Rangers have condemned the graffiti and stickers left in the away end at Ibrox after Saturday’s cinch Premiership match with Hibernian which mocked the disaster at the stadium in 1971.

Under 1,000 Hibs supporters were in attendance for the 4-0 defeat and when they left it emerged that some seats had been defaced with the number 66.

The 1971 Ibrox disaster was a crush among the crowd at a Rangers v Celtic game which led to 66 deaths.

There were also photographs of stairway 13, where the disaster occurred, stuck on the seats, with the images accompanied by the words, “Stairwell Thirteen – it’s the greatest sight that I have ever seen”.

Graffiti also mocked the death of Queen Elizabeth II and supported the IRA.

A Rangers spokesperson said: “Rangers condemns in the strongest possible terms the graffiti and stickers left by a section of the Hibernian supporters at Ibrox this afternoon.

“The Ibrox disaster remains the darkest day in our club’s history, and continues to affect a number of families to this day.

“The mocking and celebration of such an event is outrageous, and has no place in any football stadium or society as a whole.

“Rangers will be pleased to work with Hibernian to identify those responsible.”

A Hibernian FC spokesperson said: “Hibernian FC is aware of the intolerable graffiti and stickers found in the away end at Ibrox today and condemns the behaviour of the individuals that were involved.

“The club will work with Rangers to identify those responsible and will take the most serious action possible against anyone involved.

“If any Hibernian FC supporter has any information that could assist the club to help identify these individuals, they should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and the information provided will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.”

Dani Carvajal’s 78th-minute header rescued a point for LaLiga leaders Real Madrid during a frustrating 1-1 draw at Sevilla.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men had two early goals disallowed before David Alaba put through his own net to raise the possibility of a second defeat of the season.

Sevilla were denied a first victory under the tenure of Diego Alonso though when Carvajal headed home Toni Kroos’ late free-kick to ensure Madrid will go into next weekend’s ‘El Clasico’ at rivals Barcelona as divisional leaders.

Ancelotti rotated his options for the trip to Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, with Alaba, Kroos and Rodrygo recalled to the starting line-up after the 4-0 victory over Osasuna a fortnight ago.

Sevilla had changed management during the international break and new head coach Alonso almost watched his team go behind after only four minutes.

Federico Valverde was first to a loose ball outside the area and then latched on to Jude Bellingham’s lay off before his cross-shot deflected into the net via ex-team-mate Sergio Ramos.

It was subsequently ruled out though after Bellingham had been in an offside position when he collected Valverde’s header.

The LaLiga leaders were celebrating again in the eighth minute but referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea had controversially already blown his whistle to stop play by the time Bellingham rolled into the empty net.

Madrid broke at lightning pace after Antonio Rudiger nipped in to beat Lucas Ocampos, who went down after being caught in the back, and Rodrygo raced through on goal, rounded Sevilla goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and flicked into the path of Bellingham, who slotted into the corner.

Referee de Burgos Bengoetxea had already signalled a halt to proceedings to seemingly check on Ocampos before play resumed with a drop ball for Madrid, despite the visitors expressing their bemusement at the early stoppage of play.

Sevilla settled after a difficult start and should have broken the deadlock in the 23rd minute.

Ocampos embarked on a fine run and played into Ivan Rakitic, who showed great composure to cut inside Kroos, but his left-footed effort was cleared off the line by Madrid captain Carvajal.

The danger was not over there, with the ball being cleared to Ocampos but his 25-yard curler was pushed away by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

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Alonso’s men were buoyed by that opportunity and created another opening minutes later when Ocampos flicked into the path of Djibril Sow, who curled wide from a promising position.

Madrid remained a constant threat and their old captain Ramos denied Alaba in the 34th-minute with a wonderful block following Kroos’ wicked set-piece delivery.

A breathless half ended goalless but the visitors were unhappy as they walked off at the break after Vinicius Jr had gone down under contact from Navas minutes before the first 45 were up.

The same duo were involved in a flashpoint at the beginning of the second period when Navas flicked the ball through Vinicius Jr’s legs and Ferland Mendy reacted by barging into the Sevilla captain, but referee de Burgos Bengoetxea kept his cards in his pocket.

Nyland had to be alert soon after to deny Rodrygo’s low effort before Ramos impressively blocked a volley by Kroos.

The influence of ex-Madrid captain Ramos continued to grow and he played his part in Sevilla making the breakthrough with 16 minutes left.

Ramos passed out wide to Navas, who whipped in a wicked delivery from the left that team-mate Youssef En-Nesyri missed, but Alaba could only deflect the ball beyond his own goalkeeper Kepa.

Sevilla’s celebrations were cut short four minutes later when Madrid captain Carvajal headed home at the near-post after he beat En-Nesyri in the air to a Kroos free-kick.

It set up a grandstand finish in Andalusia and Ramos was at the centre of the action with Kepa saving his header before Ocampos drilled wide following an excellent run by Navas.

Ocampos and Ramos were involved as tempers started to rise late on when Vinicius Jr and Nyland clashed over the hosts’ attempts to time waste.

There was still time for stoppage-time drama with Ramos heading over from two yards from Suso’s cross before a last-gasp Kroos free-kick was hit straight down the throat of Nyland, which ensured it finished 1-1 in Seville.

Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich maintain their unbeaten start with a 3-1 win at Mainz.

Kingsley Coman and Kane put ruthless Bayern 2-0 up inside 16 minutes before Anthony Caci pulled a goal back just before the break.

Leon Goretzka restored Bayern’s two-goal lead just before the hour and Bayern remain unbeaten and sit third in the Bundesliga, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Mainz are still looking for their first league win of the season and stay second bottom with just two points from eight games.

Kane, fresh from his brace in the 3-1 win over Italy which helped England qualify for Euro 2024, now has nine league goals in eight games.

Joshua Kimmich had fired a speculative effort off target before Bayern scored two quickfire goals.

After 11 minutes Coman was left free on the right to receive Leroy Sane’s ball and fire in a low shot from 15 yards after a rapid Bayern counter.

Three minutes later the hosts nearly levelled when Sven Ulreich denied Lee Jae-sung.

Kane had failed to score in Bayern’s previous two games, the Champions League win in Copenhagen and the 3-0 win over Freiburg earlier this month but grabbed a second five minutes later.

A short free-kick from Bayern was eventually tossed into the box and Kane headed in from close range after Goretzka had nodded the ball back from the byline to put Bayern in control.

Mainz had scored just six goals in their first seven games of the season but they grabbed a lifeline two minutes before the break when Caci beat Ulreich from a tight angle to get them back into the game.

Kimmich tried his luck just after the break and after 58 minutes Mainz were inches away when Danny da Costa teed up Stefan Bell to fire just wide – it was a miss which they paid for just a minute later.

The hosts failed to clear and Goretzka collected Jamal Musiala’s pass on the edge of the area to find the bottom corner to make it 3-1.

Bayern, chasing down Leverkusen who won 2-1 at Wolfsburg earlier on Saturday, took their foot off the pedal with the game won.

They travel to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday knowing victory, their third, would put them in charge of Group A.

Thomas Muller came off the bench for the final two minutes and Bayern ran down the clock for an ultimately comfortable victory.

Arsenal stung Chelsea with a stunning late fightback as they came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel Arteta’s side looked to be heading to a first defeat of the season when Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross-shot looped over David Raya minutes after the interval, adding to the lead given to them by Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty.

The visitors were far from their free-flowing best and Mauricio Pochettino’s side, inspired by the increasingly influential Palmer on the right of a front three, were for three-quarters of the game good value for what would have been a third straight league win.

But the pendulum swung when Robert Sanchez’s careless pass presented the ball to Declan Rice who cut the arrears, before Leandro Trossard stunned the home fans into silence with a close-range finish in the closing minutes to earn Arsenal a draw and move them level on points at the top of the Premier League.

For the first time under Pochettino, Chelsea started without a recognised striker, Raheem Sterling instead lining up centrally, flanked by in-form pair Palmer and Mudryk.

They took the lead after 14 minutes. Sterling crossed from the right into the six-yard box, and as William Saliba leapt with an arm raised, Mudryk’s header cannoned off it from close range. It took several minutes for referee Chris Kavanagh to be called to the pitchside monitor, but once checked there was little delay in awarding a penalty.

Palmer dispatched coolly past David Raya for his second Chelsea goal.

Arsenal had started sluggishly and it took until the 20-minute mark for their first opening, Martin Odegaard threading the ball into the left channel for Rice to stride onto, but his awkward right-footed effort clipped towards Sanchez’s far corner zipped wide of the post.

Palmer has been one of the catalysts of Chelsea’s sudden ascent to attacking potency under Pochettino, pulling strings whether collecting the ball deep or taking up a more advanced role. His impact was critical in consecutive wins against Brighton, Fulham and Burnley during which the team scored seven goals off the back of three scoreless matches, and here again he was the difference.

He had the chance to double the lead when Conor Gallagher, captain again with Reece James fit only for a late cameo, took the initiative and drove through the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, slipping the ball in to Palmer who found room in between Saliba and Gabriel to get off a low drive which flashed inches wide of Raya’s far post.

Chelsea might have pulled further clear in the closing minutes of the half, Sterling with a familiar burst down the right, slipping the ball to Malo Gusto who showed the finishing instincts of a full-back and ballooned over.

The second half began with a moment to forget for Arsenal goalkeeper Raya. Ben White gave the ball away to Gallagher inside the Chelsea half, and carrying the ball up the left flank he fed the overlapping Mudryk.

There seemed to be little on as the Ukrainian assessed options inside the box. Raya was positioned ready for a cross, but in doing so he left too much room behind him into which Mudryk’s ball drifted, sailing clean over the keeper, who flapped helplessly as it landed in the net.

Raya’s afternoon was going from bad to worse. Minutes after conceding, he was almost culpable for Chelsea’s third when he rolled the ball recklessly to the feet of Palmer who narrowly failed to nip around the goalkeeper and bury Arsenal.

Then, with Arteta’s side looking beaten, fortune turned in their favour. Rice hauled them back into it with 14 minutes to play and it was another goalkeeping error, this time from Sanchez.

Chelsea’s summer signing has repeatedly been culpable in recent games of conceding possession with poor distribution. Here, under little pressure, he passed the ball straight to the feet of Rice, who with quickness of thought thumped it first time from 30 yards beyond the stranded keeper.

Then the final sting for Pochettino.

Bukayo Saka was given time on the edge of the box to shift the ball from right foot to left, and with vision and precision, he picked out the run of Trossard who stole in behind Chelsea with a lunging right leg to divert it past Sanchez.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice as Napoli relaunched their Serie A title defence with a 3-1 victory at struggling Hellas Verona.

Recent underwhelming form saw Rudi Garcia’s men suffer a home defeat by Fiorentina last time out but they were always likely to get more from a trip to a Verona side who were winless in six matches heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash.

Matteo Politano made the first-half breakthrough before Kvaratskhelia scored either side of the break to render Darko Lazovic’s response largely redundant as Napoli consolidated themselves in fifth, not far behind the leading pack.

Napoli were first to threaten as Giacomo Raspadori forced Lorenzo Montipo to punch clear from a venomous free-kick in the seventh minute.

Raspadori soon tried again, this time connecting with a Mario Rui touch to test Montipo from distance. The Verona goalkeeper parried for a corner but he was not so successful in the 27th minute when Napoli opened the scoring.

Mario Rui, Piotr Zielinski and Raspadori tied Verona up in knots with a series of short passes before the latter crossed to an unmarked Politano for a volleyed left-footed finish at the far post.

There was almost a quickfire second when Jens Cajuste, put through by the slick Raspadori, spanked it wide from a one-on-one with Montipo.

Kvaratskhelia gave Napoli a two-goal lead before half-time, however. A rapid counter-attack down the right side gave Politano plenty of time to pick out the Georgian on the other flank for a low drive inside the near post.

Verona tried to slash the deficit as soon as play resumed, with Federico Bonazzoli latching onto Milan Djuric’s pass and fizzing it towards Alex Meret in the Napoli goal.

Instead Kvaratskhelia fired the Partenopei well clear when, in the 55th minute, he collected another Politano assist and coolly beat Montipo.

Lazovic promptly bit back for wounded Verona, though, when the visitors failed to deal with Davide Faraoni’s cross on the hour mark and the Serbian scorched one in.

With a potential comeback on the cards the game opened up and Djuric and Politano enjoyed opportunities at either end before Meret pulled off a desperate stop to deny Bonazzoli before needing to keep Lazovic at bay not long after.

Substitute Alessio Zerbin looked to rubber-stamp the Napoli win as time ticked away but Montipo prevented further damage by blocking the daisy cutter with his legs, limiting the winning margin to two goals.

Manchester United and England great Sir Bobby Charlton has died aged 86, his family have announced in a statement.

Charlton was a key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team and also enjoyed great success at club level with United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.

A statement on behalf of the Charlton family said: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning. He was surrounded by his family.”

Preston boss Ryan Lowe hailed a hard-earned point as his side snapped their three-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw at home to Millwall.

It took just three minutes for North End to get on the scoresheet, as Danish striker Mads Frokjær-Jensen coolly slotted home his third goal of the season.

But the Lions, in their first match following the dismissal of Gary Rowett earlier this week, hit back through a magical turn and finish from Zian Flemming after half an hour.

Both sides had chances to take all three points, with Millwall youngster Aidomo Emakhu rattling the crossbar and Ched Evans going close for the hosts on his return from injury after seven months out.

And Lowe was relieved to take a point from a breathless affair as his side look to return to their early-season form.

“It’s all about finding a way to get points on the board, and we’ve done that today,” he said.

“We were fantastic in the first 15 minutes, but then they pegged us back. Flemming is a top player, and he’s put their equaliser right in the top bins.

“We’ve got bodies up the pitch and we created a really strong impetus, but it just wasn’t enough unfortunately.

“Millwall were really hanging on towards the end, but as I’ve said many times before, if you can’t win, just make sure you don’t lose.

“The final ball just quite wasn’t there I suppose. It was a 90 per cent performance from us today, but we need another per cent.

“We know exactly what Millwall are like. They’re a decent side, but we have to move on now and see what Wednesday brings.”

A major positive for Lowe was the return of striker Evans, who came off the bench after recovering from surgery for a neck and spine problem that had left him sidelined since April.

“Just to see Ched on the pitch was brilliant. I’m really pleased for him,” added Lowe.

“It’s been a long time coming, and he looked a real threat, just as we expect.

“Ched’s a warrior, he’s had a big scare, but I’m pleased for him and his family that he’s fully fit again.”

Millwall came into the lunchtime kick-off after a dramatic week in South London that saw Rowett relieved of his duties after four years in charge at the Den.

Interim boss Adam Barrett praised the way his players have dealt with the situation to earn a valuable point on the road.

“I was delighted with the application and the attitude of all the lads,” he said.

“It’s been a hectic few days with what’s gone on, but the lads are experienced and it’s all been quite seamless really. This is football, and we move on.

“I’m delighted with the point. It was quite a nervy start from the lads, and we didn’t get out of the blocks in the manner I’d have liked.

“We reacted really well after that opening 10 or 15 minutes, though. We moved the ball well and got ourselves a great goal.

“The second half was a bit scrappy, and a bit too stop-start. I was pleased with how the lads dug in, though. This is a good point away at a really strong Preston side.”

Preston halted a run of three straight defeats with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at home to managerless Millwall.

Now without the departed Gary Rowett, the Lions turned in a solid display as the hosts struggled to find a way through their resolute defence.

An at-times feisty encounter produced an eye-catching opening half-an-hour, but after that it never really scaled the heights at any point.

Preston’s Duane Holmes had already gone close before Adam Barrett’s second stint in caretaker charge of the Lions got off to a nightmare start.

In only the third minute a smart North End move culminated with Will Keane flicking the ball to Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, and the talented Dane coolly slotted past Bartosz Bialkowski from 12 yards.

Ryan Lowe’s hosts had flown out of the blocks, but Millwall were then thwarted by the woodwork in the eighth minute.

Aidomo Emakhu darted down the right before seeing a deflected strike brilliantly palmed onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

A real ding-dong battle continued with North End going close again when Holmes ran energetically through the middle before his rasping shot was beaten away by Bialkowski.

At the other end Emakhu charged towards the heart of the North End defence before seeing Woodman calmly hold on to his 20-yard drive.

A cracking strike evened the scores on the half-hour mark as Allan Campbell played a neat touch to Zian Flemming, with the Dutchman then curling home sweetly into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Millwall created the first opening of the second period, with tidy approach play setting up Campbell inside the box, but he fired disappointingly straight at Woodman.

As the Lions continued to press, Flemming dived in spectacularly but could not quite stretch enough to meet Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s super cross.

Finally the hosts found themselves some forward rhythm, only for the Lions’ rear-guard to continually stand strong.

As the 70-minute mark passed there was precious little goalmouth incident, though North End threatened when Brad Potts’ volleyed cross deflected off Millwall’s Joe Bryan before being saved by an alert Bialkowski.

Ched Evans – on as a substitute after missing seven months out injured – also went close with a flicked header.

Millwall replied with Flemming firing a rather disappointing free-kick way off target with the final action of the game, something that summed up what had been a hugely below-par effort from both teams in the second 45 minutes.

Mohamed Salah became the first Liverpool player since Peter Beardsley 32 years ago to score in Anfield’s opening four league matches with both goals in a 2-0 victory over 10-man Everton in the 243rd Merseyside derby.

Ashley Young, who has played in some of the world’s biggest cross-city clashes in Manchester, Milan and Birmingham, was sent for a second bookable offence shortly before half-time to make the Toffees’ task of ending their woeful record across Stanley Park even more difficult.

Salah converted a 75th-minute penalty after a Michael Keane handball and then converted a counter-attack in added time which meant the Everton fans present were still to see a ‘live’ victory at Anfield since 1999 as their only win in 2021 came behind closed doors during the Covid era.

Egypt international Salah’s penalty was the 15th consecutive Premier League match in which he had either scored or assisted and brought up Liverpool’s 50th goal against Everton at Anfield in the Premier League.

It was also his 200th career league goal, but his second was his 104th at home for Liverpool, taking him past greats Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard into fifth place on the club’s all-time Anfield scorers list.

But despite Salah’s stellar statistics this was far from a classic derby encounter, even it was a predictably typical one.

Young’s 37th-minute red card – the 29th in this fixture and the 13th of the last 16 to be shown to Everton players – was not quite a turning point as Liverpool were well on top even at that stage but it was contentious.

Luis Diaz looked to have somewhat bought the first yellow when he went down after a tackle on the halfway line but once referee Craig Pawson had given that he had no option when Everton’s right-back brought down the Colombia international on the edge of the area.

Sean Dyche’s response at half-time was to replace his two wingers – Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil – with defenders Nathan Patterson and Michael Keane and switch to a back five.

It did little for striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s prospects, whose only opportunity came just 36 seconds into the game when he headed tamely at Alisson Becker.

After that it was virtually one-way traffic, although Liverpool’s best openings seemed to come on the counter-attack and often from Everton attacking set-pieces.

They had a four-on-two at one stage but when Dominik Szoboszlai released Diaz in the penalty area his delayed shot that allowed Young to block.

Trent Alexander-Arnold drove a free-kick into the wall, Salah muscled McNeil off a 50-50 and curled a shot just over and an Alexis Mac Allister half-volley from 30 yards was claimed at the second attempt by Jordan Pickford.

But Klopp’s side were nowhere near their sharpest in the final third and that played right into Everton’s hands.

Young’s sending-off tipped the balance even further in favour of the home side but they continued to be repelled with Salah’s 52nd-minute shot blocked by James Tarkowski.

Everton’s numerical disadvantage and lack of wingers emboldened Klopp to replace left-back Kostas Tsimikas, making his first start of the season in place of the long-term injured Andy Robertson, with Diaz to allow the introduction of Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott.

Konate, whom Everton’s coaching staff felt should also have had a second yellow card for a foul on Calvert-Lewin’s replacement Beto, was also removed for his own good.

Keane must have wished he could have been afford the same courtesy when his outstretched arm blocked Diaz’s cross.

Dawson initially gave a corner but VAR advised him to review the pitchside monitor and he reversed his decision and Salah sent Pickford the wrong way from the spot.

Elliott and Jota both went close as the onslaught continued but it was Salah who benefited from Nunez’s quick counter-attack as he clipped home his second as Liverpool extended their record to one defeat in the last 28 derbies and Everton slumped to a sixth loss of the season.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri will allow Nicolo Fagioli to spend the seven months of his suspension for betting breaches seeking treatment for his addiction while keeping himself fit for potential involvement in the run-in.

Bianconeri midfielder Fagioli, 22, had five months of a one-year ban suspended this week and was fined 12,500 euros (£10,848), while he agreed to a therapy plan of at least six months to tackle his gambling problem.

The ban means Fagioli – who has the Turin club’s official support – will miss almost the entirety of the Serie A campaign that remains but he will be eligible for the final two games, against Bologna and Monza, in May.

Allegri hopes Juve will then be in a position to challenge for the Scudetto, if they have not already claimed their first championship since 2020, and Fagioli will be enthusiastically welcomed back into the fold to get the Old Lady over the line.

Before Sunday evening’s trip to title rivals AC Milan, the boss told a press conference: “We have said everything regarding Fagioli, the club have expressed their opinion and I agree.

“Now a journey begins for Nicolo that will bring him back to the field in May – these seven months will help him maintain his athletic condition while he engages in social work.”

Going into the weekend Juve were four points behind leaders Milan, with Inter wedged in between the pair, and Allegri plans to extend their three-match unbeaten run with a positive result that would certainly turn up the heat in the title race.

“We’re expecting a good and challenging match tomorrow, with first against third in the standings,” he said. “We know the difficulties this match brings, playing at San Siro is both beautiful and difficult.”

On their hopes of reclaiming their status as top dogs in Italy, he added: “Are we favourites? Our goal is to earn as many points as possible to reach the end of May in the top four.

“In the meantime, let’s enjoy tomorrow’s match against Milan and then we’ll see what we’ve been able to do.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is suspended alongside Fagioli, with the defensive trio of Mattia De Sciglio, Alex Sandro and Danilo out injured.

Milan, who have won four straight league games, are without the banned duo of goalkeeper Mike Maignan and defender Theo Hernandez, while English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is among the high-profile names still on the treatment table.

With Maignan unavailable, Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli is planning to throw veteran stopper Antonio Mirante, 40, into action for the first time this campaign and has no concerns whatsoever about his ability to cope with the Juve attack.

He told reporters: “Will we change the way we play with Mirante in goal? No.

“Antonio knows how to read plays and watch the gaps, so it will be down to the outfield guys to better understand how Juve move and therefore how to deal with them.”

Storm Babet disrupted football in England and Scotland on Saturday as adverse weather conditions swept the UK.

Ross County’s home match against St Mirren in the cinch Premiership was the latest fixture to be postponed north of the border.

And in England, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was involved in an accident after a 40ft electricity pylon smashed onto a car in front of the England international, according to The Sun.

The high voltage power line was pulled up by 70mph winds and landed in front of Alexander-Arnold’s black Range Rover near Knutsford, Cheshire, the newspaper reported.

Alexander-Arnold reportedly slammed on the brakes before colliding with a BMW X5. Cheshire police said nobody was injured in the incident.

The footballer’s agent was contacted by the PA news agency, but declined to comment on the story.

The storm showed no signs of abating as downpours continued to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red “danger to life” warning in place.

After conversations with the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to call the St Mirren game off on Saturday morning with supporters’ safety in mind.

A club statement said a new date and kick-off time would be rearranged in due course.

County’s match at the Global Energy Stadium became the first fixture to be called off on Saturday but several others were already postponed on Friday, including Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to St Johnstone.

Other Saturday fixtures to have fallen include Mansfield’s home clash with Forest Green in Sky Bet League Two, and Altrincham’s match against Dorking in the Vanarama National League.

Chesterfield’s home fixture against Gateshead has also been called off “on the recommendation of various external partner agencies”.

The Scottish Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers – in the worst-hit area of Angus – was called off, as was Greenock’s match against Inverness.

Cove Rangers against Montrose in League One was also postponed along with two games in League Two – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

Saturday’s race card at Market Rasen was also postponed due to standing water on areas of the track.

An inspection was held on Friday but the race course confirmed after 50mm of rainfall in the area that the decision was made to abandon the meeting.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich, scheduled to be played on Friday night, was also postponed due to the stormy conditions.

The area was hit with torrential rain which caused the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium, to burst its banks which left areas around the stadium flooded.

Xavi has urged Barcelona to “recover our ideology” before beginning a critical week of their season.

Barcelona have three home games in the space of six days, starting against Athletic Bilbao in LaLiga on Sunday.

Shakhtar Donetsk provide Champions League opposition on Wednesday and Real Madrid make the trip to the Nou Camp next Saturday for the first El Clasico of the season.

As LaLiga returns following the international break, leaders Real held a three-point advantage over Barcelona.

“At the start of the season, we’ve had some great moments of playing well,” said Xavi, whose side have dropped points in two of their last three league games with 2-2 draws against Mallorca and Granada.

“We must recover our ideology and get the three points by playing well.

“We are in a situation with a lot of absentees, but it won’t be an excuse for the game and to be able to play well.”

Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal have both been declared fit for the Bilbao clash.

But Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde, Pedri, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Sergi Roberto remain unavailable.

Lewandowski, Barca’s top scorer with six this season, is closing in on a return after ankle trouble and Xavi said the Poland forward “has a very good feeling” of returning against Real Madrid.

Xavi said: “He’s a great leader and always goes forward, he wants to be there and he’s hurting less and less every day.

“He has a very good feeling. He always pulls himself forward.

“But there is a lot of variety (in attack) and people with confidence in front of goal. That is great. Last year, we depended a lot on Lewandowski.”

On the potential return of other individuals, Xavi added: “The player’s feelings will tell when he will arrive. We won’t force anyone.

“Feelings are the key and they will mark the return of all of them.”

Bilbao began the weekend in fifth place, four points behind Barcelona after beating Almeria 3-0 before the international break.

The Basques side are managed by Ernesto Valverde, who won two LaLa titles and a Copa Del Rey during his time in charge of Barcelona between May 2017 and January 2020.

Xavi said: “Athletic are very strong physically and technically gifted. Valverde is a great coach and likes to press high.

“I’m expecting a difficult opponent, we have some injuries but that’s no excuse and we need our fans.

“We’re three points behind the leaders. But we have to keep working hard, to keep fighting, and to keep improving, because there is a long way to go in LaLiga.”

Ross County’s home match against St Mirren in the cinch Premiership is the latest fixture to be postponed due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Babet.

The storm shows no signs of abating as downpours continued to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red “danger to life” warning in place.

After conversations with the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to call the St Mirren game off on Saturday morning with supporters’ safety in mind.

A club statement said a new date and kick-off time will be rearranged in due course.

County’s match at the Global Energy Stadium became the first fixture to be called off on Saturday but several others were already postponed on Friday, including Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to St Johnstone.

Other Saturday fixtures to have fallen include Mansfield’s home clash with Forest Green in Sky Bet League Two, and Altrincham’s match against Dorking in the Vanarama National League.

The Scottish Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers, in the worst-hit area of Angus, has been called off as has Greenock’s match against Inverness.

Cove Rangers against Montrose in League One has also been postponed along with two games in League Two – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich, scheduled to be played on Friday night, was also postponed due to the conditions.

The area was hit with torrential rain which caused the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium, to burst its banks which left areas around the stadium flooded.

Ange Postecoglou has hinted opportunities for his fringe players could be on the horizon ahead of a busy week for Tottenham.

Spurs return to action after the international break with a Monday night clash at home to Fulham and face a quick turnaround with a trip to Crystal Palace four days later.

Yves Bissouma is suspended for the visit of Fulham, which should see Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earn a first Premier League start this season, and Postecoglou has also urged fit-again Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil and Brennan Johnson to be ready if called upon.

“We’ve got a Monday night game and then we back it up with a Friday night game, so we’ll probably need a good deal of the squad to do those two games,” the Spurs boss explained.

“As good as we’ve been, there are still a few players like Brennan, (Rodrigo) Bentancur, Gil and Lo Celso who haven’t really played at all for us yet.

“Having them back, even in terms of training and raising the level, they are the things that will give us the focus to maintain and keep improving the performances.

“When there is competitiveness around the squad in training and playing, that guards against any complacency or anyone feeling comfortable about things.”

Bentancur is still “weeks” away from returning to first-team action after his anterior cruciate ligament injury in February, but Lo Celso will aim to make an impact over the next week.

Lo Celso was linked with a move away from Tottenham at the start of the summer before Postecoglou made clear his desire to keep the Argentinian, who then sustained a muscle issue in his only start of the campaign at Fulham in the Carabao Cup in August.

The midfielder is fit again now and made substitute appearances for Argentina against Paraguay and Peru during the international break.

Postecoglou said: “He is obviously very highly regarded within the Argentinian set-up because they always call him up and he played in both games.

“He didn’t play significant minutes but he played in both and played 15 to 20 in the second game. It is great for him and his confidence.

“Unfortunately he had a disrupted early part of the season but again another player we haven’t had a contribution from and that’s a pleasing thing for us.”

Postecoglou will hope to see Gil begin to contribute too following his return to full fitness after surgery on his groin in August.

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The Australian admitted Gil’s influence is even more critical with Ivan Perisic (ACL) and Manor Solomon (knee) out until 2024.

“Bryan can be really important for us,” Postecoglou insisted.

“It has been great to have him just working really hard at training. He’s missed all of this season so far and it’s well chronicled that we lost Ivan and Manor, who play in that left-wing position.

“Having Bryan fit and available again is great for us. He’s, I guess, in the same boat as everyone else because at some point he’ll be afforded an opportunity and then it’s up to him.

“He certainly has all the criteria and credentials to play in that position for us and, like I said, his training is getting stronger now, he’s part of the group and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity.”

Middlesbrough announced they had sacked Gareth Southgate as manager on this day in 2009.

Southgate was appointed as Steve McClaren’s successor just weeks after captaining Boro in their UEFA Cup final defeat to Sevilla in 2006, his final match as a player.

The former England defender kept the club in the Premier League with 12th and 13th-placed finishes but Boro slipped into the second tier in 2009.

Southgate’s dismissal came just hours after the Teessiders ended a run of three successive home defeats with a 2-0 victory against Derby, which left them one point off the top of the Championship table.

In a statement released on the club website, chairman Steve Gibson said: “This has been the most difficult decision I have had to make in all the time I have been in football.

“Gareth has given Middlesbrough magnificent service as a skipper and, in very difficult circumstances, as manager.

“I appointed Gareth in a situation that was greatly unfavourable to him. He is a good man and has all the qualities and integrity that we wanted in a manager. However, the time is right for change and that change has had to be made.

“Gareth will always be welcome at our football club. English football needs people of his stature and we feel certain that this experience will serve him well.

“Gareth deserves another opportunity once he has had the chance to rest and refresh himself.”

Southgate then moved to the England set-up, managing the Under-21s before taking charge of the senior team in 2016.

He led England to a fourth-placed finish in the 2018 World Cup and reached the final of Euro 2020 where they were beaten by Italy in a penalty shootout at Wembley.