Luca Brecel withstood a stirring fightback from Mark Selby to clinch a dramatic 18-15 victory and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

Having clawed back outlandish deficits to sink both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the previous rounds, the brilliant 28-year-old switched roles to fend off a late surge by the four-time champion.

Resuming 9-8 in front after a first day when the headlines were hogged by Selby’s historic maximum break, Brecel blasted four centuries in a blistering penultimate session to severely test his opponent’s storied reputation for triumphing against the odds.

Brecel proceeded to extend his lead to 16-10 but watched in increasing exasperation as Selby clawed back five in a row to threaten a dramatic finale before the Belgian edged one frame closer and then got over the line in style with his fifth century of the match.

“I just didn’t fancy winning this final,” Brecel admitted after picking up the winner’s cheque worth £500,000.

“I think it’s been too long, too much pressure, too many late nights. I had been behind in most of my games and I was expecting to go home against Ronnie and especially Si.

“Today when Mark got back from 9-5 to 9-8 I felt like I’d lost it already. I just didn’t fancy winning but if you feel like that and you still produce those breaks, I feel like I deserve it.”

His victory made him the youngest winner since Shaun Murphy in 2005 and capped a remarkable if belated ascent from Brecel, whose outrageous promise as a junior had threatened to evaporate in a relatively frustrating few years on the professional circuit.

And it was all the more remarkable in the context of Brecel’s claims that he had come into the tournament – and squeezed past Ricky Walden in a final-frame decider in the opening round – fuelled by a regime of negligible practice and plenty of parties.

“It’s not going to be early but I’m not going to go wild,” insisted the new champion of his imminent celebration plans.

“I’m not a party guy, it’s just coincidence that it happened before this World Championship. I will probably have a couple of drinks with my family but I have got to go home tomorrow.”

Brecel’s exhilarating intent to take on almost every conceivable pot made him an instant favourite among Crucible fans and sabotaged Selby’s hopes of continuing the recovery he had kick-started late on Sunday.

Brecel returned on Monday looking simply devastating, firing three centuries in the first four frames of the day to fashion a 13-9 lead before the mid-session interval gave the favourite some respite from the avalanche of potting that had come his way.

The four-time champion was distinctly out of sorts, cueing up many of Brecel’s chances by leaving reds dangling desperately over corner pockets, but no-one would have expected anything less than one of his trademark fightbacks.

Just as he dredged his way back to win previous finals over Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby launched his assault straight after the interval, winning two in a row, including the 23rd frame after a lengthy safety battle.

Yet where other opponents might have felt the pressure, Brecel was unfazed, and he duly returned to the table to sink an audacious opening red before proceeding to clear the balls for his nerveless fourth century of the session.

Arguably Brecel’s most impressive frame was yet to come, as he wiped out Selby’s carefully constructed 40-point lead off the back of another long red, his own pressure-filled break of 40 every bit as rewarding as his earlier hundreds.

Brecel continued his potting exploits when he took the first frame of the final session with a break of 67 to move two frames from victory at 16-10.

Inevitably, however, Selby stirred. He launched his improbable fightback with a break of 78 before reeling off the next four frames in a row to move to the brink of parity at 16-15.

But there was one more dramatic momentum shift in the 32nd frame when Selby missed a simple black, allowing Brecel to stop the rot, before a brilliant knock of 112 got him over the line.

Selby paid tribute to Brecel and said he would have no problem putting the defeat in perspective following his much publicised struggle with mental health concerns, while his wife Vikki is also recovering from illness.

“Some of the snooker Luca played today was incredible,” said Selby. “To be playing in his first final and to make four centuries, he just kept knocking the balls in every time he got a chance.

“Just coming out of the other side with my mental health from where I was, that’s me winning really – it’s irrelevant what else goes on because if you don’t have your health you have nothing.

“If this had been last year I wouldn’t have been able to come back from where I battled back from. As long as I keep putting the work in and my health is good, hopefully I’ve got more time.”

Cameron Norrie bowed out of the Madrid Open despite not facing a single break point as China’s Zhizhen Zhang battled from a set down to advance to the fourth round.

The British number one, seeded 11th in the Spanish capital, looked to be cruising when he won four games in a row to take the first set 6-2 and the second looked to be following a similar pattern.

However, the left-hander spurned five break point opportunities and his opponent, ranked 99th in the world, hit back to record a 2-6 7-6 (2) 7-6 (2) win to set up a clash with eighth seed Taylor Fritz.

After falling 0-40 down at 2-2 in the second set, Zhang won 27 successive points on serve to establish some rhythm and while he was unable to make inroads on the return, he held his nerve in the tie-breaks.

Despite going 2-1 down in the second set tie-break, Zhang reeled off six consecutive points to send the match to a decider, where neither player backed down on serve.

Another tie-break ensued and it was Zhang who hit the front this time, claiming victory in two hours and nine minutes to reach the last 16 of a Masters 1000 event for the first time.

While American Fritz saw off Chile’s Cristian Garin 6-1 7-6 (4), second seed Daniil Medvedev hit back from a set down to record a 4-6 6-1 7-5 triumph over fellow Russian Alexander Shevchenko.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was also taken the distance before the Greek collected a 7-5 3-6 6-3 success over Argentinian 25th seed Sebastian Baez.

Luca Brecel’s sensational march to the World Snooker Championship title in Sheffield concluded 17 days of significant shocks and sensational upstarts.

Early defeats for the likes of in-form Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump blasted open the seedings while up-and-comers like Brecel and Si Jiahui came of age.

Here, the PA news agency casts an eye over the highlights from another unforgettable fortnight and a bit at the Crucible.

Luca trooper

A superstar prospect who seemed destined not to fill his enormous early potential, Brecel has finally hurled himself among the elite. With a swashbuckling style that evokes former Crucible greats like Alex Higgins and Jimmy White, Brecel won the hearts of the Sheffield crowd during his irresistible march to his maiden title.

The Chinese are (still) coming

Out of the dark cloud of the match-fixing scandal that snared 10 of their compatriots emerged a new generation of Chinese talent, spearheaded by the extraordinary Si Jiahui. His run to the last four will remain an abiding memory of this tournament and, as one of four first-time Chinese qualifiers, the future of the sport in the east is evidently in good hands.

Long gone

While the rest of the circuit bows to TV pressure for shorter-form affairs, the 2023 tournament served as a reminder of what makes the marathon format so special. Brecel’s epic comebacks against Si and Ronnie O’Sullivan, and the extraordinary endurance shown by Mark Selby and Mark Allen in their early-hours semi-final, underscored what makes the Crucible unique.

Home discomfort

With the glowing exception of Jak Jones, the single home-grown debutant who soared all the way to the quarter-finals, there are few signs of the next generation of rising British talent. Jack Lisowski once again came up spectacularly short, and besides Jones, first-round loser Elliot Slessor was the only other Briton in the draw aged under 30.

Class dismissed?

The fabled ‘Class of 92′ once again had their moments, but the manner of their eventual defeats hinted that their time as multiple title winners may finally be nearing an end. O’Sullivan admitted he had no answer to Brecel’s seven-frame streak in the last eight, while John Higgins’ stellar run was shattered in his own quarter-final loss to Selby.

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall called for his side to quickly recover their spirits after the Gunners narrowly failed to reach the Women’s Champions League final with a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Wolfsburg.

Arsenal remain the only English side to have won the European club title and it took until the second half of extra time in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,063 at the Emirates for Pauline Bremer to set up a meeting with Barcelona in the June 3 Eindhoven final.

It was nevertheless a valiant effort from the depleted hosts, whose injury-plagued season has seen them lose top talent including skipper Kim Little, forwards Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead, and, most recently, England captain Leah Williamson.

“[We’re hurting] quite a bit,” admitted Eidevall. “It’s tough. No doubt about it, because it was a game of such fine margins and they’re not on our side tonight.

“So I think we’re allowed to hurt tonight, we’re allowed to feel empty, but we’re also allowed to feel proud of our performance and for the occasion with the supporters that are magnificent, so there’s a lot of emotions.

“Sometimes things go for you and you think that’s always justified, sometimes that goes against you and it feels terrible.

“But I also choose to look at it that way, that we as a group, we come to the Champions League semi-final with all the injuries we have, with all the challenges we have, we do that, and that is actually incredible. And I’m so proud of the players and the staff that they are able to do that.

“We are in a tough situation on the remainder of the season both to get our feet and heads back from here, but already on Friday we have a really important [Women’s Super League] game against Leicester.”

The hosts, who sit fourth in the WSL but with two games in hand over league leaders Manchester United, were first on the scoresheet when Stina Blackstenius marked a half-century of appearances for Arsenal with the opener, but saw it cancelled out by former Gunner Jill Roord before half-time.

Wolfsburg skipper Alexandra Popp pulled the visitors ahead after the restart before Jen Beattie’s equaliser forced extra time, when Katie McCabe’s cross hit the woodwork before a defensive lapse from England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy allowed Jule Brand to pounce and feed Bremer, who slid and scored the winner in the 119th minute.

Wubben-Moy otherwise had an excellent evening, with a critical tackle to deny Ewa Pajor a chance before setting up Beattie’s equaliser, but looked crushed by the final result.

Asked how she was feeling, her boss replied: “I’ve told her to keep her head high, there’s no need to apologise. Mistakes happen in football. We win as a team, we lose as a team. We’re there for each other.

“We learn. It’s inevitable sometimes. Today they also made mistakes and we were close to profiting from them. So it’s part of the game. She was absolutely fantastic if you look at it as a total performance and she has been lately as well. We’re there for each other.”

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall called for his side to quickly recover their spirits after the Gunners narrowly failed to reach the Women’s Champions League final with a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Wolfsburg.

Arsenal remain the only English side to have won the European club title and it took until the second half of extra time in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,063 at the Emirates for Pauline Bremer to set up a meeting with Barcelona in the June 3 Eindhoven final.

It was nevertheless a valiant effort from the depleted hosts, whose injury-plagued season has seen them lose top talent including skipper Kim Little, forwards Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead, and, most recently, England captain Leah Williamson.

“[We’re hurting] quite a bit,” admitted Eidevall. “It’s tough. No doubt about it, because it was a game of such fine margins and they’re not on our side tonight.

“So I think we’re allowed to hurt tonight, we’re allowed to feel empty, but we’re also allowed to feel proud of our performance and for the occasion with the supporters that are magnificent, so there’s a lot of emotions.

“Sometimes things go for you and you think that’s always justified, sometimes that goes against you and it feels terrible.

“But I also choose to look at it that way, that we as a group, we come to the Champions League semi-final with all the injuries we have, with all the challenges we have, we do that, and that is actually incredible. And I’m so proud of the players and the staff that they are able to do that.

“We are in a tough situation on the remainder of the season both to get our feet and heads back from here, but already on Friday we have a really important [Women’s Super League] game against Leicester.”

The hosts, who sit fourth in the WSL but with two games in hand over league leaders Manchester United, were first on the scoresheet when Stina Blackstenius marked a half-century of appearances for Arsenal with the opener, but saw it cancelled out by former Gunner Jill Roord before half-time.

Wolfsburg skipper Alexandra Popp pulled the visitors ahead after the restart before Jen Beattie’s equaliser forced extra time, when Katie McCabe’s cross hit the woodwork before a defensive lapse from England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy allowed Jule Brand to pounce and feed Bremer, who slid and scored the winner in the 119th minute.

Wubben-Moy otherwise had an excellent evening, with a critical tackle to deny Ewa Pajor a chance before setting up Beattie’s equaliser, but looked crushed by the final result.

Asked how she was feeling, her boss replied: “I’ve told her to keep her head high, there’s no need to apologise. Mistakes happen in football. We win as a team, we lose as a team. We’re there for each other.

“We learn. It’s inevitable sometimes. Today they also made mistakes and we were close to profiting from them. So it’s part of the game. She was absolutely fantastic if you look at it as a total performance and she has been lately as well. We’re there for each other.”

Athletic Bilbao kept themselves in the hunt for European qualification as a stoppage-time penalty from Inaki Williams salvaged a 1-1 LaLiga draw at Mallorca.

With top-six rivals Real Betis having lost 4-0 at Barcelona on Saturday, Athletic were looking to get their own campaign back on track following defeat last time out against in-form Sevilla.

Mallorca, though, took the lead just before the hour through a scrappy effort from Lee Kang-in, which went through the legs of Athletic defender Yeray Alvarez as he tried to clear the ball off the line.

It looked like that would be enough to secure Mallorca – all but already safe in midtable – victory, but there was a dramatic finish when Bilbao were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage-time following handball by Inigo Ruiz De Galarreta.

Ghana forward Williams made no mistake as he coolly dispatched the spot-kick, which proved the last action of the match.

Athletic remain seventh, but are now just two points behind Betis ahead of their showdown at San Mames on Thursday in the battle for Europa Conference League qualification.

In Monday’s late match, Valentin Castellanos was on target again as Girona won 2-0 at Sevilla.

Juanpe put the visitors ahead from a corner in the 23rd minute.

On loan New York City forward Castellanos – who scored four in the win over Real Madrid – doubled the lead early in the second half as Sevilla’s seven-match unbeaten run came to an end.

Girona climb to eighth, three points behind Bilbao.

Luca Brecel withstood a stirring fightback from Mark Selby to clinch a dramatic 18-15 victory and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

Five previous visits to the famous venue had yielded no success for Brecel but, having clawed back outlandish deficits to sink both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the previous rounds, he switched roles to fend off a late surge by the four-time champion.

Resuming 9-8 in front after a first day whose headlines were hogged by Selby’s historic maximum break, Brecel blasted four centuries in a blistering penultimate session to severely test his opponent’s storied reputation for triumphing against the odds.

Brecel proceeded to extend his lead to 16-10 but watched in increasing exasperation as Selby clawed back five in a row to threaten a dramatic finale before the Belgian edged one frame closer and then got over the line in style with his fifth century of the match.

His victory made the 28-year-old the youngest winner since Shaun Murphy in 2005 and capped a remarkable if belated ascent from Brecel, whose outrageous promise as a junior had threatened to evaporate in a relatively frustrating few years on the professional circuit.

And it was all the more remarkable in the context of Brecel’s claims that he had come into the tournament – and squeezed past Ricky Walden in a final-frame decider in the opening round – fuelled by games of darts and drinking binges.

Such a refreshing approach, combined with an exhilarating intent to take on almost every conceivable pot, made him an instant favourite among Crucible fans and sabotaged the attritional approach with which Selby has won down so many of his previous opponents.

If Selby, two of whose previous title wins had entailed recovering from greater deficits than the four frames by which he twice trailed on the opening day, will have been undaunted after Sunday’s opening session, Monday’s resumption appeared to put hopes of a fifth title in stark perspective.

Brecel looked simply devastating, firing three centuries in the first four frames of the day to fashion a 13-9 lead before the mid-session interval gave the favourite some respite from the avalanche of potting that had come his way.

The four-time champion looked distinctly out of sorts, cueing up many of Brecel’s chances by leaving reds dangling desperately over corner pockets, but no-one would have expected anything less than one of his trademark fightbacks.

Just as he dredged his way back to win previous finals over Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby launched his assault straight after the interval, winning two in a row, including a potentially pivotal 23rd frame after a lengthy safety battle.

Yet where other opponents might have felt the pressure, Brecel was unfazed, and he duly returned to the table to sink an audacious opening red before proceeding to clear the balls for his nerveless fourth century of the session.

Arguably Brecel’s most impressive frame was yet to come, as he wiped out Selby’s carefully constructed 40-point lead off the back of another long red, his own pressure-filled break of 40 every bit as rewarding as his earlier hundreds.

Brecel continued his potting exploits when he took the first frame of the final session with a break of 67 to move two frames from victory at 16-10.

Inevitably, however, Selby stirred. He launched his improbable fightback with a break of 78 before slugging his way through a long and scrappy frame to bring Brecel back within four frames at 16-12.

These were worrying times for the Belgian, whose long potting percentage was beginning to nosedive, and Selby ruthlessly converted his opportunities by taking the next three frames including his third century of the final.

Brecel had not potted a ball for an hour, and when he missed another rash attempt at a long red early in the next frame he returned to his seat with a wry smile, seemingly resigned to the increasing futility of trying to keep Selby at bay.

But having battled back to the brink of parity, there was one more dramatic momentum shift in the 32nd frame when Selby missed a simple black, allowing Brecel to stop the rot, before a brilliant knock of 112 got him over the line.

Alex Iwobi rescued a point for Everton in a pulsating 2-2 draw at drop rivals Leicester.

The forward capitalised on Jordan Pickford’s crucial penalty save when he stopped James Maddison making it 3-1 just before the break.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s spot-kick opened the scoring, his first goal since October, before it was cancelled out by Caglar Soyuncu.

Jamie Vardy’s goal sent Leicester ahead and Maddison missed the chance to put the hosts in control, with Iwobi levelling soon after the re-start.

Everton also lost captain Seamus Coleman to a serious injury to further add to their problems.

Realistically, a point did little to aid either side’s Premier League survival hopes in the short-term, although it did lift Leicester out of the bottom three on goal difference. Everton remain second bottom, a point from safety, with four games left.

May 2 marks the seventh anniversary of the Foxes’ Premier League triumph in 2016.

Five days later, basking in the glory, Leicester battered a disinterested Everton 3-1 before lifting the title to complete their fairy tale.

Andrea Bocelli had already sung an emotive Nessun Dorma and the Toffees had given the hosts a guard of honour at an electric King Power Stadium.

Fast-forward and after two fifth-place finishes, FA Cup win, a Champions League quarter-final and a Europa Conference League semi-final, the class of 2023 faced a different game against the visitors.

Everton, protecting a top-flight status which stretched back to 1954, were winless in their previous six outings.

Sean Dyche’s impact, which earned two wins from his opening three games, has waned and just one further victory since has left the Toffees staring into the abyss.

If there were any nerves, the visitors hid them well and only Daniel Iversen’s fabulous save denied Iwobi an opener following Abdoulaye Doucoure’s driving run.

Maddison’s tame shot was gathered by Pickford in a rare Leicester attack before the Toffees grabbed a deserved 15th-minute lead.

It was a gift from the hosts, though, as Timothy Castagne’s moment of madness saw him unnecessarily barge Calvert-Lewin over in the box.

The striker kept his composure from the spot to score just his second goal of an injury-ravaged season.

Leicester boss Dean Smith had criticised the schedule which, starting against Everton, will see the Foxes play four Monday night games – after all their rivals.

But defeats for Leeds and Nottingham Forest had given them the platform to escape the bottom three, one they were in danger of losing until levelling out of the blue after 22 minutes.

Maddison’s free-kick was only half-cleared and Wout Faes nodded back Harvey Barnes’ cross for Soyuncu to turn in from 10 yards – his first goal for the Foxes since October 2021.

It changed the direction of the game as Leicester found their rhythm to go ahead after 33 minutes.

As much as the Foxes had found theirs, Everton had lost any composure and Iwobi’s poor pass was intercepted by Youri Tielemans for Maddison to find Vardy.

The striker dashed clear of Michael Keane to round Pickford and score. It is the first time in a year he has scored in successive games.

It sparked a madcap finish to the half and only Iversen’s fine stop from Dwight McNeil kept the hosts ahead.

Leicester survived again when Calvert-Lewin could only direct McNeil’s ball at Iversen from two yards – with Soyuncu’s touch on the cross denying the striker a simple tap-in.

Leicester immediately broke and Vardy bamboozled Keane only to chip onto the bar from eight yards.

The Toffees then lost their skipper when Coleman was carried off with a serious injury after Boubakary Soumare’s strong but innocuous challenge.

It almost got worse when Keane handled Barnes’ cross in the box but Pickford stood up to save Maddison’s poor penalty. The notes for Maddison’s penalty technique on the goalkeeper’s water bottle said ‘stay’.

It was a lifeline Everton grabbed as they levelled nine minutes after the re-start.

Iversen had already saved from Calvert-Lewin but he was powerless to stop Iwobi from drilling in after Faes had touched on McNeil’s delivery.

Parity restored, the game continued at a relentless pace with James Tarkowski blocking Vardy’s goal-bound header.

A frantic finish then saw Iversen turn Doucoure’s drive wide to preserve a result neither side really wanted.

Warren Gatland has revealed Wyn Jones’ shock omission from his preliminary World Cup training squad was down to Wales seeking greater front-row mobility.

Jones has gone from British and Irish Test Lion to Wales outcast in under two years, with Gatland suggesting that the Scarlets prop is a victim of the changing nature of international rugby.

The 31-year-old Jones – who started the Lions’ Test decider against South Africa in August 2021 – failed to make Gatland’s preliminary 54-man squad, with Cardiff’s uncapped Corey Domachowski among the preferred options at loosehead.

“There is no doubt he has had some injuries,” Wales head coach Gatland said of the 48-times capped Jones.

“Leading up to 2021 he was in outstanding form and playing well, we are just looking for some competition and a little bit more mobility in that position.

“We are looking for guys winning collisions and having that work-rate around the field we think is important at this level.

“There is no doubt the game has changed. The number of scrums is nowhere near as many as they used to be so you need to have a front five, particularly front rowers, that can scrummage but can get around the park.

“They have got to contribute a huge amount in terms of their mobility.

“That’s a big part we need to improve and was an area that when we reflected back and reviewed the Six Nations was probably our biggest work on in terms of moving forward.”

Seven-cap England tighthead prop Henry Thomas, who plays for France’s Top 14 champions Montpellier, was the surprise inclusion in a squad to be cut to 33 ahead of the World Cup in September.

Thomas, who has played for Sale and Bath in the Gallagher Premiership, was last capped by England in 2014 and has served World Rugby’s stand down period of three years to represent another country.

Fellow forwards Cory Hill, currently playing in Japan, and Will Rowlands were named in a squad featuring 10 uncapped players.

Rowlands is two appearances short of meeting Wales’ 25-cap criteria for those playing outside the country, something which does not affect Thomas as he is currently under contract at Montpellier.

The second-row forward is leaving Dragons for Paris-based Racing 92 next season, but Wales have three Tests before the World Cup in August. Rowlands’ registration will remain in Wales during the summer.

Exeter-bound centre Joe Hawkins, who has won five caps since making his debut in November, is ineligible, however, following his move from Ospreys.

Wales’ World Cup pool consists of Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal, and Gatland expects improved fitness levels after a disappointing Six Nations campaign that brought only one win against Italy.

He said: “We were reasonable but not anywhere near as good as we were in the past. That’s something we pride ourselves on in terms of playing for 80 minutes and not going away.

“You’ve seen that in the past and it’s something I’ll definitely be focusing on.”

Manchester City took a step closer to a third straight Premier League title as they beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage to move top of the table.

Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead against Tottenham after just 15 minutes at Anfield, but needed a stoppage-time winner from Diogo Jota after the visitors had got back on level terms moments earlier through Richarlison.

Away from football, Mark Selby made the first maximum break of 147 in a World Snooker Championship final, while Sergio Perez beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best images from the weekend’s sporting action.

Harry Kane says Tottenham are a team of “moments” but are not playing as a team after a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Seven days on from their 6-1 defeat at Newcastle, where they were 5-0 down after 20 minutes, a repeat looked on the cards as they fell 3-0 behind with only 15 minutes on the clock.

But Kane’s 208th Premier League goal, which puts him joint-second on the all-time list with Wayne Rooney, started the unlikeliest of comebacks which was completed by Richarlison in stoppage time.

However, Diogo Jota scored for Liverpool just 99 seconds later to condemn Spurs to another loss, ending any realistic hope of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, with the Europa League far from certain.

Kane said on Sky Sports: “The table doesn’t lie, where we are doesn’t lie, we have got some fantastic players, we have some fantastic moments, but overall as a team we are not playing well collectively.

“We need to find a way to get through moments when things don’t go our way, we need to find a way of starting games away from home where we are not under the cosh straight away.

“We deserve to be where we are, that is what the league table is there for, we have four games, this one is going to be hard to take but we have a week until the next game, we have to look at it back and try and move on.”

Kane, whose future is certain to come under scrutiny following Spurs’ shambolic end to the season, says actions speak louder than words in terms of how they go about putting an end to their dismal start to games.

“Dreadful start in the first 20 minutes, not the first time it’s happened this season, so we need to start understanding moments better, start understanding big games better,” he said.

“You come away to Anfield, just like you go away to St James’ Park, and the same thing happened.

“Twenty minutes is one game and then the 70-plus five minutes we had chances, they had a lot of the ball but the majority of the chances came to us, we hit the post, and over that period we fully deserved to get back in the game.

“It would have been a really great comeback, but the final 10 seconds it is hard to put into words how that happened and why it happened but we have to try and move on from it.

“Over the course of the season we have shown we can come back in games and to do it here in Anfield shows what we are capable of. But to have the starts we have had, it is hard to put into words, it is hard to talk about.

“There are so many words you can use, the bottom line is you have to go out and prove that to be the case.

“We have conceded a goal in pretty much the first minute in the last three games we have played, it is down to us to go away and find a reason why and find out how we can improve the situation.”

Another pulsating weekend of action in the Premier League saw some of the main issues take more clarity as the season draws to a close.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the key issues in the games from Saturday and Sunday.

Haaland’s half-century as City return to the summit

Erling Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season as Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in 10 weeks with a 2-1 win at Fulham. The Norwegian star equalled Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole’s record for the most league goals in a season as his early penalty at Craven Cottage was his 34th of a brilliant campaign with more surely to follow. Carlos Vinicius had levelled for Fulham before Julian Alvarez’s goal earned an eighth successive win for City, which saw them go above Arsenal and to the top of the table. It feels slightly ominous and, even though the Gunners can reclaim their place at the summit on Tuesday, few would back against City winning the title from here.

Top four looking locked in

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It was a big afternoon for Newcastle and Manchester United in their quest to secure Champions League football as both recorded important wins. Newcastle’s brilliant campaign shows absolutely no sign of hitting the rocks as they produced a comeback 3-1 victory over Southampton. It was their eighth win in nine games since their Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United, but they could now finish above Erik ten Hag’s side in the table. United, who are battling a gruelling schedule, overcame in-form Aston Villa to almost certainly book Champions League football next season.

Kane goes level with Rooney in Anfield classic

Despite his Tottenham team-mates again collapsing around him, Harry Kane continues on a one-man mission to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League scoring record. His goal for Spurs against Liverpool at Anfield was his 208th league strike, taking him joint second in the all-time list with Wayne Rooney. Kane can be forgiven for wondering whether he really wants to go for Shearer’s record in a Tottenham shirt after another gutless opening to a game. A week after Spurs found themselves 5-0 down after 20 minutes at Newcastle, they were at it again, this time conceding three in the first 15 minutes in an embarrassing showing. They looked like they had put that right with Kane’s goal starting a remarkable comeback that saw Richarlison level in stoppage time. However, seconds after the restart, Diogo Jota made it 4-3 and strengthened Liverpool’s Europa League hopes.

Brighton’s European tour?

After a poor defeat at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, it would have been easy to think that Brighton might run out of steam in their quest for a first European qualification. But they showed they are very much still in the race after posting their biggest Premier League win, thumping Wolves 6-0. Doubles from Deniz Undav, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck helped the rampant Seagulls put them firmly in the race for Europa League qualification and on this evidence – with games in hand – they could be favourites to finish in fifth position. Brentford could also consider themselves in the mix after they followed up their midweek win at Chelsea with a late turnaround victory over Nottingham Forest.

Saints marching towards the Championship and Leeds could follow

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For the first 50 minutes of their visit to Newcastle, things were looking good as Southampton led and were just three points off safety in the live table. But a second-half capitulation now leaves Saints staring relegation in the face as they are six points adrift with four games to play. The next one is against Forest and defeat could be the final nail in the coffin. It was a damaging weekend for Leeds, who lost 4-1 to Bournemouth and, with tough fixtures between now and the end of the season, look favourites to return to the Championship. Forest’s late defeat at Brentford keeps them firmly in the mix while there is a huge game between Leicester and Everton on Monday.

Harry Kane moved joint-second in the all-time Premier League scoring chart with a goal in Tottenham’s defeat at Liverpool.

Having moved alongside Wayne Rooney on 208, Kane has only record scorer Alan Shearer ahead of him in the years since the top flight’s rebranding.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares.

Kane v Rooney

As with his recently-acquired England scoring record, Kane has hauled in Rooney’s total in far fewer games than it took the former Manchester United and Everton forward.

Rooney scored 208 goals in 491 appearances, including 183 in 393 for United – at the time a record for one club, since beaten by Sergio Aguero’s 184 for Manchester City and then Kane’s Spurs tally.

Kane has played only 315 games since his debut in 2012, all for Spurs except for three scoreless early appearances on loan at Norwich.

Rooney, of course, won five league titles with United, an achievement Kane has not been able to match – though he does have three Golden Boot awards, in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21. Kane has won seven player of the month awards to Rooney’s five, but Rooney was the Premier League player of the season for 2009-10.

Kane v Shearer

Kane will need at least two more fit and prolific Premier League seasons to overtake Shearer, but is on course to do so given his impressive scoring rate.

Shearer’s 260 goals came in 441 appearances for Blackburn and Newcastle, a ratio of 0.59 goals per game.

Kane has a superior scoring rate of 0.66 per game, meaning he is on track to match Shearer’s record in his 395th game – either late in 2024-25 or early in the following campaign.

Shearer insists he is “cool with” Kane eventually breaking his record, telling the Premier League website in February when Kane reached 200 goals: “I know how much he wants it – he’s told me – which is fine, because I was exactly the same.

“If he stays fit and stays in this country then he’ll do it. It’s just a matter of when.”

Shearer also won three Golden Boots, in consecutive seasons from 1994-95. That year he also won the league title, with Blackburn, and the player of the season award, while he was named player of the month on four occasions in his career.

Scoring analysis

Kane holds the accolade of scoring against all 32 opponents he has faced in his Premier League career.

Shearer and Rooney scored against more opponents but also faced more – Shearer played against 39 teams and scored against all but Watford and Birmingham, in two and five appearances respectively, while Rooney netted against 36 of 40 opponents.

He did not score in six games against United – but did so five times in 18 games for them against Everton – with Derby, Blackpool and Huddersfield keeping him at bay in two games each.

Kane’s best tally against one opponent is 18 in 16 games against Leicester, with 15 in 16 against Everton and 14 in 17 north London derbies against Arsenal. He has double figures also against Southampton, West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Rooney scored 15 against Newcastle and hit double figures against seven different opponents. Shearer did so against 12 teams, including 20 in 19 games against Leeds.

Kane has scored in almost half of his Premier League appearances – 153, already only six fewer than Rooney. His total includes a four-goal haul against Leicester in 2017, seven other hat-tricks and 38 doubles.

Shearer’s 11 hat-tricks included five goals in Newcastle’s 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. He added 46 doubles, scoring in 190 of his 441 games. Rooney scored 34 doubles and seven hat-tricks, including all four goals in Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Hull in 2010.

Liverpool assumed the role of chief Champions League football challengers as they moved into fifth place after a frankly bizarre late 4-3 win over Tottenham.

A week after conceding five in the opening 21 minutes at Newcastle, history started to repeat itself after another shambolic opening to a game from Spurs, who were 3-0 down inside 15 minutes courtesy of goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.

That the visitors got back on level terms through Harry Kane – equalling Wayne Rooney’s 208 Premier League total – Son Heung-min and Richarlison, in added time, said as much about the home side’s sloppiness when cruising as it did Tottenham’s powers of recovery which had earned them a come-from-behind draw against Manchester United on Thursday.

However, there was one final twist as straight from the kick-off following Richarlison’s equaliser, Diogo Jota scored his fifth goal in four appearances to snatch victory and stay in the race – albeit outsiders – for the top four, seven points behind Manchester United having played one match more.

Rangers manager Michael Beale promised the biggest squad rebuild for years after another defeat by Celtic consigned them to a barren season.

Jota’s goal three minutes before half-time proved enough for Celtic to seal a Scottish Cup final clash against Inverness as they close in on the treble.

Rangers have gone six games without victory against their city rivals and Celtic have the chance to wrap up the title before they visit Ibrox on May 13.

Beale said: “Listen, I think it will be the biggest rebuild this club has seen in a number of years.

“You have to be respectful, you are coming in in November and know changes will be made.

“Every time you come to a press conference people ask you about it. I have got a group of players that I need to manage and keep moving forward and motivate for the games I have been here. It’s obvious I am not going to come out and condemn people and send people away.

“But I think it’s also obvious that we are getting to the summer and there’s going to be some change.

“If you haven’t heard any news now around certain players it would be amiss not to keep asking the same questions, because if you don’t hear anything and contracts are running out it probably gives you a good indication there’s change in the air.”

When asked whether that was the last appearance for Rangers at Hampden for Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, whose contracts expire at the end of the season, Beale said: “Possibly, yes.”

He added: “We have been in need of the summer for a while to be honest but certainly after this outcome, I think it’s fair to say we need some new faces, some renewed energy.”

The first half was a tight affair with few clear-cut chances until Rangers collectively stopped playing in the expectation that stand-in referee Don Robertson, who replaced the injured Willie Collum late on, would blow for a Celtic free-kick.

Nicolas Raskin stood back after a body-check on Matt O’Riley but Robertson played on, Daizen Maeda nipped in front of the equally static Borna Barisic and whipped in a cross to allow Jota to head home after he had sneaked in behind James Tavernier.

Beale said: “Fine margins will generally decide big games and we have made an error again in a moment and conceded a goal and the game has been very harsh on us.

“I thought second half we took the game to Celtic, we had big moments and we haven’t executed.

“In big games you can’t have the amount of play that we had and the opportunities we had and make a mistake and get away with it.

“We are missing big chances, similar to the (Viaplay) Cup final here.”

When pressed on the circumstances behind the goal, Beale said: “It’s happened in a lot of big games this year. No-one is meaning to make mistakes but in the big moments we have done.

“I don’t know (why). We throw big words out like character and mentality… We have switched off, two or three players have switched off. They know, they are in there kicking themselves. It’s a big moment in their careers, it’s a costly moment for all of us, as a football club.

“No-one went out there to switch off. It was clear two or three did, and they score. Fair play to them, in that moment they are alive and we are not.”