Carlos Alcaraz is primed to become world number one once again after defending his Madrid Open title.

The Spaniard, who turned 20 on Saturday, beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 3-6 6-3 to complete the Spanish double for the second successive year following his victory in Barcelona a fortnight ago.

Success in the capital means he will return to the summit of the rankings, displacing Novak Djokovic, if he plays the next ATP Tour event in Rome.

Alcaraz’s latest win came amid the news Rafael Nadal will miss the Italian Open as he continues to recover from a hip injury, and with Djokovic also nursing an elbow problem he is rapidly establishing himself as the French Open favourite.

German Struff became the first lucky loser to reach the final at a Masters 1000 event and gave Alcaraz a tough match, having taken the second set to force a decider.

But Alcaraz was too good and came through to defend his title on home clay.

“For me it is so, so special,” Alcaraz said on the ATP Tour website. “To lift the trophy here in Madrid. In my country. It is always special to play and to be able to do a good result here and (being) a champion is so special.

“In front of my home crowd, my family, my friends. Everyone close to me. For me it is a special feeling that I will never forget.

“It was a really tough match. Jan was playing great, really aggressive. In the second set I had a lot of chances to break his serve and I didn’t take it and it was tough for me to lose it.

“I told myself that I had to be positive all the time and that I would have my chances and I think I did it in the third set.”

Warwickshire bowler Chris Rushworth took seven wickets for 38 runs to help his side to an impressive LV= Insurance County Championship victory over Hampshire by an innings and 84 runs at the Ageas Bowl.

The fast bowler helped skittle Hampshire out for just 97 in their second innings and finished with match figures of 10 for 76.

Hampshire totalled 229 in their first innings and Sam Hain (85), Ed Barnard (95) and Michael Burgess (88) all came close to centuries to help them clock up 410, but Rushworth’s high-quality movement helped Warwickshire to a first victory at the venue since 2010.

Azhar Ali hit an unbeaten century to guide Worcestershire to a draw with Sussex at New Road despite another stunning performance from England pace bowler Ollie Robinson which saw him pick up career-best match figures.

Robinson’s first-innings seven for 59 was matched with another incredible effort of seven for 58 in the second as he took 14 for 117.

Azhar batted throughout the day to finish on 103 not out and earned Worcestershire a draw, despite them being 109 behind after the first innings.

Sam Whiteman hit his first century for Northamptonshire to earn a draw with Somerset at Taunton.

Visitors Northamptonshire extended their overnight score from 66 for one to 311 for eight, with Whiteman leading from the front with an unbeaten 130 off 269 balls – including 14 fours and a six.

The Yorkshire-born Aussie left-hander batted throughout the day, anchored excellently by Tom Taylor, who contributed 53 to their eighth-wicket partnership of 79 that tamed a Somerset attack in the end, as both sides shook hands on a draw.

Nottinghamshire’s lower order stood strong to deny Lancashire victory on a dramatic final day at Trent Bridge.

The hosts lost their first six wickets for 55 in pursuit of 295 for victory, but a stubborn rearguard action meant they finished nine down for 136, with Lancashire falling just short of the finish line.

Lancashire declared on 329 for eight at lunch, giving the hosts 67 overs to defend for a draw.

Nottinghamshire looked to be heading for a third defeat in four when George Balderson took three wickets in 11 balls to have them six down but Joe Clarke (42) and seam bowler Brett Hutton blocked for 34 overs to offer a glimmer of a result, and they only lost two more wickets in the remaining 13 overs – the ninth with just four balls remaining – Stuart Broad also seeing out 50 balls.

Jamie Smith stood at the crease for around two-and-a-half hours to help Surrey rescue an unlikely draw at Chelmsford.

After Surrey were reduced to 103 for six with 25 overs still to hold out, Smith turned into defensive mode and helped to retain their unbeaten start to the season.

Surrey had been set a target of 273 to chase down in 54 overs. But, Surrey’s hopes of victory went up in smoke when Ollie Pope departed on 47, and they played to the close on 153 for seven, Smith finishing the day unbeaten on 39 from 126 balls.

Adam Lyth’s mammoth 174 made sure Yorkshire held on for a draw with Glamorgan after Jonny Bairstow’s promotion up the order backfired with a nine-ball duck.

Bairstow was making his senior return this week after eight months out injured when Lyth and Finlay Bean’s 99-run opening stand was broken on the stroke of lunch.

Yorkshire’s 492-run target was soon dismissed when the England batter edged to second slip off Timm van der Gugten.

Lyth was twice dropped on 48 and 69 and showed intent with his 138-run partnership with George Hill and in the end, Yorkshire were left reeling when they lost seven wickets in the final session.

Jordan Thompson (55 not out) blocked out Michael Neser’s final over to salvage a draw.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has challenged his players to “keep digging” for the Premier League title after a statement victory at Newcastle.

Arteta, who showed his squad video clips of their 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park last season from the Amazon documentary All or Nothing on the morning of the game, is convinced the prize is still there for the taking with leaders Manchester City a point better off with a game in hand.

Speaking after Sunday’s 2-0 win on Tyneside, he said: “We are there, now we want to keep digging. The prize is there, not too far.

“The only thing we can do is keep insisting and don’t turn our backs and lose the focus on something else, be determined every single day. Let’s keep going and see what happens.”

The Gunners secured the points courtesy of Martin Odegaard’s first-half strike and Fabian Schar’s own goal after the break in a performance of real character as they helped keep the Champions League-chasing Magpies at bay with a combination of excellence and game-management which infuriated the locals.

Asked if their display had proved they will fight until the end, Arteta said: “It proves that we’ve done it today. Now we have to prove that we are able to do it against Brighton.

“We’ve done it for eight and a half months and we have to keep doing it. We are there and now it feels very different to 10 days ago and we have to now make sure that the momentum is there.”

Arsenal rather turned the tables on Newcastle, who had annoyed Arteta and his players in January’s 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium with their game-management, and the Spaniard was unapologetic.

He said: “We have done what we had to to win the game and I’m very happy with that.”

A hugely entertaining contest might have panned out differently had Jacob Murphy not been denied by the post, or had referee Chris Kavanagh not been asked to review his decision to award a penalty against Jakub Kiwior after ruling he had blocked Bruno Guimaraes’ goal-bound shot with his hand.

The Gunners took full advantage of their reprieve when Odegaard, who along with Jorginho turned in an accomplished performance in the middle of the field, blasted them into a 14th-miute lead and the points were secure when Schar unwittingly deflected Gabriel Martinelli’s cross into his own net.

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe, whose side are now just three points clear of Liverpool in the race for a top-four finish, although with a game in hand, was in philosophical in defeat.

Howe said: “At this stage of the season with four games to go for us, absolutely I have to be measured, I have to be, I think, very positive.

“I don’t think there’s any time for negativity to creep into my psychology or the players’ psychology.

“I’m proud of the players today. I know the result went against us, but you could see the effort and commitment of what we tried to deliver. It was a high-quality game, it was end-to-end, it was open, but we were just missing that X-factor today, that missing part of our game.

“We hope against Leeds in our next game that we deliver that together because we have a tough run of fixtures to come and we need to get some results to get over the line.”

It was a defining weekend at the top of the cinch Premiership but also a significant one throughout the table.

The first fixture list after the split produced drama in abundance.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five things we learned from the weekend’s action.

Celtic are champions again

It was a matter of when and not if Celtic clinched the title after beating Rangers again at Parkhead and they wrapped it up with a 2-0 success against Hearts at Tynecastle. They came through a tough 45 minutes and were helped by a contentious red card for Alex Cochrane but the opening goal was a fitting piece of play from three key contributors throughout the campaign. Callum McGregor’s lofted pass found the run of Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi was on hand to net his 30th goal of the season.

Out with the old, in with the new for Rangers

Allan McGregor, Alfredo Morelos and the injured Ryan Kent were notable absentees from the Gers starting line-up after Scottish Cup defeat by Celtic effectively ended their season. Michael Beale had promised Gers fans they would see goalkeeper Robby McCrorie before the end of the season and he replaced veteran keeper McGregor for the 1-0 win over Aberdeen. It was a first Gers outing for the 25-year-old since playing in a 1-0 win over Celtic in August, 2021. McCrorie put in a solid performance against the Pittodrie side, making good saves from  Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes and Shayden Morris in particular. Morelos’ chances of playing against Celtic next week look slim after Beale’s analysis of his performance: “I think you saw a difference when Alfredo came on in terms of energy but not a positive difference as well.”

A good week for Hibernian in the race for Europe

There have been times this season when Lee Johnson has been under immense pressure amid fears his Hibs side might fail to make the top six, but the Edinburgh side appear be coming good at just the right time to qualify for Europe. Their 2-1 victory over St Mirren on Saturday made it seven points from three games and moved them three points clear of the Buddies with a superior goal difference. Fifth place will be enough to earn a European spot if Celtic win the Scottish Cup, but defeats for Aberdeen and Hearts were further boosts for Hibs as they chase a guaranteed spot.

Relegation battle tightens

Dundee United and Kilmarnock both failed to drag the teams above them into the basement battle as they lost to St Johnstone and Motherwell respectively. The Steelmen are all but safe while Saints know one more win would likely be all they need. To make matters worse for United and Killie, bottom club Ross County cut the gap with a 2-0 win over Livingston to leave just one point between the bottom three.

Kevin van Veen cements his awards credentials

The Motherwell striker again showed he should be a serious contender for Scotland’s player of the year crown by boosting his season tally to 25 – 21 in the league – after taking a magnificent couple of touches following Liam Kelly’s kick-out before finishing with aplomb to wrap up a 2-0 win over Killie. The Dutchman became the first Motherwell striker since Ian St John to score in seven consecutive top-flight games. It was one of several moments of class; a back-heel set up Blair Spittal for what should have been a goal; and another first touch and turn from a long ball was reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane at his best and left Killie defender Joe Wright to resort to a rugby tackle.

England international Jude Bellingham scored twice as Borussia Dortmund hammered Wolfsburg 6-0 to stay firmly in the Bundesliga title race.

Bellingham bagged both of his goals in the second half as Dortmund moved to within a point of Bayern Munich at the top of the table.

Karim Adeyemi also scored a brace, with Sebastian Haller and Donyell Malen getting on the scoresheet in the first half.

Napoli showed no after-effects of their wild Serie A title celebrations as they beat Fiorentina 1-0.

Luciano Spalletti’s side sealed their first title success in 33 years in midweek and the celebrations were long, but Victor Osimhen’s 74th-minute penalty ensured there was no hangover.

They remain 17 points clear of Juventus, who strengthened their second-place hopes with a 2-0 win over Atalanta.

Second-half goals from Samuel Iling-Junior and Dusan Vlahovic moved them two points ahead of third-placed Lazio with four games of the season to go.

Ashes hopeful Olly Stone is set to undergo a scan to determine the severity of a hamstring problem.

Stone, who has had a luckless run with injuries, pulled up late on Saturday during an over and shuffled off the field in Nottinghamshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Lancashire.

Despite being in obvious discomfort, Stone hobbled to the crease at Trent Bridge on Sunday as last man and kept out the last four legal deliveries of the Division One match to help his side salvage a draw.

Attention will now turn to his aggravation and it is understood he will be examined more thoroughly once any inflammation in the area has subsided, most likely within the next couple of days.

Stone’s ability to generate speeds upwards of 90mph make him an attractive option for England’s six Tests between the start of June and mid-July – one against Ireland and five versus Australia.

England captain Ben Stokes has indicated he wants eight fit seamers to call upon, all of whom can be rotated to share the burden, with Stone, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood providing the express pace options.

Stone made his England comeback last winter after recovering from a fourth stress fracture in his back – he had an operation to reinforce his lower spine with two metal screws – and a broken finger.

He played in four ODIs and a T20, was an unused squad member during England’s Test tour of New Zealand in February and, on the eve of the county season, spoke of his determination to put his injury woes behind him.

“It’s been encouraging with how much cricket I’ve had under my belt this winter and come through it,” said Stone, who played the last of his three Tests in June 2021.

“I’m feeling fit and strong and just raring to get stuck in now. I’ve looked at things in the past, injuries got in the way and I’ve been quite disappointed so I try not to look too far ahead.

“But everyone knows how big a summer it is and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t on the radar.”

Michael Beale described Rangers as the “most wasteful team” he has ever seen after Sunday’s 1-0 home win over Aberdeen.

On the day that Celtic retained the cinch Premiership title with a 2-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle, midfielder Todd Cantwell gave the Ibrox fans something to cheer about in the 65th minute with his fine volley from a James Tavernier corner.

Rangers had an experimental look to their side, partly due to injuries, but the Gers boss returned to a familiar theme as he bemoaned missed chances throughout the game.

“We had some good moments with the ball all day,” said the former QPR boss, who revealed defender Ben Davies came off with a hamstring problem which could make him a doubt for next week’s game against Celtic.

“Sometimes I feel that we are the most wasteful team in the final third that I have ever seen. We created unbelievable chances and didn’t take them.

“We suddenly face two 80-yard dashes to our own goal. On another day we could find ourselves behind.

“In the first 15 minutes of the second half we missed more unbelievable chances, and when the balls hit the bar I thought it wasn’t going to be our day.

“I know it was their player who got the last touch (when Aberdeen captain Jonny Hayes inadvertently smashed a Rabbi Matondo cut-back against his own crossbar) but we have two or three players there.

“It is not unlucky when we are missing these chances. After a while it has to be poor play or poor final pass, movement, decision-making.

“It has happened in every single day since I came back to the club – we have missed incredible chances.”

Asked if the current squad could provide answers or if new attackers were required, Beale appeared unhappy with the contribution of substitute Alfredo Morelos, who is leaving at the end of the season.

The Colombia striker came off the bench with Scott Arfield, Glen Kamara and Scott Wright just after Cantwell’s goal.

Beale said: “I think you saw a difference when Alfredo came on in terms of energy but not a positive difference as well.

“I think we will need a focal point for the team, for sure.

“Antonio Colak is not fit at the moment and Alfredo is obviously going to be moving on.

“Fashion (Sakala) and Rabbi (Matondo) gave us a different type of front line and it was also nice to see Ianis Hagi get some minutes.

“Throughout the game we had some passages of really good play but we have to be more decisive if we want to feel at ease at the end of the game.”

It was a first defeat in eight for Aberdeen, who remain in third place, five points ahead of Hearts.

Manager Barry Robson revealed that Ross McCrorie, twin brother of Rangers goalkeeper Robby, missed the game with a hernia injury, saying: “He had surgery, we hope to have him back pretty quick.”

Robson was also unhappy with his side’s finishing, especially the two chances Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes  missed in the first half – a shot saved by McCrorie before he chipped the ball over the bar when again he only had the Gers keeper to beat.

He said: “First half we should have scored a couple of goals. We had two brilliant chances to get a couple of goals up on Rangers.

“You need to take them wherever you are, not just coming here. But it’s probably more important to take them here.

“You have those two unbelievable chances in the first half – they don’t come much better than one-on-one chances.”

Robson also complained about a first-half incident when Gers defender Connor Goldson tangled with Duk at the edge of the box, with referee John Beaton awarding only a corner.

He said: “And then obviously the first half, is it a penalty or a free-kick outside as well? I don’t know.

“It was one or the other. Where was VAR? Anyone see it? Where was it? I don’t know. Was it in the building today? I am being serious.”

Martin Odegaard helped to keep alive Arsenal’s fading Premier League title hopes as they came through the sternest of tests to dent Newcastle’s bid for Champions League football.

The Norway international’s 14th-minute strike, his fifth goal in as many games, coupled with Fabian Schar’s unfortunate own goal, secured a priceless 2-0 victory at St James’ Park and dragged the Gunners back to within a point of Manchester City, although the leaders still have a game in hand.

That a full-blooded encounter yielded just two goals was testament to the excellence of England goalkeepers Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, who each made a string of fine saves, although both needed the help of the woodwork, in the latter’s case on two occasions.

For the Magpies, who saw an early penalty decision in their favour overturned, a fifth defeat of the campaign left them looking over their shoulders with Liverpool and Brighton pushing hard in the race for a top-four finish.

Having laboured out of the blocks against Southampton seven days earlier, they knew they could not afford a repeat and with strikers Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak starting together for the first time, they went for the Gunners from the off.

Jacob Murphy was unfortunate to see a second-minute shot come back off the foot of a post after he had cut inside from Joe Willock’s cross with Ramsdale beaten, and it took a solid block by Ben White to repel Isak’s attempt seconds later.

Arsenal were rocking and looked to be in trouble when referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot after defender Jakub Kiwior appeared to block Bruno Guimaraes’ shot with his hand, only for the official to change his mind after being advised to review the incident.

The locals among a crowd of 52,267 were still voicing their discontent when Odegaard was given time and space on the edge of the box to fire a left-foot drive past the helpless Pope to give the visitors the lead against the run of play.

However, the Gunners grew into the game and Pope had to save from Gabriel Martinelli and Odegaard in quick succession and then denied Bukayo Saka one-on-one after he had been played in by Granit Xhaka.

Ramsdale had to save from Willock after he had run on to Wilson’s clever ball around the corner as the game continued at frenetic pace with the Magpies redoubling their efforts.

Martinelli fired across the face of goal and Pope denied Odegaard with his feet deep into stoppage time at the end of an increasingly fractious opening 45 minutes.

Ramsdale had to come to the visitors’ rescue once again within four minutes of the restart when, after Isak’s header had hit a post, he clawed away Schar’s attempt, but it was Pope who was grateful for the woodwork as Martinelli saw his 51st-minute shot thump against the bar.

There was no let-up in the breathless pace of the game as play switched rapidly from end to end, although Guimaraes failed to extend Ramsdale after being set up by Joelinton with 27 minutes remaining.

The Gunners nudged themselves further ahead 19 minutes from time when Martinelli’s driven cross ricocheted past Pope off Schar and into the net.

A deflated Newcastle fought all the way to the whistle for a way back into the game with Ramsdale tipping away substitute Allan Saint-Maximin’s raking stoppage-time strike, but Arsenal held impressively firm to see out time.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor believes his team can continue to improve after retaining the cinch Premiership title in style.

The Hoops wrapped up their 11th title in 12 years with four games remaining thanks to a 2-0 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle.

The champions have only lost once in the league, against St Mirren in September, and can set a top-flight points record of 107 if they win their remaining matches.

Midfielder McGregor told Sky Sports: “I think there’s the makings of a really special team.

“You see when the going gets tough you have to fight the game out a little bit, like we had to do first half. So we have got that side of it, which you need to have if you want to be champions.

“And you see at the end there with the quality we could probably score another two or three goals.”

When asked if they could get even better, the 29-year-old said: “We are certainly on the right track but we have to keep on working.

“You can see it, you can see it – a lot of young players. You get over the line and you get more experience. You want to do it again the following season and you want to do it in a better style.

“I believe we have done that this season and there is always more to come.”

McGregor has won four out of five domestic trophies so far as skipper and can lead the team to the treble when they face Championship side Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on June 3.

“It’s a dream come true for me, it’s such a privilege, every day that I come into my work and represent this club, represent these guys,” he said. “It’s an absolute pleasure.

“At the start of the season this is always what the club wants, it demands success. Over a period of 38 games you have to be the best team and the best team will win the league.

“I’m so happy for the players, the staff, the supporters, everybody connected with the club. A really special day again.”

Karim Adeyemi and Jude Bellingham starred as Borussia Dortmund maintained the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich with a commanding 6-0 victory over Wolfsburg.

Adeyemi struck twice and provided an assist for Sebastien Haller, though a missed penalty denied him a hat-trick at Signal Iduna Park.

Bellingham joined Adeyemi in grabbing his brace while Donyell Malen completed the scoring, moving Dortmund to within a point of Bayern following their 10th straight home league win.

Meanwhile, seventh-placed Wolfsburg suffered only their second defeat in 10 games as they missed the opportunity to climb into the top six.

Dortmund broke through in the 14th minute when the unmarked Adeyemi headed in Julian Ryerson's deflected cross.

After Patrick Wimmer and Jakub Kaminski were denied in quick succession, the hosts doubled their lead as Adeyemi turned provider with an inviting cross for Haller to tuck away inside the six-yard box.

Dortmund made it 3-0 eight minutes before the break, Julian Brandt springing the offside trap before squaring for Malen to slot into the empty net.

Bellingham got in on the act nine minutes after the restart. The England midfielder embarked on a strong run individual run before his powerful 25-yard strike was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Koen Casteels, only for the looping ball to spin back over the line.

Adeyemi grabbed his second soon after, sliding into the empty net after Haller intercepted Sebastiaan Bornauw's loose back pass and put the ball on a plate for his team-mate.

But the winger was unable to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot on 65 minutes, blazing over after Kilian Fischer felled Bellingham. 

Nevertheless, Dortmund did get their sixth goal four minutes from time, Brandt neatly flicking a long ball into the path of Bellingham, who made no mistake from close range.

Miami Grand Prix bosses are in talks with Formula One about staging the race at night.

The event which runs round the Hard Rock Stadium – home of NFL’s Miami Dolphins – joined the calendar last season on a 10-year deal.

Sunday’s race is the first of three to be staged in the United States this year, with a debut event on the Las Vegas strip in November, while Austin’s grand prix at the Circuit of the Americas has been a permanent fixture on the F1 schedule since 2012.

The round in Vegas will take place under lights, and Miami Dolphins chief executive Tom Garfinkel revealed on Sunday that his race could transform to a night event.

“We have had some discussions about a night race and potentially doing that and what it would look like,” said Garfinkel.

“There are a lot of factors that go into that with F1 and television so we have to weigh all those things up, but we are certainly open-minded.”

The race in Florida is set to be sprinkled with stardust. Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, actor Vin Diesel, singer Shakira, former Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero, influencer-boxer Jake Paul, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, and tennis greats Serena Williams and Roger Federer are just some of the names on Sunday’s glitzy guestlist.

“The celebrity attendance is pretty remarkable,” added Garfinkel. “It shows the relevance of Formula One and how popular the sport is right now.

“The sort of wealth, CEO and celebrity factor, is like nothing I have ever seen at another sporting event.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou hailed his title-winning squad for showing the hunger to be even better in their second season together and setting “ridiculous” standards.

The Hoops retained the cinch Premiership title thanks to a 2-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle.

Second-half goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh Hyeon-gyu kept Celtic on track to set a new top-flight Scottish points record of 107 points if they win their remaining four games.

Postecoglou, whose side have only lost to St Mirren, Real Madrid and RB Leipzig this season, said: “After the success of last year, you wonder, it’s still a young group, is the hunger going to be there, are they going to be as motivated?

“From the first day of pre-season they came back, they wanted to be a better team, they wanted to be a stronger team.

“I just think they have maintained a ridiculous standard this year of performance, results, it’s just been incredible.

“I have rarely had to intervene at any stage to get them back on track. I have had the easiest job in the world in terms of allowing these guys to drive how good they want to be, players and staff. I am just super proud.”

Celtic regained the title against the odds last season after a major squad rebuild and Postecoglou immediately set his players the challenge of improving as they celebrated their success in May last year.

“I don’t know if it feels more special but it makes me immensely proud that the group embraced that, because it would have been very easy after winning it last year and me throwing some words out there that we are going to be stronger and better and bigger and all those kind of things,” he said.

“But I purposely did that to throw out a challenge to the lads that we have got to be a better team.

“I thought we needed to be a better team this year if we were going to defend our title because, particularly knowing we were going to be in the Champions League, you shouldn’t under-estimate the physical and mental toll that playing Champions League takes out of you.

“Through that time our league form was outstanding and that’s because the whole group were prepared to drive through that time that our main goal of being champions again was never going to be derailed.

“I am immensely proud the lads took on that mantra of being better than we were last year, not resting on our laurels, not being comfortable, and again the standard they have set has been unbelievable.”

The 57-year-old admitted he was emotional during the post-match celebrations.

“I am because you put a lot into it,” he said. “I realise I am doing what I live and I am pretty good at it but it doesn’t happen in isolation.

“The people around you, whether it’s my family, my wife and kids, my friends, and the support I have had inside and outside the football club, you want to pay that back as well.

“It’s not just about having success, it’s a little bit of giving back to all those people who are prepared to support me on a daily basis to do what I do.

“Everything you do is hard-earned. All the sacrifices people make and the commitment and support they give me, it makes you emotional to think about.”

Jonathan Milan won stage two of the Giro d’Italia in a reduced sprint after a late crash ruled out Mark Cavendish and cost Tao Geoghegan Hart valuable time in the general classification.

This flat stage would have been one of the ones circled by Cavendish as he seeks his first win for Astana-Qazaqstan, but the Manxman hit the deck in the aftermath of a collision just under four kilometres from the line that left several riders counting the cost.

Chief among them was 2020 Giro winner Geoghegan Hart, with the Londoner held up to concede 19 seconds and fall from fourth to eighth overall, now 59 seconds behind leader Remco Evenepoel.

Amid the chaos, the 22-year-old Milan came around Kaden Groves to win comfortably from David Dekker on the seafront in San Salvo, taking his first Grand Tour stage win and doing it in his home race at the first attempt.

Evenepoel stayed safe in the pink jersey and retains his 22-second lead over Filippo Ganna at the end of the 202km stage from Teramo. Joao Almeida remains third at 29 seconds down, but Geoghegan Hart is now four seconds behind Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Geraint Thomas, who managed to avoid the trouble.

So much focus had been on a tight roundabout just before the final straight, but before that even came into view several riders went down on a narrow section of road.

Pascal Ackermann appeared to be pushed to his right and into the path of the Trek-Segafredo lead-out train with inevitable results.

Cavendish was behind the initial incident but was then struck from behind as riders struggled to slow, although his team was quick to say he was unhurt.

In his podium interview, Evenepoel was pointed in his remarks on the stage-defining incident.

“We were in front so we were out of trouble, but of course it was a pretty nasty crash,” the Soudal-QuickStep rider said. “I think I actually saw it happen and we know who we can blame for the crash but that’s racing. It wasn’t a nice move but luckily we stayed out of trouble and arrived safely.”

While the recriminations began, Bahrain-Victorious rider Milan celebrated a breakthrough moment.

“I am without words,” the Italian said. “I cannot believe it. My first Giro, the second stage. Yesterday I did a nice time trial, I was quite happy with my result and I was pushing good but I could never imagine that today a victory was coming.”

Although Cavendish was out of the running, there was one Brit in the top 10 as Jake Stewart sprinted to ninth for Groupama-FDJ.

The race continues with a 213km stage from Vasto to Melfi on Monday.