After years of near misses, 2023 was when everything came together on the pitch for Manchester City and they finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy.

Their triumph on a glorious June evening in Istanbul, sealed with a fine Rodri strike against Inter Milan, capped a memorable campaign in which they also retained the Premier League and won the FA Cup.

It was a treble achieved only once previously, by Manchester United, and City left their rivals in no doubt as to where the power now lies along the way as they swatted them aside at Wembley.

Ilkay Gundogan scored the fastest goal recorded in an FA Cup final, after just 13 seconds, as City prevailed in an all-Manchester showpiece that was more convincing than the 2-1 scoreline suggested.

The manner in which City won the title was just as impressive, clawing back an eight-point deficit in the spring to overhaul Arsenal, the highlight being a stunning 4-1 defeat of the Gunners in April.

The intensity of that performance was matched over two legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League final, with the 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium leaving few in any doubt this was a side destined for greatness.

Erling Haaland finished the 2022-23 campaign with an extraordinary 52 goals to his name yet the story of City’s season was of a fine team tuned to perfection by Pep Guardiola.

But a large cloud still hangs over the club, after they were charged with 115 historical breaches of financial regulations by the Premier League in February.

Elsewhere, Manchester United returned to trophy-winning ways by claiming the Carabao Cup and Newcastle emerged as a new force by snatching a Champions League spot.

West Ham won their first major trophy since 1980 as they triumphed in the Europa Conference League, a success that finally earned silverware for their veteran manager David Moyes. Beating Fiorentina in the final also provided a fitting farewell for Declan Rice, who later joined Arsenal.

Everton evaded relegation by the skin of their teeth with Leicester facing the drop instead, just six years after winning the Premier League. Luton, a mere 10 years after playing in the National League, defied the odds to win promotion.

Celtic won the domestic treble north of the border while on the international front, England and Scotland both qualified for Euro 2024. Wales will hope to join them.

The women’s game was dominated by the World Cup in Australia. England enjoyed a fine run to the final but fell at the last hurdle as Spain took the glory in a game that became overshadowed by post-match controversy involving Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales.

The Women’s Super League was won, for a fourth year in succession, by Chelsea.

For a fourth time in five seasons Clarendon College delayed their ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup celebrations in anticipation of Olivier Shield triumph. And for a fourth time in five seasons the decision was justified, as they reclaimed the badge of all-island supremacy after hammering Mona High 4-0 in the showpiece at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

Much like they did in a rampant display against neighbours Glenmuir High in the rural area decider, Clarendon College again demonstrated their class, seasoned with some individual flair at times, to secure their seventh Olivier Shield lien, with aplomb.

Christopher Hull with a brace in the 84th and 87th minutes, followed goals from the prolific Keheim Dixon (35th) and Deandre Gallimore (69^th), and ensured that the title they first won in 1977 — then 1978, 1998, 2018, 2019 and 2022 — returned to their Chapelton base to complement their 11th daCosta Cup hold.

Winning Coach Lenworth “Teacha” Hyde was delighted that his players enjoyed themselves in the process, particularly the seven players, who were in their final schoolboy football season. Clarendon College just missed out on the treble after they lost the Champions Cup 2-3 to Glenmuir.

“I am very happy about it; I think we worked pretty hard this season; the boys wanted it really bad and as I told you before seven of the players are leaving us, so they were hell-bent on defending the Olivier Shield and it showed. They didn’t start out well in the first half but as the game went on the got into rhythm and they enjoyed themselves which is what I told them to do,” Hyde said in a post-game interview.

The much-anticipated clash between two of the most talked about teams this season, started as expected with Manning Cup champions Mona High showing first, as they got a warning shot off 30 seconds in.

Clarendon College gradually got into their rhythm and responded in the seventh minute with a series of chances after Mona failed to clear their lines.

Both teams continued their push for the go-ahead goal, and Mona again went close in the 27th, when a neat build up ended with ended with Kshaine Gordon driving a pass across the six-yard box, but none of his teammates was around to apply the finishing touch.

They rued that missed opportunity eight minutes later when an unmarked Dixon finished a free header at the far post from Gallimore’s weighted corner, for his 32nd goal of the season.

That goal knocked the wind from Mona, and gave life to Clarendon College’s attack, as they applied pressure in a decent passage of play at the backend of the half, but couldn’t get on target.

With the score unchanged at the break, the momentum stuck with Clarendon College and they almost doubled the lead in the 58th when Dixon twirled his way into space for a right-footed shot deep that was charged down at the near post.

Mona responded three minutes later and it took a big save from Clarendon College’s Roshae Burrell to deny Romarion Thomas’s head from close range.

But, any hopes Mona harboured of a comeback, were dashed when Gallimore fired home under pressure, for his seventh of the season.

The Craig Butler-coached Mona didn’t give up though, and Thomas again found space for a right-footer from a distance that was pushed over the crossbar by Burrell.

From there, it was all Clarendon College and Hull, who first rose above Mona’s custodian Ackeem Bernard to head home from a Jahmelle Ashley corner.

And three minutes later, the player sporting the number eight jersey secured a 14th goal for the season, when he struck a sweet left-footer from close range, that proved too much for Bernard, who helped the ball into the net.

Despite the loss, Butler was gracious in defeat.

“It was about not taking the chances and we eventually broke down. But I think the boys played well but Clarendon College was the better team on the day, and so we have to give them their respect for that,” Butler said.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe defended his players after a Europa League place slipped from their grasp as they tried to secure a Champions League berth.

The Magpies were dumped out of Europe all together as a result of their 2-1 home defeat by AC Milan on a night when they had one foot in the last 16 of the premier competition, then looked destined for the lesser only to end up empty-handed.

Had the game finished 1-1, Howe’s men would have taken the group’s Europa League spot with Paris St Germain having secured second place behind group winners Borussia Dortmund after a 1-1 draw in Germany, but substitute Samuel Chukwueze’s late strike ensured it was the Serie A side who claimed it instead.

Asked if they might have played for a draw as time ran down, Howe said: “We wanted to qualify for the Champions League for sure. That was very much our intention before the game and in-game.

“I’m not sure in that moment you can take that will away from the players. If you look at the goals we’ve conceded, they’ve come from mistakes that can happen in any moment whether you are being proactive or reactive.

“Of course I take ownership of that, but I’d much rather have the intention to go and attack and to try to win rather than the other way round.”

Joelinton’s 33rd-minute piledriver had put Newcastle in the driving seat and their position improved further when Dortmund went ahead, but PSG levelled minutes later and crucially, so did the Italians through Christian Pulisic.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan managed to turn a goal-bound Bruno Guimaraes shot on to his crossbar as the Premier League side sought the victory which would have kept them in the competition, but Chukwueze’s late intervention amid a chaotic conclusion proved decisive.

Howe said: “We’re desperately disappointed. It’s tough to take at the moment. The lads played very well in that first half and I thought we were good value.

“I was hoping the goal would come earlier than it did. Second half, we wanted to try to consolidate that and look for the second goal.

“I was really disappointed with the first goal we conceded because I think that is the key moment. We didn’t deal with a second-phase set-play well enough – it was an uncharacteristic goal, really, for us to concede and then the game became very transitional.

“It was end-to-end from both teams, both teams looking to win, and we conceded on one of those transitions.”

For opposite number Stefano Pioli, who headed into the game at St James’ Park under pressure and with former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic having been drafted in as a senior adviser, there were mixed feelings.

Pioli said: “We definitely wanted to continue our path in the Champions League and that is very difficult. It was a bittersweet evening.

“What we could do this evening we did. Of course we’re disappointed about the Champions League and we regret it. Clearly we’re disappointed, but we also have the conviction that we’re a team that can do well.”

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca says Patson Daka is capable of holding off Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho when both strikers are fit again after scoring in the 3-2 win over Millwall.

Zambia international Daka netted for the second game running as the Foxes came from behind to secure a victory which sent them back to the top of the Championship table, moving them one point ahead of Ipswich.

It was only Daka’s second start of the season after having to wait for his chance with injured Vardy and ill Iheanacho both missing.

Maresca confirmed that Vardy’s knee issue will keep him out of Monday’s match at Birmingham, now managed by Wayne Rooney, but Iheanacho is set to be available.

The Italian says Daka, who will go to the African Cup of Nations next month, deserves to stay in the team.

“I’ve been quite clear with them,” said Maresca.

“If you’re playing, you deserve it. If someone comes in and they’re doing well, you need to work.

“Patson is scoring goals and working hard, after three or four months of having to wait. We’re going to trust him and give him more chances, no doubt.”

Millwall took the lead through Tom Bradshaw, but second-half goals from Jannik Vestergaard, Daka and Ricardo Pereira, whose shot was deflected in off Wilfred Ndidi, settled the game.

Maresca added: “It was a tough game. We expected them in one way. But since the new manager arrived, they have played always in a line of four. Here, they came here with a line of five and two holding midfielders.

“In the first half, we were in control of the game, but without creating clear chances. At half-time, we adjusted some things.

“Instead of attacking with five, we attacked with six. We brought one more player in the last line. It was much better second half for sure.”

A stoppage-time goal from Millwall substitute Kevin Nisbet proved no more than a consolation.

“We came here with with clear plan, which is all well and good, but the players have to execute it,” said Millwall manager Joe Edwards.

“I thought they did it to a tee in the first half. We had our moments. At half-time, we were pleased with our work and knew we’d given ourselves a chance.

“We felt confident we could go and do it again. But we conceded a sloppy goal, and after that we weren’t quick enough to things. Not clinical.

“Then we started playing well again in the last 10 minutes. For two minutes at the end, it’s game on.

“You’re always hoping to win, but a draw would’ve been a great result. We felt that if we came to Leicester with a high press and went toe to toe with them, we wouldn’t get any rewards by losing 4-0.

“But we felt we wanted to show we could offer a threat. It was a frustrated place at half-time, you could feel that. That’s what we came to do. The question then is ‘how long can we sustain it?’”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted to see his players break through a Champions League barrier with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Feyenoord at Parkhead.

Substitute Gustaf Lagerbielke headed home in stoppage time to seal Celtic’s first victory in 16 Champions League group games, stretching back to Rodgers’ first spell in charge, and their first at home for a decade.

Celtic were consigned to bottom spot in Group E after matchday five but the win ensured they improved on last year’s total to finish on four points.

“It was a big moment because it’s been so long. Since I was here the first time it’s all that’s been talked about, a win in the Champions League at home. They have now cleared that barrier and we can look forward now.

“I said to the players, it wasn’t a burden they had to carry, especially a lot of the new players, but clearly the longer it goes on…

“It shows the challenge of the Champions League. But we are very determined over the course of my time here to improve on that record.

“I have been really pleased with some of the performance levels, especially at home, we have shown we can play at a high level and compete but of course you have to get results.

“To get the win draws a line under that home record and we can hopefully qualify next season and go into it fresh and the players can gain confidence knowing they can win at this level.”

Celtic had conceded in the 82nd minute and looked set for further late anguish after Luis Palma’s 33rd-minute penalty put the home side in front.

“The players showed they learned throughout the process we have been in this year because we have seen games over the years where the equaliser comes and the other team go on and get the winner,” Rodgers said.

“You have to tip your hat to the players because the mentality was very good. Some people may have thought this was a nothing game but this meant everything to us in the process we are in, to get the victory and to feel the confidence.”

Sweden defender Lagerbielke came off the bench for Stephen Welsh for his first appearance since September 30 and his first in the Champions League since being sent off in Rotterdam in the opening game.

Rodgers said: “It was a great moment for him because he hasn’t been involved in squads, other guys have been in front of him. But his attitude in training in the main has been superb and he has always been ready.

“The irony of him being sent off and then getting the goal was great, a really nice moment for him.”

Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot had claimed ahead of the game that he felt sorry for Celtic because they had – like his team – had no luck whatsoever during their Group E campaign.

After the game, Slot said: “You have to credit Celtic for the way they played in their whole Champions League, maybe apart from when they had 10 men against Atletico Madrid.

“So I think they deserved, from their point of view, a little bit of luck. They came away with one point from their previous two home games despite outplaying both opponents.

“So they deserved a little bit of luck and we are the team that gives teams a little bit of luck. You don’t have to thank me for that, but that’s what we do.”

Mark Robins claimed Coventry are growing in stature after their 1-1 draw against Southampton.

The Sky Blues opened the scoring through Haji Wright before they were pegged back by substitute Samuel Edozie to stretch their unbeaten run to 13 games.

“You can see that we are growing in stature and confidence,” said Robins. “Four points from two tough home games is really pleasing.

“They had more possession in the first half. They are a quality team, but we worked really hard out of possession and there were not many chances in the first half.

“There was little between the teams in terms of chances created. We spoke at half-time about keeping the ball a bit more and we did that much better.

“We got more chances, grew in confidence, got the goal – a brilliant goal. Haji got into a good position, took the extra touch and you can see him growing in confidence.

“We worked hard in possession, out of possession, there were some good performances, but we were out of position for their goal.

“I think the way we played will give us a lot of confidence and it was a deserved point.

“The players are starting to look like they know each other now, they work really hard and they get that little bit of confidence.

“We try and keep people together and the performances have been really good, some play tonight was outstanding.”

Southampton boss Russell Martin claimed he and his team can only focus on themselves as they fell 12 points behind Ipswich in the race for the Sky Bet Championship automatic promotion places.

He said: “Just focus on ourselves and keep growing. I’m really proud of where the team is now, there’s been some frustrating results in that run, Rotherham draw, Huddersfield draw, then we’ve won games late.

“I’m really proud of the players, our job is to continue to grow, focus on ourselves and see where it takes us. Any other season, the last seven or eight, we’d be in the top two or within one or two points, so we can’t impact that. Two teams have made an incredible start.

“They score more goals than us, is the one thing they have over us at the minute. We don’t put games to bed, we should score a couple tonight but we don’t, and that’s the next step for us.

“I thought we were really good tonight, against a really good, well organised team. I felt their only chances were going to come from pouncing on a mistake, they scored from a goal that came from that and they had a couple of moments in transition.

“The reaction to going 1-0 down, because we haven’t been behind for a while, was fantastic. The subs had a brilliant impact.

“The last 10 minutes became really open because they’re trying to win, we’re trying to win, nobody was hanging on.”

Wayne Rooney admitted it was “all about winning” after the Birmingham manager celebrated his first away victory since taking charge – 1-0 at Cardiff.

The former Manchester United and England striker admitted the result was far more important than the performance, despite praising a “gritty” display.

Juninho Bacuna’s composed finish after a rapid counter-attack on the stroke of half-time proved enough to secure Rooney a second win in 10 games as Blues manager and ended a run of eight defeats in a row away from home.

“I’m delighted with the win. The performance was good but after the run we’ve been on, it was all about winning,” said Rooney.

“We dealt with Cardiff pretty well. Their set-piece is one of the best in the league and we struggled a bit with that, but in general I thought we limited them, especially in the second half.

“The performance was nothing special but we controlled things, showed plenty of grit and showed real composure for the goal.

“I was pleased with the desire to win.

“The only disappointment was that we created a few chances in the second half to break but we didn’t take care with the final pass. That has been a theme.”

Birmingham moved up to 16th in the table but face Championship leaders Leicester next.

Rooney said: “It’s crucial that we enjoy this win and build on it because we’ve got another extremely tough game coming.

“I understand the fans’ frustration that there has been a change of manager when things were going OK, but I’m confident we are moving the club forward. But until results improve, it’s hard for the fans to believe that.”

Cardiff missed the chance to move level with sixth-placed Sunderland and instead slip to 10th.

However, there were also real concern for defender Perry Ng, who was forced off after just 13 minutes with a head injury.

“He said he couldn’t see,” said manager Erol Bulut. “I don’t know what it was and I hope it is not too serious, but he just said he couldn’t see. I must speak to the medical staff.”

Bulut, meanwhile, bemoaned a tired and lacklustre second-half display that has now seen the Bluebirds score just one goal in four games.

“It’s not just the loss but the way we lost that is most disappointing,” he said.

“We did some good things in the first half but I don’t think I want to talk about the second half. We played as individuals trying to do things but that never works, you have to be a team.

“It’s not enough what we have seen in the last two games, we have to show much more. You have to fight to the end but we did not.”

Bulut was unhappy with the timing of Bacuna’s winner, deep into first-half stoppage time.

“The game should have been finished,” he said.

Samuel Edozie scored his first goal since September to extend Southampton’s unbeaten run to 13 games with a 1-1 draw at Coventry.

The former Manchester City winger had been an unused substitute in the Saints’ last three outings, but came off the bench to cancel out Haji Wright’s opener.

Russell Martin’s men pushed tirelessly for a winner in the closing stages, but the draw keeps Southampton firmly in the play-off positions – 12 points behind second-placed Ipswich.

The Sky Blues were forced to withstand heavy pressure against the possession-hungry Saints in the first half as Adam Armstrong attempted to add to his 12 Sky Bet Championship goals this season.

The forward scored 20 goals for Coventry on loan from Newcastle in the 2015-16 season and forced home goalkeeper Brad Collins into action after 10 minutes when he cut inside from the right and fired a low effort at goal.

Bobby Thomas came flying out of defence to block Armstrong’s next effort after a smart short corner routine before Ellis Simms hooked off the line.

Ryan Manning almost put Southampton ahead when he met a Kyle Walker-Peters cross midway through the first half.

But Coventry withstood the pressure, seeing just 24 per cent of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, before Jamie Allen fired wide from the edge of the box.

Simms had scored in just one of the 21 appearances for the Sky Blues prior to the Saints’ arrival and Gavin Bazunu stood firm to block the former Everton man’s effort after he was played in by Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.

Coventry’s positive end to the half gave Robins’ men confidence after the break and they were inches from going ahead through Callum O’Hare, fresh off his first goals in over 18 months against Birmingham last time out.

Milan van Ewijk created space for himself down the right and pulled back for O’Hare, whose sweetly struck effort crashed off the crossbar and away to safety.

The Sky Blues were ahead just two minutes later when Wright found himself in acres of space inside the box and shifted the ball inside before slotting home his sixth of the season.

The opening goal came following some good work from O’Hare, who held off Manning before calmly slotting in Wright with the Southampton defence all at sea.

Southampton’s search for an equaliser saw Stuart Armstrong force Collins into a low save to his left, whilst Martin introduced Edozie alongside Ryan Fraser from the bench.

Both substitutes were heavily involved in the equaliser just seven minutes later as Fraser’s cross was nodded on by Adam Armstrong to Edozie, who controlled the ball with his chest before finding the far corner.

From then on it was all Southampton as Joe Aribo’s left-footed effort whistled past the upright.

Thomas had his heart in his mouth when he diverted Fraser’s cross agonisingly wide of the post, whilst Adam Armstrong’s first effort was blocked and his well-struck follow-up brushed the top of the crossbar.

Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher praised his players for battling to a 0-0 draw at QPR with 10 men – but felt they could have taken all three points.

Dan Scarr was sent off in the 25th minute at Loftus Road for a crude challenge on Ilias Chair.

Up to that point, Plymouth were the better side and missed chances to go ahead after Rangers repeatedly gave the ball away in the opening quarter of an hour.

Schumacher said: “It felt like a long time (with 10 men). I’ve just said to the players that I’m proud because the effort we put in under those circumstances was top drawer.

“I felt we deserved something from the game. Everything QPR threw at us we dealt with really well.

“They had to put their bodies on the line throughout the game, and any point away from home is a good point.

“I’m pleased to come away with something, but there’s a tinge of disappointment because I felt we should have scored in the first 15 minutes.

“We created the most opportunities, we just didn’t make the most of them. That’s the frustrating thing. We should have been holding on to a 1-0 rather than a 0-0.”

Ryan Hardie missed a golden chance for the visitors, lifting the ball over the crossbar after being teed up by Finn Azaz.

Schumacher said: “The one he put over was probably the biggest chance of the whole game. I don’t know how he got it over the bar.

“I wish we could have got one of them in. It would have been the perfect night.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes admitted his team were fortunate not to go behind during their dismal start.

The Spaniard said: “The start of the game was very poor. The first 15 minutes were perhaps the worst since I’ve been here.

“We were terrible and conceded a lot of chances. In that sense you could say we were lucky to be 0-0 at half-time because it was not a good first half.

“Plymouth were extremely aggressive and extremely good in the first half.

“In the second half we pushed much more, but Plymouth defended very well and made it difficult for us to create really clear chances.”

A win would have been Rangers’ fourth in a row and lifted them out of the relegation zone.

A point at least saw them continue to close the gap on the teams above them – and they have lost just one of their seven matches since Cifuentes took over.

“We missed the quality in the last third that we’ve had in other games. I would say it was just one of those days,” Cifuentes said.

“We’re really disappointed about getting only one point. When we look back, it has not been a good performance.

“It’s OK. Credit to the guys (for the recent improvement). But don’t ask me if I’m happy, because I’m not.

“Today was a day to take three points. We take one, OK, but I’m always quite demanding.”

Hull head coach Liam Rosenior hailed the impact of his substitutes that helped earn a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

With Boro leading on the hour courtesy of Emmanuel Latte Lath’s seventh goal of the season in the sixth minute, Rosenior made changes at the Riverside Stadium.

The triple introduction of Ruben Vinagre, Adama Traore and Ozan Tufan was followed by Liam Delap’s equaliser with 21 minutes remaining.

And after Greg Docherty and Sean McLoughlin were introduced from the bench in the seven minutes that followed, the stage was set for the visitors’ winner.

Vinagre’s run and cross led to Docherty passing into the path of Tufan to fire in his side’s second in the 82nd minute to lift Hull level on points with sixth-placed Sunderland in the Championship table.

Rosenior, who revealed winger Jaden Philogene will be sidelined for six weeks with a knee injury, said: “It certainly feels better now than it felt at half-time. I have spoken to the players a lot, and this was the first time in the year we had lost two in a row.

“And it was always going to be difficult to come back from a goal down against a very good team. I said at half-time it was about character and resilience. We showed how much it meant to us. This was a huge step for us tonight.

“That was probably the worst first half we have played in a long time. I have got a young team, an exciting team, a team that doesn’t have much experience of the Championship.

“The subs made a massive difference. Tufan was outstanding, Vinagre, Docherty, McLoughlin, Adama, every single sub had a positive impact on the game and that is a good sign.

“That is the lesson for this group, when every player’s engaged, from 1-20, and I changed system four times in the game, then it is down to the players and they showed that when things are up against us we have the spirit and determination.”

This was Middlesbrough’s third successive defeat, and their fourth in five. Having taken the lead through Latte Lath, and looked in control throughout the first half, there was clearly frustration.

Boro head coach Michael Carrick said: “I thought we played ever so well. Against a good team, we gave them next to nothing, played some really good football, looked dangerous and had so many opportunities.

“Bitterly disappointed. I’d have been bitterly disappointed with a draw after that to be honest with all the good things that I saw in the game. It’s one of them things.

“It’s the way it’s gone. We need to be that bit more ruthless but I thought we gave them hardly anything in the game. We didn’t let them have much. I thought the second goal would come but we just didn’t quite have that quality with our last pass or finish to make it count.

“I thought there was a spark tonight. I don’t think we need a spark. I thought the performance was there, so in terms of a spark, no. I thought the boys did a lot of good things and we’ll take a lot of confidence from it.”

Norwich head coach David Wagner was delighted to see his side bounce back from a frustrating result at the weekend by beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Carrow Road.

The Canaries lacked a cutting edge in a goalless draw with Preston but took their chances well against the Owls to stay on the fringes of the Championship play-off zone.

“Four days ago I spoke about how frustrated I was about not taking our chances, so to put things right at the very first opportunity is very pleasing and just the way it should be,” Wagner said.

“We scored three wonderful goals, created a lot of other opportunities and also defended well, even though their set pieces caused us one or two problems.

“We scored a great goal early on and could have had more but we didn’t make it easy for ourselves and conceded an equaliser.

“It is always pleasing in those circumstances when you then go on and win the game.

“We responded well to the setback, kept our tempo, kept believing and got the result we deserved.

“We have done well in our last six games, and also did well in the first six games of the season.

“In between could have been better but now we must keep this going, making sure our performances are at a consistent level.

“We now have a big derby game (at Ipswich) and everyone is really looking forward to that.”

Norwich were set on their way by a superb seventh-minute strike from Borja Sainz, who was making his full debut after his summer move to Carrow Road.

He found the top corner with a rising drive from just outside the box to open the scoring, although Wednesday responded well and got back on level terms just past the half-hour mark with a back-post header from teenager Bailey Cadamarteri.

Norwich got their noses in front just after the restart when Ashley Barnes slid home Sainz’s left-wing cross and gave themselves some breathing space after 72 minutes, Jonathan Rowe taking advantage of some poor defending to nod home his ninth of the season.

The defeat brought to an end Wednesday’s mini revival of seven points from a possible nine, but manager Danny Rohl took the result on the chin.

“I am okay with my players after that, even though I am obviously disappointed with the result,” he said.

“Now we must recover and be ready to go again on Saturday when we have another big game (at home to fellow strugglers QPR).

“In each half we had early goals to deal with and that didn’t help us, especially in the second half when we had just changed things.

“I thought we did a lot of things very well, although our pressing wasn’t sharp enough and at times our positioning wasn’t good enough.

“We tried everything but in the end it wasn’t enough and our opponents were better in the box and deserved the win.”

Rohl paid tribute to young goalscorer Cadamarteri, who committed his long-term future to the club earlier this week.

“He now has two goals in four games and clearly is a young player with a lot of potential. He deserves his contract and it proves we are looking to the future at this club.”

Lewis Vaughan scored a last-gasp winner as Raith Rovers returned to the top of the cinch Championship with a 2-1 victory over Arbroath.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Aidan Connolly drilled in from eight yards.

Basement side Arbroath equalised on the half-hour mark when Jermaine Hylton slammed home from the penalty spot after they were awarded a spot-kick for handball.

Arbroath looked like they would hang on for an unlikely point but Rovers snatched victory deep into stoppage time when Vaughan’s effort deflected in.

Newcastle were knocked out of the Champions League after AC Milan came from a goal down to win 2-1 at St James’ Park.

Newcastle started the brighter of the two sides and made their first-half pressure count when Joelinton rifled a superb strike past Mike Maignan and into the top corner to give them the lead at the break.

Milan shifted into the gear in the second period and found an equaliser through Christian Pulisic, but the decisive moment came with six minutes to go when Samuel Chukwueze curled home from inside the area to earn their spot in the Europa League.

Paris St Germain secured their place in the last 16 of the competition with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund.

The French side’s Champions League hopes were thrown into doubt when Dortmund took the lead early in the second half as Karim Adeyemi swept home from close range.

But they were not ahead for long as Warren Zaire-Emery found the bottom corner, which proved vital to send PSG through from Group F in second place.

In Group G, Manchester City made it six wins from six games with a 3-2 away victory over Red Star Belgrade.

Debutant Micah Hamilton powered into the roof of the net to give Pep Guardiola’s side the lead and they looked on their way to a comfortable victory when Oscar Bobb rolled home, but Belgrade responded through Hwang In-beom.

City re-established their two-goal lead thanks to Kalvin Phillips’ penalty before the Serbian side pulled another one back in stoppage time through Aleksandar Katai, but it was not enough to stop City from picking up a maximum haul of 18 points.

Benjamin Sesko and Emil Forsberg struck twice in five second-half minutes to earn already qualified RB Leipzig a 2-1 victory over Young Boys. Ebrima Colley briefly levelled for the Swiss outfit.

Celtic picked up their first victory of the group-stage campaign thanks to Gustaf Lagerbielke’s late strike to give them a 2-1 win over Feyenoord at Celtic Park.

Luis Palma opened the scoring for Celtic just after the half-hour mark, but they thought they would remain winless in the competition when Feyenoord pulled level through Yankuba Minteh. However, Celtic snatched the win in stoppage time when Lagerbielke nodded in from close range.

Strikes from Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino handed Atletico a 2-0 win over Lazio after both sides had already secured their place in the last 16 from Group E.

Porto progressed through to the last 16 of the Champions League with a 5-3 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Porto hit the front in the ninth minute when Galeno opened the scoring. Danylo Sikan equalised on the half-hour mark, only for Galeno to grab a second to give the hosts a 2-1 lead at the break.

The Portuguese side doubled their advantage when Mehdi Taremi lashed into the roof of the net, but Shakhtar hit back through Stephen Eustakio’s own goal.

Porto sealed victory in the 76th minute when Pepe stabbed home and added another through Francisco Conceicao before Eguinaldo knocked in a late consolation for the Ukrainian team.

Royal Antwerp grabbed their first victory in the Champions League this season with a dramatic 3-2 triumph over Barcelona.

The Belgian side hit the front in the second minute when Arthur Vermeeren slammed home from close range, however, Barca were on level terms 10 minutes before the break through Ferran Torres.

The hosts regained their advantage with a goal from Vincent Janssen, but Barcelona thought they nicked a point thanks to Marc Gulu’s strike in the first minute of stoppage time.

But Antwerp hit a dramatic winner when George Ilenikhena struck a minute later.

Warren Zaire-Emery’s second-half strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Paris St Germain at Borussia Dortmund to ensure his side advanced to the Champions League last 16 as Group F runners-up.

A wild first half at Signal Iduna Park, where the hosts secured top spot in the group, somehow ended goalless after what felt like an unending stream of missed chances for both sides.

Dortmund, who had already qualified, finally took the lead via Karim Adeyemi after the break, when results elsewhere also began to swing in PSG’s favour.

It was not long before 17-year-old Zaire-Emery opened his Champions League account just when it mattered most to book PSG a trip to the knockouts, becoming the youngest French goalscorer in the history of the competition.

The missed opportunities started early, Zaire-Emery scuffing a close-range effort and Vitinha missing from 25 yards after Marco Reus had tested his luck from a similar distance for the hosts moments earlier.

Marius Wolf was in a good position to open the scoring but instead succumbed to pressure from Lucas Hernandez’s well-timed tackle, and the Germans were fortunate when Kang-In Lee missed a golden opportunity from six yards, though Randal Kolo Muani might have been offside in the build-up.

PSG looked certain to take the lead when Kylian Mbappe rounded Gregor Kobel and found himself facing an open net, but Niklas Sule scrambled in for an incredible clearance on the goal-line to preserve the deadlock, which remained intact after Bradley Barcola curled an effort off the post and Kolo Muani poked wide despite finding himself through on goal.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was also kept busy, denying Reus and Salih Ozcan as the half somehow marched to a close without a goal after Kobel denied Kolo Muani and Mats Hummels headed into the side-netting with the final touch before the break.

Lee fired directly into Kobel’s awaiting arms after the restart as PSG desperately looked for a way to avoid an unceremonious exit, but instead gave the ball away at the edge of their own area, with Dortmund eventually working it to Adeyemi, who slotted the opener past the keeper after 51 minutes.

It took just five minutes for Zaire-Emery to issue a reply via a slight deflection through Adeyemi’s legs and over the hand of an outstretched Kobel, while Donnarumma denied Donyell Malen just after the hour mark.

PSG were hungry for another but instead saw Ramy Bensebaini first clear away Kolo Muani’s chance to head home, then Mbappe fired just wide of the right post.

He thought he had turned the contest on its head when he put the ball in the back of the net in the 76th minute, but referee Glenn Nyberg turned to VAR Dennis Higler and, with semi-automated offside tech in play, ruled out the would-be winner.

Soon word seemed to spread amongst the visitors that a draw would be enough to see them through, and while Dortmund at times looked keen to challenge for another both sides were satisfied to split the points.

Barcelona finished on top of Champions League Group H despite slipping to a shock 3-2 defeat to Royal Antwerp in a dramatic contest at the Bosuilstadion.

After the first half had seen Arthur Vermeeren’s early effort for the hosts cancelled out by Ferran Torres, former Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen restored the lead for Mark van Bommel’s Antwerp 11 minutes after the break.

Barcelona then hit back via Marc Guiu in stoppage time, only for George Ilenikhena to reply moments later to wrap up a historic win for the Belgians, who had lost each of their previous five games in what was their debut Champions League group campaign.

Barca had gone into the match with qualification for the last 16 secure, and retained top spot ahead of Porto – who beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 – thanks to a superior head to head record.

It was the second time in four days that Xavi’s men were beaten, following Sunday’s 4-2 LaLiga loss at home to Girona.

With a starting XI showing seven changes from that game, Barcelona found themselves a goal down in the second minute when a mistake at the back was punished by 18-year-old midfielder Vermeeren.

Receiving a pass from goalkeeper Inaki Pena in the Barca box, Oriel Romeu inadvertently diverted the ball to Vermeeren, who fired into the net.

Janssen then saw his shot on the turn comfortably dealt with by Pena, and sent a further effort off target.

Having struggled for rhythm, Barca were then back on level terms in the 35th minute via a counter-attack that ended with Lamine Yamal playing a fine pass and Torres sweeping the ball past Jean Butez.

Antwerp had the ball in the net again five minutes into the second half but Janssen’s finish was disallowed for handball, and Yamal struck the bar at the other end moments later.

A dramatic few minutes then continued with Barca’s Sergi Roberto being shown a red card for a challenge on Mandela Keita before the decision was overturned via VAR, before Antwerp did regain the lead.

Romeu was again guilty of sloppiness, being dispossessed near his box by Alhassan Yusuf, and he laid the ball to Janssen, who struck into the corner of the net.

Xavi responded with a triple substitution on the hour as Ilkay Gundogan, replacing Romeu, Joao Cancelo and Pedri came on.

Further Antwerp pressure saw Chidera Ejuke put a shot from distance over and Soumaila Coulibaly head wide, either side of a Pedri attempt being blocked.

Barca pushed to hit back late on and equalised in the first minute of stoppage time when Guiu, who had come on for Robert Lewandowski, headed in a Gundogan free-kick.

But one of Antwerp’s substitutes then had the final say as Ilenikhena – Guiu’s fellow 17-year-old – beat Pena a minute later to seal a famous result.