Edinburgh City claimed their first win of the Scottish League One season as they edged to a 3-2 victory over fellow strugglers Annan Athletic.

Robert Mahon put the capital club ahead in the seventh minute with a left-foot finish but Tommy Goss levelled from the spot after being upended in the area by Scott Mercer on the half hour.

Robbie Leitch restored Edinburgh’s lead on the stroke of half-time and, 10 minutes after the interval, Matty Douglas’ foul in the box allowed Danny Handling to convert the resultant penalty.

Edinburgh held on for their first league win at the 11th time of asking – despite Dominic Docherty’s last-minute penalty – although they remain at the foot of the table, two points behind Annan.

League leaders Falkirk swept aside Alloa 3-0 to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Alfie Agyeman struck in the third and 23rd minutes, while Coll Donaldson also scored before half-time as Falkirk claimed a ninth win from 11 matches.

Lewis Moore’s 89th-minute strike lifted Kelty Hearts to a 1-0 win over Stirling, whose attempts to hang on for a point despite Josh Cooper’s dismissal early in the second half were thwarted at the death.

Cove Rangers also left it late, with Rumarn Burrell’s effort seven minutes from time sealing a 1-0 victory at Queen of the South.

Burton boss Dino Maamria was the happier of the two managers at the end of a goalless draw against Leyton Orient.

“I thought we played some of the best football we have played this season”, said Maamria. “All it needed was a goal. We weren’t as clinical as we have been lately, and we missed some big, big chances.”

Both sides had opportunities late on, with the best probably falling to Burton skipper Deji Oshilaja who could only fire over when unmarked inside the box.

Maamria added: “If Deji scores that chance with five minutes to go everybody would have been, hey, what a performance that was.”

The Burton boss was forced into changes owing to injury and admitted he tweaked his formation to cope with a strong Orient side.

He said: “We changed shape to fit the personnel we had available and to nullify their threats. They have been in really good form and they are hard to beat. They normally dominate possession and today we dominated that.

“I felt our game plan was perfect and all we needed was a goal. Max [Crocombe] had a big save at the end of the game, but their keeper made some unbelievable stops; Josh Walker early on with a point-blank save and then Tom Hamer’s chance. I don’t know who made the save, the keeper or a block on the line. We had clear-cut chances which came from our good football.”

Richie Wellens felt that the hectic schedule was a factor in a below-par performance from Orient.

“The second half stank of a third game in a week and a second away game in four days. We were really poor in the second half,” he admitted.

Striker Ruel Sotiriou failed to capitalise on a first-half chance when through on goal which frustrated the Orient manager.

“We were good at times in the first half, playing through them and Ruel has the best chance going straight through one on one and just has to tidy his touch up. We are disappointed in there.

“Burton had won four on the bounce at home before today, so we knew it was a tough place to come,  but the first half was more how we want to play the game and in the second half there were too many long throws and free-kicks,  and we just have to grow up and change with it.”

All things considered Wellens felt the result was fair as both sides hit the 20-point mark sitting safely in mid table.

He said: “All in all, did we deserve to win? Probably not. They could have nicked it in the end but with a lack of goalkeepers making big saves, apart from at the end, a draw was probably a fair result.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admitted his side lacked tempo in their play until he made some substitutions in a goalless draw with Hibernian.

Rodgers picked the same team that played the majority of Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid but Celtic struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half, although David Marshall saved brilliantly from Daizen Maeda.

Martin Boyle missed an excellent chance for Hibs just after the break when he volleyed over from Jordan Obita’s cross and Rodgers brought on four attacking substitutes either side of the hour mark.

Of those, James Forrest hit the bar, Oh Hyeon-gyu had a header saved and Mikey Johnston was denied by Marshall with an impressive save from a long-range strike, while David Turnbull was also heavily involved in the play.

Rodgers said: “I didn’t think we played with the tempo and speed that we wanted to until the last 20 minutes.

“We dominated the game for long spells but the first 60 minutes was too slow from our perspective, we didn’t get them running quick enough.

“We played too many longer passes, we wanted to really be playing shorter, quicker passes which are a bit more difficult to defend.

“We made the changes and the last 25 minutes the tempo increased which pushed them back and we connected the game a lot better.

“We had about 20 attempts at goal. Jamesy hit the crossbar and they had some really good blocks but we weren’t able to make the breakthrough.”

When asked if Wednesday’s exertions had an impact, the manager said: “It could well be but I never want to use that as an excuse. The players had a massive effort in midweek but we have to be able to go again.”

When quizzed over whether some changes to his team might have helped, Rodgers added: “Listen, we are all captains of hindsight afterwards, aren’t we?

“It would have been ideal if we had an extra day maybe to recover and play later. But I think the boys are fit and strong. We had the ball, it was just the speed of it, we didn’t move it quick enough.”

On winger Johnston’s first appearance for Celtic since March 2022, Rodgers said: “A wee bit hit and miss, a bit loose and sloppy and then did some good things. But he has been out for a while.

“Jamesy came in and has that quality to look after the ball. He probably will feel he can score.

“But the guys coming in, it’s what we asked from them. I asked them to bring an energy to the game and I think they did that.”

Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery was delighted to see his side keep a clean sheet following a 4-0 defeat at Ibrox the previous weekend.

“I’m extremely proud of the effort the boys put in,” he said.

“You are talking about a team that went toe to toe with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. I watched that game and I thought they were excellent. I thought we contained a lot of their threats, and they have a lot of them.

“We defended really well, resolute when we neeed to be, and I thought we had the best chance of the game other than the crossbar incident at the end.

“At times we played some good stuff, the boys were brave and courageous at the back. It was a massive team effort.

“What we didn’t get right last week was defending those transition moments. When we lost the ball, we were slow to react, and the difference today was we defended as a team.”

Stephen Robinson praised his St Mirren players for a clinical second-half performance as they eased past St Johnstone 4-0 to move seven points clear in third place.

An even first-half contest was livened up by Keanu Baccus’ stunning strike, before goals from Mikael Mandron, with a double, and Greg Kiltie helped the home side run up their biggest league win of the season.

Robinson was pleased with the way his team kept going in the second half to make sure of the win.

He said: “It’s an emphatic result, a little bit harsh on St Johnstone. But we were very clinical. The first half we looked like a team that hadn’t played for three weeks.

“It looked like a game where everyone was finding their feet a little bit. But in the second half we were much better.

“We came out, pressed better, moved the ball better and some of the goals were excellent. Really top finishes.

“When you’re not 100 per cent on it for 90 minutes but can keep a clean sheet and score four goals then it certainly means we’re going in the right direction.”

Robinson admitted finishing third, and with it the possibility of group stage European football, would be hugely significant for a club like St Mirren, but warned it was still early days.

He added: “The [UEFA] set-up has changed in terms of the group stages and the rest. But I’ve been in the game long enough to know not to look too far ahead.

“It’s a very good start but that’s all it is. We’ve not achieved anything yet.

“We’ve raised expectations with our performances and results and the hard bit is trying to keep meeting those expectations.

“If we can do that the end product could be very beneficial for the football club but we’re a long way from that.”

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean was clearly furious with the way his team performed, especially after falling two goals behind. And he warned that some of his players might have played their last game under him.

He said: “The goals we lost are unacceptable. It’s the basics of football. In the second half, we just imploded and it looked like a couple of players chucked it.

“It is my responsibility and some of these players will be lucky if they play for me again. It is not happening under my watch and it might be I need to play young boys. I thought it was really, really poor.

“You need to show a bravery in those situations and you need people to lead. I just thought we lacked that all over.”

Jude Bellingham scored twice – including a dramatic injury-time winner – as Real Madrid came from behind to beat arch-rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Saturday.

The England midfielder struck a stunning equaliser after 68 minutes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium and then settled his first El Clasico with a close-range volley in the dying moments.

Barcelona had led at the interval through former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan.

Real’s Bellingham-inspired fightback took them back above Girona to the top of LaLiga and left Barca third, four points behind.

Bellingham has now scored 13 goals in as many appearances in what has been a remarkable start to his Real Madrid career.

Barca took the lead on six minutes when Gundogan combined with fellow former City player Ferran Torres and calmly fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Vinicius Junior spurned a chance to level and Barca almost doubled their advantage when Fermin Lopez struck the post.

Real also hit the woodwork when Dani Carvajal drove against the post before the break.

Lopez hit the post again early in the second half and Kepa reacted quickly to deny Ronald Araujo on the rebound.

Real began to rally in the latter stages with Aurelien Tchouameni having a powerful drive touched onto the frame of the goal.

Bellingham then took charge of proceedings when he brilliantly curled home a shot from 25 yards.

The game could still have gone either way and Robert Lewandowski had a chance to put Barca back ahead when he fired over 10 minutes from time.

It was Bellingham who was to have the final say, however. The 20-year-old was once again in the right place at the right time as he pounced to clip home after a Cavajal cross was flicked on by Luka Modric.

Stephan El Shaarawy has urged his Roma team-mates to maintain their superb run of form when they face Serie A high-flyers Inter Milan on Sunday.

Roma failed to win any of their first three games of the season and were thrashed 4-1 by Genoa at the end of September.

However, Jose Mourinho’s side have since won five games in a row in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one in the process and are top of Europa League Group G with a 100 per cent record.

Asked if something had clicked following the defeat to Genoa, El Shaarawy told the club’s website: “No, it was something that defined us the past two years.

“We manage to work together in challenging situations. We unite and evaluate our mistakes to avoid repeating them.

“Our group has always been our biggest strength. We have done a good job of preparing for the games and what we needed to do in recent weeks, but there is still work to be done.

“The season is long and there will be a crucial encounter on Sunday. We must continue in this way.”

Roma will have their work cut out on Sunday however, Inter having started the Serie A season with seven wins, one draw and one defeat from their opening nine games.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have scored 24 goals and conceded just five for a goal difference of plus 19, the joint best in Europe’s top leagues along with Bayern Munich.

Roma striker Romelu Lukaku is set for a hostile reception as he faces his former club for the first time, despite Inter fans claiming they have been banned from handing out whistles to create a noisy return for the striker.

“Yet another abuse. Whistles prohibited,” the Curva Nord Milano group said on their Instagram page on Friday.

Mourinho, who won several trophies in his two seasons in charge of Inter, has tried to play down Lukaku’s return.

“I’m shocked by the whole thing because I didn’t think Romelu meant that much to a club with Inter’s history. It’s a surprise for me,” Mourinho said earlier this week.

The Portuguese coach will have to watch from the stands on Sunday as he is suspended following his red card at the end of Roma’s win over Monza.

Daniel Farke believes Crysencio Summerville can get even better after the forward scored twice in Leeds’ 4-1 thrashing of Huddersfield at Elland Road.

The Dutchman – who also scored twice at Norwich last weekend – also set up a goal for Dan James as Leeds raced into a 4-0 lead during a dominant first-half display.

But Farke would like to see more from the 21-year-old, with the Leeds boss insisting: “In terms of end product he has improved a lot in comparison to the start of the season.

“I think he was already playing on a top level but it is necessary for a young player to develop so that he is getting goals and assists.

“(In training) We are always bringing him into situations where he has to finish, where he has to find the finishing pass under pressure.

“It is about consistency, so a really good week in terms of end product but come on, keep going.”

Farke was delighted with his side’s performance, adding: “If you are 4-0 up at half-time I don’t think you can complain too much.”

James fired in the opener from 25 yards as Leeds eventually made their early pressure pay.

Summerville picked his spot for the second as the visitors’ defence failed to cope with Leeds’ free-flowing style with forward Georginio Rutter once again proving a handful.

Rutter was involved again in Leeds’ third, laying the ball off to Summerville who burst from his own half to set up James who fired a shot across Lee Nicholls.

Rutter again provided the chance for the fourth Leeds goal which came in first-half stoppage time.

He burst down the left and cut the ball back for Summerville who had time to turn twice inside the area before beating Nicholls with a shot which went through a crowd of players.

Huddersfield were gifted a consolation by Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier who was unable to hold a shot from Sorba Thomas from outside the area.

Michal Helik had timed his move to stay onside and he fired in the rebound from close range with 70 minutes on the clock.

Huddersfield boss Darren Moore admitted his side suffered a disappointing day to end a poor week for his players on the back of a 4-0 home loss to Cardiff.

Moore said: “It’s a disappointing afternoon. It’s probably capped off what’s been a bad week for us results wise and in terms of performance.”

Moore felt his side missed the chance to get back into the game before Leeds got their second goal.

He added: “They went 1-0 up and we had a chance and if we could have capitalised on that… After that Leeds got two quick goals.

“We got into some wonderful threatening areas. When we got the ball around the Leeds area we just chose the wrong pass.

“The two quickfire goals from Leeds took the game away from us. We know they are a threatening team, certainly here.”

Moore was pleased with the way his players responded after the break, though, saying: “I made a couple of changes at half-time to solidify the team but the game just petered out in the second half.

“What I don’t want to do is lay the blame anywhere. We win together and we suffer defeats together as one.

“The team need to and will show better. We have to get back working and put this poor week behind us very quickly and move on.”

Birmingham manager Wayne Rooney is adamant he does not want VAR in the Sky Bet Championship despite his side being denied a clear penalty in their 3-1 defeat by Southampton.

Gavin Bazunu wiped out Oliver Burke just before half-time when the score was 2-0 but referee David Webb waved away the spot-kick shouts.

Instead, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Carlos Alcaraz and Adam Armstrong’s goals condemned Rooney to his third straight defeat as Blues boss.

“These decisions happen when you don’t have VAR,” said Rooney. “I’m not a fan of VAR and you accept referees and linesmen might make mistakes but what you can’t accept is the penalty decision.

“It is ridiculous and everyone in the stadium could see it.

“The keeper is committed and is coming at pace and is reckless. If he is coming like that then he has to win the ball but he absolutely wipes out Burkey.

“The most frustrating thing is that the fourth official told me that the referee was clear in his decision and wasn’t willing to take advice from his fourth official and assistant.

“He was clear there was minimal contact. That is a worry for me.

“I hope VAR doesn’t filter down but we would have got a penalty if VAR was here.

“I know referees will make mistakes, I can accept that but for me that was too much and a big error.”

Southampton manager Russell Martin agreed, saying: “I haven’t seen it back but at the time I thought it was a penalty.

“I feel for Wayne and if he’s frustrated with that I would be as well.

“It was a moment of madness from Gav. He hadn’t had a lot to do at that point.”

Saints opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Harwood-Bellis nodded in his first goal for the club from Adam Armstrong’s cross.

Alcaraz added a second from close range after fine work from Kamaldeen Sulemana and Stuart Armstrong.

Jay Stansfield wonderfully bent in his fourth goal of the season 52 seconds after coming off the bench but Adam Armstrong settled things with his eighth career goal against Birmingham.

Rooney added: “I thought Southampton were the better team and there are no complaints that they won the game.

“For where we are at, we could have come away from this game with something. There are positives for coming to the best team in the league at playing football but there is still a lot for us to work on.”

It was Southampton’s sixth game unbeaten and Martin said: “It has been a really nice run, especially after the run that came before that.

“That probably makes me more proud of the players and the staff for the way they came through that. It has been beautiful to see the growth in that time.

“To see them smiling together and fighting for each other, it has been brilliant to be a part of it.

“We played some beautiful stuff in the first half with so much energy and aggression, without giving them much threat.

“I’m annoyed we conceded the goal as Gavin deserved a clean sheet.

“We deserved to win and should have scored a few more goals, so there is a bit of frustration but I’m there to be relentless with the lads.

“It has been a brilliant week for us and now we have to keep going.”

Everton boss Sean Dyche insists his side is not feeling the pressure following reports of a possible 12-point deduction for alleged financial breaches.

The Toffees are preparing to travel to West Ham on Sunday and will look to bounce back to winning ways following their 2-0 derby defeat to Liverpool last week.

News surfaced this week about a potential violation of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations during the period leading up to the 2021-22 season but Dyche denies it has added any pressure to him or his side heading into the weekend.

He told a press conference: “Ever since I’ve been here there has been pressure.

“There is pressure on all sorts around Everton Football Club and we’ve been trying to stay calm within lots of different challenges here. I think we mostly have done, trying to get things right on the pitch, trying to change the noise and putting a more positive feel about the club, not just the team.

“We are trying to do that and once we get there another thing comes up so it’s just one of those things.”

Everton come into the match having won three of their last five in all competitions despite a tricky start to the season which saw them wait six games for their first league win of the season.

Dyche always thought his side were playing well without getting the results they deserve but has recently seen his side convert performances into points.

He added: “Three out of four and then the game last week I think it’s fair to say was affected by a decision (not to send off Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate). I think we all know that.

“That’s slightly an anomaly in such an important game but I’ve said all season the performance levels have generally been good, obviously there’s things to work on but lately they have been good.

“There is a good feel about the group, the energy, the commitment to the cause has been good. Some of the quality has been good so we have to continue to work and find a tune.”

West Ham started the season well but have had a slight dip in form, having not won in their last two league games before losing their first European game of the season in midweek to Olympiacos.

Despite those recent results, including a 4-1 thrashing from Aston Villa, Dyche is expecting the best of the East London side and thinks David Moyes’ teams are never easy to match up against.

He said of the ex-Toffees boss: “A lot of the things you usually get with his team, usually they are competitive.

“They work but they can play as well and try to find that balance between a team that can defend but can also attack, so of course his sides are always difficult to play against – certainly from my experience.”

Leeds thrashed Huddersfield 4-1 at Elland Road keep their bid for a return to the Premier League on track.

Dan James and Crysencio Summerville both hit first half doubles as Daniel Farke’s men finally produced the sort of free-scoring display their dominance at home has threatened all season.

James opened the scoring after 20 minutes before Summerville added the second on the half-hour.

James soon added the third and Summerville completed the Leeds scoring on a day when the home side threatened to get at least twice as many.

Michal Helik netted a consolation for the visitors with 20 minutes remaining as Darren Moore’s side looked more compact after the break.

James fired in the opener from 25 yards as Leeds eventually made their early pressure pay and there was not way back from Huddersfield as they had little to offer at this point save for an off-target effort by Delano Burgzorg.

Summerville picked his spot for the second as the visitors’ defence failed to cope with Leeds’ free-flowing style with forward Georginio Rutter once again proving a handful.

It did not take long for Leeds to add a third and Rutter was involved once again, laying the ball off to Summerville who burst from his own half to set up James.

The winger was able to take his time before firing a shot across Lee Nicholls which the Huddersfield keeper could do little about.

Leeds could have had another but Nicholls this time proved equal to a Summerville shot and James blazed the rebound over.

Rutter again provided the chance for the fourth Leeds goal which came in first-half stoppage time.

He burst down the left and cut the ball back for Summerville who had time to turn twice inside the area before beating Nicholls with a shot which went through a crowd of players.

Any thoughts Leeds fans had a of a second-half rout were dispelled by a more compact Huddersfield who benefitted from two changes at the break.

Leeds worked hard for a fifth goal and also took the chance to make changes of their own to give needed game time for some of their fringe players.

A mistake by Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier gave Huddersfield the chance to score a consolation after 70 minutes.

Meslier was unable to hold a shot from Sorba Thomas from outside the area and Helik had timed his move to stay onside and fire in the rebound from close range.

But that was as good as it got for Moore’s side on a day when they were well beaten by opponents who reside at the opposite end of the Championship table.

Chelsea fell to a third home defeat of the season as Brentford maintained their 100% winning record at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League with a deserved 2-0 victory.

Ethan Pinnock took advantage of non-existent marking to head the visitors in front shortly before the half-hour mark after Mauricio Pochettino’s side had failed to take advantage of a first half in which they dominated.

Thereafter there was little genuine attacking threat nor hope of salvation, as the hosts took a worrying backwards step towards the goal-shy, hesitant play that characterised the manager’s early games.

Robert Sanchez was embarrassed in added time after joining his team’s attack for a corner, failing to catch Neal Maupay in a foot race as he broke with the ball, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to score in an empty net to compound home fans’ woes.

Chelsea’s dire form at Stamford Bridge now stands at one win in their last 13 games in the league, with August’s victory over Luton their only success here in seven months.

They were without Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, key components in their recent uptick in form, with neither player risked after picking up knocks in training on Friday.

In place of Mudryk came Noni Madueke, in for his first start under Pochettino, and he wasted little time in staking a case to his manager, standing up Vitaly Janelt on the right of the penalty area and opening his body to unleash a wicked, bending effort that thumped the crossbar.

It was a busy start from Chelsea. Conor Gallagher, captain again with Reece James fit only for the bench, stung the palms of Mark Flekken when he shot low at goal from 30 yards.

Marc Cucurella found space from a wonderful ball into the box from Cole Palmer, but the defender could summon neither power not placement with his right foot.

Raheem Sterling looked in electric mood. His dazzling burst through the middle saw the ball break to Madueke, who shepherded it inside for Palmer to return for Sterling who had continued his run. The move deserved a goal; instead the England forward ballooned his shot into the Matthew Harding Stand.

As the half wore on Chelsea became increasingly camped in the visitors’ half, shifting focus from probing for the critical pass in central positions in favour of balls down the channels, where Madueke and Sterling would not allow Brentford peace.

But there was a feeling of old habits creeping into Chelsea’s play, with the creative fluency of recent weeks not so forthcoming. The period ended with Pochettino remonstrating with a fan who questioned Nicolas Jackson’s lack of involvement, the manager of a mind that only supportive voices were welcome, but doubtless aware privately of his team’s shortcomings.

There was almost a goal within minutes of the restart, Janelt left to rue profligate finishing after he was left free 12 yards out but fired straight at Sanchez. It was a stark warning, but one Chelsea’s defence would not heed.

On 58 minutes, their generous marking struck again and this time Pinnock readily accepted the gift.

It was a smart link-up between Kristoffer Ajer and Mbeumo from a throw-in on the right that began the move, with Mbeumo given space to run the ball to the byline and hoist a cross. The delivery hung high in the air, finally dropping into the six yard box where Axel Disasi did little more than observe as Pinnock powered beyond him and beat Thiago Silva to the ball to thump his header home.

The shock jolted Chelsea from whatever rhythm they had inherited from the first half. Still they hogged the ball, but rarely was Flekken tested as they toiled in vain for an equaliser.

Substitute Yehor Yarmolyuk should have made it 2-0 on the break in the final minutes, he was denied point-blank by Sanchez, before Mbeumo lashed millimetres wide of the post.

Pochettino’s assistant Jesus Perez was sent off with frustrations between the two benches boiling over, and it got even worse for the home side with Mbeumo’s tap-in and the end of Chelsea’s mini-revival.

Adam Armstrong scored his eighth goal of the season as Southampton eased to a 3-1 Sky Bet Championship victory and condemned Wayne Rooney to a third straight defeat as Birmingham manager.

Forward Armstrong now has eight career goals against Blues, more than he has scored against any other side, as he settled the game with a fine finish.

He had set up Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ opener before Carlos Alcaraz tapped in – both players’ first goals of the season. Jay Stansfield pulled one back for the visitors but it could not help end Rooney’s winless run.

Southampton had monopolised the opening stages without creating anything clear-cut until Harwood-Bellis nodded in the ninth-minute opener.

Armstrongs Stuart and Adam worked a short-corner routine before the latter lifted for the Manchester City loanee to power in his third professional goal, and first since last September.

Blues rallied but Oliver Burke’s lashed effort into the side netting – their only shot of the first half – poked the hosts back into life.

Kamaldeen Sulemana and Stuart Armstrong linked up smartly on the left flank before the Ghanaian slid across the face of the goal for Alcaraz to push in.

Rooney had been booed after Wednesday’s 2-0 home defeat by Hull, and Saints supporters rubbed their advantage in with a round of “sacked in the morning” aimed at the Manchester United great.

But rather than rub further salt into the wound of Rooney’s poor start, Birmingham fans supported their boss with cries of “Rooney, Rooney” and “Wayne Rooney’s Blue Army”.

Their support should have been rewarded with a spot-kick but goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu got away with flattening Burke in the box.

Saints should have gone into the break with more than a two-goal advantage as Harwood-Bellis’ free header from a corner skipped wide and Adam Armstrong clipped a one-on-one over John Ruddy but wide of the goal.

After the break, Stuart Armstrong tamely ended a well-worked move and Adam Armstrong’s diving header flashed wide.

But the hosts floundered and Blues capitalised. Stansfield jumped off the bench, met Lukas Jutkiewicz’s knockdown, bullied his way past Kyle Walker-Peters and rifled into the top corner – all within 52 seconds of his 57th-minute introduction.

It was Stansfield’s fourth goal of the season and extended Southampton’s wait for a home clean sheet to 28 matches.

But Saints held onto the ball well and made sure of the result in the 86th minute when top-scorer Adam Armstrong pounced and swivelled onto Sam Edozie’s nod down.

Scott Hogan curled one onto the roof of the goal in additional time but it could not stop Saints moving to a sixth game unbeaten to cement their place in the play-off spots.

The Dominican Republic made a big statement in their hopes to win Group C of League B as the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers continued on Friday.

Bermuda remains first in the group after a draw in Barbados. That point is the lone separator between Bermuda and Dominican Republic, who now has a superior goal difference and is chasing the playoff spot.

St Vincent and the Grenadines vs. Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic took an 8-0 win against St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex in Kingstown.

The visitors took the lead in the first as Vanessa Kara lobbed a perfect ball under the top post, which gave goalkeeper Tishana James no chance at a save.

Jazmin Jackson added a second in the ninth with her elusive footwork inside the box and a right-footed shot just inside the left post.

Kathrynn Gonzalez extended the lead in the 17th by putting away a loose ball in the box.

Winibian Peralta earned a penalty after she was felled inside the area. Peralta converted from the spot in the 23rd to make it four unanswered.

Aaliyah Anderson tried to get one back for the home side in the 30th but visiting goalkeeper Odaliana Gomez was alert with the save.

Kathrynn Gonzalez completed a double in the 33rd with a rocket from distance.

Jackson also earned her second of the day in the 40th with a header. Lucia Marte was instrumental by starting the play from an interception and dribbling into the box to cross it across goal.

Jackson completed her hat-trick in the 58th with another header in front of goal. Brianne Reed provided the long cross into the box for the assist.

Dahien Cabrera added an eighth in the 87th to complete a build-up through the right flank as the Dominican Republic obtained his second win of the group stage.

Barbados vs. Bermuda

Barbados and Bermuda tied 1-1 at the Wildey Astro Turf Stadium in Bridgetown.

Bermuda’s Aaliyah Nolan was denied by the left post in the 10th in a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Nolan would eventually get the opening goal in the 24th with a drive through the middle of the field and a left-footed shot to the back of the net. Eva Frazzoni delivered the long service for the assist on the play.

The visitors then generated a free kick opportunity in the 36th but Victoria Davis’s attempt was just wide.

Adrienne Forde notched the equalizer in the 47th off a corner kick opportunity earned from an aggressive Barbados to start the second half.

Bermuda’s Akeyla Furbert nearly got around the defense in the 86th, but Barbados goalkeeper Kamilla Burke impeded the through ball becoming a more dangerous situation.

Jaden Masters then looked to have the winner in the 88th, but Burke delivered a crucial save to keep the score level.

A second half strike from Jillienne Aguilera handed Puerto Rico a 2-1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Group A of League A of the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Friday.

It is Puerto Rico’s first victory of the campaign, moving them into second place in the group with three points through two games, while Trinidad and Tobago remain without a point after two matches.

It was a fairly even first half-hour before Puerto Rico broke the deadlock in the 30th with Juelle Love making a run to the end line and cutting back to Skylynn Rodriguez, who fired in a right-footed shot for a 1-0 Puerto Rico lead.

Trinidad and Tobago would have a response, though, and the home side pulled level in the 49th through Alexcia Ali, who gathered a pass on the right wing and fired in from the narrowest of angles to make it a 1-1 affair.

Puerto Rico were unfazed and quickly regained the lead in the 54th thanks to Aguilera, who pounced on a loose ball, made a move past a defender and blasted a left-footed shot into net for a 2-1 advantage.

From there, the Puerto Rico defense did the job the rest of the way in keeping Trinidad and Tobago from getting an equalizer to secure the full three points.

Luis Enrique has warned Paris St Germain against falling into the “trap” of being overconfident when they visit surprise package Brest in Ligue 1 on Sunday just because the reigning champions blew away AC Milan in midweek.

PSG pulled off the perfect response to their shock defeat by Newcastle in the previous round of the Champions League by cruising past Serie A giants Milan 3-0 to take charge of their tough group at the halfway stage.

The Spaniard’s men have won three of their last four league games but a win at Stade Francis-Le Ble would only boost them to within a point of leaders Nice, so Enrique is taking the assignment very seriously.

He told reporters: “Every match is a trap but this one might especially be one because of the kick-off time of 1pm (12pm GMT). We’ve never played at that time before.

“We’re also away from home and there are reasons why we might not be focused, so there are things we need to be wary of.

“They’re a team who defend well and put in a lot of crosses. It will be tricky, especially after a Champions League match. We have to be very careful.

“I’ve seen their ground and it’s like an English stadium with stands close to the pitch. The schedule is unusual but we have to be able to overcome that, too.”

Marquinhos (adductor), Layvin Kurzawa (illness), Keylor Navas (back), Marco Asensio, Presnel Kimpembe and Nuno Mendes are all unavailable due to injury.

Opponents Brest have raised eyebrows so far this season after charging into the European places before, after failing to win any of their last three matches, slipping down to fifth.

Their rise has created more buzz around this fixture and head coach Eric Roy was bemused by the increased number of reporters at his Friday press conference, saying: “Oh dear, oh dear, who are all these people?”

He was, however, keen to play down any hopes of strolling to a home win in front of a sellout crowd.

“I don’t think it changes much for us,” Roy told L’Equipe. “Against Toulouse the stadium was full too… perhaps that’s because it is small. The Parisians won’t bring many so we will have a 100 per cent Brestois backing.

“I hope that we will live up to the expectations of our supporters. We would like to play a great match and take on the challenge. If we ‘crush’ them 1-0, it will be magnificent.”