Rangers are searching for a new manager following the sacking of Michael Beale on Sunday.
Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the candidates who may be given consideration by the Ibrox hierarchy.
Kevin Muscat
The 50-year-old former Australia defender – who played for Rangers in the 2002-03 season – is currently flourishing in charge of Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos after succeeding the Celtic-bound Ange Postecoglou in the role in the summer of 2021. Won the Japanese league title last year and his team are currently second, four points off the top with five games to play.
Jesse Marsch
As part of the Red Bull group, the 49-year-old American came to prominence when he led Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg – who had Erling Haaland in attack in his first season in charge – to two consecutive league and cup doubles. Renowned for his high-intensity approach, Marsch earned a crack at the Leeds job in February 2022 following the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa and ensured they stayed in the Premier League, but a poor start to his first full season at Elland Road led to him being sacked back in February. Was interviewed about vacancies at Southampton and Leicester earlier this year but remains out of work.
Kjetil Knutsen
The 54-year-old Norwegian has made a name for himself after establishing Bodo/Glimt as one of the top teams in Norway since taking charge in 2018. Led them to their first-ever title win in 2020 and followed up the feat a year later. Currently a point clear at the top of the Eliteserien after 23 games. Has also overseen some impressive European runs over the past three seasons, most notably in the 2021/22 campaign when Bodo/Glimt reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League after defeating Postecoglou’s Celtic 5-1 on aggregate.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
The Austrian, 56, is still out of work after losing his job at Southampton a year ago following a poor start to last season. Landing the highly-regarded former RB Leipzig manager would be viewed as something of a coup for Rangers.
Derek McInnes
The 52-year-old former Rangers midfielder turned down the Ibrox job in 2017 while he was on a long and fruitful stint in charge of Aberdeen. Following his departure from Pittodrie, McInnes has done an impressive job with Kilmarnock, leading them from the Championship and re-establishing them in the top flight. He has already overseen victories over both Glasgow sides this season. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers endorsed him as a potential Ibrox boss in August. “He was very close to getting the Rangers job a few years ago and why couldn’t he manage Rangers?” said Rodgers. “He’s a former player there, a very good player, who was part of a successful era for the club so there’s no doubt that could be one for him in the future because he’s an outstanding manager.”
Toni Duggan is proud to be “living two incredible jobs” after making her return for Everton with baby daughter Luella in tow.
The 32-year-old came on as a late substitute in Everton’s 2-1 defeat by Brighton at Walton Hall Park on Sunday, her first appearance for more than a year.
“It was so good,” she said. “I’ve been itching to get out there. Just to be back with the girls, I’m just so happy.
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“I know it’s a big achievement in itself coming back after giving birth, but when you’re coming on you’re not really thinking about that, you just want to help the team.
“It’s only after when the girls are so happy for you that you realise you’ve come back and that’s it now. Happy to have ticked that off and just help the team for the rest of the season.”
Duggan gave birth in March after undertaking a training programme through her pregnancy and thanked her team-mates for helping her get back to fitness.
“I feel good,” she said. “The early stages were hard but the girls got me through it. Connor was great, he’s our physio, I came in early in the pre-season and did some sessions with him.
“Honestly, my team-mates, I can’t thank them enough because they’ve been so supportive. On the days when it’s hard, they’ve dug me out. I owe it to the girls.”
Duggan’s mother has taken on childcare duties while the forward trains and she is managing to successfully juggle her two roles.
She said: “I have to credit my family and friends because they’ve been so amazing. They say it takes a big circle to bring up a child and it definitely does. I wouldn’t be back playing if it wasn’t for them.
“Some days when I get home from training tired, I used to have a sleep, now it’s different, Luella just gets passed to me, but you get a second wind, it’s just different. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m living two incredible jobs and I’m proud to be in this position.”
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Combining motherhood with a career in the Women’s Super League remains rare.
Duggan, who has previously played for Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and been capped 76 times by England, is happy to be a figurehead but remains ambitious on the pitch.
She said: “Whether it took me six months, 12 months or 12 weeks to get back, it’s still a big achievement, for the girls out there that have done it before me and the girls that will do it in future. It’s powerful and I’m proud to be one of those women now.
“But this is only the start. I still feel good in myself. I’m 32 now, you see a lot of players playing until they’re 35, 36. It shouldn’t be held against you that I’ve had a baby or my age.
“I feel good and I just want to kick on from here and just be treated as just another player. It’s great I’ve got Luella, but I’m a footballer and I want to be judged by how I do on the pitch. I’m ready for that challenge. I love football, it’s been my life and I hope that it can continue.”
Rangers are searching for a new manager following the sacking of Michael Beale on Sunday.
Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the candidates who may be given consideration by the Ibrox hierarchy.
Kevin Muscat
The 50-year-old former Australia defender – who played for Rangers in the 2002-03 season – is currently flourishing in charge of Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos after succeeding the Celtic-bound Ange Postecoglou in the role in the summer of 2021. Won the Japanese league title last year and his team are currently second, four points off the top with five games to play.
Jesse Marsch
As part of the Red Bull group, the 49-year-old American came to prominence when he led Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg – who had Erling Haaland in attack in his first season in charge – to two consecutive league and cup doubles. Renowned for his high-intensity approach, Marsch earned a crack at the Leeds job in February 2022 following the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa and ensured they stayed in the Premier League, but a poor start to his first full season at Elland Road led to him being sacked back in February. Was interviewed about vacancies at Southampton and Leicester earlier this year but remains out of work.
Kjetil Knutsen
The 54-year-old Norwegian has made a name for himself after establishing Bodo/Glimt as one of the top teams in Norway since taking charge in 2018. Led them to their first-ever title win in 2020 and followed up the feat a year later. Currently a point clear at the top of the Eliteserien after 23 games. Has also overseen some impressive European runs over the past three seasons, most notably in the 2021/22 campaign when Bodo/Glimt reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League after defeating Postecoglou’s Celtic 5-1 on aggregate.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
The Austrian, 56, is still out of work after losing his job at Southampton a year ago following a poor start to last season. Landing the highly-regarded former RB Leipzig manager would be viewed as something of a coup for Rangers.
Derek McInnes
The 52-year-old former Rangers midfielder turned down the Ibrox job in 2017 while he was on a long and fruitful stint in charge of Aberdeen. Following his departure from Pittodrie, McInnes has done an impressive job with Kilmarnock, leading them from the Championship and re-establishing them in the top flight. He has already overseen victories over both Glasgow sides this season. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers endorsed him as a potential Ibrox boss in August. “He was very close to getting the Rangers job a few years ago and why couldn’t he manage Rangers?” said Rodgers. “He’s a former player there, a very good player, who was part of a successful era for the club so there’s no doubt that could be one for him in the future because he’s an outstanding manager.”
Michael Beale wished Rangers well for the future as he issued a social media post within hours of his sacking backing the Ibrox club to get back on track.
The 43-year-old was relieved of his duties as Rangers boss late on Sunday evening following a dismal start to the season.
Three defeats in seven cinch Premiership matches left them third in the league – behind St Mirren – and seven points adrift of city rivals Celtic before the axe fell on the Englishman.
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A 7-3 aggregate defeat by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League play-off round in August also helped heighten the pressure on Beale, whose summer rebuild has been widely criticised with a raft of new signings failing to have the desired impact.
Beale was swift to pay tribute to the club despite his sacking, as he took to Instagram in the early hours of Monday morning to wish new caretaker Steven Davis all the best.
“Thank you @RangersFC to everyone behind the scenes at the training ground and Ibrox, to the board, staff, fans and all the players,” he wrote. “I will always follow and support the club from afar and wish you every success.
“Now is the time for everyone to unite fully behind Steven Davis and the team in the coming games.
“There is still so much to play for this season and I have a strong belief in this group of players. Thank you and good luck.”
Beale’s backroom team of Neil Banfield, Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Jack Ade have also left the club.
Davis, the long-serving former Rangers midfielder, has been placed in interim charge and will assisted be another couple of ex-Gers players in Alex Rae and Steven Smith, as well as coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.
Their first task is to rouse the team following Saturday’s humiliating 3-1 defeat at home to Aberdeen as they prepare to head to Cyprus to face Aris Limassol in the Europa League on Thursday.
Rangers’ next league match is away to second-placed St Mirren on Sunday before the international break brings a fortnight in which they can try to regroup and bed in a new manager.
Kevin Muscat, the former Rangers defender who is currently in charge of Japanese side Yokohama F Marinos, is the early bookmakers’ favourite for the role.
What the papers say
Juventus are reportedly working on a new long-term deal for midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The Daily Mail, citing Tuttosport, says the Italian giant is looking to tie the 28-year-old down for a further three years, after he turned down an approach from Manchester United during the summer in favour of extending his time in Turin.
Chelsea are believed to be gearing up for an expensive January. According to The Guardian, the Blues are set to target Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Brentford forward Ivan Toney, after already spending £1billion on new signings in a year.
And the Daily Mirror, via Cadena SER, says Luka Modric is on radar of multiple MLS teams, with Inter Miami believed to be especially keen on the Real Madrid midfielder.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Kalvin Phillips: Arsenal will chase the Manchester City midfielder in January, according to Fichajes.
Lamine Yamal: The Daily Mail, citing Fabrizio Romano, says Barcelona are eager to sign the 16-year-old winger to a further three-year deal.
David Beckham has revealed he still cannot forgive himself for the abuse his family suffered amid the fallout from his red card at the 1998 World Cup, which left him a “mess”.
A new Netflix documentary series titled ‘Beckham’ is set for release on Wednesday, looking back on the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder’s career as well as his marriage to Spice Girls singer and fashion designer Victoria.
In episode two, titled ‘Seeing Red’, Beckham, now 48, reflected on the “stupid mistake” which changed his life after he was sent off for kicking the back of Diego Simeone’s leg during the last-16 clash against Argentina in Saint-Etienne.
England went on to lose after a penalty shootout and Beckham found himself centre of a backlash – including a pub hanging up an effigy of the midfielder, who received a hostile reception from rival fans around the country when he returned to action for United the following season.
In the documentary, Victoria Beckham said the continued abuse left her husband “absolutely clinically depressed” as the then 23-year-old tried to deal with the fallout alongside becoming a father for the first time in March 1999.
Beckham admitted the saga “took a toll on me that I never knew myself”.
He said: “I wish there was a pill you could take which could erase certain memories. I made a stupid mistake. It changed my life.
“We were in America (on holiday after the World Cup), just about to have our first baby, and I thought, ‘we will be fine. In a day or two people will have forgotten’.”
Beckham added: “I don’t think I have ever talked about it, just because I can’t. I find it hard to talk through what I went through because it was so extreme.
“Wherever I went, I got abused every single day – to walk down the street and to see people look at you in a certain way, spit at you, abuse you, come up to your face and say some of the things they said, that is difficult.
“I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping. I was a mess. I didn’t know what to do.”
Beckham added: “It brought a lot of attention that I would never wish on anyone, let alone my parents, and I can’t forgive myself for that.
“That is the tough part of what happened, because I was the one that made the mistake.
“It is only now that I am 47 years old, it is now that I beat myself up about it (still).
“When I have gone through difficult moments, I was able to block it out, but inside it killed me.”
Beckham spoke of the support he received from then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club as he looked to focus on his football.
“That was the only thing I could control – once I was on the pitch, then I felt safe,” Beckham said.
“Anytime I was kicked during that season, it was like the (opposition team) had got two goals.”
Beckham added: “As horrible as it was to look up to Victoria in the stand (getting that abuse), it was the one thing which spurred me on.”
The Netflix documentary also charts Beckham’s triumphant end to the 1998-99 season, which culminated with United having won the Premier League, FA Cup and a memorable Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona.
With Paul Scholes and Roy Keane suspended, Beckham played an integral role in United’s comeback win, which was secured by two goals in stoppage time.
Reflecting on the match, Ferguson said: “With David, that night there was something inside him saying, ‘I am not going to let this happen’. It was a personal thing that he had in him, that stubbornness and determination.”
Beckham’s former United and England team-mate Gary Neville was an executive producer of the Netflix documentary.
Neville recalled the way he and Beckham were “absolutely destroying teams” down the right flank for United.
“He was with his crossing. I was supporting him in a way which was to be fair, I would say I was a side dish really. Not the beef. I was the mustard on the side,” Neville said.
“I was subservient because I needed David to go and do something magical. He was practicing free-kicks and I was practicing throw-ins.”
Neville added: “It was telepathic on the pitch. Off the pitch as well, I knew where he was in his mind – it was not enough for him, he wanted to be more than a football player.”
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says Mykhailo Mudryk is making a concerted effort to adapt to life in England and fulfil his potential as a “unique” player after an indifferent start to his career at Stamford Bridge.
The Ukrainian moved from Shakhtar Donetsk in January for a fee that could rise to £88million, but he has featured only inconsistently in the starting XI under successive managers and is yet to score his first Blues goal.
He arrived having missed a significant amount of playing time during the previous 12 months after the war in Ukraine caused the suspension of the domestic league, and at the time of Chelsea’s bid he had made only 44 professional appearances for Shakhtar.
It is the first time that the 22-year-old has lived outside of Ukraine, with Pochettino having previously made the point that young players in particular require time to settle into a new culture when moving abroad.
Mudryk has started each of Chelsea’s last three games and has shown flashes of promising in short bursts, including the beginnings of a burgeoning on-field relationship with new striker Nicolas Jackson.
And Pochettino said the winger is making the effort that he expects of his players to integrate as he waits for his expensively assembled side to gel.
“The life of these guys, when they are so young, (it) changed,” said the manager, whose squad with an average age of just over 23 is the youngest in the Premier League this season.
“You pay big money, big change form where they came. Also it’s not about to arrive and to perform when you are young.
“It’s about to adapt, it’s about to help them to settle. Then the most difficult thing is to understand what these guys need to settle and to feel comfortable and to express their talent.
“If you ask me about Misha, he’s a very talented player of course, but you need to go with him very slowly. Cultural and everything is completely different to Latin people, from different countries or part of the world.
“He’s now trying to be more open, to adapt and be more involved in every situation, not only on the field but outside also. I think he’s doing a massive effort to try to integrate himself and to understand better what it means to play like a team.
“He’s unique. I can’t find a player to say he is similar, I can’t remember one. It’s a good challenge for him, and it’s a good challenge for us.”
The manager again refused to blame injuries for his team’s slow start to the season, with as many as 11 players likely to be missing when Chelsea face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday in search of just their second league win of the campaign.
There were three players aged 19 or under with no first-team experience named on the bench when the team drew at Bournemouth two weeks ago, and since then Ben Chilwell’s name has been added to an extensive injury list after he limped out of last week’s win over Brighton with a hamstring problem.
“I cannot use the excuse of injuries,” said Pochettino. “The performances have been good. We cannot blame injuries, I think it’s not fair. We played well in every single game and we deserved more, but for different reasons, we didn’t score and we were not clinical enough.
“But we cannot blame injuries. Of course it’s a factor that we need to improve. When you have your whole squad, you increase the level of the team. You put pressure on the players that play because it’s another player waiting for your place. We’re not winning the games that we deserve, but not because of injuries.”
Juventus were held to a frustrating goalless Serie A draw by Atalanta with only one point still separating both sides in the table.
Nicolo Fagioli and Moise Kean tested Juan Musso in the first half, but Atalanta had plenty of opportunities after the break to earn a winner as Wojciech Szczesny got his fingertips to Luis Muriel’s free-kick before Teun Koopmeiners had two good shots in the closing stages.
Bologna sit three points below Atalanta in the table after they beat Empoli 3-0, with Riccardo Orsolini starring after earning his first Serie A hat-trick, helping his side to their second win this season.
Roma also earned their second win of the season as goals from Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini secured a 2-0 win against Frosinone, while Alan Matturro’s own goal salvaged a point for Udinese, who drew 2-2 with Genoa.
Albert Gudmundsson’s brace gave Genoa the advantage before Matturro turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time and Sandi Lovric was dismissed just minutes later.
Angel Correa’s brace helped Atletico Madrid come from behind to earn a 3-2 win against LaLiga rivals Cadiz.
Atletico faced an uphill task after Lucas Pires and Roger Marti put the visitors in front.
However, Correa helped Diego Simeone’s side to three points either side of Nahuel Molina’s goal and they move into fourth.
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They sit four points clear of Real Betis, who beat Valencia 3-0 thanks to goals from Assane Diao, Marc Roca and Abde Ezzalzouli, while Jose Arnaiz Diaz and Ante Budimir’s goals were enough for Osasuna to beat Alaves 2-0.
At the bottom of the table, Granada came from behind to draw 3-3 with fellow strugglers Almeria.
Colombian forward Luis Suarez wreaked havoc, scoring a hat-trick within the final six minutes of the first half before Granada came back into the game with Myrto Uzuni scoring in the 86th minute to rescue a point.
Lyon’s winless run continued in Ligue 1 after they were beaten 2-0 by high-flying Reims.
Goals from Marshall Munetsi and Yunis Abdelhamid handed Lyon their fifth league loss of the season and they sit rock bottom of the table.
Reims’ win sees them close in on Brest, who missed the chance to go top of the table after drawing 0-0 with Nice.
Lille beat Havre 2-0 to go sixth in the table, while Toulouse returned to winning ways with a 3-0 win against Metz and Akor Adams’ brace helped Montpellier beat Lorient 3-0.
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Rennes ended their run of five consecutive league draws after beating Nantes 3-1 to move into sixth.
In the Bundesliga, Darmstadt earned their first win of the season after beating Werder Bremen 4-2.
Die Lilien scored twice in each half and held off a potential late comeback from Bremen with two quick goals in the second half.
Vincenzo Grifo and Philipp Lienhart’s goals were enough for Freiburg to beat Augsburg 2-0 in the other game on Sunday.
Rangers have announced the almost inevitable departure of Michael Beale and have put club favourite Steven Davis in charge.
Calls for Beale’s departure increased following the 3-1 defeat by Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday, with the players again booed off the park.
A third loss in seven cinch Premiership fixtures left the Light Blues seven points behind leaders Celtic and with their title hopes already in jeopardy.
Ahead of the Europa League tie against Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night, the Ibrox club released a statement which outlined the changes.
It read: “Rangers can confirm it has parted company with men’s first-team manager Michael Beale.
“The Rangers board would like to put on record their thanks to Michael and his staff for their efforts since joining the club last November.
“Results this season have fallen short of what everyone connected to Rangers would expect.
“Therefore, the decision was reached today to terminate the contract of the manager, as well as the contracts of coaches Neil Banfield, Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Jack Ade.
“The club is pleased to announce that Steven Davis will lead the interim management team.
“The team will consist of former Rangers player and hugely experienced coach Alex Rae, former player and current coach Steven Smith, coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.”
Rangers chairman John Bennett said: “I’d like to thank Michael for his dedicated work since he rejoined the club as manager last November.
“It is clear that results have fallen well short of the board’s, Michael’s and our supporters’ expectations.
“The search process for the new manager is already under way. I wish Steven Davis and the interim management team every success – they will remain in charge for as long as it takes to make the right appointment.”
Former midfielder Davis’ contract expired at the end of last season but the club had been letting him use the facilities for his rehabilitation following a serious knee injury.
It is understood the new management team have all the required UEFA badges to lead Rangers into their European match on Thursday.
Beale never recovered from the 1-0 defeat by an under-strength Hoops side at Ibrox last month, with four subsequent wins in three different competitions doing little to appease disgruntled supporters.
Beale revamped his squad in the summer but new signings such as Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, Dujon Sterling and Jose Cifuentes have failed to impress.
In mitigation, injuries robbed him of Danilo, Todd Cantwell, Kieran Dowell, Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Kemar Roofe for various lengths of time with Ryan Jack and Ridvan Yilmaz picking up injuries against the Dons.
Beale, who was first-team coach at Rangers under Steven Gerrard, took over in the Ibrox hotseat in November 2022, following the departure of Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Liverpool have criticised the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and warned they will “explore the range of options available” following the VAR controversy at Tottenham.
The PGMOL admitted VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to act after Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute strike at Tottenham was wrongly ruled out for offside. Still images of the incident showed Cristian Romero playing Diaz onside.
The disallowed goal came with the match still goalless but after Curtis Jones had been controversially sent off following England’s intervention. Liverpool went on to lose 2-1.
The officials were stood down from duty for the rest of the weekend but Liverpool will continue to pursue the matter.
A statement read: “Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.
“We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.
“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.
“That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.
“This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.
“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
England was due to be fourth official at Sunday’s Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, while Cook was to be assistant referee for Monday’s west London derby between Fulham and Chelsea.
But the PGMOL announced on Sunday morning that England, the main VAR official at Tottenham, had been replaced by Craig Pawson, while Eddie Smart will step in for Cook, who was the assistant VAR to England.
“Darren England, VAR on the Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool fixture, and Dan Cook, AVAR on the same game, have been replaced for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford and Fulham v Chelsea matches today and tomorrow night respectively,” a PGMOL statement said.
“Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage.”
Son Heung-min put Spurs in front moments after Diaz’s goal was disallowed, and although Cody Gakpo levelled, Tottenham won 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from Joel Matip, with Liverpool finishing the game with nine men after Diogo Jota also saw red.
In a statement on Saturday, PGMOL said: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool.
“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.
“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.
“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”
Liverpool have criticised the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and warned they will “explore the range of options available” following the VAR controversy at Tottenham.
The PGMOL admitted VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to act after Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute strike at Tottenham was wrongly ruled out for offside. Still images of the incident showed Cristian Romero playing Diaz onside.
The disallowed goal came with the match still goalless but after Curtis Jones had been controversially sent off following England’s intervention. Liverpool went on to lose 2-1.
The officials were stood down from duty for the rest of the weekend but Liverpool will continue to pursue the matter.
A statement read: “Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.
“We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.
“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.
“That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.
“This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.
“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
England was due to be fourth official at Sunday’s Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, while Cook was to be assistant referee for Monday’s west London derby between Fulham and Chelsea.
But the PGMOL announced on Sunday morning that England, the main VAR official at Tottenham, had been replaced by Craig Pawson, while Eddie Smart will step in for Cook, who was the assistant VAR to England.
“Darren England, VAR on the Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool fixture, and Dan Cook, AVAR on the same game, have been replaced for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford and Fulham v Chelsea matches today and tomorrow night respectively,” a PGMOL statement said.
“Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage.”
Son Heung-min put Spurs in front moments after Diaz’s goal was disallowed, and although Cody Gakpo levelled, Tottenham won 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from Joel Matip, with Liverpool finishing the game with nine men after Diogo Jota also saw red.
In a statement on Saturday, PGMOL said: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool.
“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.
“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.
“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”
Juventus and Atalanta were forced to share the points after grinding out a goalless draw in Serie A on Sunday.
After an even start to the match in Bergamo both teams came close later in the first half, with Davide Zappacosta trying his luck before Nicolo Fagioli and Moise Kean tested Juan Musso in the Atalanta goal.
However, the hosts had the pick of the chances in the second half when Wojciech Szczesny got his fingertips to Luis Muriel’s free-kick before Teun Koopmeiners had two good shots in the closing stages.
The stalemate sees Massimiliano Allegri’s men sit four points behind league leaders Inter Milan in the table, while Atalanta remain a point behind Juve.
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Both sides opened the game well but Atalanta had the first clear-cut chance in the 14th minute when a great ball from Oscar Ruggeri on the left found Zappacosta in the box and the full-back’s effort whistled wide of a post.
A slow first half saw both sides have equal possession of the ball and Federico Chiesa was trying to create chances for Juve.
The visitors then had a chance on the half-hour mark as a corner ball fell to Fagioli on the edge of the box, but Musso managed to push it away.
Kean then tested Musso from distance, with the goalkeeper making a comfortable save to his right.
Atalanta put pressure on the visitors early in the second-half as Ederson hit a teasing cross into the box but Zappacosta was unable to meet the ball and Juve were straight up the other end of the pitch as Chiesa had a powerful effort palmed away by Musso.
The hosts were making good runs around the box but Juventus were able to counter the danger and they threatened again in the 69th minute from a corner.
Sead Kolasinac’s flicked header was turned away by Manuel Locatelli at the back post before Ederson’s resulting overhead kick flew wide.
Atalanta had an excellent opportunity in the 73rd minute when Muriel’s free-kick was curling towards the top corner, but Szczesny made a fantastic save, just getting his fingertips to the ball, and it deflected off the bar before being cleared away.
They threatened again from a corner as Berat Djimsiti headed over the bar before Ederson’s low strike was blocked by the Juve defence.
Atalanta nearly found the winner in the 88th minute when Muriel’s thumping shot was spilled by Szczesny into the path of Koopmeiners, but the Dutchman was unable to finish from the rebound.
Koopmeiners had another opportunity to snatch three points for the hosts after finding space in the box but his shot blazed over the bar and Juventus defended well to hold on for a point.
Fatima College moved to the top of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premiership division standings on Saturday with a remarkable 5-2 win over San Juan North Secondary School at the latter's school ground.
Despite being reduced to 10 men after Captain Jaden Williams was sent off, Fatima scored three goals in the last few minutes of the match to turn a 2-2 draw into a resounding victory.
Jonathan Mason scored twice in the 87th minute and stoppage time, while Michael Chaves added a third in the 97th minute.
Fatima's other goals came from Aidan De Gannes and an own goal by Jaheem Danclar.
San Juan North had taken the lead through national youth player Lindell Sween in the 23rd minute, but Danclar equalized in the 26th minute.
Fatima then took the lead through De Gannes in the 33rd minute, but Nathan Quashie levelled the scores again for San Juan North in the 45th minute.
In other SSFL results on Saturday, Speyside High School defeated Pleasantville Secondary 3-1, Trinity College East came from behind to beat Malick Secondary 2-1, St Mary's College defeated Queen's Royal College 4-3, East Mucurapo beat Chaguanas North Secondary 3-0, Presentation College San Fernando crushed Bishop's High School 4-0, and defending champions St Benedict's College edged St Anthony's College 1-0.
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Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper felt it was another bad day for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited after some controversial decisions in his side’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
The PGMOL were forced to stand intended fourth official Darren England down at the City Ground after his mistake on Saturday night when, as VAR in Tottenham’s game against Liverpool, he failed to act properly in overturning the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside.
And both managers were left complaining after the draw as Nicolas Dominguez’s header cancelled out Christian Norgaard’s opener, which came immediately after Moussa Niakhate was sent off.
That is the decision that irked Cooper the most, the boss insisting that his defender’s tackle, where he raked his studs down Yoane Wissa’s calf, was accidental.
Cooper said: “Honestly, if he doesn’t give him a second yellow, nobody mentions it. All of your colleagues on TV and radio have said the same.
“With it being the only Premier League game of the day, the PGMOL needed a real clean day and unfortunately they have got the opposite. We want to help referees, we will moan and complain as much as anyone else, it is just the nature of it.
“We’ll try and do it respectfully, but sometimes it’s hard. They have got to help themselves. I’m annoyed with the first yellow, he shouldn’t have lunged in. The second yellow would not even have been mentioned…of course it was accidental.
“You need football understanding to see that. It’s a contact game.
“Some have gone for us, so I’m not sitting here saying we’re hard done by. We all want refereeing to be at the right level and we all want to help them and they have to help themselves. The last thing they needed today was talking points about decision-making, but that’s what they’ve got.
“Come on, let’s work together and we will help. Some things have gone in our favour, not as much as have gone against us. This league is amazing and every part of it needs to be at that level.”
Brentford boss Thomas Frank says he is “tired” of talking about VAR after he thought his side were denied a clear penalty.
Frank believes Wissa was fouled by Matt Turner early in the second half when he closed down the Forest goalkeeper and was caught by Turner’s follow through, while Brentford also had two penalty appeals turned down.
Referee Paul Tierney did not give anything and the incident was not even checked by VAR Michael Oliver.
“I am tired of talking about it, I understand you guys need to ask the question,” he said.
“I just want to talk about performances.
“I think the two handball situations, some managers would claim them as penalty, I won’t. I think I would really hate that if they were given against my team.
“But the Wissa one is a clear penalty, you can’t go through the man, that is an unfortunate mistake from VAR, especially when that is clear and obvious.
“Unfortunately our players are too honest, we need to be a little bit more nasty, I would never say that to the players, I like honest players.”
Liverpool pulled off a shock 1-0 win at Arsenal in front of a record Women’s Super League crowd.
There were 54,115 fans at the Emirates Stadium for the season opener, which was settled by a goal from Miri Taylor early in the second half.
Taylor slotted in a cross from Missy Bo Kearns in the 48th minute to stun the Gunners home support.
The Reds held off plenty of Arsenal pressure but Jonas Eidevall’s side, who were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers last month, could not find a way back into the match.
Manchester United came from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal from substitute Rachel Williams at Villa Park, where the hosts saw Kirsty Hanson sent off.
Scotland winger Hanson was shown a straight red card in the 74th minute for her high tackle on United midfielder Hayley Ladd.
Villa, though, soon took the lead through England international Rachel Daly, only for Lucia Garcia to quickly have United back on level terms.
Just when it seemed both teams would have to settle for a point, Williams headed in Nikita Parris’ deflected cross to secure United a dramatic victory.
Leicester came from behind to beat newly-promoted Bristol City 4-2 at Ashton Gate.
The Robins, back in the top flight after an absence of two seasons, went ahead through a fine strike from Carrie Jones in the 33rd minute.
New Leicester signing Aimee Palmer, playing against her former club, fired the visitors level in added time at the end of the first half.
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Leicester took control after the break, as Shannon O’Brien put them in front and German striker Lena Petermann, making her debut, headed a third in the 52nd minute.
Fellow debutant Jutta Rantala increased Leicester’s lead with seven minutes left before Amalie Thestrup scored her first Robins goal from the penalty spot.
Elisabeth Terland scored twice in the first half as Brighton opened their WSL campaign with a 2-0 win at Everton.
Norway forward Terland headed in after the ball came back off the crossbar to give the visitors a third-minute lead and soon added a second after being played in by Katie Robinson.
Everton captain Megan Finnigan reduced the deficit just after the hour, but the home side were unable to conjure an equaliser.
Manchester City won 2-0 at West Ham as Jill Roord scored on her debut.
Lauren Hemp broke the deadlock early in the second half with a curling effort before Chloe Kelly then saw her penalty saved.
Netherlands international Roord, a club-record summer signing from Wolfsburg, slotted in to open her City account in the 55th minute.
City finished a player down after Leila Ouahabi was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Emma Harries, but the Hammers could not get themselves back into the game.
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