James Forrest is determined to continue chipping in with goals for Celtic after scoring in the Scottish top flight for a 15th consecutive season.

The 32-year-old winger first netted on his Hoops debut against Motherwell near the end of the 2009/10 campaign, shortly after Neil Lennon had taken over from Tony Mowbray.

Having kept up his run of scoring through each campaign under Lennon, Ronny Deila, the first spell of Brendan Rodgers, the second stint of Lennon and Ange Postecoglou, Forrest headed in his first goal of Rodgers’ second spell in charge to seal Saturday’s 3-0 win over 10-man Ross County in Dingwall.

“I think it’s only my fourth header but maybe one of the easier ones,” he said. “I’ve had a few chances lately and not managed to take them, so I didn’t think it was easy when it was coming across.

“It’s amazing to reach another milestone. I think you appreciate these things even more when you get older. Still playing here and trying to contributing is what I have got to keep doing.

“I’d like to keep it going. It’s hard to look too far in advance when the club has such a strong squad and is always signing good players every season.

“I still really enjoy it and getting milestones like this make it all worthwhile. Hopefully there’s more to come.”

One-club man Forrest has found playing time harder to come by for Celtic in recent seasons but he remains contracted to his boyhood team until 2025. He is comfortable with his role as a more peripheral player within the squad.

“It’s been this way since I came through,” he said of the competition to get in the team. “Every year we are signing attackers, so it’s no different now.

“Obviously I’m getting older but the manager came in and I had a good pre-season.

“I want to contribute when I get the chance. A few of the other lads have come in recently and taken their chances when the manager’s rotated it, so that’s good.”

Celtic’s victory, which also included goals from David Turnbull and Luis Palma, extended their lead at the top of the cinch Premiership to eight points, albeit having played a game more than nearest challengers Rangers.

The Hoops’ next match is away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday as they bid to add to their solitary point so far and keep alive their fading hopes of progressing in Europe beyond Christmas.

“It will be difficult but the boys can take confidence from the home game (a 2-2 draw with Atletico),” said Forrest. “We went toe to toe with them. It will be a tough game but we can take confidence from some good performances this season.”

Ross County boss Malky Mackay was heartened that his side did not capitulate and suffer an embarrassing loss after having James Brown sent off just eight minutes in.

The 10-man Staggies held firm until first-half stoppage time and then managed to keep their deficit at 1-0 until the 78th minute.

“Going down to 10 men against Celtic, it becomes dangerous because you can be hurt just through naturally the way the game can go – nothing to do with our players, just through the fact tiredness kicks in and they’re playing like the Red Arrows in terms of their movement.

“Near the end of the game, three or four can become six or seven and teams have fallen to that. You saw it a couple of years ago with Dundee United at 9-0. That can really damage clubs and managers.

“If they’re playing well and you have 10 and your tactics are wrong and you’re not playing well, it can be eight or nine so the fact we were structured, organised, tough, resilient and didn’t let it get to that will stand us in good stead. It’s not Celtic and Rangers my fight is against.”

Graeme Shinnie was always confident Bojan Miovski’s quality would count when he grabbed his chance to score Aberdeen’s winner in the Viaplay Cup semi-final against Hibernian on Saturday.

The Easter Road side edged a nondescript first half at Hampden Park and were denied an opener in the 49th minute when VAR, after a lengthy check, ruled forward Martin Boyle was offside before he had fired the ball past Dons keeper Kelle Roos and into the net.

It looked ominous for a hitherto lacklustre Aberdeen side when defender Jack MacKenzie was sent off by referee John Beaton in the 75th minute for picking up a second yellow card for a silly push on Hibs defender Lewis Miller.

However, it was North Macedonia international Miovski who struck three minutes later with his 10th goal of the season when he raced on to a pass from substitute Dante Polvara and drove past Hibs keeper David Marshall.

Aberdeen defended resolutely until the end of the regulation 90 minutes and through seven minutes of added time before their appearance in the December 17 final was confirmed by the final whistle.

Captain Shinnie, in his second permanent spell at the Granite City club, was “delighted” to get through.

He said: “It was a tough game, especially going down to 10 men but it shows great character from the boys to grind it out.

“We knew if we got one chance we needed to take it and if you wanted it to fall to anyone it would be Bojan, and he does brilliantly to score and as a team after that we defended magnificently, and I am absolutely delighted to be in the final.

“He has been doing that since I have been here, almost a year.

“He is a top player and we have a lot of top players in the team but like I said, if you wanted it to fall to anyone it would be him this season.

“He’s been in top form this season and then it takes a group effort to see the game out.

“I am delighted for everyone. It has been an up-and-down season so far, but this a real plus point for everyone and it gives us something to look forward to.”

Jeremy Doku claims it is easy to shine in a team as good as Manchester City.

The Belgian winger was the standout performer as the champions thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 to return to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.

Doku opened the scoring and then had a hand in the next four goals as the Cherries were overwhelmed in a one-sided encounter at the Etihad Stadium.

It continued the positive impression the 21-year-old has made since his £55.4million move from Rennes, but Doku himself was modest about his output.

“I’m very proud but in this team it is so easy because there is a lot of movement,” Doku said.

“Everybody is top and when you play with top players it is easy to find the right pass, to find the right time to do something.

“Honestly, I knew when I had to go, I found the right balance and I think that was the most important.

“It was a good performance from me, from the team, so I’m very happy.”

Doku’s opener on the half-hour was the first of three City goals in a seven-minute purple patch.

He teed up the second for Bernardo Silva and then had another shot deflected in off Manuel Akanji.

Substitute Phil Foden – on for the injured Erling Haaland – was the next to benefit from Doku’s work before he played in Silva for his second. Nathan Ake also got on the scoresheet for City late on.

Luis Sinisterra scored a Bournemouth consolation, but the only cause for concern for City was the loss of Haaland at half-time with an ankle problem that will be assessed ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter against Young Boys.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola felt the scoreline was harsh on his side, but conceded his side had little answer to the brilliance of Doku.

He said: “We suffered with him in one-against-one situations because he has all options – go outside, go inside and finish, go outside and cut back.

“I think he was the one making the difference, I would say, in most of the chances.”

Bournemouth also have an injury concern after midfielder Alex Scott was forced off with a different knee injury to the one which delayed the start of his season until last month.

Last year’s beaten finalist St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS), former champions St George’s College and the highly-touted Hydel High, all registered wins to kick start the quarterfinals of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Saturday.

The Phillip Williams-coached STATHS continued their rich vein of form with a 2-0 win over Anthony Patrick's St Catherine High in their Group One encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

In the other group contest played at Jamaica College’s Ashenheim Stadium, Vassell Reynold’s Kingston College came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with the Craig Butler-conditioned Mona High.

With those results, STATHS occupy pole position on three points, with Kingston College and Mona High on a point each, as the battle for urban area schoolboy supremacy intensifies.

That said, Davion Ferguson’s reigning champions Jamaica College will have to play catch up in Group Two, as they were edged 1-0 by the Devon Anderson-coached Hydel in the feature contest at the Ashenheim Stadium.

Meanwhile, Neville “Bertis” Bell’s many-time champions St George’s College also brought their vein of form into play with a workmanlike 2-0 win over reigning Walker Cup champions Tivoli High, coached by Christopher Nicholas.

With the win, St George’s College head the group one three points with a one goal difference over Hydel, also on three points. The pointless Jamaica College and Tivoli High will have a chance to get on the board when they square off on Tuesday.

At the same time, St George’s College and Hydel will do battle, while in Group One, Mona High and St Catherine will lock horns with Kingston College and STATHS renewing their rivalry. The games are scheduled for Stadium East and Jamaica College.  

Saturday’s results

Group One

STATHS 2, St Catherine 0

Mona High 1, Kingston College 1

Group Two

St George’s College 2, Tivoli High 0

Jamaica College 1, Hydel 0

Tuesday’s schedule

Group One

2:30pm: Mona High vs St Catherine @Jamaica College

4:30pm: Kingston College vs STATHS @ Stadium East

Group Two

2:30pm: Jamaica College vs Tivoli High @ Stadium East

4:30pm: St George’s College vs Hydel @ Jamaica College

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson was proud of his players as they won 2-1 at Sky Bet League Two promotion rivals Mansfield in the FA Cup first round to continue his club’s long-standing affinity with the competition.

Away from home against a side who only suffered their first defeat of the season in midweek, Wrexham played superbly.

Wrexham keeper Arthur Okonkwo denied Rhys Oates in a third minute before the Welsh club went ahead in the 23rd minute as James McClean set up Sam Dalby for an explosive rising finish.

Dalby also hit the crossbar and home keeper Christy Pym denied Dalby and Elliot Lee in a fantastic 42nd-minute double save.

Dalby set up Paul Mullin to curl home Wrexham’s second after 58 minutes, but Oates won the ball and smashed home a reply two minutes later to keep a thrilling tie alive.

Parkinson beamed: “I am immensely delighted.

“Mansfield have been flying high apart from Tuesday’s defeat. Before that they were unbeaten in 19 games, so I thought tonight we were immense.

“The two goals we scored were really good, particularly the first one and we had other chances in the first half. I know they did too, but we had some clinical moments of great football which we didn’t quite capitalise on.

“I said before the game that it was important we respected the history of Wrexham AFC in the FA Cup.

“The FA Cup means a great deal to Wrexham, who have a great tradition with it.

“So it was important we put in a performance our supporters who made the long trip and the ones back home watching on TV could be very proud of – and I think we’ve done that.”

Stags boss Nigel Clough was left ruing the missed chances. He said: “I thought we had more opportunities and situations than they did. We just didn’t hit the target enough and we didn’t finish.

“They have put two great finishes away – one in the top corner and then Mullin has curled one in.

“There was an element of misfortune with the second one as a clearance hit our own man and rebounded straight into his path. I didn’t see that sort of break occurring at the other end.

“We started the second half brilliantly. They played well in the first half and looked a bit fresher than us as they have had a nice clear week whereas we had that big game against Port Vale here in which we put in everything.

“Tonight we asked the lads to go again and they gave absolutely everything. They are on their knees down there so I can’t ask any more from them.”

Harry Kane scored his third Bundesliga hat-trick as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in Der Klassiker at Signal Iduna Park.

Bayern produced the perfect response to an embarrassing DFB-Pokal exit to third division Saarbrucken as Dayot Upamecano gave them an early lead before Kane added a second after just nine minutes.

The England captain then struck twice more after the break, completing his treble in added time, to make it 15 goals in 10 league games and put Bayern two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Alejandro Grimaldo scored twice as Leverkusen earlier won 3-2 at Hoffenheim.

Florian Wirtz put the visitors ahead early on, with Grimaldo adding a second just ahead of the break.

Two goals in as many minutes from Anton Stach and Wout Weghorst had Hoffenheim level on the hour.

Grimaldo, though, struck again with 20 minutes left to secure unbeaten Leverkusen a sixth straight Bundesliga win.

RB Leipzig suffered an unexpected 2-0 defeat at strugglers Mainz, who moved off the bottom.

Lee Jae-Sung and Leandro Barreiro scored in the closing stages to give new boss Jan Siewert a win in his first game in charge.

Cologne now sit bottom after a 1-1 home draw with Augsburg, while two early goals for Omar Marmoush set Eintracht Frankfurt on their way to a 3-0 win at Union Berlin.

Vincenzo Grifo’s last-minute penalty saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 with Borussia Monchengladbach.

In LaLiga, Ronald Araujo’s last-gasp header gave Barcelona a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.

The defending LaLiga champions had captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank after the German goalkeeper made several crucial saves to keep an energetic Sociedad side at bay.

Xavi’s men struggled to muster any genuine openings until the final embers of the match and cruelly took all three points when Araujo planted a powerful header through the legs of goalkeeper Alex Remiro, which was initially ruled offside, with virtually the last attack to seal the 1-0 victory.

Leaders Girona consolidated their place at the top of the table with a 4-2 win at Osasuna.

Youssef En-Nesyri scored a late equaliser as Sevilla fought back to draw 1-1 at strugglers Celta Vigo, who had midfielder Renato Tapia sent off midway through the second half.

William Jose and Ayoze Perez were on target as Real Betis beat 10-man Mallorca 2-0 to sit fifth.

Udinese heaped more pressure on AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli with a 1-0 win at San Siro for their first Serie A victory this season.

Roberto Pereyra’s penalty just after the hour proved decisive as the Rossoneri slumped to a second successive home defeat and saw their winless run extend to four matches in all competitions.

Inter Milan kept themselves top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta under heavy rain at Gewiss Stadium.

Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time and Inter captain Lautaro Martinez doubled his side’s lead in the 57th minute.

Gianluca Scamacca swiftly pulled a goal back, but Inter closed out victory, with Atalanta substitute Rafael Toloi sent off for a second yellow late on.

Reigning champions Napoli had earlier moved into the top four with a 2-0 win at Salernitana through a first-half goal from Giacomo Raspadori and Elif Elmas’ late strike.

In Ligue 1, Marseille played out a low-key goalless draw at home with Lille.

It was the first game at the Stade Velodrome since the fixture with Lyon was called off after the visitors’ team bus had been pelted with stones on the way to the ground, with coach Fabio Grosso having suffered facial injuries.

Earlier, it also finished 0-0 between Lorient and Lens.

Mauricio Pochettino believes under-fire Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has done an “amazing” job and harbours no lingering animosity over his sacking in 2019.

Chelsea manager Pochettino will return to Spurs for the first time since being dismissed by Levy for Monday evening’s derby against his former side.

The Argentinian was a popular figure during a five-and-a-half-year spell in north London but risked tarnishing his legacy by joining one of their fiercest rivals in the summer.

Levy – the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman – has endured criticism and protests from fans since the end of that era, albeit his recent appointment of Ange Postecoglou and a strong start to this season has restored some credit.

Pochettino received a message of congratulations from his former boss following his move to Stamford Bridge and insists they are on good terms ahead of an eagerly-anticipated reunion.

Asked about the state of the relationship, he replied: “Very good, yes.

“We are very respectful and he sent a text when I signed here, wishing the best to me and everyone.

“We need to be natural. Nearly six years working together, how many things happened in six years? Good and not so good.

“We are responsible for our relationship. We cannot now forget our relationship in a period which was very important in our careers and for the club.”

Tottenham challenged for the Premier League title, became Champions League regulars and built a £1billion stadium during Pochettino’s time working under Levy.

Pochettino feels the 61-year-old businessman deserves credit for helping grow the club.

He also acknowledged intense scrutiny comes with the territory when asked for his view on some Spurs supporters calling for Levy to go.

“Football is football,” said Pochettino.

“He is involved now more than 20 years in football and understands the situation.

“I think it’s really important to understand that the fans are very emotional, more than us, and they want that your team every time win and play well.

“I cannot say fair or not fair (the calls for Levy to step down). (Or) if it was fair that we were sacked or not – that is football and we need to accept the rules of football.

“Daniel is really clever, clever enough to understand that the feelings are the feelings. But that doesn’t mean that the people don’t recognise your job.

“He was amazing, the job he’s doing for Tottenham, for the club.

“You see Tottenham 20 years ago and now, how it changed, how it moved on and I think you need to recognise his job.”

Pochettino is unconcerned about the reception he will receive from fans of his former club.

The 51-year-old suggested he could still be Tottenham boss, if he had not been dismissed.

“I am going to accept what they will show,” he said of the supporters.

“I didn’t decide to leave. We parted ways because I was sacked.

“But it’s not a criticism to the club. That is a difference, we didn’t decide to leave. Maybe (we could be) still there.”

Barcelona snatched an unlikely victory after Ronald Araujo headed home the only goal of the game in the third minute of stoppage time at Real Sociedad.

The defending LaLiga champions had captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank after the German goalkeeper made several crucial saves to keep an energetic Sociedad side at bay.

Xavi’s side struggled to muster any genuine openings until the final embers of the match and cruelly took all three points when Araujo planted a power header through the legs of goalkeeper Alex Remiro, which was initially ruled offside, with virtually the last attack to seal the 1-0 victory.

The hosts made a rapid start when Ander Barrenetxea forced ter Stegen into a fine diving save inside the first minute.

Aihen Munoz was next to try his luck and should have done better, while Mikel Merino glanced a free header wide during a frentic opening three minutes.

La Real continued their momentum as Barcelona struggled to get into the match and Takefusa Kubo found himself with a great chance to break the deadlock, but ter Stegen denied the Japan international’s fierce far-post effort.

Mikel Oyarzabal should have done better when he latched on to a slack back pass from Barca defender Jules Kounde, but the Sociedad captain poked his effort wide when one-on-one with ter Stegen.

Sociedad ensured play was deep in Barca’s half and piled on the pressure further through a series of corners around the half-hour mark, which created more opportunities to opening the scoring.

Martin Zubimendi juggled the half-clearance from a Kubo corner before sending in a low cross. His centre was deflected to ter Stegen, but he spilled the ball and Oyarzabal was fastest to react as he stabbed an effort goalwards, only to be denied by the goalkeeper for another corner.

As half-time approached, Barcelona appealed for two penalties, firstly when Robert Lewandowski went down under a challenge before Joao Felix jinked past Zubeldia, where there was substantial contact, but referee Javier Alberola Rojas and VAR decided it was not worthy of a spot-kick.

In the 66th minute, the home side appealed for a penalty when Oyarzabal was felled in the area but to no avail, before Sociedad tested the visitors’ goal once more.

A long throw was half-cleared by the Barcelona defence, which fell in the direct of Barrenetxea on the edge of the box to fire a brilliant volley which was pushed wide by ter Stegen.

From the following corner, Kubo then raced around Gavi to get to the byline inside the area, but his cutback was cleared by a retreating Pedri.

Substitute Raphinha fired a 25-yard free-kick just over for the away team before they produced one of their best moves of the match, with a flowing counter-attack resulting in Ferran Torres picking up the ball on the edge of the area, but he blazed way over.

Barcelona almost snatched victory when another break led Pedri to patiently lay off to Gavi inside the area, but his effort was expertly saved by Remiro.

Araujo initially looked in anguish as he headed home Ilkay Gundogan’s teasing cross after the assistant flagged him offside. However, following a VAR check, the Uruguayan defender had timed his run to perfection to be Xavi’s unlikely match-winner.

Udinese heaped more pressure on AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli with a 1-0 win at the San Siro for their first Serie A victory this season.

Roberto Pereyra’s penalty just after the hour proved decisive as the Rossoneri slumped to a second successive home defeat and saw their winless run extend to four matches in all competitions.

AC Milan now find themselves in a fight to stay in the top four heading towards the international break – with Pioli facing more questions on his future.

Udinese created an early opening when Jordan Zemura cut the ball back and it was not cleared properly, but Pereyra could only fire his shot over the bar from 15 yards.

Zemura was involved again when he sent a pass across the face of the Milan goal following a free-kick, but no-one was able to get a telling touch.

The Rossoneri, missing Theo Hernandez through an ankle problem, finally showed some signs of life when Rade Krunic headed wide from a corner and then Davide Calabria had his shot beaten away by Udinese keeper Marco Silvestri.

American midfielder Yunus Musah again tested Silvestri with a fierce drive.

Alessandro Florenzi was unfortunate not to be rewarded for a fine piece of individual skill when he took a pass from Rafael Leao and spun around on to goal, but could not find a finish.

AC Milan made a couple of changes for the second half as Yacine Adli replaced Krunic and Swiss forward Noah Okafor came on for Luka Jovic, who looked to have picked up an injury.

Udinese wasted another chance to break the deadlock when a corner was flicked on to the back post, where defender Christian Kabasele lashed it over from close range.

The hosts then broke quickly as Okafor was sent clear, but his chipped effort over the on-rushing Silvestri dropped wide.

On the hour, Udinese were awarded a penalty when Festy Ebosele went down as he got in between Tijjani Reijnders and Yacine Adli, which was backed up by a VAR review.

Pereyra kept his cool to send Milan keeper Mike Maignan the wrong way as he rolled the ball into the bottom right corner.

Pioli made another change to try to spark his Milan side, with fit-again midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming on for a first appearance since the end of September.

It was Udinese, though, who then almost grabbed a second when Isaac Success’ downward header from a corner was palmed away by Maignan.

Milan pushed for an equaliser, with Rafael Leao threatening down the left before Florenzi lashed a shot high over the crossbar when a corner was cleared out to the edge of the box.

In the 89th minute, a deep cross from the left by Leao found Olivier Giroud, who diverted the ball towards the top corner off his shoulder, but Silvestri made a superb save at full stretch.

Silvestri tipped away a rising drive from Florenzi and Leao flashed a 20-yard drive just wide as Milan pressed in during seven minutes of stoppage time.

There was, though, to be no late reprieve as boos rang out from the disgruntled home fans at the final whistle while Udinese joyously celebrated a memorable first win under new manager Gabriele Cioffi.

Mansfield made their second cup exit in five days as they lost 2-1 at home to Sky Bet League Two promotion rivals Wrexham in an exciting FA Cup first-round tie.

After starting the season with a 19-game unbeaten run, the Stags fell to a 1-0 reverse to Port Vale in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before Wrexham arrived to deliver another cup defeat.

Sam Dalby and Paul Mullin put the Welsh visitors ahead before Rhys Oates’ effort proved in vain at a soggy One Call Stadium.

Arthur Okonkwo denied Oates one-on-one after only three minutes, but Dalby made the breakthrough with a superb rising finish in the 23rd minute after being slipped into the left side of the box by James McClean.

On the half-hour, Elliot Lee set up Dalby, but this time his finish came back off the crossbar. Home goalkeeper Christy Pym made a crucial double save in the 42nd minute, turning away successive shots from Lee and Dalby.

Three minutes after the restart Louis Reed forced Okonkwo to parry, then denied Oates from close range before Jordan Bowery volleyed the wrong side of the near post soon after as Stags fought hard.

Instead, Wrexham went 2-0 up as a lucky break of the ball saw Dalby set up Mullin to finish low in the 58th minute.

Two minutes later, Oates won the ball and powered into the box to bury a powerful finish, giving Mansfield a lifeline, but Wrexham held on to book their spot in the second round.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s goal in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle “an absolute disgrace”.

Gordon turned home the winner in a scrappy game of few chances from close range midway through the second half to end Arsenal’s 10-game unbeaten Premier League start.

After referee Stuart Attwell awarded the goal, jubilant Newcastle fans had an extended, anxious wait as the VAR made a triple check to see whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and whether Gordon had been offside.

Arteta, whose side slipped two points behind leaders Manchester City, could not hide his anger after the match.

“You have to talk about how the hell did this goal stand up? Incredible. I feel embarrassed,” the 41-year-old Spaniard said.

“I have to now come in here and try to defend the club and please ask for help because it’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed. An absolute disgrace.

“For many reasons, it’s not a goal. More than one reason, it’s not a goal. And there’s too much at stake here. We put so much effort (in).

“It’s so difficult to compete at this level and it’s an absolute disgrace. Again, I feel embarrassed.

“I’ve been more than 20 years in this country and this is nowhere near the level to describe this as the best league in the world, I’m sorry.”

When asked to comment on Arteta’s reaction, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said he had not seen replays of Gordon’s winner.

Howe said: “Maybe he’s seen something I haven’t because I’ve only seen it with the naked eye, live and from my angle I had no idea what was going on, to be honest.

“I had no idea what was going on with the VAR checks either, so in the lap of the gods really, you’re waiting like everybody else was in the stadium.

“With every check going through I was thinking they were probably going to find something. Very bizarre to have three VAR checks, but the goal was given and that’s all I know.”

As well as inflicting on Arsenal their first league defeat of the season, Howe’s side extended their unbeaten league run to seven games and closed to within four points of the Gunners.

Howe said: “It was probably more of a midfield battle than we expected. I think Arsenal respected us, there was a lot of direct play from them.

“We were really competitive. We needed to be. Thankfully we kept 11 men on the pitch. There were more bookings than there needed to be.

“Both teams threatened to lose their discipline and I’m delighted we didn’t. It’s a massive win for us.”

Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz’s ill-judged high challenge on Sean Longstaff sparked a first-half melee and Howe was annoyed three of his players were also booked as a result.

When asked if Havertz’s challenge warranted a red card, Howe added: “Again, I’ve not seen anything on replay.

“My initial thought was yes, because it was high and dangerous. That was just what I thought. I’d need to see it again to confirm my opinion.”

Jan Vertonghen believes his former Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane could be the "missing link" that helps Bayern Munich back to Champions League glory.

Kane has enjoyed a superb start to his career with the Bavarian giants, scoring his third hat-trick of the season in Saturday's 4-0 Klassiker win over Borussia Dortmund, taking his Bundesliga tally to 15 after 10 matches. No player has ever scored more than 13 in their first 10 games in the competition.

He is already just one goal behind the number the 2022-23 top scorers managed (Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug – 16), while he is halfway to the record for the most goals scored in a debut Bundesliga season, currently held by Uwe Seeler (30) in the 1963-1964 campaign.

His record-breaking form is giving Bayern fans hope that he can lead them to a seventh Champions League title and their first since the 2019-20 campaign, and Vertonghen, who reached the final of that competition alongside Kane with Spurs in the 2018-19 season, believes the England international can be the man to return Bayern to European success.

Asked if Kane could be the final puzzle piece to a Bayern Champions League win, Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform: "For sure.

"There's not a lot of great number nines at the moment – that's why Barcelona paid the money for [Robert] Lewandowski, that's why Bayern Munich paid the money for Harry.

"The young number nines are very rare – you have [Erling] Haaland, Gabriel Jesus. A lot of teams are looking for them.

"Harry was there, he's fit, he's got a lot of good years ahead of him and for sure he could be the missing link there."

Kane's Spurs exit in August saw him end a 19-year association with the club, leaving as the club's record goalscorer, having found the net 280 times in 435 appearances in all competitions.

Despite Kane's departure, Spurs have started the season very well under new head coach Ange Postecoglou and will return to the Premier League summit if they can beat Chelsea at home on Monday.

Vertonghen feels Kane would not have taken the decision to leave Spurs lightly, saying: "On his side it wasn't a no brainer, because Tottenham is in his heart – he's a legend there, everyone loves him, born and raised in London. It wasn't easy for him to leave, Tottenham really wanted to keep him as well.

"But I understand why he did it. He plays now for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, he probably thought he had more chance of adding some silverware.

"It's a shame for Tottenham, it's a shame for Harry – especially now you see the way they're performing now, but nobody would have predicted that.

"Everyone at Spurs wants him to do well; he's a legend, a great guy and he never put a foot wrong for Tottenham. He never complained, even in the bad times, he was always there as a leader, so everyone just wants him to do well."

Blackpool were too good for National League high-fliers Bromley as they secured a 2-0 FA Cup first round victory at Hayes Lane.

Neil Critchley’s Seasiders made sure of their place in the draw thanks to clinical first-half strikes from Shane Lavery and Karamoko Dembele.

Bromley made the worst possible start when they conceded after just five minutes as Lavery charged on to Kylian Kouassi’s measured through-ball before burying a super shot high into the roof of the net.

The hosts created their first clear opening in the 18th minute but Corey Whitely could not quite divert his side-footed effort on target.

That was a rare foray forward, however, and it was no surprise to see Blackpool double their lead shortly before the half-hour mark.

The impressive Dembele, on loan from French outfit Brest, tucked a shot past Grant Smith from a tight angle following a tidy one-two with Kouassi.

Bromley had the first chance after the interval, with Ayodeji Elerewe fizzing in a low strike which veteran Blackpool goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell dived full length to beat away.

The Seasiders responded almost immediately and Owen Dale turned smartly inside a defender before forcing Smith into an eye-catching near-post save.

Time was running out for Bromley and Michael Cheek’s near open goal miss in the 89th minute capped what proved to be a miserable evening.

Harry Kane’s hugely impressive start to life at Bayern Munich continued as a hat-trick on his Der Klassiker debut sealed a 4-0 victory for the Bavarian giants at Borussia Dortmund.

Kane bagged his third treble in the Bundesliga in just his 10th match, taking his tally to 15 goals, as Bayern bounced back from their embarrassing German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken in style.

Dayot Upamecano quietened the famously noisy Signal Iduna Park as Bayern made a fast start before Kane took centre stage, putting Bayern two goals to the good inside the opening 10 minutes.

The England captain then struck twice more in the second half to record a second successive hat-trick, having put three past Darmstadt last weekend while he did likewise against Bochum in September.

While Bayern sit two points adrift of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, Kane’s display and his nerveless eye for goal was an emphatic statement in the defence of their crown.

After being rested in midweek, Kane was restored to Bayern’s starting XI alongside the likes of Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman and Upamecano, who gave the visitors an ideal start in the fourth minute.

Upamecano was filmed sharing a joke with Nico Schlotterbeck moments before the Frenchman got in front of his marker and headed into the net from close range from Leroy Sane’s teasing corner.

Bayern went two up in the ninth minute, with Kane bagging his 13th league goal in just his 10th match since swapping Tottenham for the Bavarian giants in the summer.

Kane put the finishing touch to a nice move which was started by Sane’s clever backheel before he collected the ball back and unselfishly squared for the England striker to tap into an empty net.

Goretzka tried an audacious overhead kick that missed the target and Bayern’s only setback of the first 45 minutes came just before half-time when Thomas Tuchel was booked for remonstrating with officials.

Dortmund almost ended a forgettable half – in which they struggled to contain their opponents – by pulling one back but Netherlands forward Donyell Malen angled his effort just over the crossbar.

Former Bayern defender Niklas Sule was introduced at the start of the second half in an attempt to shore up Dortmund’s defence, but they were soon on the back foot as Bayern again sprung out the traps.

Just seconds into the resumption, Kane’s pass played through Jamal Musiala, who was denied by the spreadeagled Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Bayern had the ball in the net again soon after through Coman, but that was chalked off because Kane was offside in the build-up.

Dortmund were offering not much in the way of a threat but the long-serving Marco Reus, on his 400th appearance for the club, forced a fine save with a turn and shot parried away by Manuel Neuer.

Another Musiala effort was kept out and while he finally breached Kobel’s defences after tapping in from Kane’s pass, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Kane ended any faint hope of a Dortmund comeback by bagging Bayern’s third goal in the 72nd minute, collecting Coman’s low cross, taking a touch to compose himself then sending Kobel the wrong way.

Kane had his hat-trick in the third minute of added-on time after latching on to Aleksandar Pavlovic’s through ball and finishing brilliantly to put an emphatic stamp on Bayern’s victory.

Serie A leaders Inter Milan ensured they would remain top of the table for another week with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta under heavy rain at Gewiss Stadium.

Though the hosts had the better early chances, it was Hakan Calhanoglu’s spot-kick that ultimately broke the deadlock for the league leaders, his 36th goal in the Italian top flight enough bring him level with Sukru Gulesin as Turkey’s all-time top scorer in the league.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez extended his side’s advantage after the break before Gianluca Scamacca swiftly pulled one back.

Atalanta substitute Rafael Toloi was sent off for a second yellow late on.

Marten de Roon had a chance to level with a late header, but the visitors walked away with all three points.

A largely uneventful start picked up after the 20-minute mark when Davide Zappacosta sent a cross into the 18-yard box, narrowly missing the outstretched leg of Teun Koopmeiners trying poke past Inter keeper Yann Sommer.

Berat Djimsiti missed a free header before both Ademola Lookman and Koopmeiners  rose to meet Zappacosta’s cross in an aerial battle bravely defended by Benjamin Pavard, who was forced off with what appeared to be an ankle injury after coming down awkwardly from the challenge.

It was his substitute, Matteo Darmian, who found himself involved in the build-up to Inter’s opener just seven minutes after his 33rd-minute introduction as he latched on to a Calhanoglu through ball and Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso came out for a late challenge.

A penalty was upheld following a VAR review and was expertly taken by Calhanoglu, who finished into the bottom-left corner.

Sommer was only properly tested in the first half through Giorgio Scalvini’s weak stoppage-time header. 

Federico Dimarco came inches away from extending Inter’s lead after the break before Martinez had the ball in the back of the net but saw his header chalked off for offside.

There was no question about the skipper’s next attempt, Martinez giving Musso no chance as he curled past the keeper on 57 minutes for his 12th goal in 11 league games.

It took just four minutes for the hosts to claw one back when Lookman beat Dimarco on the edge of the area and squared to Scamacca for a straightforward finish from near the penalty spot.

The hosts pushed for an equaliser, Lookman coming close when he skipped an effort towards the Inter net to force Sommer into a low stretched save, the Swiss international later evading danger after first punching away Charles De Ketelaere’s cross, then smothering Scamacca’s effort from the rebound.

Musso kept his side in the contest with a low block to deny Nicolo Barella in the final 10 minutes, but the hosts were down to 10 men after substitute Toloi was sent off in the second of six minutes of added time.