West Ham boss David Moyes declared he was “embarrassed to be speaking on behalf of the team” after the Hammers’ European ambitions were dealt a significant blow in their 5-2 thrashing at Crystal Palace.

The visitors were already facing a 4-0 deficit 31 minutes after kick-off at Selhurst Park thanks to Michael Olise’s nodded opener and an audacious overhead Eberechi Eze effort as well as the first of two for Jean-Philippe Mateta and an Emerson own goal.

Antonio clawed one back before the break and Moyes’ men could take no credit for their second, a late own goal credited to Dean Henderson, who turned in Tyrick Mitchell’s backpass one minute from time.

Moyes, who shot back tersely when asked about his job security, was far more forthcoming when it came to his scathing assessment of the Irons’ performance, saying: “The first half was as bad as I’ve seen us play. We’ve had three or four of these incidents.

“I don’t think the team in the three years I have been here have gone to the depths, in three or four games this year. The first half was unacceptable. We mainly were defending, the way we started the game, we’re not connected in the way we’ve played.

“You can’t play this level of football in the Premier League. We didn’t compete. It was hard to actually explain it.

“I’m so disappointed for the supporters who came here today and in truth I’m embarrassed to sit here and actually be speaking on behalf of the team and the way they performed today but I’m the manager.

“I’ve got to say I’ve not had many teams who have played like that in my whole career.”

Moyes refused to blame tired legs from Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League quarter-final second leg draw with Leverkusen as an “excuse”, though when pressed for a “reason” conceded the tight turnaround probably did not help.

And while he was adamant Sunday’s defeat would have “nothing do do with” how he would approach potential contract negotiations, when asked if his side’s performance could take the choice of a continued tenure out of his hands, simply replied: “If it is then it is” then later refused to take further questions on the subject.

With Sunday’s defeat, the Hammers’ chances of returning to Europe next season look improbable, though the boss said his side will keep fighting until their fate is sealed.

He said: “We might still have a chance. Because we lost a couple of games doesn’t mean we don’t still have a chance. We still do have a chance. We’ll keep going, keep trying to do it.

“We’re just off the back of three years in Europe and it now sounds as though you’re talking about West Ham as a regular European team which is a big compliment, thank you very much.”

Palace sealed back-to-back wins for the first time this season after their 1-0 triumph at Liverpool and a third for boss Oliver Glasner since he replaced Roy Hodgson in February.

Glasner pointed to the easing of the injury crisis that has plagued Palace all season as a key factor in their improvement, with Sunday’s victory still a rare chance to witness what the Eagles can be capable of when the influential Eze and Olise are both healthy.

He added: “That’s our first back-to-back win and this is our challenge: to keep this motivation high, to keep the way we want to play in offence and defence.

“Because you always have to be concentrated, stay in your position, move the ball quick so that they don’t get the ball and this always starts in your mind if you are focused and concentrated.”

Josip Stanisic’s late header extended Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible unbeaten run as he salvaged a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Borussia Dortmund.

In a game of few clear-cut chances between either side the visitors arguably had the best opportunities in the second half through Alejandro Grimaldo and Nathan Tella.

However, drama followed in the late stages when Niclas Fullkrug’s powerful strike gave Dortmund the lead in the 81st minute, but Stanisic struck deep into stoppage time to level.

A point means the Bundesliga champions remain unbeaten in 45 games in all competitions this season, while Dortmund sit two points away from RB Leipzig in the fight for a Champions League spot.

Leverkusen had an early chance when Jeremie Frimpong headed wide of the target, but a sluggish start to the game produced only half-efforts from Jonas Hofmann and Julian Ryerson.

The visitors were awarded a free-kick just outside the area in the 38th minute but Grimaldo’s dipping strike dropped onto the roof of the net.

Leverkusen began to adventure into Dortmund territory after the break, but the home defence were quick to smother any potential attacks.

They came close in the 57th minute when Grimaldo threatened from a set-piece, but his quick free-kick was tipped over the bar by Gregor Kobel.

Kobel made a fantastic save in the 68th minute when Hofmann hooked a cross into Tella, who sprinted in at the back post to stab home but the Dortmund goalkeeper managed to hold onto the ball on the goalline.

Dortmund found the breakthrough in the 81st minute when a cross fell to an unmarked Fullkrug in the box and, although goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky got a hand to it, he could only guide the striker’s powerful shot into the net.

A fracas broke out in the 87th minute and Victor Boniface had a red card overturned by VAR before Leverkusen saved their incredible unbeaten record in the seventh minute of added time from a corner when Stanisic flicked a header into the bottom corner.

Television pundit Jamie Carragher has accused Nottingham Forest of lacking “class” after launching a social media broadside following a controversial Premier League defeat at Everton.

Relegation-threatened Forest were aggrieved not to be awarded three penalties – all against former England defender Ashley Young – as they lost 2-0 at Goodison Park, and later took aim at referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

The club described the decisions as “extremely poor” and implied that VAR official Stuart Attwell was a Luton fan – the Hatters are also engaged in a survival fight in a post on its official X, formerly Twitter, account.

Responding to the post, Sky Sports pundit Carragher said: “It tells you where we are with the Premier League now and the clubs. Stuart Attwell and Anthony Taylor have had an horrific day today, awful, and they should be rightly criticised for that and that could have real implications for Nottingham Forest.

“I get the frustration, but that, what I’ve just read there on social media, that’s like a fan in a pub. That is embarrassing from Nottingham Forest. I get the frustration.

“That rubbish that VAR’s a Luton fan – you can’t get involved in that you’ve got to show a little bit of class if you’re a football club.

“I get it, the frustration – the officials had an awful day, terrible – but you can’t get involved in that, that’s nonsense.”

Fellow pundit Gary Neville added: “It’s horrendous, the statement by that football club, and it lets the proud history of that club down.

“The inferred cheating, as suggested by a Luton fan being a VAR official, is absolutely ridiculous.”

Forest have enlisted the services of former referee Mark Clattenburg as a consultant analyst to fight their corner after believing they have been on the wrong end of a series of contentious decisions.

Their post read: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept.

“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game, but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.

“NFFC will now consider its options.”

However, former Forest forward Stan Collymore was critical of the move, which he fears may be counter-productive.

Collymore tweeted: “Take the high road and keep making representation via club secretary. That’s the accepted 150+ year protocol.

“I GUARANTEE the only thing social media and owner rants will do is create more issues. Take. The. High. Road. It’s. Nottingham. Forest. Not. A. Pub. Team.”

Liverpool moved level on points with top-of-the-table Arsenal after their 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Jurgen Klopp’s men bounced back from Thursday’s exit to Atalanta in the Europa League and last week’s home defeat to Crystal Palace as they continued their pursuit of Premier League glory.

Liverpool in second, who sit one point above Manchester City and trail Arsenal on goal difference, opened the scoring from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick before Timothy Castagne equalised with his first goal for Fulham.

Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota were the difference-makers in the second half as they got in on the act to give their side all three points.

Fulham academy graduate Harvey Elliott, who swapped London for Merseyside in 2019, was galvanised by the home boos as he helped his side create the first chance of the match.

The attacking midfield player instinctively picked out Alexander-Arnold whose cross could not be directed in by Luis Diaz’s glancing header as the ball narrowly missed the inside of Bernd Leno’s post.

In the 22nd minute Alexander-Arnold showed off his elite ball-playing ability as the visitors’ momentum continued.

Alexander-Arnold received the ball centrally and he delivered a first-time side-footed pass in behind Fulham full-back Antonee Robinson before Diaz’s fizzed low cross to Jota was struck wide of the right-hand post as the Reds squandered another golden opportunity to take the lead.

Liverpool’s persistence was rewarded and their deserved breakthrough came in the 32nd minute through the technical Alexander-Arnold who made it 1-0.

Joao Palhinha picked up his customary yellow card when he brought down Jota on the counter attack, allowing Alexander-Arnold to stand over the set-piece in an almost central position yards from the edge of the area.

The set-piece specialist struck the ball with a whipped technique which evaded the helpless Fulham wall before the ball nestled into the top left-hand corner.

The Cottagers had been dormant all half but they came alive in added time to equalise.

After Andreas Pereira instilled belief inside Craven Cottage with a dangerous free-kick which tested Alisson Becker, Rodrigo Muniz’s blocked header off Alex Iwobi’s cross fell kindly to the unmarked Castagne who slammed his effort home from close range.

But parity did not last long as in the 53rd minute Liverpool punished a series of errors to retake the lead.

A period of shoddy defending saw Iwobi with the ball at his feet on the edge of his box but the Nigeria international’s wayward pass found Elliott in a dangerous position.

The 21-year-old opted to lay the ball off to Gravenberch and the Dutchman’s first-time curled effort flew past Leno to make it 2-1.

Liverpool wrapped up the win in the 72nd minute after Cody Gakpo’s pass split the defence and Jota finished with a strike into the bottom right-hand corner.

Manchester United survived an almighty scare to progress to the FA Cup final on penalties after Coventry fell agonisingly short of a sensational comeback win at Wembley.

Sky Blues captain Ben Sheaf sent the crucial kick over the crossbar leaving Rasmus Hojlund to win it, but the game will be remembered for three goals in the final 20 minutes by the Championship side as they recovered from 3-0 down to force extra-time.

Erik ten Hag’s team were three up and cruising through to the May 25 final after goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes put them on course for what at that stage looked a routine win.

But Mark Robins’ side, who are eighth in the second tier, roared back with a recovery that almost defied belief.

First, Ellis Simms converted a cross at the near post on 70 minutes to make it 3-1, then Callum O’Hare’s strike looped in off Aaron Wan-Bissaka to rattle United and spark a frantic finish.

Thereafter chaos reigned among Ten Hag’s defence as they clung on perilously to their lead, until three minutes into stoppage time Wan-Bissaka handled inside the box, giving Haji Wright the chance to write one of the great FA Cup stories from the penalty spot.

Sending Onana the wrong way, he coolly took the game to extra-time.

Coventry thought they had secured a stunning win when Victor Torp turned Wright’s cross into the net in the final minute of extra time before Coventry’s brief joy was extinguished a VAR review for offside.

A stunning cup tie was ultimately settled by penalties, Sheaf firing into the United fans as Coventry fell short by a whisker.

United had the first chance after six minutes. Onana hoofed the ball towards the edge of the Coventry box where Fernandes was waiting to nod it into the path of Alejandro Garnacho, who stretched but could only guide it wide.

Marcus Rashford was next to go close, taking Casemiro’s raking 60-yard pass brilliantly in his stride before clipping a shot wide of Bradley Collins’ post.

Coventry were struggling to emerge from their own half and a goal for United seemed a matter of time.

It arrived after 23 minutes, Garnacho receiving the ball wide on the right and feeding the overlapping Diogo Dalot. His low ball found McTominay, stealing away from his defender to knock in his 10th goal of the season from virtually on the line.

Coventry finally threatened five minutes before half-time, Josh Eccles getting free on the right of the penalty area and crossing dangerously into the six-yard box.

It looked destined for the foot of Simms, before Dalot bravely intervened to clear for United with a lunging tackle.

Rashford drew a fine save from Collins moments before the break and at that moment it looked like Coventry would see out the half only a goal behind.

But their defence could not hold and from the resulting corner Maguire evaded the attentions of everybody in sky blue and planted a header into the bottom corner for 2-0.

The fight looked gone from Coventry on the hour mark when Fernandes scored via a deflection to make it three.

Joel Latibeaudiere initially derailed Rashford as he sought space to shoot but the ball slithered out of the defender’s control and arrived at the feet of United’s captain who lashed it into the net via the unfortunate Bobby Thomas.

The tie looked over but from somewhere Coventry summoned an heroic resolve. Simms ignited a flicker of hope, guiding Fabio Tavares’ low cross beyond Onana, then O’Hare’s strike hit Wan-Bissaka and sailed over the goalkeeper for 3-2.

Haji’s penalty sparked joy amongst Sky Blues fans behind the goal as under-pressure United Ten Hag watched on forlornly.

Fernandes and Simms hit the underside of the same crossbar in either period of extra-time, then Torp thought he had won it in added time before VAR’s intervention.

After Casemiro and O’Hare saw their penalties saved in the shootout, it fell to Hojlund to hit the winning kick as United breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Hossein Vafaei strongly criticised the conditions at the Crucible after crashing out of the World Snooker Championship in a 10-5 defeat by former champion Judd Trump.

The Iranian described the famous Sheffield venue as “smelly”, compared its practice facilities to “like playing in a garage”, and questioned the treatment of players in the course of the marathon 17-day event.

“Everything’s so bad – if you ask me if I want to come back here, I would tell you no way,” said Vafaei, who is no stranger to Crucible controversy after playing a rash break-off shot in his defeat by Ronnie O’Sullivan last year.

“Forget the history, you want to go somewhere really nice as a player. You walk round the Crucible and it smells really bad. You go to other countries, and everything is shiny. But here it’s completely different.

“The practice room – do you see anything special? I feel like I’m practising in a garage.”

Speculation over the future of the Crucible, which has staged he tournament since 1977, has been heightened since world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan suggested it should be moved to Saudi Arabia or China when the existing deal expires in 2027.

Vafaei, who made his debut in 2022, is clearly no fan and continued: “Look at the China venues, how fantastic they treat the players, a red carpet and an opening ceremony. The players are treated like stars. But here no one looks after the players, before and after the match no one cares who you are.

“If they don’t want to lose the Crucible invest some money, make it shinier, make it nicer, make it more luxury for the people. If they make it cleaner and nicer, people will enjoy it.”

Trump turned a 6-3 overnight advantage into a comfortable win over his opponent, who cut a frustrated figure after failing to take a series of chances to reach the midway point with more of a chance against the 2019 champion.

Trump was not even required to summon a half-century in a low-key second session, and was more than happy to ease though a potentially tricky assignment and seal his place in the last 16 against either Tom Ford or Ricky Walden.

“I got the job done in that first session,” shrugged Trump. “I knew it was going to be a bit demoralising for him to be 6-3 down after that performance, so today was about getting a few frames early on and knocking the belief out of him.

“Coming into this event I was a lot more confident than I have been in the last three or four years. It’s nice to know I’m into the second round and I’ve got a few days off so I can sit back and watch other people sweat.”

It was a different matter for four-time champion Mark Selby, who is on the brink of falling at the first hurdle after losing his first session 7-3 to debutant Joe O’Connor.

Selby, who questioned his future in the sport after losing to Gary Wilson in the Tour Championship earlier this month, was second best against his Leicester rival, who reeled off five frames in a row to leave himself in a commanding position ahead of Monday’s resumption.

Eleventh seed Zhang Anda followed defending champion Luca Brecel out of the tournament as he was hammered 10-4 by last year’s surprise quarter-finalist Jak Jones.

Resuming 5-2 in front after their abridged opening session on Saturday, Jones chiselled his way over the line with a top break of 60, while Zhang’s 95 in the 13th frame proved much too little, too late.

Shaun Murphy fashioned a 6-3 lead over China’s Lyu Haotian despite a dreadful missed black in the fifth frame that briefly inspired his opponent to claw back a 3-1 deficit and level at 3-3.

The Philadelphia 76ers are hopeful Joel Embiid will be available for Game 2 of their playoff series against the New York Knicks after he suffered an injury scare during their defeat in Game 1.

Embiid had 29 points, also adding eight rebounds and six assists, as the Sixers succumbed to a 111-104 defeat at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

He made one stunning play near the end of the first half, finishing with a one-handed dunk after passing to himself off the backboard, but that came at a cost as he then left for the final two minutes and 37 seconds of the second quarter.

Embiid seemed to land awkwardly on his left leg after that play and immediately dropped to the ground before getting up and walking straight to the locker room. 

Embiid rejoined his team-mates on the floor at the start of the second half, but with the reigning MVP recently missing two months after undergoing meniscus surgery, the incident left fans concerned.

Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse is positive regarding his chances of featuring in Game 2 on Monday, saying: "He really is a warrior, and he's battling.

"I think he absolutely wants to play. I knew when I went in at halftime that they were checking him out and that he was up and moving. 

"They did say we are seeing, they didn't rule him out yet. They just took him all the way to the end there to get him ruled back in."

The Sixers outscored the Knicks by 14 points during Embiid's 37 minutes on the court, being outscored by 21 points during the 11 minutes he spent out of the game. 

Tyrese Maxey, who led Philadelphia with 33 points and was 14-of-26 shooting, says Embiid will suit up for Monday's contest if physically able to.

"Nothing with Joel surprises me now," Maxey said. "He's always a fighter. He's always going to try and give it his all for his team. So if he thinks he can go, he'll for sure be out there."

Crystal Palace dealt a heavy blow to West Ham’s ambitions of playing European football next season with a 5-2 victory at Selhurst Park.

Palace, who had not previously scored more than three goals in a league contest this season, led by four inside 31 minutes, opening the scoring with a Michael Olise header before Eberechi Eze made it two with a superb bicycle kick.

Emerson intensified the Irons’ woes when he turned the ball into his own net before Jean-Philippe Mateta got on the scoresheet just after the half hour mark.

Antonio clawed one back for the visitors before the break but Mateta bagged his second in the 64th minute to re-establish the four-goal buffer.

Just as it looked to be the exclamation mark on a thumping victory, Palace keeper Dean Henderson was caught out and allowed Tyrick Mitchell’s backpass to skip past his foot and into the hosts’ net.

Defeat leaves West Ham eighth, two points adrift of Newcastle and Manchester United above them who both have two games in hand.

Joachim Andersen’s lovely clipped cross set up Olise to nod past Lukasz Fabianski for the seventh-minute opener as Palace began in fine fashion.

Mitchell nearly made it two, blazing over after he was released by Eze, who soon double Palace’s lead.

Fabianski got just enough of his boot on Mateta’s low effort but the ball rebounded in the path of Eze, who obliged in acrobatic style with a magnificent bicycle kick.

Palace were three goals to the good when Will Hughes clipped the ball towards an onrushing Daniel Munoz at the back post, where the unfortunate Emerson instead deflected it past his own keeper.

The chances kept coming, all for Palace, who stole the ball away from the Hammers in midfield, eventually allowing Olise to send a delivery across the face of goal for Mateta to tap home.

The Hammers finally enjoyed a spell inside the hosts’ final third shortly after the half hour mark,  when Angelo Ogbonna nodded one of the visitors’ lone chances over the bar.

It was the beginning of a slightly more settled period for David Moyes’ men, who clawed one back in the 40th minute when Antonio poked Tomas Soucek’s header past Henderson, the goal standing after a VAR check.

The Palace keeper was called into action to deny Mohammed Kudus’ low effort, clinging to the ball in his lap as opportunistic white shirts buzzed around him at the goal-line to pounce on a spill that never came, and it was the Eagles who came closest before the break when Andersen nodded over.

Henderson claimed Emerson’s cross to kick-start the second half when Moyes made a pair of substitutions, replacing Ogbonna with Aaron Cresswell and Soucek – who had been booked late in the first period – with Ben Johnson.

Fabianski made a big diving save to deny Eze and Palace were dealt a blow when Adam Wharton, who has shone since his January signing, was forced off after colliding with Emerson and replaced by Naouirou Ahamada just past the hour mark.

Mateta restored the hosts’ four-goal advantage less than three minutes later, latching on to a pass from Eze through the legs of Kurt Zouma and into the bottom corner.

Just as the Frenchman’s second strike looked to settle the scoreline, Palace’s season-long habit of conceding late goals came back to haunt them, only this time it was one entirely of their own doing – Henderson’s gaffe putting a late downer on his side’s emphatic triumph.

Ross O’Sullivan’s Follow Me made a pleasing start to life in Ireland when landing the Treacy Group Irish EBF Maiden at Curragh.

The three-year-old hit the frame several times last season in France before changing hands, but drifted out to 22-1 to score for new connections at the first time of asking.

Despite those odds he came with a strong challenge close to home and crossed the line half a length to the good under Shane Foley.

“I couldn’t believe he was drifting (in the betting) and was getting nervous had we got it wrong,” said O’Sullivan.

“Shane Foley has ridden him in work for the last six weeks and thought a lot of him.

“Tom Malone bought him at a sale in France for Amanda (Torrens, owner). She put an order in for him to find a nice horse and fair play he took his time and this horse popped up.

“As soon as he came off the box I liked him. He has size and scope. He had good form in France as a two-year-old but looked like a three-year-old. He’s a tall horse with a good temperament.

“He was declared for the meeting here that was called off and then we were thinking of running him in Dundalk, but we said we’d sit and wait for the Curragh.

“He had form over six, seven and a mile but showed plenty of pace in his work.

“Hopefully he can take us to the big days and we can have a nice summer with him. We’ll have to sit down now and make a plan.”

Denis Cullen’s Zephron took the PG Duffy & Sons Citroen Handicap by half a length under Wayne Hassett.

A 13-2 shot, the gelding handled the soft to heavy ground best of all to add a fifth career win to his tally.

“It looked like they went pretty hard early, and Wayne said he got squeezed back a bit but was happy to take his time,” said Cullen.

“He likes the Curragh and handles that ground well. He had a nice run in Naas which brought him on a lot and he seemed in good form today.

“He has form on most types of ground but handles that better than most horses. We’ll see what way the weather goes, and he could end up back in Galway for something. He got touched off there a few years ago.”

Aidan Howard’s Magical Vision then came out on top in the five-furlong Newbridge Silverware Sprint Handicap.

The mare is well-proven on heavy ground and demonstrated that ability again with a one-and-a-quarter-length victory under Chris Hayes at 100-30.

“We were hopeful today. I was a little bit concerned about the ground being tacky, but she seemed to handle it well,” the trainer said.

“She travelled very well, and I think five (furlongs) is definitely her trip.

“We’ll keep an eye on the weather now and she won’t run on quick ground.”

Natalia Lupini’s Redshore City (9-1) came out on top in a blanket finish to the Business Plus Handicap winning by a short head, a neck and a neck.

Aston Villa’s push to secure Champions League football continued as Unai Emery’s men came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 at Villa Park.

Having gone a goal down through Dominic Solanke’s 31st-minute penalty, Villa turned things around with Morgan Rogers equalising in first-half stoppage time, Moussa Diaby putting them ahead just before the hour mark and Leon Bailey subsequently adding a third in the 78th minute.

Ollie Watkins set up the finishes from Diaby and Bailey as he became the Premier League’s outright leading assist maker this season with 12, to go with the 19 goals that see him sit only one behind joint leaders Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer in the Golden Boot race.

The result, strengthening Villa’s grip on fourth place, caps an excellent few days for the midlands outfit after last Sunday’s 2-0 win at Arsenal and Thursday’s penalty shootout triumph at Lille that took them into the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

With four league games to go they are six points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have two games in hand. Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth stay 13th.

A bright start from Villa saw Watkins’ shot deflect over off Illia Zabarnyi, John McGinn drive wide and Pau Torres just fail to connect with Diaby’s delivery at the far post.

Bournemouth threatened just past the quarter-hour mark when Justin Kluivert’s firm hit brought a good save out of Emiliano Martinez.

And after Diaby scuffed off-target from a good position, the visitors exerted further pressure, with shots from Dango Ouattara and Ryan Christie going wide before Milos Kerkez was brought down by Matty Cash – scorer of a vital late goal at Lille – and referee Tim Robinson pointed to the spot.

Martinez had pulled off two saves in Thursday’s shootout, but was unable to produce one on this occasion as Solanke rifled past the Argentinian for his 18th league goal of the season.

Cash, looking to make swift amends, fired wide soon after, before Kluivert did the same via a deflection.

Rogers then brought the game back level just prior to the interval, latching on to fine ball from Bailey, cutting inside Adam Smith and lashing into the net.

And the hosts subsequently moved in front 12 minutes into the second half when Watkins laid the ball to Diaby and the Frenchman finished from close range.

Martinez then did well again as he parried Ouattara’s header, and after Rogers found the side netting, Bournemouth substitute Antoine Semenyo skewed into the stand.

Watkins tried his luck in the 75th minute, driving wide, and moments later he ended up as provider again as he sent the ball goalwards and Bailey was on hand to tap in for 3-1.

Danny Rohl saluted Sheffield Wednesday’s ‘courageous’ performance after they beat Blackburn 3-1 to move out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.

An exquisite Josh Windass lob in the sixth minute put Wednesday ahead but Sammie Szmodics equalised three minutes later with a clinical finish.

Wednesday took control when Marvin Johnson got on the end of an Anthony Musaba cross in the 58th minute before Rovers’ goalkeeper Aynsley Pears gifted them a third after slicing a clearance into his own net.

The visitors held on with something to space, rewarding more than 7,000 away fans who created an impressive atmosphere.

After climbing out of the bottom three for the first time in 246 days, Rohl praised the mindset of the players, saying: “The job is not done.

“We worked hard to be out of this (relegation) zone. Six months, we tried everything. Today we took the opportunity.

“The last four-five weeks we’ve had the opportunity. But today all in all we connected our performance with a good result.

“I think when I look back to our performance against Stoke and Swansea, was good, but the result was not what we wanted.

“Today…a good reaction. I feel this the whole week. We trained well. I think today it was a courageous performance from my team.

“We forced them into mistakes, we played football how we wanted to play. It was a good togetherness on the pitch but also off the pitch with our massive support. They made an away game into a home game, so (a) big thank you to everybody.

“The performance of my team and especially the mindset and mentality is outstanding.”

Blackburn have not been in the bottom three all season but are just three points clear of it now and John Eustace said his team must bounce back.

He said: “First half I thought we were well in the game, I thought we bounced back from the early goal, showed great character. Felt we controlled the first half fairly well.

“Second half, the manner of the goals was disappointing. (We) lost the ball in midfield, didn’t chase back quick enough, and they punish us.

“The third goal, we can’t do much about that. It’s a mistake. It’s a tough one to take and it’s disappointing.

“However we’ve got a magnificent chance next week. Everything is in our own hands.”

He added: “It’s disappointing we’ve lost but it’s football. Last week we bounced back from a difficult defeat and showed that togetherness and got a great three points.

“Now it’s important we show that togetherness again and we bounce back again next week.

“Everyone is disappointed. This is football, we had the highs last week, we have the lows this week, nobody gets carried away.”

Boris Becker says he is “working hard with the authorities” to return to the UK and Wimbledon in 2025.

The three-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion was deported from the UK in December 2022 after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case.

Becker cannot return to the UK until October 2024 at the earliest following his deportation, but the 56-year-old German plans to return to the tournament he says is “in my DNA” as soon as possible.

“Wimbledon has been my favourite tournament as a player, coach and commentator,” Becker said at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.

“It’s unique, you can’t compare it.

“I lived in Wimbledon a long time so I’m working hard with the authorities to have all the applications ready to be back for next year. We’re working on 2025.

“It’s a part of my life. It’s in my DNA, you can’t deny that.”

Asked if he would be back in the Wimbledon commentary box, Becker replied: “I hope so.”

Becker has not been involved in tennis since stepping down as Holger Rune’s head coach at the start of February.

The pair spent less than four months together, but in that time the 20-year-old qualified for the ATP finals in Italy.

::The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards take place on Monday evening in Madrid. To find out more, and follow the ceremony, visit www.laureus.com

Donnacha O’Brien’s Yosemite Valley battled hard to take the Lester Piggott Gladness Stakes at the Curragh.

The colt is well versed when it comes to racing at the track, finishing second to Little Big Bear in the Anglesey Stakes as a juvenile and was having his fifth outing there from just seven in all.

He started this season off at Cork in Listed company, finishing second but looked a different proposition this time.

On returning to the Curragh the four-year-old was a 3-1 chance upped to seven furlongs and was a comfortable winner under Gavin Ryan when crossing the line two and three-quarter lengths ahead of 7-4 favourite Jumbly.

“It was a good performance. I always thought he was a proper horse but he was unlucky a few times,” said O’Brien.

“He ran well in Cork the last day and the step up to seven seemed to suit him. It’s nice to get a stakes win into him.

“He could get away with a stiff six, but he travelled so well there today and all the big seven-furlong races will be open to him.”

Of future plans the trainer added: “There is the Maurice de Gheest over six and a half in France. Whether he’s up to that level I don’t know but I’d like to give him a shot at it to see.

“The Greenlands is here in about a month but that is back to six. A stiff six could be an option or we might give him a little break and aim for seven furlongs in France.”