Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou is loving his time at the Premier League leaders, but is bullish about what expectations should be despite the club’s lengthy trophy drought.

Spurs have not won silverware since 2008, although fans are dreaming of challenging for the title after winning 23 points from a possible 27 so far this season.

It has taken Tottenham to the top-flight summit and they could move five points clear of Manchester City and Arsenal with victory at Crystal Palace on Friday, ahead of the weekend fixtures.

Postecoglou has relished his dream start to life in England, but eager to point out his new club should be competing for trophies every year.

The former Celtic boss said: “I didn’t come here to not be successful. This club has all the fundamentals to be successful. The expectations should be there.

“Part of the reason why there’s been this real desperation for a trophy is because they feel that’s the space they should be in. That is the expectation, that’s the reality, but what drives me isn’t raising or trying to dampen expectations.

“What drives me is trying to build something that will realise the ambitions that this club has at this particular moment. People’s perceptions don’t concern me too much. This is a big club and should be in a position to challenge for trophies every season in my opinion.

“At Celtic we were on top for a very long time but at the beginning when we weren’t on top, I don’t think people saw anything different in my demeanour. I don’t think they will (here).

“It is one thing I do. It’s not about staying kind of level-headed or getting carried away with either thing. It’s just that, my role in that context is to be the one thing that people can rely upon to be consistent.

“In that I have one objective all the time: how can we be better? When that is your objective, it doesn’t really matter where you are on the table or kind of what the outside noise may or may not be doing.

“It is about the players and the staff and everyone involved with the football club, looking at me. The one thing I do is I come in every day, I am buzzing about doing what I am doing. You know, that’s the kind of demeanour I have consistently.

“It’s just the way I am. I get so much satisfaction from what I do. I really enjoy what I do, on a daily basis. There isn’t a day I don’t get up and I’m not looking forward to the day ahead.

“There’s no other levels of satisfaction in me to get. That’s it. I’m buzzing to do what I do.

“Within that context I also understand that I have a real big responsibility to lead an organisation, players, staff, people to what I hope will be a successful place.

“There’s got to be some reliability there in what they see and what they feel with me so some of it is conscious but the other bits, I’m not skipping about the place but I’m really happy. I love what I do. Just the way I am. I’m very, very happy.”

Postecoglou’s happiness did not extend into the dressing room on Monday night after he criticised his players for a poor second half against Fulham.

It failed to stop the team blaring out Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ classic from the 1980s’ of ‘Islands in the Stream’ following the 2-0 win.

But Postecoglou joked: “I stay out of the dressing room partly because of the music choices of the players.

“Most clubs want to turn their grounds into a fortress – ours is becoming a nightclub, mate. I’m all for it, whatever makes people happy that’s my thing.”

Spurs will assess Destiny Udogie ahead of the trip to south London after the left-back struggled with muscle tightness during the victory over Fulham.

Brighton enjoyed a comprehensive first victory in Europe as a goal in either half from Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati eased them to a 2-0 win against Ajax at the Amex Stadium.

It took until the final minutes of a first half that Brighton had dominated for the breakthrough to arrive, Pedro tapping home on the rebound, as Ajax – second-bottom of the Eredivisie – did little more than look to preserve parity in the Europa League clash.

The Dutch side have endured their worst start to a league season and, after sacking manager Maurice Steijn on Monday, they went down with barely a whimper as Fati’s goal early in the second half showed the gulf between Roberto De Zerbi’s team and the four-time European champions.

It was a first half that Brighton controlled but were for the most part frustrated by an organised, obdurate Ajax. Pedro wanted a penalty for a shove in the back inside of three minutes, waved away by the referee with barely a glance, before Brighton’s top scorer on their European campaign tucked the only real chance of the opening exchanges wide of the near post from Karou Mitoma’s cut-back.

Pedro appealed again for a spot-kick, this time with more gusto, when he appeared to be bundled to the ground by Jorrel Hato. The defender was adjudged narrowly to have reached Mitoma’s through-ball ahead of the Brighton striker as the Amex howled for a penalty.

The hosts’ central-defensive pair spent much of the first half 10 yards inside the Ajax half. The plan to lure out the visitors and exploit the resulting space was resisted by caretaker boss Hedwiges Maduro’s team, who seemed content to sacrifice attacking ambition for the sake of clogging the gaps in between their lines.

Simon Adingra had the best chance of the opening half-hour when he lashed a right-footed effort over the bar from Lewis Dunk’s header back across goal, as Brighton’s threat was stymied by Ajax in what was a ponderous first half from De Zerbi’s side.

Mitoma and Pedro’s partnership looked the most likely avenue of success. The pair carved out the clearest opening yet when Pedro dashed into a channel down the right to reach his team-mate’s threaded ball and drove low at goal, only for goalkeeper Diant Ramaj to beat it away with a strong right hand.

The breakthrough came three minutes before the break. Dunk’s pass was weighted into the path of Mitoma who dashed into the box and dragged the ball inside Josip Sutalo to make space to shoot. His effort was pushed out by Ramaj, but only to the feet of the onrushing Pedro who continued his fine European scoring run to end a frustrating half for Brighton on a high.

Fati’s goal, slotted home brilliantly eight minutes after the break, cemented Brighton’s superiority. Adingra began the move from midfield, patiently stewarding the ball until Fati’s run was made, checking inside and feeding the on-loan Barcelona forward who beat his man with a devastating first touch and dispatched deftly beyond Ramaj.

The game had sprung suddenly to life. Fati was inches from making it three and burying Ajax, his driven effort licking inches wide of the post, before Steven Berghuis at the other end struck the upright with Jason Steele beaten,  a rare foray forward from the visitors.

It was to be the closest the 2019 Champions League semi-finalists came, as Brighton’s debut European season finally got going in earnest.

Liverpool seized control of Europa League Group E as they breezed to a 5-1 win over Toulouse at Anfield to go five points clear after three games.

Diogo Jota continued his love affair with Europe’s second competition, scoring his eighth goal in seven appearances, and although Thijs Dallinga levelled for the visitors, Wataru Endo got off the mark in Liverpool colours and Darwin Nunez added another to put Jurgen Klopp’s men in charge before half-time.

Nunez then hit the post of an open goal just after the hour, but Ryan Gravenberch tucked in the rebound and substitute Mohamed Salah added a fifth in stoppage time to leave Liverpool – three points off the top of the Premier League – looking strong on all fronts as they face an intense run of fixtures.

Klopp had promised to make “not too many” changes to his side following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby, but there were only three survivors in the starting line-up – Jota, Gravenberch and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Klopp had also said he wanted to ensure Toulouse, who lost 4-0 on their only previous visit to Anfield in 2007, did not enjoy their evening and all three of those players had a big say in making sure they did not.

Jota got the opening goal, Alexander-Arnold the assist for the second and Gravenberch, a driving force throughout in Liverpool’s midfield, creating the third before scoring the fourth, but this was also a show of the depth in Klopp’s squad.

Jota opened the scoring with only nine minutes gone. Joe Gomez prodded the ball forward to the Portugal international, who turned on the edge of the centre circle and ran at goal, holding off two opponents and skipping past Logan Costa before beating Guillaume Restes with a low shot.

Liverpool, dominant on the ball and winning the midfield battle, looked poised for a comfortable night, but Toulouse then gave their noisy travelling support a moment to savour, hitting their hosts on the break with quarter of an hour gone.

Aron Donnum turned on the halfway line to play in Dallinga, being kept onside by Alexander-Arnold and he had space to run at goal before slotting a shot under Caoimhin Kelleher.

Liverpool soon regained their composure. Gravenberch almost scored a remarkable goal in the 28th minute, controlling a raking pass from Alexander-Arnold, breaking into the box and then – having seemingly run into traffic – twisting his way through to test the 18-year-old Restes with a low shot.

Moments later, Endo’s moment arrived as the Japan international got in front of his man to direct Alexander-Arnold’s cross into the corner of the net.

Toulouse were rocked and soon fell further behind. Gravenberch drove at goal from his own half, laying the ball off for Curtis Jones to shoot from a central position. His effort was charged down but the ricochet fell for Nunez, whose emphatic finish found the roof of the net.

There was a scare at the start of the first half as Kelleher got a clearance all wrong, leaving Gabriel Suazo with what should have been an easy chance, but he shot straight at Alexander-Arnold on the line.

Liverpool’s fourth came about in almost comical circumstances in the 65th minute. Jota’s pass found the run of Nunez, who had done the hard work by rounding Restes, only to see his shot come back off the post.

Nunez still had his head in his hands as Gravenberch picked up the pieces to get the goal his performance deserved.

Cody Gakpo then replaced Nunez in a flurry of substitutions, making a welcome return from a knee injury, while there was also a late cameo for Salah, who scored his ninth goal in 12 appearances for Liverpool with almost the last kick of the game.

Brighton enjoyed a comprehensive first victory in the Europa League as a goal in either half from Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati eased them to a 2-0 win against Ajax at the Amex Stadium.

It took until the final minutes of a first half that Brighton had dominated for the breakthrough to arrive, Pedro tapping home on the rebound after an opening period in which Ajax – second bottom of the Eredivisie – did little more than look to preserve parity, as Brighton dictated things from the first minute.

The Dutch side have endured their worst-ever start to a league season, and after sacking manager Maurice Steijn on Monday they went down with barely a whimper, Fati’s goal early in the second half laying bare the gulf between Roberto De Zerbi’s team and the four-time European champions.

It was a first half that Brighton controlled but were for the most part frustrated by an organised, obdurate Ajax. Pedro wanted a penalty for a shove in the back inside of three minutes, waved away by the referee with barely a glance, before Brighton’s top scorer on their European campaign tucked the only real chance of the opening exchanges wide of the near post from Karou Mitoma’s cut-back.

Pedro appealed again for a spot-kick, this time with more gusto, when he appeared to be bundled to the ground by Jorrel Hato. The defender was adjudged narrowly to have reached Mitoma’s through-ball ahead of the Brighton striker as the Amex howled for a penalty.

The hosts’ central-defensive pair spent much of the first half 10 yards inside the Ajax half. The plan to lure out the visitors and exploit the resulting space was resisted by caretaker boss Hedwiges Maduro’s team, who seemed content to sacrifice attacking ambition for the sake of clogging the gaps in between their lines.

Simon Adingra had the best chance of the opening half-hour when he lashed a right-footed effort over the bar from Lewis Dunk’s header back across goal, as Brighton’s threat was stymied by Ajax in what was a ponderous first half from De Zerbi’s side.

Mitoma and Pedro’s partnership looked the most likely avenue of success. The pair carved out the clearest opening yet when Pedro dashed into a channel down the right to reach his team-mate’s threaded ball and drove low at goal, only for goalkeeper Diant Ramaj to beat it away with a strong right hand.

The breakthrough came three minutes before the break. Dunk’s pass was weighted into the path of Mitoma who dashed into the box and dragged the ball inside Josip Sutalo to make space to shoot. His effort was pushed out by Ramaj, but only to the feet of the onrushing Pedro who continued his fine European scoring run to end a frustrating half for Brighton on a high.

Fati’s goal, slotted home brilliantly eight minutes after the break, cemented Brighton’s superiority. Adingra began the move from midfield, patiently stewarding the ball until Fati’s run was made, checking inside and feeding the on-loan Barcelona forward who beat his man with a devastating first touch and dispatched deftly beyond Ramaj.

The game had sprung suddenly to life. Fati was inches from making it three and burying Ajax, his driven effort licking inches wide of the post, before Steven Berghuis at the other end struck the upright with Jason Steele beaten, a rare foray forward from the visitors.

It was to be the closest the 2019 Champions League semi-finalists came, as Brighton’s debut European season finally got going in earnest.

Aberdeen’s hopes of navigating a route through the Europa Conference League Group stage suffered a major blow as they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against PAOK Salonika on a rollercoaster night at Pittodrie.

Having weathered heavy pressure in a goalless first half, Barry Robson’s men found themselves two goals to the good by the hour mark thanks to Bojan Miovski and Dante Polvara.

But a stunning comeback saw the Greek side take three points after goals from substitutes Kiril Despodov and captain Vieirinha, and a stoppage-time penalty, awarded after a VAR check, from Stefan Schwab.

The Dons started brightly and after nine minutes, a free-kick earned by Graeme Shinnie 25 yards out gave Connor Barron the chance to fire towards goal, but his effort was over the crossbar.

That seemed to awaken the visitors, who had eased their way into the game. A moment of brilliance from Ioannis Konstantelias saw the forward dance through the Dons defence before rolling a low shot off the base of the left-hand post.

The Dons were getting some joy on the left though, and Jamie McGrath’s industry saw him win the ball high up before being unceremoniously dumped by Schwab who picked up a yellow card for his troubles.

As time elapsed, the away side started to find openings, and a counter led by Konstantelias saw Kelle Roos come off his line to block the striker’s attempted chip.

The Dutch keeper was again well-placed just two minutes later to hold Schwab’s back-post header from a corner as the Dons held out for the half-time whistle.

But the home side came out all guns blazing after the break, with Barron claiming for a penalty after a kick to the head almost straight after the restart. The same man then swung in a free-kick that was headed by Polvara, forcing Dominik Kotarski into a first save of the game.

And two minutes later, the Dons were in front.

Again, it came from the left with McGrath and Jack MacKenzie exchanging passes before the latter drilled in a low cross which Miovski was able to swivel on before placing low into the bottom-left corner.

Soon after, it was two.

Barron picked up the ball in his own half and drove forward, finding Miovski who in turn released Polvara one-on-one with the keeper. The American kept his cool and dinked beyond Kotarski to send the Red Shed behind the goal into ecstasy.

The Greek side, however, pulled a goal back after 74 minutes, and it was an easy finish for substitute Despodov who stroked home with his first touch after being played in by Konstantelias, who took full advantage of Richard Jensen’s untimely slip.

Aberdeen could have had a penalty almost instantly as MacKenzie took a tumble in the box, but there was no award forthcoming.

The visitors took full advantage to draw level as Jonny Hayes’ clearing header proved wayward, falling for Vieirinha to smash an angled drive past a helpless Roos, with the aid of a deflection.

Aberdeen suddenly sprung back to life with chances for Jensen and McGrath late in the game and looked like holding on for a point before a late VAR award against Slobodan Rubezic allowed Schwab to complete the comeback.

Boss Unai Emery believes Aston Villa proved their European credentials after an emphatic 4-1 win at AZ Alkmaar.

Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins and John McGinn struck as dominant Villa cruised to victory in the Europa Conference League.

It was a second 4-1 win in two games – following Sunday’s victory over West Ham – and Villa earned successive Group E triumphs after dispatching last year’s beaten semi-finalists.

“If we want to be a contender we have to show every day and when we are playing those matches, we have to show everybody our wishes. I think we did it,” Emery told a press conference.

“We are respecting them because they played in the semi-final last year against West Ham. They won last year against Lazio, they won last year against Anderlecht and it’s because they have experiences in European competitions.

“I am very happy with the players because I think they have to be mature, responsible and demanding themselves, not only when I’m pushing them. They have to try to increase their own individual and collective level.”

Bailey opened the scoring when Villa cashed in on wasteful play from AZ and Tielemans doubled the lead 10 minutes later.

Watkins made it 3-0 six minutes after the restart when Bailey’s shot was saved by former Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan.

Just five minutes later, McGinn added a fourth when he turned Bailey’s cross in at the near post.

AZ improved and pulled a goal back through Ibrahim Sadiq’s fine drive from the edge of the box with 25 minutes left.

Home defender David Moller-Wolfe said: “I can only speak for myself, but I’ve never played against such a good team.

“I felt when we tried to press them high, they just went in behind us and when we stayed they played in between us. That said, I don’t see why we can’t go to Villa Park in a few weeks and beat them.”

Philippe Clement praised his revamped Rangers side for their second-half response against Sparta Prague which earned a valuable Europa League point.

With Borna Barisic and Dujon Sterling injured and Ridvan Yilmaz not in the European squad, the new Gers boss had no natural left-back available which meant a change to a back-three with prolific attacker Abdallah Sima playing left wing-back.

The visitors were fortunate to go into the break with their goal intact as Sparta dominated but there was a gradual improvement in the second half with substitute Danilo having a shot tipped on to the bar by Peter Vindahl late in the game which ended goalless.

Clement said: “The second half was much better. In the end it was a game that was in the balance, the first half for Sparta, the second half for us.

“But I am happy with the reaction in the second half. It has been a very special week, losing three left full-backs and because of that we had to change the system and doing that with two training sessions is very difficult for any team in the world.

“If you have time to prepare on those things it is different but that was not the case.

“So I am really happy after showing images at half-time, where the spaces were and what we had to do, that it was much better in the second half where we dominated in the chances and in the end we could say we could win the game because there were two really great saves from the goalkeeper.

“It is a very important point. Getting points away from home is really important but I am a winner, I want to win always and I want the team to have the same mentality.

“I saw it after the game, they were disappointed that they didn’t win and that is the mentality we need in the next couple of months but in the circumstances we can be happy with a point against a team that plays really good football, a team with a lot of quality.

“The reaction in the second half was good and we need to build on that.”

Rangers are now on four points from three Group C fixtures ahead of Sparta Prague’s visit to Ibrox on November 9 albeit Clement’s focus is on the visit of Hearts in the cinch Premiership on Sunday.

The Belgian, whose tenure at Ibrox began with a 4-0 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at the weekend, highlighted the performance of Sima, on loan from Brighton, saying: “Sima played a really important role as wing-back, which he is not used to playing and he did a great job defensively for the team.

“We want to see a team fight for each other until the edge and over the edge to keep clean sheets and that is two clean sheets in a row and if you do that you take a lot of points in the season but I don’t want a team that only play for clean sheets and only defends to keep clean sheets.

“I want a team that plays good football and creates chances like they showed in the second half.”

David Moyes defended his team selection after West Ham’s unbeaten European record was reduced to ruins in Athens.

The Hammers came a cropper in the shadow of the Acropolis as they crashed 2-1 at Olympiacos, their first loss in continental competition in 18 matches.

Moyes, who led his side to the Europa Conference League title last season, made seven changes for their Europa League Group A clash in the Greek capital with one eye on Sunday’s visit of Everton.

But his tinkering backfired as a soft goal from Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis and an own goal from stand-in Hammers skipper Angelo Ogbonna brought their undefeated run to a halt despite Lucas Paqueta’s late volley.

“Look, we changed a lot of players tonight, we’ve got the Premier League coming up and we’ve got a League Cup game next week and we’d won the first two games in the group, which gave us leeway to make changes tonight,” Moyes told whufc.com.

“But maybe I have to recognise that while we didn’t win the Conference League games easily, as they were all tough games, coming to Olympiacos after winning away in Freiburg – which was a good result – this wasn’t a good result and wasn’t a good performance.

“In our heads we certainly had a bigger picture in our heads and that was going into Sunday.

“I don’t think anybody could say the team we started with wasn’t a good team and wasn’t a team capable of winning or performing.

“Many of them have been very good players for us over the years and still are.”

The local ‘ultras’ welcomed West Ham on to the pitch with a huge banner reading “tonight you dine in hell”, and the Hammers’ first-half display was certainly hard to stomach.

The hosts took the lead in the 34th minute when Fortounis launched an old-fashioned toe poke from the edge of the box which flew past the flat-footed Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal.

On the stroke of half-time the Hammers found themselves two behind when Ogbonna suffered his own personal Greek tragedy.

The Italian veteran stuck out a foot to block a cross from Brazilian full-back Rodinei, only to help it past Areola into his own net.

Moyes sent on Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio before the hour mark but the Brazilian’s strike, albeit spectacular, was all West Ham had to show for a late flurry.

Fortounis admitted his goal was a shade fortuitous. He told reporters: “To be honest, it all seems like a haze.

“I turned and ran towards goal, the ball was right in front of me and I couldn’t do anything else. It was literally a strike with the tip of my toe.”

Andre Onana has defended Manchester United team-mate Alejandro Garnacho after the winger used gorilla emojis in a post about the goalkeeper.

The 19-year-old Argentina international posted a photo of United players congratulating Onana after the Cameroon goalkeeper had saved a stoppage-time penalty in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League win over Copenhagen.

Garnacho’s post on X, formerly known as Twitter, featured two gorilla emojis without any words, and was quickly deleted.

The social media post could land Garnacho in hot water with the Football Association but Onana wrote on the same platform: “People cannot choose what I should be offended by.

“I know exactly what @agarnacho7 meant: power & strength. This matter should go no further.”

However, the FA has punished players in the past for making racial slurs on social networking sites.

Former United striker Edinson Cavani was banned for three games and fined £100,000 in 2020 for using the Spanish phrase ‘Gracias negrito’ – which translates as ‘thanks little black’ – below a friend’s Instagram post.

Cavani also underwent a two-hour face-to-face training course for a comment said to be a term of endearment in his native Uruguay.

In 2019, Bernardo Silva was given a one-match ban and fined £50,000 by the FA for his tweet to Manchester City colleague Benjamin Mendy.

Silva tweeted an image of a young Mendy alongside an image of the cartoon brand mascot of Spanish confectionery brand Conguitos, with the caption “Guess who?”

Cavani and Silva were both punished by the FA after deleting their messages.

Ollie Watkins continued his red-hot form as Aston Villa cruised to a statement 4-1 Europa Conference League win at AZ Alkmaar.

The striker netted his 10th goal of the season and fourth in Europe this season on Thursday.

Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans – his first for Villa – put them in control in AZ Stadium after less than 25 minutes.

Vangelis Pavlidis wasted the hosts’ best chances but Watkins and John McGinn added more goals after the break in Holland before Ibrahim Sadiq grabbed a consolation.

It was the second time in two games Villa had scored four after their 4-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday.

Unai Emery celebrated a year in charge on Tuesday and victory underlined the progress his side have made, having been floundering in 14th and three points above the relegation zone 12 months ago.

Villa host Alkmaar in two weeks knowing victory would see them take a giant leap to the knock-out stages, especially following an opening 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw in September.

After two games in Group E, all four teams were locked on three points but Villa moved to remedy that quickly, opening the scoring just 13 minutes in.

Watkins seized on a loose pass from Yukinari Sugawara and, while Boubacar Kamara’s ball was cut out, it fell for Bailey to control and rifle in low from the edge of the box.

Alkmaar cried handball but the goal stood and 10 minutes later, the hosts were 2-0 down.

Another poor pass, this time from Sven Mijnans, went straight to McGinn and his angled pass found Tielemans to bag his first Villa goal.

Yet, 90 seconds later, the hosts should have pulled a goal back when Pavlidis fired over with just Emi Martinez to beat after Kamara was dispossessed on the edge of the box.

Pavlidis had a goal disallowed for offside soon after but Villa regrouped and extended their lead six minutes after the break.

AZ were picked apart by Watkins, Tielemans and Bailey, who saw his shot saved by Matt Ryan but it fell perfectly for Watkins to tap in the rebound.

Five minutes later McGinn added a fourth when he turned in Bailey’s low cross at the near post.

Sadiq pulled a surprise goal back with 25 minutes left when he latched onto Bruno Martins Indi’s crossfield pass and drilled the ball into the corner from the edge of the box.

Tiago Dantas came close to a second, Tielemans deflecting his drive behind, with a comeback never on the cards.

Rangers played second fiddle to Sparta Prague for most of their Europa League clash in the Czech Republic before leaving with a point in a goalless draw.

Philippe Clement’s tenure as Gers boss began with a convincing 4-0 win over Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday but he had to rely on keeper Jack Butland to keep the home side at bay in the first half of the Group C match in which the visitors lacked zip.

There was a marked improvement in the final 20 minutes where Brazilian substitute Danilo hit the bar but Sparta will wonder how they did not win this game early on.

Rangers beat Real Betis 1-0 at Ibrox on match day one before a shock 2-1 defeat by Aris Limassol in Cyprus and are now on four points ahead of Sparta Prague’s visit to Ibrox on November 9, albeit Clement’s focus will first turn to the visit of Hearts on Sunday.

The new Gers boss will have learned more about his players in Prague then he did against Hibs at the weekend and he may have to reassess the way forward.

With Borna Barisic and Dujon Sterling injured and former Gers boss Michael Beale not including Ridvan Yilmaz in the European squad, Clement had no  natural left-back available and had to call on the services of centre-back Ben Davies and change to a back-three with prolific attacker Abdallah Sima playing left wing-back, while Scott Wright made way for fully-fit Todd Cantwell.

The visitors struggled with the change of system.

The Czech champions showed their intent early on and Butland had to makes two great saves within seconds after the ever-dangerous Veljko Birmancevic waltzed into the Gers box to get a shot away before Qazim Laci latched on to the rebound.

Hard-working Sparta were quick and fluid and as they continued to probe the Gers rearguard Laci volleyed just inches wide from the edge of the box uin the 20th minute.

Rangers were offering almost nothing going forward.

When Ibrox midfielder Nico Raskin carelessly gave possession away at the edge of the box on the half-hour mark Butland was required to make another save from Laci’s drive, then Birmancevic hit the side netting with a close-range effort .

Still Sparta kept coming and when Butland parried a powerful drive from Matej Rynes, Gers midfielder John Lundstram got in front of Birmancevic to deny him a tap-in from six yards.

Lundstram’s wayward shot before the break was the only effort on goal from Rangers who needed a vast improvement in the second half.

Dessers had a half chance when Cantwell’s inadvertent pass came over his shoulder in the Sparta box but he was too slow to react and keeper Peter Vindahl gathered easily.

However, the Czech side remained much more dangerous.

In the 55th minute Davies headed away an effort from Martin Vitik two yards from goal then Sparta striker Jan Kuchta missed the target from close range.

Wright took over from Cantwell and in the 72nd minute, as Rangers began to edge forward more, he fired high over the bar from the edge of the box, before Danilo took over from the ineffective Cyriel Dessers.

Rangers at last began to play.

Soon afterwards Vindahl made a good save from a Sam Lammers drive and then tipped a Danilo shot on to the crossbar to ensure the spoils were shared.

West Ham’s unbeaten European record was reduced to ruins in Athens as they crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos.

The Hammers came a cropper in the shadow of the Acropolis as they suffered a first loss in UEFA competitions in 18 matches.

David Moyes, who led his side to the Europa Conference League title last season, made seven changes for their Europa League Group A clash in the Greek capital.

But his selection backfired as a soft goal from Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis and an own goal from stand-in Hammers skipper Angelo Ogbonna brought their undefeated run to a halt despite Lucas Paqueta’s late reply.

A hostile reception for West Ham was guaranteed at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, with Olympiacos even issuing a warning to their supporters not to throw missiles or target players with laser pens.

That plea came after their match against fierce rivals Panathinaikos on Sunday had to be abandoned when a visiting player was hit by a firework hurled from the crowd.

With tensions high in Athens – Panathinaikos were also playing at home a few miles away – around 1,600 West Ham fans were bussed in from the city centre to the ground under a police escort to avoid any potential trouble.

The local ‘ultras’ did not disappoint, with a huge banner reading “tonight you dine in hell” welcoming the visitors on to the pitch amid a cauldron of noise.

Moyes would certainly have found West Ham’s first-half display hard to stomach.

The hosts took the lead in the 34th minute when Fortounis turned away from Emerson Palmieri, James Ward-Prowse and Pablo Fornals far too easily, 25 yards out.

Fortounis launched an old-fashioned toe poke from the edge of the box which flew past the flat-footed Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal.

On the stroke of half-time the Hammers found themselves two behind when Ogbonna suffered his own personal Greek tragedy.

The Italian veteran stuck out a foot to block a cross from Brazilian full-back Rodinei, only to help it past Areola into his own net.

Moyes will have been having a bad case of deja vu; his ill-fated spell in charge of Manchester United included a 2-0 defeat at the same stadium  in 2014.

West Ham did at least come out in the second half with more purpose, but a low cross from Emerson was scooped over the crossbar by Danny Ings.

Moyes made a triple substitution before the hour mark with Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio entering the fray.

Paqueta halved the deficit with a stunning volley from the edge of the box with four minutes left, but despite a late flurry they could not find an equaliser.

A victory would have all but secured West Ham’s passage into the knockout stages but now they find themselves with work to do, lying level with Freiburg at the top of the group with Olympiacos two points behind.

Guyana moved to the summit of Group A, while Martinique earned their first victory, as the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers resumed with three League B encounters on Wednesday.

Dominica also earned their first point of the season with a draw against Antigua and Barbuda. Four goalkeepers came away with a clean sheet, as stout-heart defending was the order of the third matchday.

Dominica vs. Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda played to a scoreless draw at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia.

The visitors were nearly off to a dream start in the fifth as a cross into the box was on its way into goal from Kevoncia James, but Dominica goalkeeper Celia Gregoire grasped the ball to deny the opportunity.

James set up another dangerous opportunity in the 12th, but Donesha Samuel did not get her preferred hit on the ball to keep the scoreline level.

Antigua and Barbuda goalkeeper Anik Jarvis left her line well in the 27th to deny Le-Myah Forde in a one-on-one situation. A minute later, Jarvis delivered back-to-back saves as Dominica could taste the lead.

Ajahna Martin then tested Gregoire from a distance in the 54th but the goalkeepers continued to star into the second half.

Jarvis registered 10 saves and the clean sheet to help Dominica earn its first point of the tournament. Gregoire ended the day with six saves to help Antigua and Barbuda gain an away point and stay within striking distance of first place.

Suriname vs. Guyana

Guyana earned a 1-0 victory over Suriname to move to the top of Group A at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadium in Paramaribo.

Both goalkeepers were asked to make timely saves early on. Suriname's Mayra Tjin A Koeng made one of her three critical saves in the 18th, as Stefanie Kouzas looked primed to score from a through ball. 

On the other end, Chante Sandiford got her hands to divert a dangerous attempt in the 29th, in what was one of her four saves on the night.

Shanice Alferd broke through for the only goal of the night in the 41st by connecting with a cross into the box from Jalade Trim.

Suriname’s attacking front tried desperately to get the elusive equaliser in the second half, as Andaya Lantveld had one of her team’s best opportunities in the 55th. But Sandiford provided little room to work with and the woodwork did the rest.

The encounter was decided by small margins as Guyana and Suriname have now switched places in the standing, separated by goal difference.

Martinique vs. Nicaragua

Martinique registered their first victory of the tournament with a 1-0 result over Nicaragua at the Pierre-Aliker Municipal Stadium in Fort-de-France.

Maeva Salomon struck from distance in the opening minute of play and forced Nicaragua's goalkeeper Angela Gutierrez to get a hand on the ball which bounced off the woodwork.

Mylaine Tarrieu continued the menacing start from Martinique with an attempt in the 11th that went just wide of the mark.

Nicaragua’s Nuria Marquez dribbled into the box in the 28th, but her final touch was deflected by the outstretched leg of Emmeline Mainguy.

Ludmila Gaydu pounced inside the box for the opening goal in the 43rd, taking advantage of Gutierrez diving to punch away another attempt a few seconds prior.

Salomon continued to threaten with attempts on goal and service to her teammates, with a 68th-minute attempt from distance that went just wide.

Nicaragua never gave up searching for the equaliser as Niurka Molina had opportunities on goal in the 87th and 90th, but Mainguy maintained the clean sheet.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali deserves “empathy and support” for his gambling issues rather than a 10-month ban, campaigners have said.

The 23-year-old has been suspended for 18 months – eight months of which has been commuted – fined 20,000 euros and been ordered to partake in an eight-month course of therapy after an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian Prosecutor’s Officer and the Italian football federation (FIGC).

The player’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, has said his client is living with a gambling addiction while the PFA is understood to be working with and continuing to support Tonali.

And the Big Step campaign, part of the Gambling With Lives charity, claims asking a footballer who is addicted to gambling to play in stadiums plastered in betting logos is akin to making an alcoholic work in a pub.

“Footballers are human and if they are suffering from addiction they deserve empathy and support, not lengthy bans,” the Big Step said in a statement issued to the PA news agency.

“Every football game is wall-to-wall with gambling ads, not just across shirts but around stadiums and related media content.

“Sending someone addicted to gambling into this environment is like sending an alcoholic to work in a pub. If you force young footballers to endorse addictive products then don’t be surprised if they use them.

“Ending all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, including all parts of the shirt and in every stadium, will help to prevent harm to those on and off the pitch.”

The FIGC confirmed Tonali’s ban on Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after he made what will be his final appearance of the campaign for the club which paid AC Milan £55million for his services this summer.

He came on as a substitute in Wednesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund at St James’ Park.

A statement on the federation’s official website said: “The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has reached an agreement (pursuant to art. 126 CGS) with the footballer Sandro Tonali, following which he will be sanctioned with an 18-month disqualification, eight of which will be commuted to alternative prescriptions, and a fine of 20,000 euros, for the violation of art.24 of the CGS which prohibits the possibility of placing bets on football events organised by FIGC, UEFA and FIFA.

“Regarding alternative prescriptions, Tonali will have to participate in a therapeutic plan lasting a minimum of eight months and in a cycle of at least 16 public meetings, to be held in Italy, over a period of eight months, at amateur sports associations, federal territorial centres, for recovery from gambling addiction, and in any case according to the indications and program proposed by the FIGC.

“The Federal Prosecutor’s Office will ensure compliance with what is indicated and, in case of violations, will adopt the measures within its competence, pursuant to the CGS, with termination of the agreement and continuation of the disciplinary proceedings before the sports justice adjudicating bodies.”

Earlier FIGC president Gabriele Gravina had told reporters in Rome: “The rules call for a certain number of years of suspension, but the plea bargain and extenuating circumstances have been taken into consideration and the players’ collaboration went above and beyond, therefore we must continue to respect the rules we have established for ourselves.”

Tonali was one of several players named in the FIGC’s investigation, which also saw Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli banned for seven months.

The suspension will mean he will not play again for Newcastle this season and will miss Italy’s Euro 2024 finals campaign should they qualify.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has promised his big money summer acquisition the club’s full support, although his absence could hardly have come at a worse time for the club with Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy both having picked up injuries during the defeat to Dortmund, which Sven Botman and Elliot Anderson missed with existing problems.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali deserves “empathy and support” for his gambling rather than a reported 10-month ban, campaigners have said.

The Big Step campaign, part of the Gambling With Lives charity, claims asking a footballer who is addicted to gambling to play in stadiums plastered in betting logos is akin to making an alcoholic work in a pub.

Tonali, 23, has been suspended for 18 months, eight months of which has been commuted, fined 20,000 euros and been ordered to partake in an eight-month course of therapy to address his issues after reaching a plea bargain following an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian Prosecutor’s Officer and the Italian football federation (FIGC).

The player’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, has said his client is living with a gambling addiction. The PFA is understood to be working with and continuing to support Tonali.

“Footballers are human and if they are suffering from addiction they deserve empathy and support, not lengthy bans,” the Big Step said in a statement issued to the PA news agency.

“Every football game is wall-to-wall with gambling ads, not just across shirts but around stadiums and related media content.

“Sending someone addicted to gambling into this environment is like sending an alcoholic to work in a pub. If you force young footballers to endorse addictive products then don’t be surprised if they use them.

“Ending all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, including all parts of the shirt and in every stadium, will help to prevent harm to those on and off the pitch.”

The FIGC confirmed Tonali’s ban on Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after he made what will be his final appearance for the club which paid AC Milan £55million for his services this summer as a substitute in Wednesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund at St James’ Park.

A statement on the federation’s official website said: “The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has reached an agreement (pursuant to art. 126 CGS) with the footballer Sandro Tonali, following which he will be sanctioned with an 18-month disqualification, eight of which will be commuted to alternative prescriptions, and a fine of 20,000 euros, for the violation of art.24 of the CGS which prohibits the possibility of placing bets on football events organized by FIGC, UEFA and FIFA.

“Regarding alternative prescriptions, Tonali will have to participate in a therapeutic plan lasting a minimum of eight months and in a cycle of at least 16 public meetings, to be held in Italy, over a period of eight months, at amateur sports associations, federal territorial centres, for recovery from gambling addiction, and in any case according to the indications and program proposed by the FIGC.

“The Federal Prosecutor’s Office will ensure compliance with what is indicated and, in case of violations, will adopt the measures within its competence, pursuant to the CGS, with termination of the agreement and continuation of the disciplinary proceedings before the sports justice adjudicating bodies.”

Earlier FIGC president Gabriele Gravina had told reporters in Rome: “The rules call for a certain number of years of suspension, but the plea bargain and extenuating circumstances have been taken into consideration and the players’ collaboration went above and beyond, therefore we must continue to respect the rules we have established for ourselves.”

Tonali was one of several players named in the FIGC’s investigation, which also saw Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli banned for seven months.

The suspension will mean he will not play again for Newcastle this season and will miss Italy’s Euro 2024 finals campaign should they qualify.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has promised his big money summer acquisition the club’s full support, although his absence could hardly have come at a worse time for the club with Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy both having picked up injuries during the defeat by Dortmund, which Sven Botman and Elliot Anderson missed with existing problems.