Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola heaped praise on his team after they twice came from behind to draw 3-3 at Barnsley and force a replay in the Emirates FA Cup first round.

Tom Richards scored the second equaliser to take the tie back to Woodside Road and Di Paola hailed a monumental effort.

“I thought the boys were absolutely phenomenal,” he said. It was just an incredible performance.

“You could see at the end, I don’t think there was anyone without cramp. For us to put in that performance, away from home against a side as good as them, is just incredible.

“There’s been a bit of controversy around the FA stuff and there’s been some issues here. I noticed there wasn’t any police, which is quite ironic considering that was the reason the game was supposedly moved (from Saturday to Friday night).

“I do feel that justice has been done. I never understood the decision in the first place.

“It’s just so pleasing that we can bring them back to our place. We can bring the town out and be allowed to let our supporters actually watch us in such a high-profile game.”

Richards converted after the ball was squared to him by fellow substitute Lucas Rodrigues and Di Paola said: “It’s a massive credit to all of our players. The subs who came on changed the game.

“We’ve worked so hard this week, mainly on the tactics board. I didn’t feel like we parked the bus. I felt that we had an attacking threat.

“It’s just so pleasing that we did that. I’m really pleased.”

After falling behind to a Max Watters goal, the visitors took a 2-1 lead through Shamir Fenelon and a James Hammond penalty.

Goals from Fabio Jalo and Mael de Gevigney put Barnsley back in front but Lewis Carey’s triple save prevented John McAtee, Callum Styles or Luca Connell from putting the game to bed before Richards levelled in the closing stages.

Barnsley boss Neill Collins praised Horsham, saying: “I think, first of all, credit to Horsham.

“They came super organised, didn’t just sit back, had a good game plan so credit to them. Their fans should be proud of them, which I’m sure they are.

“I think we put in all the ingredients of a performance that gives the result that we got – sloppy mistakes, not doing the basics well, didn’t take chances and gave up.

“We earned the replay that we didn’t obviously want with the performance that we gave.

“I didn’t see it coming. The players’ attitude has been good and we’ve been in good form.

“That’s what this competition can do to you. If you don’t start well, it can quickly descend into what it did.

“I thought we’d get out at 3-2 – we should have made it 4-2 – and then without being over-happy, we’d have taken the win and moved on.

“A couple of mistakes and Horsham deserved the replay. There’s a chance for us to go and put it right.”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says it was “unacceptable” of Marcus Rashford to go a nightclub party after last weekend’s embarrassing derby defeat to Manchester City.

The homegrown talent has managed just one goal for the misfiring Red Devils during a poor start to the season on both an individual and collective level.

Rashford has looked a far cry from the player that plundered 30 goals for United last term and his off-field decision-making came into question after last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to City.

Reports emerged the following day that the England international, who turned 26 on Tuesday, had gone to the Chinawhite nightclub for a pre-arranged birthday party hours after the Old Trafford loss.

“Yes, I am aware of it,” manager Ten Hag said of Rashford’s post-derby night out.

“I spoke with him about it. It’s unacceptable, I told him, he apologised and that’s it. For the rest it’s an internal matter.”

Ten Hag repeated it was an “internal matter” when asked if Rashford had been fined for an incident that he says will not impact his availability for Saturday’s crunch Premier League trip to Fulham.

The United boss also clarified that his place among the substitutes in Wednesday’s 3-0 Carabao Cup exit to Newcastle was due to rotation rather than punishment.

Rashford was dropped to the bench at Wolves last season for timekeeping, but Ten Hag rejected the notion that the academy graduate is not attuned to his demands.

“Your suggestion is not right,” the United boss. “He’s fitting in, he’s very motivated to put things right.

“I know which effort he is putting in. He’s totally with us.

“So, he makes a mistake, but that doesn’t say he’s not fitting in. I see him every day in training, what he’s doing, I know.

“So, he makes one mistake but also, off the pitch, what he is doing, how he lives, and I’m sure he is doing everything right to help the team to perform and to let us win.”

Ten Hag can ill afford any distractions right now but it was notable how much public backing he showed Rashford despite his clear annoyance at his post-derby decision.

“He has to be as close as possible to the opponents’ goal, because there are his qualities,” he said.

“There he is so important for us and he will contribute so much to our success.

“We have to get him there as a team and he, as an individual, also he has to make his movements to arrive in the right moments, so his timing is right and I’m sure he will be back.”

How the Red Devils and their manager could do with Rashford getting back his scoring touch at Fulham on Saturday lunchtime.

The midweek loss to Newcastle was their eighth defeat in 15 matches in all competitions, making this United’s worst start to a season since 1962-63.

That run has led to scrutiny and speculation about Ten Hag’s position, but the “fighter” will not give up on a job that nobody has able to successfully fill since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.

“It’s possible, I’m convinced (United can be successful),” the defiant Dutchman said.

“Sometimes you have difficult periods and when you stick together – and we are together – then we come through these difficult periods.”

Asked whether the structure is right for club to be a success, Ten Hag said: “I wouldn’t work here if I thought it wasn’t right.”

All the focus right now is righting the United ship before November’s international break, with games against Fulham and Luton bookending the crunch Champions League clash in Copenhagen.

“Always, when the team is not playing well, you think about it, to get it right,” Ten Hag added. “I’m not thinking about things away from the team.

“Of course, sometimes I need my relaxation to get energy, but for now it’s 24/7. You think about ‘how do I get this right?’”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will not change his habit of coaching his players on the pitch in the immediate aftermath of games despite Roy Keane’s claim that it is “all for show”.

Guardiola was seen talking to Erling Haaland after last Sunday’s 3-0 Manchester derby win at Old Trafford, going over the first-half header City’s top scorer had missed and the almost identical second-half opportunity the Norwegian buried.

It is something Guardiola has done for years – he had a similar animated chat with Haaland on the pitch at Burnley at the start of the season, and back in 2019 interrupted City’s celebrations after their 6-0 FA Cup final win over Watford to make a point to Raheem Sterling.

Former United captain Roy Keane was unimpressed last weekend, saying on Sky Sports that Guardiola was doing it for the cameras and should “get down the tunnel, enjoy your victory”, but the City boss said he often wants to make his point while it is still fresh.

“I respect a lot Roy Keane,” Guardiola said. “Sometimes I finish the game and go inside, sometimes I stay there. When I find a player we chat about the game. I know the camera is there.

“At that moment I was outside, wanted to (celebrate) with the fans, especially away. For the fans United is an important game.

“We chat about the second goal, the miss for the last minute (of the first half) with the (Andre) Onana action. He could be better, stronger.

“The header (could be) stronger to put the ball in the back of the net with more power. It happened with Erling in Burnley. I can avoid it.

“Maybe Roy is right but it happens. I don’t need at my age to do something for the people.

“Sometimes I go inside, sometimes say hi to the referees. It’s what I feel in the moment.

“I don’t think after the game to go to the players to do some spectacle for the people…

“I could have done it inside, of course. I’ve done it many times in the locker room – look at that image, that action.

“It’s fresh, the players have that image in the moment. Sometimes you make the impact that remains here (in the head).”

Haaland’s brace at Old Trafford took him to 13 goals in 15 games for City this season.

The 23-year-old hit 52 in all competitions last season, his first in England, when a player who had often suffered niggling injuries at Borussia Dortmund benefitted from a month off during the World Cup break.

There will be no such opportunity this time around but Guardiola said he had no concerns over his star man’s fitness at present.

“He’s so important for us, he feels really fit now,” Guardiola said. “Sometimes he had niggles, he came from Dortmund. Now it’s completely the opposite, he feels free.

“Today I saw him training with incredible energy. I don’t think about March, April, May. We try to win games to be contenders for the competitions.

“We will see, if he goes down, he takes a rest. Now, he’s feeling good. Having him on the pitch gives us confidence and is an incredible threat…

“He scored a lot of goals, every game he has a lot of chances to score more. So incredible, a lovely player for us. We use him a lot.”

Georginio Rutter earned Leeds a 1-0 victory against Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester as Daniel Farke’s side took another step towards challenging the top two.

The result still leaves Leicester 11 points clear of Leeds in third place, but this will be seen as a statement victory against a side who have dominated the division this season.

Abdul Fatawu hit the crossbar in the first half, and Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier produced a superb save to keep out a stoppage-time header from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. But Leicester had just one shot on target while suffering their second home defeat of the campaign.

Leicester, five points clear at the top, had been chasing a 10th successive victory and were looking to equal the best-ever start to a second tier season since Bristol City in the 1905-06 season.

But Leeds took on Enzo Maresca’s side head-on. They were rewarded when Rutter netted after 57 minutes with a goal that proved to be the winner.

Leicester found themselves under pressure early on, something they have not been used to at the King Power Stadium this season.

But Leeds, who were also relegated from the Premier League last season, caused Leicester problems and looked in confident mood.

Joel Piroe carved out space in the Leicester area after only two minutes, but he curled his shot wide of the target.

Maresca’s side began to find some momentum and the game suddenly switched from one end to the other as Fatawu raced in from the right and unleashed a powerful shot which shook the crossbar.

Leeds immediately moved into the Leicester area and Crysencio Summerville went down under pressure from Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira.

Referee Dean Whitestone waved away all appeals, much to Farke’s anger.  He made his feelings known in the technical area, with his protests seeing him shown a yellow card.

Leeds continued to put pressure on Leicester after the break and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen could only parry a Piroe shot, but there was no-one to take advantage of the loose ball.

Leeds who broke the deadlock when a Daniel James corner was met by Sam Byram’s header, which was pushed out by Hermansen. The Dane may have got lucky moments earlier, but this time the ball fell into Rutter’s path and he scored from close range for his third of the season.

Maresca had been planning to take off Jamie Vardy and replace him with Kelechi Iheanacho as the goal went in, a move which then happened with Leicester a goal down.

Leeds threatened a second with 17 minutes to go as James broke clear, but his low drive was smothered by Hermansen.

Leicester laid siege to the Leeds goal in the closing stages, but could not find the equaliser.

Paris St Germain climbed to the top of Ligue 1 after goals from Lee Kang-in, Warren Zaire-Emery and Vitinha secured a 3-0 win over Montpellier.

PSG dominated proceedings at the Parc des Princes as they registered a fifth straight victory in all competitions.

It was also a vastly improved display from Luis Enrique’s side following their scratchy 3-2 win over Brest last weekend.

They will be top until Sunday at least, when Nice get the chance to move back to the summit when they host Rennes.

PSG burst into life in the ninth minute when Achraf Hakimi overlapped down the right and squared the ball into the area.

Kylian Mbappe let the ball run between his legs and South Korea forward Lee took a touch before lashing his shot into the top corner from 15 yards.

Montpellier’s cause was not helped when defender Issiaga Sylla limped out of the action after only 20 minutes.

Ousmane Dembele almost doubled the lead when he outstripped substitute Theo Sainte-Luce but his angled drive was well saved by Benjamin Lecomte.

From the corner, Mbappe met a headed clearance with a volley which flew narrowly wide.

In first-half stoppage time another sweeping move saw Lee and Mbappe combine to tee up Dembele but his shot was deflected over by Sainte-Luce.

After the break Zaire-Emery waltzed into the Montpellier area only to place his effort straight at Lecomte.

The visiting keeper then palmed away a fierce drive from Hakimi with Dembele unable to convert the rebound.

The second goal arrived in the 58th minute, and it was another spectacular strike.

Zaire-Emery, still only 17, played in Dembele and continued his run into the area, collecting a clever backheel from his team-mate and thumping the finish past Lecomte.

Substitute Vitinha added the third eight minutes later, sweeping Hakimi’s pull-back from the byline past Lecomte from the edge of the box.

Mbappe, for once overshadowed by his goalscoring team-mates, tried to get in on the act but his drive from 20 yards flew over the crossbar.

The busy Lecomte had to be on his toes to prevent another sub, Fabian Ruiz, adding his name to the scoresheet with a fine save low to his right as PSG were forced to settle for three.

Plucky Horsham twice came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Barnsley as substitute Tom Richards earned them an FA Cup first-round replay.

Barnsley took a 14th-minute lead when Jamie McCart’s ball into the area was met by a close-range header from Max Watters.

The visitors equalised eight minutes later when Shamir Fenelon produced a fine finish after Dan Ajakaiye caused problems for the Barnsley defence with his pace.

After Barnsley’s Callum Styles struck the bar, James Hammond put Horsham ahead from a 38th-minute penalty after Ajakaiye was fouled by Corey O’Keeffe inside the area.

Barnsley were back on level terms in first-half stoppage time when Fabio Jalo scored with a superb curling effort, and the hosts regained the lead in the 64th minute when Mael de Gevigney headed in O’Keeffe’s corner.

Horsham, though, drew level again in the 81st minute when Jack Strange found Lucas Rodrigues and he squared to fellow replacement Richards to tap in.

It was a spirited performance from Horsham, who are in the seventh tier, against League One opposition.

Sheppey United’s historic FA Cup run was ended with a 4-1 defeat to League Two Walsall.

The eighth-tier outfit, who sit 73 places below the Saddlers in the English football pyramid, were competing in the first round proper for the first time in their 123-year history.

A packed house of 1,400 were crammed in at Holm Park to roar on the lowest-ranked side left in the competition on the biggest night in the club’s history.

They were sent into euphoria when James Bessey-Saldanha opened the scoring for the Isthmian League South East Division side with a stunning 25-yard strike against the run of play in the 21st minute.

Scaffolder Connor Wilkins cleared Douglas James-Taylor’s effort off the line before Billericay penalty hero Aiden Prall produced some fine saves to keep out Isaac Hutchinson and Ryan Stirk in the first half.

The Ites were frustratingly undone by an error of their own making when a stray back pass fell to James-Taylor, who expertly fired across Prall just after the half hour.

The Saddlers’ dominance paid in the second half. Tom Knowles fired the visitors in front with a fine strike eight minutes after the restart.

On-loan Motherwell midfielder Ross Tierney wrapped up the tie with his sweeping 63rd-minute effort.

Hutchinson added gloss as he poked home the fourth late on after Prall fumbled under pressure.

The Football Association is investigating whether Sandro Tonali breached betting rules after he joined Newcastle.

The 23-year-old Italy midfielder, who moved to the Magpies from AC Milan for £55million over the summer, has been suspended for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation.

Tonali was alleged to have placed bets on games involving former clubs Brescia and Milan during his spells with them.

The ban was subsequently ratified by FIFA after Tonali agreed a plea bargain as part of an investigation into illegal betting activity.

The PA news agency understands the FA is now investigating whether he was involved in gambling on football following his move to England.

Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth admits the probe into Tonali has been “a whirlwind” and a “massive shock”.

Tonali found himself at the centre of the probe during last month’s international break.

“It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us. It came from nowhere,” said Ashworth.

“We first became aware of it when was there a potential allegation on social media. I spoke with his representatives and it just happened really quickly.

“Our first thought was to protect our player, he is part of our family, and to give him the help and support he needed. We wanted to understand exactly what had happened and work transparently with the authorities.

“Sandro wanted to do that from the off as well. It was a bit of a whirlwind really. We got to where we were on Friday where the ban had been signed off and agreed with the Italian federation, FIFA and our own Football Association.”

The ban means Tonali will not be eligible to return to competitive action until August 27, 2024 and Ashworth knows he will be a big miss to the squad.

“Like any player we will miss him of course, he is a top player and a big signing. To contextualise it, it could have been an ACL,” Ashworth said.

“These things happen in football, but obviously when it happens in this context it’s not something you expect. For me, from the minute it happened, you look at yourself.

“What could we have done better? What could I have done better? What are the lessons learned from this? Could we have known? Should we have known? You look at your processes.

“I’ve been doing this for 16 years and nothing like this has happened before. We pride ourselves on due diligence and getting the right characters.

“You have all seen the culture and cohesion in the group is extremely strong, and that’s not by chance.

“We spend an immense amount of time looking at the character as well as the athlete. We have and will continue to review what we have done in the past and will do going forward.”

In addition to his ban, Tonali was fined 20,000 euros and will undergo eight months of therapy as well as carrying out a series of public appearances.

Meanwhile, manager Eddie Howe confirmed the player is still training with the club.

In his Friday press conference, Howe said: “He is training with us and he’s started that lonely journey – I say lonely, he’s around his team-mates but we’re playing so many games at the moment that a lot of his sessions will be individual or small numbers.

“He’s started that journey into the 10 months so it’s going to be a real mental test for him to try and come through that period and become a better player, which is definitely our objective as coaches to try and help him.

“It’s going to be difficult for him for sure.”

Ashworth echoed Howe’s sentiments, adding: “Our first port of call is to look after and support him. It’s probably more difficult for him than anyone else.

“We have a programme to support him and thankfully he’s able to train with the team, which is great for his mental well-being.

“We’re putting together a programme of what he can and can’t do over the coming months to get him back flying in August.”

Nick Montgomery has challenged Hibernian to take a big step towards more cup glory by eliminating Aberdeen in Saturday’s Viaplay Cup semi-final.

The Hibees last won a trophy in 2016 when they claimed the Scottish Cup for the first time in 114 years, while they last got their hands on the League Cup in 2007.

Current left-back Lewis Stevenson, 35, was involved in both of those triumphs while club captain Paul Hanlon, 33, played in the most recent one.

Both players are in contention to start against the Dons this weekend as the Hibees bid to set up a final showdown with city rivals Hearts or Rangers.

“There’s a lot of history at the club,” said Montgomery. “The past is the past but there are some great memories there.

“Now there is an opportunity for some of the players who have been there before to try and get to that moment again and for some of the players who have never been there to try and get to that moment.

“Any time you get to a cup final, it’s something to look back on in your career. Right now it’s 90 minutes plus extra time or whatever it is, and we’ll give everything we’ve got to try and make sure we get to the final.”

Montgomery, who was appointed Hibs boss in September, is looking forward to leading his team to Hampden less than two months after his first trip to the national stadium.

“I’ve never played or managed there,” he said. “The first time I visited was the Scotland v England game when I first arrived here in Scotland.

“I’m really looking forward to leading the team out tomorrow. It’s a special occasion at a special stadium and I’m looking forward to seeing plenty of our fans there in full voice.”

Hibs have drawn five of their seven league matches under Montgomery, with one win and one defeat.

“We’ve had a couple of draws that I feel we played well enough to win in and we’ve let a two-goal lead slip twice so it’s something we have to fix because getting into the lead is not easy,” he said.

“We have to be more resilient in terms of holding on to those leads. I think we’ve played some good football but there’s plenty improvement to make, especially in terms of concentration.

“You have to concentrate for the full game, especially defensively, like we did against Celtic (when drawing 0-0 last weekend). We have to make sure we do that every game because we know we’ve got goals in the team.

“For me, it’s been eight weeks of learning about the team, the players, the individuals and myself, and I think we’re close to being a good team. What we have to do now is turn those draws into wins but that’s all out the window this weekend because there can’t be a draw.”

Simone Inzaghi is braced for Inter Milan to “suffer” as the Serie A leaders travel to Bergamo on Saturday to face an Atalanta side who have not conceded a goal at home this season.

Inter are in front of Juventus by two points ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, with the Nerazzurri winning all four league matches on the road in this campaign without letting in one goal.

However, the visit to Atalanta represents their stiffest away fixture so far and Inter head coach Inzaghi accepts his side will not have everything their own way at the Gewiss Stadium.

“The facts don’t lie,” Inzaghi told Inter TV. “These are two physical teams with a lot of weapons. It’ll be a great game at a tough ground.

“Without a doubt, we’ll need to be really alert again; we’ve defended well in recent weeks. The boys will be tested and we’ll need to suffer as a unit at times because we know our opponents well.

“Atalanta haven’t conceded many, and none at all at home. They’re playing really well in defence but they’ve always been a team that concedes very little. We’ll need to do well in this regard.”

Marcus Thuram has made an impression since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer and took his tally for the season to four goals in 10 matches with the winner against Roma last weekend.

Inzaghi has been heartened at how quickly Thuram has found his feet but insisted there is room for improvement.

“Marcus has been great,” Inzaghi added. “All the boys have been working hard since 13 July; we always think about ‘us’ and not ‘I’. They’re working really well together, as a group.

“Marcus has settled in really nicely thanks to the help he’s received from us all and he still has room to get even better. He needs to keep growing at the rate he has been since he got here.”

Atalanta pushed Inter all the way in their two league fixtures last season, losing both 3-2, while Inzaghi’s prevailed 1-0 in the Coppa Italia quarter-final en route to going all the way.

It has been five years since Atalanta have defeated their next opponents but while manager Gian Piero Gasperini is wary of what lies ahead, he welcomes the challenge.

He told a press conference: “We will play the undoubtedly strongest team (in the league), not just because of their results.

“Inter have grown, they have added a lot of new players and have considerable options to choose from. Likewise, we’re on a roll. It will be a good test, a big match indeed.”

This will be the start of three fixtures in eight days for Atalanta, who welcome Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday before a trip to take on Udinese next Sunday.

Gasperini added: “We are fully focused on the Inter game at the moment.”

Erik ten Hag goes into Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League trip to Fulham with pressure mounting on his position having presided over Manchester United’s worst start to a season in decades.

Here, the PA news agency looks at their statistics so far.

Theatre of screams

United have lost eight of their first 15 games, including five out of 10 at home as Old Trafford’s former ‘fortress’ status has eroded.

Only once before in their history, way back in 1930-31, have United lost five of their first 10 home games in all competitions.

Manchester City, in the Premier League, and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup have inflicted back-to-back three-goal home defeats – the first time United have suffered that fate since 1962.

Their form is in stark contrast to last season, when Ten Hag’s side only lost two home games in total – to Brighton in the league and Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

The one slightly more encouraging omen is that both of those came before the middle of September, with Ten Hag able to then turn the ship around with a 32-game unbeaten home run to the end of the season which included 13 straight wins from October 19 to February 4.

Premier League low point

United’s record from their opening 10 league games also shows an even split of five wins and five losses, with home advantage making no difference – they have won three and lost three at home, along with two and two away.

That leaves their average points per game at 1.5, lower than it has been for any full Premier League season – they are on track for 57 points at that rate, one fewer than their lowest Premier League total when they finished sixth in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, there are five occasions when they have lost fewer than their current five games over an entire Premier League season – including three each in back-to-back years in 1998-99 and 1999-2000, as well as four in a 42-game season in 1993-94. The others came in 2008-09 and 2010-11, both with four losses, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams winning the league on all five occasions.

Their worst goal difference at any stage of a Premier League season is minus-six, after they lost 6-1 to Tottenham in their third game of the 2020-21 season – though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side did at least recover to finish second, albeit 12 points behind Manchester City. They are currently only one goal better off, meaning defeat to Fulham would see them at least match that low point.

Ten Hag’s philosophy

In a clip from his press conference ahead of the Fulham game, share on United’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account, Ten Hag said: “I came here with my philosophy based on possession, but also to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United and with the competences and characters of the players. Last season we have seen what that was, we played very good football.

“This season the philosophy is not different, only I want to emphasise more on going direct. They thought I want to play long balls but I want to play from the back, we want to press from different blocks and then go direct because we have the players who are very good at it.”

They have averaged 53.2 per cent of possession in Premier League games and 48 per cent in the Champions League, with an overall average of 53.8 per cent thanks to a pair of ball-dominant League Cup outings as they even had 62 per cent of the ball in the hammering against Newcastle.

Tony Docherty revealed his Dundee players are back in a “buoyant” mood following their comprehensive midweek defeat by Rangers as they prepare for the visit of Livingston on Sunday.

The Dark Blues lost 5-0 at home to the Light Blues on Wednesday night and their first loss in five games left them ninth in the cinch Premiership, one point ahead of second-bottom Livi whom they beat 2-0 in West Lothian last weekend.

The Gers match was delayed by 45 minutes after the Rangers team bus was held up in traffic and then suspended for 18 minutes after the travelling fans let off a large number of flares that triggered fire alarms under the stand.

Boss Docherty has consigned an unusual evening to history to concentrate on Livi and the challenges they will present.

He said: “We’ve addressed that, we’ve analysed it and we move on from it. It’s now Livingston at home and our sole focus is on that.

“I think the way we can identify that was this morning’s training.

“They came in the door and as a result of the game the other night, they are not feeling the best but when they leave they’re feeling really good about themselves.

“We had a really good training session and we’ve done a session analysing the game and they went back out the door all fully prepared for that Livingston game.

“So I think you can gauge it that way, the way the players are, and they were really buoyant going out the door after a healthy training day.”

Docherty’s newly-promoted side lost 3-0 to Celtic last month before going on a four-game unbeaten run against Kilmarnock, Hibernian, Ross County and Livingston and he is looking for a similar reaction following the loss to the other half of the Old Firm.

He said: “I would say the Rangers game was probably below the standard that the players have set.

“The last time we had a game against Celtic we lost 3-0 and I said to the players, these Old Firm games won’t determine our fate, but it is important how we react.

“After the Celtic game, we had a draw at Easter Road, a draw at home to Ross County and we beat Livingston so the reaction from the last game against one of the Old Firm was really good and so I am hoping and confident I will get the same reaction from the players this time.”

Victor Osimhen will miss Napoli’s Serie A derby against Salernitana with the striker due back with the squad next week to continue his recovery from injury.

The 24-year-old, a reported target of Manchester United and Chelsea, has been out since mid-October with a hamstring problem.

Osimhen was granted permission by the club to travel home to Nigeria but he will return over the next few days to build up his fitness.

“He has made an agreement with the club,” head coach Rudi Garcia told a press conference.

“I’ve heard from him by message, and the doctors assure me that he is following the program. Everything is fine and he will be with us next week.”

Napoli will travel to Salernitana without Osimhen or young striker Lorenzo Russo.

“It’s not that I don’t care, but whether it’s Osimhen or Russo, injured together, cannot play and therefore I focus on who can play,” added Garcia.

“It won’t be an easy match, it’s a derby first of all, they need points, but we only have one positive result to achieve, the victory there, and we have to field the best version of Napoli, we know what to do.”

Napoli currently lie fifth in the table and are already seven points behind leaders Inter Milan.

But they did hit back from two goals down at half-time to draw 2-2 with AC Milan on Sunday thanks to second-half goals from Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori.

“We’re a quarter of the way through the championship, three quarters remain to get back to whoever is in front,” said Garcia.

“We conceded two goals from Milan’s first two actions, we didn’t do badly, we should have done better on the two goals, but we also had the chance to make it 1-1, but that’s over now and let’s focus on tomorrow.

“Obviously when a team comes back from 0-2 to almost 3-2 at the last minute the second half was better in terms of results. It’s always better to end on a positive note.”

Salernitana lie bottom of the table, without a win so far and with four points from their opening 10 matches.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) on Friday announced that Interim Head Coach of the Senior Women’s National Team, Xavier Gilbert, would remain coach for the Reggae Girlz upcoming Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifiers.

The Girlz will first host Panama on November 29 before taking on Guatemala away on December 3.

Gilbert took over as Interim Head Coach after the departure of Lorne Donaldson with his first two assignments being a pair of Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifiers against the same two teams on October 25 and 29 with a makeshift squad.

They suffered a 1-2 defeat in Panama on the 25^th before playing out a 2-2 draw with Guatemala four days later at the National Stadium.

“The JFF commends Xavier (Gilbert) and the Senior Reggae Girlz for the recent performances against Panama and Guatemala and is grateful for their response to the call to represent Jamaica and the JFF with such sterling performances,” said the JFF in a statement on Friday.

“We look forward to the upcoming games and hope that more fans will turn out to lend their support,” the statement ended.

 Panama currently lead the group with six points from their three games, two points ahead of Guatemala in second and five ahead of the Reggae Girlz in third.

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli is happy with the cohesion amongst his players but says performances still need to improve as they prepare to host Udinese on Saturday.

Milan threw away a two goal lead last weekend at Napoli as Olivier Giroud put them 2-0 up before the hosts scored two second-half goals to share the spoils.

Despite sitting third in Serie A, Milan are now without a win in their last two and Pioli would like his team to improve their performances.

He said in quotes reported on AC Milan’s official website: “I’m extremely satisfied with the group that’s been formed, as I am with our identity.

“I can safely say that I never have any doubts about the togetherness and cohesion; the lads are open and their attitude has always been top notch.

“Even in the Scudetto-winning year, we weren’t as together as this group are.

“But we do need to up our performances from a technical and concentration point of view.”

Milan will look to put things right when they play Udinese at San Siro, who have yet to pick up a win this season despite drawing seven of their opening 10 games.

Pioli expects Udinese to sit deep defensively and admits it could be tough to break them down.

He added: “I believe Udinese will play a waiting game and line up with a tight, low block.

“The main difficulties will be finding the right spaces to surprise them, but at the same time not be left open ourselves on the counter.

“We’ll need to remain composed, patient and compact. We’ll put our best possible side out there tomorrow; we want to win and then start to think about the Champions League.”

Striker Giroud has made a bright start to the season so far having scored six times and assisted three goals throughout the opening nine games, and is the league’s second top scorer behind Lautaro Martinez.

Pioli has hailed his front man and thinks he is among the best strikers he has managed throughout his career.

He said: “Giroud is a great person and player; I’ve always been lucky to coach many top centre-forwards, and he is certainly one of them.

“We all need to improve because that one per cent extra from everyone can make the difference.”