Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will reportedly miss two-to-four weeks with a right ankle injury he sustained in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pickett will undergo surgery Monday and will be evaluated further following the procedure, leaving open the possibility he could be sidelined for a period longer than his initial timetable. 

Pickett was injured on a scramble attempt near the goal line during the second quarter of Pittsburgh's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals. The second-year pro was ruled out at half-time and had his right foot in a walking boot while on the sidelines during the second half.

Veteran Mitch Trubisky replaced Pickett and will start the Steelers' game against the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Trubisky began last season as Pittsburgh's No. 1 quarterback before being displaced by the then-rookie Pickett after four games. The former Chicago Bears' first-round pick went 2-3 in five overall starts in 2022 while compiling 1,252 passing yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions over seven total games.

Pickett completed seven of 10 passes for 70 yards before exiting to extend his franchise-record streak of pass attempts without an interception to 218, the longest streak of any quarterback this season as well. The 2022 first-round pick has not thrown an interception in eight consecutive starts to help put the Steelers in position for a playoff spot in the AFC.

At 7-5, Pittsburgh is one of four teams currently tied in the race for the conference's three wild card spots. The Steelers trail the first-place Baltimore Ravens by two games in the AFC North with five left to play.

For the season, Pickett has thrown for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62 per cent of his pass attempts in 12 starts. 

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Tank Dell will reportedly miss the rest of the season after fracturing his left fibula in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Denver Broncos.

The severity of the injury was reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

The injury occurred with about four minutes remaining in the first quarter when his leg was rolled over during Dameon Pierce's 3-yard touchdown run.

Dell remained on the ground in obvious pain and was helped onto a car, unable to put any weight on his left leg. He covered his face in a towel while being driven off the field.

As one of the favourite targets of fellow rookie C.J. Stroud, his injury is a big loss to Houston's offence.

The 24-year-old is second on the Texans with 47 catches for 709 yards. Among all rookies, his seven touchdown receptions are the most in the NFL and are also a franchise record.

He had a career-high 149 receiving yards and entered Week 13 as the third rookie in league history with at least five catches and a TD reception in four straight games.

After losing 13 games each of the last two seasons, the Texans are one of the bigger surprises in the NFL this year, as Sunday's win improved their record to 7-5.

Joao Felix undid his parent club as a first-half finish from the Portugal international earned Barcelona a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.

Felix lifted the ball over goalkeeper Jan Oblak in deft fashion in the 28th minute as Xavi’s men replaced Atletico in third in the LaLiga table, with a four-point gap to leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Girona

Sevilla were held 1-1 at home by Villarreal, Hector Bellerin was shown a red card in the 27th minute of Real Betis’ goalless draw at Almeria, and Mallorca and Alaves also drew a blank.

Kylian Mbappe inspired 10-man Paris St Germain to a 2-0 victory over Le Havre to send them four points clear of Nice at the top of Ligue 1.

PSG found themselves down to 10 men after just 10 minutes when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was sent off for a high challenge on Josue Casimir.

The visitors went in front in the 23rd minute through Mbappe and while the hosts did their best to find an equaliser, Vitinha scored against the run of play in the 89th minute to seal three points.

Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier saved two penalties as Lille claimed a 2-0 win at home to Metz. The 22-year-old denied Simon Elisor before two goals in first-half stoppage time from Yusuf Yazici and Jonathan David put Lille in control.

More heroics from Chevalier 10 minutes into the second half to keep out Lamine Camara’s penalty helped preserve victory for the home side.

Third-placed Monaco are two points behind Nice following a 2-0 win over 10-man Montpellier, who saw Boubakar Kouyate sent off in the second half, while Brest beat Clermont 3-0 and Toulouse played out a 1-1 draw with Lorient.

Both sides were reduced to 10 as Marseille beat Rennes 2-0 at home, Christopher Wooh being dismissed for the visitors just past the hour mark and Iliman Ndiaye going soon after.

Marseille’s goals came via an early Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty and Azzedine Ounahi effort between the red cards.

Inter Milan moved back above Juventus to the top of Serie A with a 3-0 win at defending champions Napoli, with Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella and Marcus Thuram on the scoresheet.

Rasmus Kristensen scored the winner for Roma as they came from behind to beat Sassuolo 2-1.

Matheus Henrique fired in a first-half opener for Sassuolo, but it all came undone after the break when Daniel Boloca was dismissed and Paulo Dybala scored from the spot, before Kristensen fired home a second.

A Lucas Beltran spot-kick and further goals from Riccardo Sottil and Giacomo Bonaventura earned Fiorentina a 3-0 victory over Salernitana, while Udinese and Verona drew 3-3.

Bologna looked poised for victory at Lecce but had to settle for a point after Roberto Piccoli’s penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time cancelled out Charalampos Lykogiannis’ 68th-minute opener.

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund were on course to leapfrog fourth-placed Leipzig with a vital victory at leaders Bayer Leverkusen after Julian Ryerson fired the visitors ahead after five minutes, but Victor Boniface salvaged a point when he levelled late in the second half.

Elsewhere, Augsburg beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 and Freiburg won 1-0 at Mainz.

Gardner Minshew threw a touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with less than three minutes remaining in overtime as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 for their fourth straight win.

The Colts had to score a touchdown to win after Nick Folk made a 46-yard field goal to put the Titans 28-25 in front with four minutes, 19 seconds left on the clock.

Minshew led his side down the field in a 71-yard, seven-play drive which culminated in a four-yard pass to Pittman. The Colts now have a 7-5 record and remain in the play-off race in the AFC.

The Denver Broncos suffered a blow in their bid to make the post-season as their five-game winning streak came to an end against the Houston Texans.

Nico Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving, including a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Jimmie Ward intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds remaining to ensure the Texans held on for a 22-17 win.

A miserable campaign for the New England Patriots hit a new low as they were shut out twice in a season for the first time in franchise history, with two field goals from Cameron Dicker giving the Los Angeles Chargers a 6-0 win.

It was a different story in New Orleans as the Detroit Lions beat the Saints 33-28 to improve to 9-3, their best record after 12 games since 1962.

Sam LaPorta enjoyed career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown, while Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr to injury in the fourth quarter after he was the victim of a penalised hit from Bruce Irvin.

Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt as the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Jets 13-8, while the Arizona Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10 for just their third win of the season in a weather-delayed contest.

Tyreek Hill caught two touchdown passes, the first from 78 yards, as the Miami Dolphins thrashed the Washington Commanders 45-15 to improve to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.

Ronnie O’Sullivan repelled the determined challenge of Ding Junhui to become the oldest winner of the UK Snooker Championship in York, 30 years after he claimed his first title at the tournament at the age of 17.

O’Sullivan, who turns 48 on Tuesday, triumphed 10-7 after a heavyweight battle with his Chinese opponent, sealing a record-extending eighth UK crown with an exhibition-style finish of 129 amid raucous scenes at the Barbican.

Hauled back from 4-1 and 7-5 leads by Ding, who like O’Sullivan won his first UK title as a teenager in 2005, the world number one dug deep when it mattered and consecutive breaks of 100 and 74 set him up for his final flourish.

But amid the inevitable uproar, O’Sullivan cut a somewhat underwhelmed figure, admitting his latest win lacked the “buzz” of some of his earlier successes, and said he had even found himself struggling for motivation as the opening session loomed.

“I’m not sitting here with a massive grin and super-excited,” said O’Sullivan. “I just go through the motions a lot of the time.

“It’s great to win and I give my best when I’m out there and I want to win, but it’s not the same excitement as years ago when I was winning my first world and UK and Masters titles, and you’re buzzing.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a nice feeling and a job well done, but I get more of a buzz from going for a run in the morning or having breakfast with my mate.

“I don’t actually feel like ever playing. Once you get down there you think you’re glad you’ve done it, but even in this match today I was thinking I didn’t feel like it, I’d rather sit on my bed and watch a bit of Netflix. I feel like that a lot of the time.”

It was an admirable effort from the Chinese player, who had clambered off his sick bed to sink defending champion Mark Allen on the opening day having seriously considered withdrawing from the tournament.

But ultimately O’Sullivan, who had seldom been required to find his best form during his journey through the tournament, had just enough to leave Ding contemplating a second consecutive final defeat.

Ding had clawed back to level at 4-4 at the end of an absorbing opening session, after a series of costly errors gifted O’Sullivan the early advantage.

Three times the 36-year-old blew early frame-winning opportunities to fall 3-0 then 4-1 behind before belatedly stirring to reel off three frames in a row including breaks of 114 and 70.

O’Sullivan wasted no time in re-establishing his lead in the first frame of the evening with a break of 84, but there was a hint of impatience in the next when he opted not to play on despite trailing by 51 and only requiring one snooker.

Ding appeared intent on pressing home his advantage but was punished for taking on some risky long shots in the next two frames, O’Sullivan edging ahead again with breaks of 40 and 87, then emerging from a scrappy spell in the next to reach the interval 7-5 in front.

A hard-earned 58 from Ding brought him back within one frame before a magnificent 104, his second century of the final, pulled him level again.

Anything Ding could do, O’Sullivan could do too, and the momentum swung back in the direction of the world champion in the next frame when he responded with a century of his own, a 100, his first of the final.

A brilliant pink from O’Sullivan set him up to move one frame from victory with a break of 74, and he completed his win in his own irresistible fashion with his second three-figure finish.

Ding, who was also beaten in last year’s final by Allen, reflected: “The first half was disappointing because I had a chance to win more frames but 4-4 wasn’t too bad because I was 4-1 down. I came back to 7-7 but he played so well.

“All I could do was play good safety and make breaks. He just pushed me to make mistakes and it’s all I can do – I can’t do anything else out there.”

Inter Milan moved back to the top of Serie A in convincing style with a 3-0 win at defending champions Napoli.

Simone Inzaghi’s side had been knocked off the summit by Juventus’ victory at Monza on Friday, but emphasised their title credentials after being set on their way by a stunning goal from Hakan Calhanoglu.

Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead just after the hour mark and Marcus Thuram made certain of all three points five minutes from time.

The win takes Inter two points clear of Juventus and 11 in front of Napoli, who have now taken just seven points from a possible 21 at home.

The home side in fact made a bright start and could have gone ahead in the third minute, only for Yann Sommer to produce a brilliant save from a shot from Eljif Elmas which looked destined for the top corner.

Both sides were happy to shoot from distance and Calhanoglu went close at the other end with a left-footed effort from outside the area before the visitors briefly thought they had broken the deadlock.

Thuram played a delightful one-two with Lautaro Martinez before firing a shot across Alex Meret and into the far corner, only to see the flag correctly go up for offside.

Inter were forced into an early change when Stefan de Vrij suffered a thigh injury and had to be replaced by Carlos Augusto, the reshuffle possibly allowing Elmas to get free in the area moments later to bring a good save from Sommer at his near post.

There was nothing Sommer could do about Matteo Politano’s long-range effort after 36 minutes however, and the Switzerland international was relieved to see the ball cannon back off the crossbar.

When the opening goal finally arrived it proved well worth the wait, Denzel Dumfries heading a deep cross back to Barella to flick the ball into the path of Calhanoglu, who struck a sumptuous low volley which swerved away from Meret and nestled in the corner of the net.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen appealed in vain for a penalty early in the second half after tangling with Francesco Acerbi just inside the area, the ball then breaking for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to bring a good save from Sommer.

But it was the visitors who found the all-important second goal shortly after the hour mark as Barella collected a firmly-struck pass from Martinez and slalomed past two defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Osimhen flashed a header narrowly wide as Napoli tried to get back into the game but Thuram settled matters five minutes from time as he turned in a low, driven cross from substitute Juan Cuadrado.

Ronnie O’Sullivan repelled the determined challenge of Ding Junhui to become the oldest winner of the UK Snooker Championship in York, 30 years after he claimed his first title at the tournament at the age of 17.

O’Sullivan, who turns 48 on Tuesday, triumphed 10-7 after a heavyweight battle with his Chinese opponent, sealing a record-extending eighth UK crown with an exhibition-style finish of 129 amid raucous scenes at the Barbican.

Hauled back from 4-1 and 7-5 leads by Ding, who like O’Sullivan won his first UK title as a teenager in 2005, the world number one dug deep when it mattered and consecutive breaks of 100 and 74 set him up for his final flourish.

It was an admirable effort from the Chinese player, who had clambered off his sick bed to sink defending champion Mark Allen on the opening day having seriously considered withdrawing from the tournament.

But ultimately O’Sullivan, who had seldom been required to find his best form during his journey through the tournament, had just enough to leave Ding contemplating a second consecutive final defeat.

Ding had clawed back to level at 4-4 at the end of an absorbing opening session, after a series of costly errors gifted O’Sullivan the early advantage.

Three times the 36-year-old blew early frame-winning opportunities to fall 3-0 then 4-1 behind before belatedly stirring to reel off three frames in a row including breaks of 114 and 70.

O’Sullivan wasted no time in re-establishing his lead in the first frame of the evening with a break of 84, but there was a hint of impatience in the next when he opted not to play on despite trailing by 51 and only requiring one snooker.

Ding appeared intent on pressing home his advantage but was punished for taking on some risky long shots in the next two frames, O’Sullivan edging ahead again with breaks of 40 and 87, then emerging from a scrappy spell in the next to reach the interval 7-5 in front.

A hard-earned 58 from Ding brought him back within one frame before a magnificent 104, his second century of the final, pulled him level again.

Anything Ding could do, O’Sullivan could do too, and the momentum swung back in the direction of the world champion in the next frame when he responded with a century of his own, a 100, his first of the final.

A brilliant pink from O’Sullivan set him up to move one frame from victory with a break of 74, and he completed his win in his own irresistible fashion with his second three-figure finish.

Tiger Woods felt he had made significant progress after completing 72 holes in his latest comeback from injury in the Hero World Challenge.

Competing for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery after withdrawing from the Masters in April, Woods carded a closing 72 in the Bahamas to finish level par for the week and 18th in the 20-man field.

The 47-year-old recovered from a double bogey on the third with three birdies in the next four holes and also birdied the 14th and 15th after dropping  shots on the eighth and 11th.

“I think I’ve come a long way,” Woods told NBC.

“From being a little bit rusty to playing four days and knocked off a lot of rust which was great, and just the physicality of actually playing and competing again – I haven’t done this in a while.

“It was nice to get out here with the guys, have some fun and compete. I wish I would have played a little cleaner but there’s always next time.”

Asked about his pre-tournament prediction that he could be able to play one tournament a month in 2024, Woods added: “If you ask me right now I’m a little bit sore.

“But once a month seems reasonable. It gives me a couple of weeks to recover, a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into a rhythm. That’s what the plan was going into next year and I don’t see why that would change.”

In a separate interview with a group of reporters, Woods added: “Every day I got faster into the round. The first day took me a while to get a handle on it, second day was faster, today was right away.

“And that’s eventually, when I play on a regular basis, that’s normally how it is.

“I think the best part of the week is the way I drove it. I drove it on pretty much a string all week. Granted, these fairways are big. I felt like I had my ball speed up, which was nice, and I was hitting the middle of the face the entire week, which is nice.

“So it’s not like I have to go and try and find something the next few weeks or something going into next year; what I’ve been working on is right there and maybe just [need to] tighten up a little bit.”

Erling Haaland faces possible disciplinary action after complaining about referee Simon Hooper on social media following Manchester City’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Tottenham.

The City striker was incensed after being denied the opportunity to play advantage in the closing moments of a thrilling Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland was fouled but quickly got up and played Jack Grealish through on goal only for Hooper to pull play back and award a free-kick.

Haaland was one of several City players to angrily remonstrate with the official and he continued his protests after the game by reposting a clip of the incident on X, formerly Twitter, with the comment “Wtf”.

The PA news agency has contacted the Football Association over the matter.

Manager Pep Guardiola was not aware of Haaland’s social media post when he spoke to reporters after the game but, speaking about Haaland’s on-field reaction, admitted he could understand the player’s anger.

Guardiola said: “It’s normal. His reaction was the same for 10 players. The rules are you cannot talk with the referees or fourth officials, so we should have had 10 players sent off today.

“He’s a little bit disappointed. Even the referee – if he played for Man City today he would be disappointed for that action, that’s for sure.”

Guardiola had tried to temper his criticism, saying in a TV interview he did not want to make a “Mikel Arteta comment”, in reference to the Arsenal manager’s controversial remarks after a game against Newcastle last month.

He added in a press conference: “I make mistakes, the players make mistakes.

“It surprised me because in the moment Erling went down (and) if you whistle in that moment it’s fine.

“But when he stands up and continues and the referee makes that gesture to play on, and after he (Haaland) makes the pass he then stops the game – I don’t want to criticise him.

“On the touchline sometimes I lose my mind and my gestures are not proper but for many years as a manager I’m not a guy, when I’m refreshed, to comment.”

City led 2-1 at half-time thanks to a Phil Foden goal after Son Heung-min had scored at both ends.

Giovani Lo Celso levelled for Spurs and Dejan Kulusevski did likewise in the 90th minute after Jack Grealish looked to have won it for City.

It was the champions’ third successive draw.

Guardiola said: “It’s not the first time we have faced this situation where we are playing good but results don’t come. Always we find a solution but lately the results don’t come and we are struggling.”

For Spurs, the result ended a run of three successive defeats.

Manager Ange Postecoglou said: “City could have blown us away, they certainly had enough chances.

“We were giving the ball away a lot but hung in there.

“The effort the boys put in there in the second half was outstanding. City never got total control of the game and we scored three quality goals, which you have to against a team like that.”

Postecoglou was asked in his press conference if he thought his side may have “got away with one” over the Haaland incident at the end.

“Yes, I guess so mate,” the Australian said.

Kylian Mbappe inspired 10-man Paris St Germain to a 2-0 victory over Le Havre to send them four points clear of Nice at the top of Ligue 1.

PSG found themselves down to 10 men after just 10 minutes when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was sent off for a high challenge on Josue Casimir.

The visitors went in front in the 23rd minute through Mbappe and while the hosts did their best to find an equaliser, Vitinha scored against the run of play in the 89th minute to seal three points.

Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier saved two penalties as Lille claimed a 2-0 win at home to Metz.

The 22-year-old denied Simon Elisor before two goals in first-half stoppage time from Yusuf Yazici and Jonathan David put Lille in front.

More heroics from Chevalier 10 minutes into the second half to keep out Lamine Camara’s penalty helped preserve victory for the home side.

Monaco kept pace with PSG with a 2-0 win over 10-man Montpellier, who saw Boubakar Kouyate sent off in the second half, while Brest beat Clermont 3-0 and Toulouse played out a 1-1 draw with Lorient.

In LaLiga, Hector Bellerin was shown a red card in the 27th minute of Real Betis’ goalless draw at Almeria, while Mallorca and Alaves also drew a blank.

Rasmus Kristensen scored the winner for Roma as they came from behind to beat Sassuolo 2-1 in Serie A.

Matheus Henrique fired in a first-half opener for Sassuolo, but it all came undone after the break when Daniel Boloca was dismissed and Paulo Dybala scored from the spot, before Kristensen fired home a second.

A Lucas Beltran spot-kick and further goals from Riccardo Sottil and Giacomo Bonaventura earned Fiorentina a 3-0 victory over Salernitana, while Udinese and Verona drew 3-3.

Sixth-placed Bologna looked poised for victory at Lecce but had to settle for a point after Roberto Piccoli’s penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time cancelled out Charalampos Lykogiannis’ 68th-minute opener.

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund were on course to leapfrog fourth-placed Leipzig with a vital victory at leaders Bayer Leverkusen after Julian Ryerson fired the visitors ahead after five minutes.

But Victor Boniface salvaged a point when he levelled late in the second half.

Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian all enjoyed victories, while Motherwell and Dundee shared the points in a Fir Park thriller.

Here the PA news agency looks back on the highlights from the cinch Premiership action over the weekend.

Brendan Rodgers loses his rag

The Celtic boss claimed he had never been angrier as a manager after watching his side’s “soft” first-half display against St Johnstone. The champions conceded another goal from a corner to trail at half-time before strikes from Callum McGregor, Matt O’Riley and James Forrest earned a 3-1 win. But Rodgers said: “I’m still angry, if I’m honest. The first half was nowhere near what you expect from a Celtic player and team. We got bullied for the goal and we were soft in everything, with and without the ball. Half-time was the angriest I’ve ever been as a manager. I said to the players afterwards, don’t make me be like that again.”

Abdallah Sima back on the scoresheet

Sima scored a double in Philippe Clement’s first game as Rangers boss, a 4-0 home win over Hibernian in October. The 22-year-old attacker, on loan from Brighton, then went the next eight matches without finding the net and Clement put some tiredness down to becoming a father recently for the first time. Sima got back on track against St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday with a fine strike before the break and a clinching second after 70 minutes to take his tally to the season to 11 in the 2-0 win, with the promise of more to come.

Motherwell strike early but still need a late show

Mika Biereth smashed Motherwell’s first league goal in front of the away fans at Fir Park this season and only their third first-half strike in all. It was the first time the Steelmen had taken the lead for three months but it failed to be the catalyst they were looking for and they twice came from behind to force a 3-3 draw against Dundee. Conor Wilkinson’s equaliser was Motherwell’s sixth 90th-minute goal of the Premiership campaign.

Hearts find consistency

The Jambos last week secured a hat-trick of Premiership wins for the first time since December 2021 and Saturday’s 1-0 success over Kilmarnock made it four league victories on the trot for the first time since they won their first five games of the 2018-19 campaign. Manager Steven Naismith, who scored five goals in those five matches, said: “If I’m honest, for a club like Hearts and a few other clubs will say the same – it should be normal that you go on a run like that, it shouldn’t take five years.”

David Marshall rolls back the years

Hibernian made it three league wins in a row for the first time this season with a 2-0 victory over Aberdeen, but their manager Nick Montgomery admitted afterwards they were indebted to veteran goalkeeper David Marshall. The 38-year-old produced a string of stunning saves to deny the Dons as they chased an equaliser at 1-0 down and the former Scotland international continued to frustrate Barry Robson’s team with further blocks in the closing stages, including from a Bojan Miovski penalty. Many more displays like Sunday’s and there will be a clamour for Marshall to bring himself out of international retirement and make himself available to Steve Clarke for the Euros next summer.

Phil Parkinson is relishing Wrexham’s derby clash against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup third round after putting in “a professional performance” to see off non-league Yeovil.

First-half goals from Ollie Palmer and Andy Cannon and substitute Sam Dalby’s stoppage-time strike dumped the National League South leaders out, with the Red Dragons facing League One Shrewsbury away in January.

Parkinson is excited by the prospect of taking on the Shrews, but was happy with what he saw as they ground out a win against the Glovers.

Parkinson said: “I thought it was a professional performance from us. These games are never easy.

“We had to work for it, we were patient with the ball in the first half and the moments came with two good goals. The intention was to go and kill the game off early in the second period, but credit to Yeovil.

“It didn’t surprise me because when you’re top of the division in your respective league, you’ve got good strong characteristics and you could see that.

“They didn’t give in, they kept playing and we couldn’t quite find that final pass to set a chance up to kill the game off until the very last minute when Dalby scored a really good goal.

“I’m just pleased to get through.

“When the draw comes out before the game, everyone starts looking one eye on Shrewsbury, which I think is a great draw for us and an exciting one for the club, but the job had to be done here first and we’ve done it.”

Yeovil boss Mark Cooper could not praise his side highly enough as fine margins went against them, but was frustrated with some decisions by the officials.

He said: “I thought we were brilliant, absolutely magnificent, all of them. I thought we were bang in the game.

“The goal on half-time is a killer for us, it’s a poor header and we didn’t pick up on the edge of the box, but I thought we were brilliant, to a man.

“I thought we played lovely football, we kept the ball, we created some chances, the keeper has pulled off an unbelievable save in the top corner from Charlie Cooper in the first half.

“We’ve had chances in the second half, so it’s just tiny details. There’s a difference between the two teams and you know that when you come here, the ref’s not going to do you any favours.

“It was some really questionable bits and pieces that went against us.

“They’re a top team, let’s have that right. They’ve got a top manager, everything, and they scored at good times, but I can’t give our players enough credit.”