa bowled 10 wicketless overs for 113 – equalling the worst figures in an ODI, held by fellow Australian Mick Lewis – as Heinrich Klaasen propelled South Africa to their third-highest total.
Klaasen smashed 174 of just 83 balls as the hosts posted 416-5 at Centurion to level the five-match series 2-2, having lost the opening two.
Of greater concern for Australia will be the injury to opener Head, who retired hurt three balls after being hit on the left hand by Gerald Coetzee.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald confirmed x-rays had shown a fracture with the World Cup just three weeks away.
McDonald said: “He’s going to go in for some more scans tomorrow to work out the detail of (the injury) and then we’ll work out the management from there. How long that (recovery) time frame is, we’re yet to determine.”
Australia already have injury concerns over Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell, while Cameron Green was concussed in the first game of the series.
Klaasen described his assault, which included 13 fours and 13 sixes, as “one of my better ones”.
He was caught on the boundary off the final ball of the innings, ending a stand of 222 with David Miller who smashed an unbeaten 82 from 45. Rassie van der Dussen also hit 65.
Michael Neser was the only Australian bowler to go for under seven runs an over, Zampa conceding nine of the 20 sixes hit by the hosts
Australia’s reply never really got going, wicketkeeper Alex Carey the only batter to face more than 25 balls but he was last man out for 99 as Australia were dismissed for 252.
Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray says it is “great” to have his father back in good health and in France to cheer him on at his fourth – and probably final – Rugby World Cup.
The 34-year-old’s dad, Gerry, suffered serious injuries earlier this year after colliding with a truck while cycling in County Limerick.
Murray emerged as a doubt for his country’s Guinness Six Nations match with France following the incident in February but continued to play amid difficult circumstances.
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Friends and family of the Munster star, including Gerry, will be in Nantes on Saturday evening to watch Ireland take on Tonga.
“They’re hugely excited, it’s probably the last one (World Cup) as well so they’re definitely making the most of it,” said Murray, who has been selected to start at Stade de la Beaujoire.
“Friends are starting to come over this weekend, a few people have follow-your-team tickets and things like that.
“My dad is on his way over on the ferry as we speak. He’s in good health and he’s back golfing and doing everything he loves. It’s great that he’s able to do it.”
Murray came off the bench in Ireland’s opening Pool B match – a resounding 82-8 win over Romania in Bordeaux.
He has been preferred to Jamison Gibson-Park this weekend and will partner fellow veteran Johnny Sexton at a fourth World Cup following their appearances in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
The British and Irish Lion is excited by what Andy Farrell’s side can potentially achieve during the coming weeks.
“I am really lucky to have made four,” he said. “I’ve seen in every cycle that people fall out through injury or through favour or form.
“It’s just a grateful one (feeling), I suppose. I’m really lucky to be part of a squad, especially this one.
“They’ve all been great craic and they have all been talented squads, but this one ticks a lot of those boxes, the camaraderie we have.
“I hope that shows from the inside out, we’re a really tight group and obviously with the potential we have.
“(I’m) just excited to be part of the environment and excited about where we can go.”
Southampton manager Russell Martin insists Leicester should be criticised as much as his side despite winning 4-1 at St Mary’s.
Saints conceded after 21 seconds to a thumping Jamie Vardy finish before Kasey McAteer, Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi also netted as the Foxes ran riot.
But Martin, who saw Sam Edozie pull one back and Kamaldeen Sulemana sent off late on, thinks the result did not reflect the two sides’ performances.
He said: “It is a very different feeling to Sunderland (5-0 defeat). I am proud of the players, people will criticise me for saying that but they did what we asked of them.
“I take loads from that and it was a much better performance than Sunderland.
“If anyone expected there not to be any pain when it is such a big change then they are very naive.
“Leicester lost the ball as much as we did but they have come out on the right end of the scoreline so Enzo (Maresca) will not get criticised.
“I asked the players to go toe to toe with a really good team and I thought it was a very good game.
“We made life difficult for ourselves by conceding two early goals. They were really clinical and we weren’t. They took their chances and we didn’t.
“People can read what they want into it but if we took our chances it is a very different scoreline.
“It was a tough atmosphere which I understand because we were 2-0 down in 20 minutes.
“They have to do their best to shut that out. But the only way we can get them off our backs is to win games and make everyone feel positive.
“On Tuesday both the fans and the players have a choice about how to approach it. The supporters have the choice of coming to support or causing anxieties.
“They have been great since I’ve been here and I’d have been annoyed if we had started like we did and lost.”
Vardy’s opener, his first in the Championship this season after Mavididi’s fine pull back, was followed quickly by McAteer controlling and slotting in after Saints gave the ball away in midfield.
Edozie bagged his second of the campaign but Ndidi’s finish handed the Foxes back their two-goal advantage before the interval, with Mavididi getting the goal his performance deserved in the 67th minute.
Leicester manager Enzo Maresca said: “I am very happy. Winning the game is always important, it is never easy but the performance on and off the ball was very good.
“Sometimes like tonight we were a little more clinical and more clear in our decision-making.
“Since day one we have arrived quite well in the last third but we miss the right choices and aren’t patient, but tonight it worked better.
“We still need to improve and add new solutions. I don’t like basketball games. We know they want the same way of playing as us – keep the ball and try to win. So we knew we couldn’t control the game for 90 minutes.
“The way we worked off the ball, how aggressive we were, was the key point.
“Stephy is an important player for us but tonight was a good performance from all the players.”
Wakefield head coach Mark Applegarth accepted responsibility for his side’s relegation from the Betfred Super League after their dramatic 20-19 golden point defeat at Leigh.
Applegarth said he was “hurt” by his side’s failure to extend their unlikely survival battle into the final week of the season but said they would face up to the prospect of Championship rugby next year.
He said: “I’m hurt, it stings, and as head coach the responsibility is on my shoulders.
“It sunk in as soon as I saw that drop goal go over. All I can do is apologise to our fans but I can tell them that we will be back.
“I’d like to think most of the fans can’t question any of the lads’ efforts. Skill, execution and composure is probably what has let us down, but definitely not effort.”
Wakefield’s survival bid looked bleak after Tom Briscoe opened the scoring for Leigh with just four minutes on the clock but two opportunist tries from Lee Kershaw early in the second half pulled them back on level terms.
Gareth O’Brien’s late drop goal looked to have won it for Leigh before Luke Gale kicked Wakefield into the extra period with just 19 seconds left on the clock – only for O’Brien to convert the decisive effort of a frantic extra period.
Applegarth was left to reflect on a season in which a stirring recovery could not hide the fact that 14 straight defeats at the start of the season proved too much to overcome.
“Ultimately the league table doesn’t lie and we weren’t good enough,” added Applegarth.
“We’ve got some tough decisions to make and we’ve got some improvements to make. We’ve got to be honest with each other and look at why this has happened.
“My job is to make sure we bounce straight back up. They (Leigh) flirted with it over the last few years and they’ve nailed it, so there’s a blueprint to follow right there.
“Mark my words, we will be back in Super League, and hopefully at the first time of asking.”
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam admitted his side were far from their best but praised their accomplishment at sealing a top six place with one week of the regular season still to go.
“I think we just looked a bit less tired after last week,” admitted Lam.
“There was a lot of stop-start to the game that kept them in it, and they got two tries against the run of play from dropped balls, so I was a bit nervous towards the end.
“But we just find a way to win this year in those situations, which has been so impressive with this bunch of boys and so many players out.
“I think some other clubs may have rolled over tonight but they just got bigger and stronger as the game went on.
“We’ve now got to try to build some confidence and belief off the back of that, and make sure we take it on.”
Head coach Liam Rosenior challenged Aaron Connolly to maintain his promising early-season form after his equaliser earned Hull a late 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.
The visitors looked in control after Joel Latibeaudiere headed home in the first half.
But Republic of Ireland international Connolly had the final word with an enterprising header with three minutes remaining – his fourth goal of the new campaign.
Rosenior said: “Aaron’s capable of anything he wants in his career, if he stays on track.
“He’s not 100 per cent fit, which is scary.
“He’s a leader in the dressing room. He’s a massive influence and has really taken Liam Delap under his wing.
“Some of his runs and some of his movement are top level. He knows when he needs a rocket but he knows I love him as I’ve known him since he was 15.”
Hull, who have now lost once in 15 league games at home, appeared in trouble following a poor first half.
They continually gave away possession and were punished when unmarked defender Latibeaudiere headed home Josh Eccles’ near-post corner after 27 minutes.
Coventry, despite having to soak up plenty of pressure after the restart, rarely looked troubled in a fascinating game between two well-matched sides.
But Connolly was a constant threat and he equalised after 87 minutes with an artful, glancing back-header off substitute Tyler Morton’s lofted cross from the right.
Rosenior said: “I thought first half they had a bit of the upper hand.
“They’re a good side. I live 200 yards away from Mark (Robins) – he’s been really good to me in my coaching career – and they’re going to be up there at the end of the season.
“But for us to dominate in the second half like that, I’m proud of my players.
“To go a goal down and come back, I couldn’t be happier.
“I want to build a squad. We’re going to need that through the season so I’m going to have to be really smart with my team selections.
“I thought Tyler was magnificent when he came on and showed exactly why we worked so hard to get him to the club from Liverpool.”
Coventry manager Mark Robins accepted that a draw was a fair result.
He said: “I thought it was a really good game between two good teams.
“Both teams asked questions of each other through the game and we took a deserved lead.
“There were some really good performances from us, but it was disappointing to get our noses in front and then to have chances to score again.
“On balance, though, it was probably a fair result.
“Every time you come away and you get something, you think, ‘It’s a good point’, but it’s tinged with disappointment because of the timing of their goal.”
Robins added: “Their substitutions were good and had a bigger impact than ours.
“With the timing of the goal and the nature of the goal – it was really poor from our perspective, was disappointing.
“But the weight (possession) of the ball that they had – that keeps the crowd interested – we ended up dropping deeper and made silly decisions.
“It was a really good, hard-fought game, but, on balance, I probably think it was a fair result.”
Paris St Germain fell to their first defeat of the season as Nice stunned the Ligue 1 champions with a 3-2 win at the Parc des Princes.
Terem Moffi scored a goal in each half for the visitors with Gaetan Laborde also on the mark as Francesco Farioli’s side raced into a 3-1 lead, after Kylian Mbappe had equalised in the first half.
Mbappe struck again three minutes from time to set up a tense finish but Luis Enrique saw his team succumb to a first loss of his tenure as Nice leapfrogged them into second place in the table, a point behind leaders Monaco.
It was the worst possible start to a run of three difficult matches that sees PSG kick off their Champions League campaign at home to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday before facing Marseille in the league next weekend.
They had been buoyed by the presence of Mbappe in the starting XI after he survived an injury scare whilst on international duty with France, but it was the striker who was at fault for Nice to take the lead in the 21st minute, giving the ball away in his own half and allowing Moffi to score with a deflected effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma on the break.
The 24-year-old made amends minutes later when Achraf Hakimi got clear down the right and cut the ball back for Mbappe to side-foot past the goalkeeper for his sixth goal in four league games and make it 1-1.
Moffi turned provider shortly after the restart as Nice regained the lead, another breakaway move seeing the striker hold the ball up well and cross for Laborde to volley home with Donnarumma stranded.
And the pair combined again as Nice went 3-1 ahead midway through the second half, Moffi playing a one-two with Laborde before making room to drill the ball into the corner despite the attentions of Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez.
Mbappe set up a grandstand finish when he volleyed Randal Kolo Muani’s cross into the ground and up over the goalkeeper three minutes from the end.
But it was not enough to deny Nice a famous win at the start of Enrique’s toughest week in charge.
Chelsea’s policy of targeting young players in the transfer market must be given time to prove its effectiveness, according to boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have led a recruitment drive that has prioritised youth over experience during the last two transfer windows.
At an average age of just over 23 the club have the youngest squad in the Premier League this season, with contracts of seven or eight years for new players common at Stamford Bridge.
They have broken the British transfer record twice in 2023 on two players who are under 23, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Yet the team have taken just four points from the manager’s first four league games in charge, after a summer in which recruitment spend in the previous 12 months under the current ownership surpassed the £1billion mark.
The manager was unhappy with the ease with which Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga was allowed to run through the heart of his team’s defence to score the only goal in the visitors’ 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge before the international break, and mistakes in defence and in midfield have been a theme in the season’s early weeks.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have enjoyed periods of dominance in all four fixtures, particularly in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool on the opening weekend and in the 3-0 win over newly-promoted Luton.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic said this week that the squad lacked the kind of world-class individuals that helped the club win five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues over the past 20 years.
But Pochettino has seen enough to be reassured that his ideas are taking root amongst his young squad, and appealed for the necessary patience for an inexperienced group to find their flow.
“They were (once) young also, John Terry was young, Frank Lampard was young, (Didier) Drogba was young,” he said. “You know better maybe than me, that is a completely different pressure. This is a different Chelsea to what I saw when I was at Tottenham or Southampton. Worse or better? I’m not saying that.
“But it’s different pressure. Different circumstances. Now we cannot compare with the past. I think it’s not fair. It’s a different Chelsea. What I want to translate is the fans want to win because the normal way in the past for Chelsea is to win.
“We need to accelerate all the process, because Chelsea is about to win, and we want to win. But I understand that the process is completely different to in the past. Because we have a different approach to the game and the philosophy and the ideas, (it means) we have a young squad of course.
“(We have) very talented players that need time to perform. But for sure we have one of the best squads of young players with the project. But of course we need time. We need to be careful about how we evolve and how we develop these ideas. But it’s true, players that need to improve and improve.”
Chelsea travel to Bournemouth on Sunday looking to win away from home for just the second time since March, with their only victory on the road in that time coming on their previous visit to the Vitality Stadium at the end of last season.
Pochettino spoke positively about his side’s performances so far this campaign despite a points return that has left them 12th.
He emphasised that his young squad are carrying the club into a new era where success is planned over a longer period, investing in potential rather than ready-made stars.
“I cannot give my opinion about what (Begovic) said because I didn’t hear,” he added. “But it’s obvious that at the moment, if you’re talking about a name like John Terry or Lampard or Drogba… come on.
“Today maybe we have the potential of Lampard or Terry or Drogba, but they are young. They need to prove that they can be one of these guys.
“In the past, Chelsea was about to sign (big) players, like Drogba. Now the idea is to buy young people to have the possibility to develop and to build a team. We are in the process of building a team.”
Pep Guardiola admits he would have had a “big, big problem” if Kyle Walker had left Manchester City in the summer.
The England right-back came close to leaving the treble winners for Bayern Munich but ultimately opted to stay and this week extended his contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2026.
The 33-year-old had a spell out of favour last season but has started the new campaign strongly and Guardiola is pleased to have retained his services after losing experienced pair Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez.
The City manager said: “After Gundo and Riyad, losing Bernardo (Silva) and Kyle would have have been a big, big problem.
“It’s not about the quality – the skills you can find quite similar, or different players can help you – but there are some things in the locker room that are so difficult to replace.
“These guys have a lot of experience in the important moments of important games. You know exactly how he’s going to respond in the bad moments.
“It would have been a big loss. That’s why as a club of course we fought for him to stay with us.”
Walker joined City from Tottenham in 2017 and has since won 15 trophies, including the Champions League and five Premier League titles.
Guardiola believes he has matured into a far better player than when he arrived and recently underlined his qualities with his response to a calamitous error last month.
Walker was at fault as Sheffield United claimed a late equaliser against City in their Premier League clash at Bramall Lane but then recovered to tee up Rodri’s dramatic winner.
Guardiola said: “He made a wrong decision when they equalised but, right after the equaliser, the next two actions came from Kyle in the byline. It was a goal. What a top, top player.
“He forgets what happened, says, ‘OK I’m going to win the game’. That defines the big, big players.
“No doubt he’s a much, much better player than seven years ago when he arrived. That is clear.
“Everyone makes mistakes but he has an incredible heart. And he’s a really nice guy, really nice, always tries to help.
“When a player is injured, he always calls him. I was at home (after back surgery) and he called me twice. ‘How you feel, Pep?’ This counts a lot in the group of people.
“The reason why we have a lot of success? The quality of human beings that we have.”
Walker has captained City so far this season and, with Kevin De Bruyne currently sidelined, could be the favoured choice to succeed Gundogan in the role full-time.
A vote among the squad and backroom staff – in which Guardiola will not participate – is due to be held in the coming days.
Guardiola said: “The vote will be taken the next days and the players will decide. It belongs to the players, not to me. What they decide, I’m fine (with).”
Ange Postecoglou has laughed off talk he is in the honeymoon period at Tottenham but promised they will continue to improve.
Spurs’ flying start to the new campaign earned their new head coach the Premier League manager of the month award for August on Friday.
The last Tottenham manager to receive the accolade was Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of the 2021-22 season but he was sacked months later in October.
When it was put to Postecoglou that he was still enjoying the honeymoon phase of life in north London, he was happy to point out some of the challenges he has faced in N17.
“I don’t know what your honeymoon was like, but mine didn’t have me losing the greatest player (Harry Kane) in the history of this football club on the eve of a transfer window, me trying to scramble to get players into the club, fighting for everything I do mate. That’s not what my honeymoon was about,” Postecoglou reflected.
“I don’t sit here and think this has come to me or been served on a platter. I’ve worked hard, mate, I’ve worked really hard. It’s been a really tough period, nothing like my honeymoon.
“At Celtic I lost three of our first six. At Yokohama, we were battling relegation, but I can tell you the same sort of building stuff I did at the those clubs, I’m doing here.
“The only difference is the results have been better, encouraging, for sure, but I love this period because there is pretty much a day-to-day uncertainty about where we’re at. That will be here for the next six months to a year.
“Everywhere I’ve been, the second year is where I’ve felt like the team has really taken hold, but I also understand at this football club I can’t go three, four, five months without results because I won’t last. That’s the reality of it.
“If you measure on outcomes, yes, this looks like this has been smoother than the others.
“But I can assure you this has been just as challenging, if not more challenging because of the stakes here in the Premier League.”
Postecoglou admitted it would take two more transfer windows for him to feel his playing group has the squad depth it needs, with Spurs only required to challenge in the Premier League until January.
He added: “I definitely think we need at least two more windows to get to a space where I think ‘okay, we (are happy) as a squad.’
“Don’t forget this year we’re out of the Carabao Cup now and we’ve got no European football, so the fixtures are a little bit kinder to us between now and Christmas, but that’s not our aim.
“We want to have games, we want to be in Europe, we want to be in cup competitions. So we’re going to need a stronger squad and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that point where we’ve got a robust enough squad at the moment.”
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