Four Lads Had A Dream have named their “biggest fear” at Rangers after another disappointing result in Europe this week.

Rangers fans want Thelwell and Stewart out

Gers supporters will have been hoping for a new manager bounce from Danny Rohl on Thursday, but instead, another woeful performance saw their team lose 3-0 away to Brann in the Europa League.

The pressure is building on sporting director Kevin Thelwell and CEO Patrick Stewart coming under fire, with Heart & Hand Podcast’s David Edgar calling for them to be relieved of their duties.

It is a sorry situation at Rangers, with Rohl coming in with so much to deal with, and Ally McCoist calling this his nadir as a fan on Friday.

“Last night is probably as depressed as I have been during this whole debacle, because I actually feel for the manager.I don’t know what he is going to do. He might improve them in terms of a little bit of organisation – set plays, you can do all that, bits and pieces, but I do not think there is anywhere near the level of improvement in that team that will even be required to get them up the league domestically, to tell you the gospel truth.”

"Biggest fear" at Rangers revealed

Writing on X, Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that Andrew Cavenagh is also a huge issue alongside Thelwell and Stewart at Rangers, due to him being blinded by the current problems surrounding them.

“We are in a really bad position, every game is a lottery & sadly not in our favour. Ally summed it up, we look like a team of young kids. He was also spot on when he said recruitment was horrendous. I fear more ‘nights/afternoons’ like tonight, which was painfully embarrassing.

“The spotlight continues to shine on the running of the club, those that have overseen this position and those heading up recruitment on and off the pitch taking us here. Yes Patrick and Kevin that means you. The biggest fear, Andrew Cavanagh is so entrenched he doesn’t see it either. “That’s wider than tonight. But tonight is in indication of exactly where they have taken us.”

Each Rangers fan will have their own person in mind when it comes to who is most to blame for the ongoing woes at Ibrox, but Cavenagh is clearly doing an unsatisfactory job as chairman.

Related Worse than Antman: Rohl must drop Rangers flop who's "nowhere near ready"

Glasgow Rangers manager Danny Rohl should drop this flop who was even worse than Oliver Antman.

Posts ByDan Emery Oct 24, 2025

Some would like to see him depart, as well as Thelwell and Stewart, allowing the Gers to start from fresh, and it is hard to argue his corner right now.

It’s advantage Arsenal in the Premier League title race after Liverpool’s recent slips and former player Jack Wilshere believes that one player will be the “key” for Mikel Arteta.

Arteta provides latest Odegaard injury update

On a day that saw the Gunners go top of the Premier League, it wasn’t an afternoon without one frustrating moment.

Yet again, captain Martin Odegaard was forced to depart in the first-half after picking up another injury concern. The Norwegian has already had a stop-start opening to the current campaign and could now be set for another spell on the sidelines.

Providing an update on Odegaard’s injury, Arteta told reporters in his post-match reaction: “With Martin it was a clash knee to knee. It’s not looking very positive at the moment.”

The Spaniard was also forced to provide an update on Declan Rice, who asked to come off after discomfort in his back. The Arsenal boss said: “With Declan he was struggling with back pain and he asked me to come off. Let’s see what the doctor says now and what is best for him.”

Unlucky Arsenal star is very quickly becoming the new Jack Wilshere

The new Jack Wilshere may have emerged for Arsenal.

By
Matt Dawson

Oct 5, 2025

In truth, despite sitting top of the Premier League and in excellent form, the international break comes at a good time for the Gunners. It provides them with the perfect opportunity to ensure that Rice is fully fit and Odegaard finally recovers from recent injury woes.

Alas, even if they’re left with no choice but to go on without those two, Wilshere believes that it’s another player who’s going to be “key” to Arsenal’s title hopes.

Wilshere: Timber the "key" for Arsenal

For all of Bukayo Saka’s excellent work and the solid partnership between Gabriel and William Saliba, it is another star who stands out for Wilshere. According to the former midfielder, Jurrien Timber is the “key” to Arsenal’s title hopes after making such an impressive start to the current campaign.

Wilshere’s praise is certainly justified, too. Timber has been a revelation ever since returning from injury at Arsenal and the West Ham game was no different. The Dutchman had six touches in the West Ham box, wasn’t dispossessed once and made six tackles in another complete performance from the versatile fullback.

As time goes on, the £90,000-a-week star looks more and more important for Arteta and Arsenal as they look to build on their lead at the top of the Premier League.

The New York Mets advanced to the NLDS on Thursday night thanks to a ninth inning home run from star slugger Pete Alonso. The three-run blast gave the Mets the lead for good and ended the season for Willy Adames and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Speaking of Adames, there was still plenty of fallout on Thursday from his Game 1 spat with former teammate, Mets outfielder Jesse Winker.

Winker hit an early two-run triple in Game 1 and as he was rounding the bases, began talking trash to Adames. Adames didn't back down, telling Winker he could meet him in the parking lot after the game.

Adames followed through on that promise, he told the media on Thursday.

"I was there [in the lot]," Adames told Jon Heyman of the , adding that Winker didn't show up.

The disagreement between the two can be chalked up to the heat of a playoff series, but Winker got the last laugh, as the Mets will take on the division rival Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS.

Phoenix captain hits 4-6-6-6-4 off Rashid Khan as Invincibles lose unbeaten record

ECB Media12-Aug-2025

A brilliant unbeaten 69 from Liam Livingstone saw Birmingham Phoenix chase down Oval Invincibles’ total of 180 for 8 with two balls to spare in a tense finish in the men’s Hundred competition at Edgbaston.South African Donovan Ferreira blazed a spectacular 63 from 29 balls for Invincibles but was upstaged by the Phoenix skipper who hit five sixes in his match-winning 27-ball innings.Inserted by the home side, Invincibles lost Will Jacks second ball and reached 31 for 2 after the 25-ball powerplay. The score quickly became 34 for 3 after the loss of Sam Curran before the Invincibles recovered through Jordan Cox and Sam Billings to reach 70 for 3 at halfway, though lost Billings soon after.Enter Ferreira, who started positively, depositing Tim Southee for a maximum over wide long-on to bring up Invincibles’ 100 after 65 balls.Cox fell for 44, but Ferreira continued unperturbed, reaching his half-century off 24 deliveries with another huge six. Invincibles finished strong, the penultimate set from Mousley conceding 25, including two sixes and two lots of five wides, while Rashid Khan (16) contributed two maximums of his own as Invincibles closed on 180 for 8.The Phoenix run chase started slowly, Aussie left-armer Jason Behrendorff bowling the first 10 balls straight through and conceding just five. Saqib Mahmood then took the big wicket of Ben Duckett with his third ball, but Will Smeed wrestled some of the initiative back with back-to-back sixes.Smeed (51 off 29) was bowled by Nathan Sower one ball after reaching his fifty to see the score 91 for 3, Jacob Bethell then went 20 runs later. But Livingstone responded by smashing Khan for 26 in a set and combined with Mousley to leave three needed from five.Mahmood then removed Mousley and Louis Kimber with successive balls, but Benny Howell drove the hat-trick ball through cover to secure the win.Livingstone, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “We needed it, it’s been a bit of a disappointing start to the tournament. It’s nice to lead from the front and hopefully that gives the boys a bit of momentum and a bit of confidence.”I was trying to be there at the end, it’s something I haven’t done a lot of in my career, so it was in the back of my mind, but we still needed to take some risks.”It’s massive. There’s no hiding in this competition. If you lose a couple of games, you’re right up against it. Hopefully this gives us a bit of confidence going forward, it’s an incredible win from where we were. It’s nice to be on the board and get that first win.”

Eni Aluko has spoken out in support of Mary Earps after seeing the former England goalkeeper attract criticism for some of the comments made in her new book. Hannah Hampton, who helped the Lionesses to Euro 2025 glory, was among those to feature in Earps’ tales. Aluko claims the legendary shot-stopper has every right to share her side of a professional story and should not be “demonised” for doing so.

• Earps' new book: How Lionesses legend caused controversy

  Questions have been asked about why Earps, who announced her international retirement prior to the latest European Championship, felt the need to deliver a tell-all autobiography while still being a player herself. Many in that position wait until retirement before putting their story down on paper.

  Two-time Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Earps claims in her publication – All In: Football, Life and Learning to be Unapologetically Me – that England boss Sarina Wiegman could be considered to have been “rewarding bad behaviour” when recalling Hampton, who had previously been dropped, to the Lionesses camp. Hampton went on to become a penalty shootout hero at the Euros.

  Earps also accused Wiegman of displaying a “clear lack of care for me and my welfare” prior to losing her No.1 spot, with bridges seemingly being burned by a 32-year-old shot-stopper who has never been afraid to speak her mind.

Advertisement

• Getty Images/GOAL
  

  Aluko defends Earps from 'mob culture' criticism

  Ex-Lionesses star Aluko has told of Earps’ decision to go public at this stage of her career: “I do have some empathy for Mary because I have been in that situation before, where you come out and you say: ‘I didn’t like what happened there in this England environment’. And when you do that, sometimes you get demonised just for giving your perspective and saying I think that’s wrong.

  “So Mary has written a book, she has given her perspective, and she is entitled to that perspective. I don’t really like this sense of sort of mob culture where you try to silence someone for just giving their perspective.

  “I think the problem is that Hannah Hampton was absolutely brilliant in the summer. Sarina Wiegman, I’m a huge fan – she is one of, if not the best coach we have ever seen in England. I think the timing is the problem for Mary and maybe that is where she has been ill advised. A book is something that is evergreen and I’m not sure he had to come out now. But I do sympathise with Mary because I don’t want her to feel like there is a mob of people attacking her, because I have been there and it’s not nice.”

• Bronze leaps to the defence of former team-mate

  Earps’ former team-mate, Lucy Bronze, is another to have defended the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year from the criticism that has come her way on the back of releasing an explosive book.

  The experienced Chelsea defender, who is a close friend of Earps, has told : “Female players are constantly under a magnifying glass. In a football team you have a group of 20-30 players – there’s no way everyone will think the same things. There are different personalities – and there is high pressure.

  “Men are solely judged on their ability and their lifestyle to a certain extent, but only if it's a huge headline. Generally, for most of the popular female footballers, there’s a constant lens on what we’re doing – on and off the pitch.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty/GOAL
  

  No apologies: Earps has never been afraid to speak her mind

  Earps has made no apologies for her statements and hopes that she can “draw a line” under any supposed tension with Wiegman at some point in the near future – with talks between the pair being planned.

  She acknowledges that there will always be differences in opinion when it comes to elite sport, especially when it comes to those filling playing and coaching posts, and will happily explain herself to anyone that wants to ask questions – with Earps, who won Euro 2022 and finished on 53 caps for her country, currently plying her club trade in France for Paris Saint-Germain.

After days of silence, French rapper Orelsan has finally addressed his feud with Kylian Mbappe, following the Real Madrid star’s furious response to a lyric mocking his failed ownership of Caen. The rapper, who said he’d “rather think than react impulsively,” has decided to remain calm instead of charging into a confrontation, even as the feud keeps attracting more interest.

Orelsan's lyric that lit the fuse

It began with a single line. In La Petite Voix, a track from Orelsan’s new album La Fuite en Avant, the rapper’s darker alter ego sneers: "Yeah, you’re going to sink your city like the Mbappes."

The bar took aim at his handling of Caen, the Normandy club now owned by Mbappe’s family and floundering in France’s third division. Once seen as a saviour, the Madrid superstar now faces frustration from Caen supporters after the club’s steep decline.

Mbappe, rarely one to engage in public spats, fired back almost immediately on X. “You’re welcome to come and save the city you love so much. PS: The guy kept begging us to get in with 1% without paying because he’s broke,” he wrote pointing accusation that Orelsan had sought a stake in the club for free.

The message went viral, dividing France between football fans defending Mbappe and rap loyalists praising Orelsan’s audacity.

AdvertisementAFPOrelsan breaks his silence as feud catches fire

Caught in the storm, Orelsan responded not with more lyrics but with restraint. During a book-signing in Caen, the 41-year-old artist told : "I'm not talking about it right now; I prefer to think about it rather than react impulsively. I prefer to save my answers for when I've thought them through, in a more appropriate setting."

He reiterated that he didn’t want to reply “in the heat of the moment,” hinting he would rather let the controversy cool before choosing his words carefully. Those close to the rapper say he was surprised by the intensity of Mbappe’s reaction, especially since the verse was meant to be satirical, reflecting the darker themes of the album rather than a personal attack.

Still, Mbappe’s outburst has made La Petite Voix one of the most streamed French tracks of the week, propelling La Fuite en Avant to the top of Spotify France.

The deeper issue: Caen’s collapse and Mbappe’s image

Behind the feud lies a real-world problem. In 2024, Mbappe purchased an 80 per cent stake in Caen through his firm Coalition Capital, investing about €20 million. The move, initially hailed as a heartfelt homecoming, quickly soured. By April 2025, Caen were relegated from Ligue 2 for the first time in 41 years. Fans stormed the pitch, waving banners that read “Mbappe, SMC is not your toy.”

Lay-offs, shrinking ticket sales, and mounting debt followed. Critics accused the ownership group of detachment and poor communication. Christophe Vaucelle of the Malherbe Normandy Kop said bluntly: “The Mbappé clan bears responsibility. They came, stayed invisible, and disconnected from the fans.”

For Mbappe, already balancing club duties at Madrid and captaincy of France, the Caen crisis dented his image as football’s flawless poster boy. The Orelsan lyric reopened old wounds and turned what could have been a local grievance into a national talking point.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportFrench artist Booba joins the fray as Mbappe faces scrutiny

As the feud trended across social media, another heavyweight entered the ring: Booba. The veteran rapper, who has his own history of mocking Mbappe, reposted a fan comment praising Orelsan for doing “what Booba couldn’t”. Booba replied: “Amazing analysis, well done. But Orelsan isn’t broke, and he spoke his mind.”

His support reignited the long-running tension between Mbappe and France’s rap scene, where authenticity and ego often collide. For some, the exchange revealed a generational rift: Mbappe, the globalised athlete-brand, versus Orelsan, the introspective artist grounded in provincial realism.

Meanwhile, Caen’s struggles persist, the club sits mid-table in the National League, still searching for stability under coach Maxime D’Ornano. The club currently sits at the 10th position in the National in 13 games.

Ruben Amorim has stuck by his infamous 3-4-2-1 system at Manchester United and it appears as though it is finally yielding results.

The Portuguese manager has been in charge at Old Trafford for a year now, and although things have not gone exactly to plan, his side have now gone unbeaten in their last four Premier League games.

Amorim has finally begun to settle on his best lineup. That has seen summer signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha lock down the two number 10 positions in his system, with Mason Mount providing excellent competition.

However, those two signings have ensured Bruno Fernandes will remain in his deeper pivot role, rather than closer to goal.

Where Fernandes is best suited under Amorim

It has certainly been a topic of hot debate in Amoirm’s year-long tenure in the hot seat at Old Trafford. Fernandes is a number 10 by trade, and played his best football as close to goal as possible, in and around the penalty box.

That season came in 2020/21, when he scored and assisted 29 Premier League goals in 37 games. He was one of the deadliest attackers in world football at that stage. So, you might think it is logical for Amorim to play him as a number 10.

Well, that is not how the United manager sees it. In fact, he explained that his skipper operates in the pivot because he “is the right man to start with the tempo of the play.”

United legend Paul Scholes sees it differently, and says “there is no doubt” Fernandes should be playing as a 10 because he “is the most creative player on the team.”

In 51 games under the tutelage of Amorim, the Red Devils’ number 8 has played 30 games in the pivot, and 21 as a number 10. That certainly shows just how much their manager favours him in a deeper role.

Interestingly, United have another player coming through in a similar mould to Fernandes, and it will be interesting to see where Amorim chooses to play him.

Man United's in-house Fernandes successor

It is clear that Fernandes is viewed as a pivot player by Amorim, despite Scholes’ view and the success he has achieved in previous seasons. With the two number 10 positions nailed down by Cunha and Mbeumo, players may have to adapt.

That could certainly be the case for United academy star Jack Moorhouse. The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Leyton Orient, but has previously impressed for the Red Devils’ youth sides.

It has been an impressive start to life in professional football for Moorhouse. Described as a “deadly” player by United academy page on X, Academy Scoop, the Republic of Ireland U21 international has played 14 games for Orient, scoring and assisting one goal apiece.

As it happens, Moorhouse has already been described as someone who is “ideal for Amorim’s left 10 role” at United by football analyst Ben Mattinson. He has operated behind the striker more often than not for the U23s at the club, too, making five appearances in that role, scoring twice and assisting one.

Interestingly, he’s played a bit deeper for Orient this season, showing excellent versatility. He shone in a box-to-box role against Peterborough United, creating two chances and completing three out of three dribbles.

Touches

33

Pass accuracy

86%

Ball recoveries

6

Duels won

4/6

Dribbles completed

3/3

Key passes

2

Goals

1

There are certainly similarities between Moorhouse and Fernandes. Both creative midfielders, they can operate in advanced roles and a bit deeper. It would be intriguing to see where Amorim would utilise him in the first team.

One thing is for sure, the 19-year-old possesses great talent. If the Red Devils are looking for an in-house successor to their “Portuguese Magnifico,” they might be able to find him in their famous Carrington academy.

Carrington's "best talent" is a big Sesko upgrade in the making at Man Utd

Manchester United could yet improve further in attack under Amorim’s wing.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 3, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Petkovic foi o 15º convidado do “Fala, Jogadô!”, programa de entrevistas do Lance!. O ex-jogador recebeu a apresentadora Ana Goebel em sua casa no Rio de Janeiro, e relembrou grandes momentos da sua carreira, como a decisão de deixar o Real Madrid para jogar no Vitória, a dobradinha com Adriano Imperador em 2009 e sobre a responsabilidade de vestir a camisa 10 no Flamengo. 

Para Pet, vestir a camisa 10 traz uma responsabilidade enorme para um jogador e que isso prejudicou o atacante Gabigol nesse último ano.

“A camisa 10 é pesada, não é fácil. Quando ele pegou a camisa 10 eu não gostei. Com todo respeito, mas pouquissimas pessoas no Flamengo pós-Zico conseguiram vestir a 10 e ter sucesso. Primeiro que ele é atacante e camisa 10 é para um meia. E eu acho que hoje ele é cobrado ainda mais por causa disso.”

Em 2009, Petkovic era um dos principais líderes do elenco do Flamengo e inclusive ajudou a convencer a diretoria a vender Emerson Sheik para o Al Ain, dos Emirados Árabes. 

“A única coisa que falei com propriedade e conhecimento para diretoria foi para vender o Sheik porque o Zé Roberto iria jogar. O resto era lógica, palpite, intuição. Porque o Sheik, com um caminhão de dinheiro esperando ele, vai ficar feliz aqui? Não. Quando não está feliz, estraga o ambiente. Nós não podíamos ter isso. O Zé Roberto é um baita jogador, e vai jogar porque ele é atacante.”

✅CONFIRA A ENTREVISTA COMPLETA

Leia mais trechos da entrevista de Petkovic ao “Fala, Jogadô!”:

Dobradinha Pet e Adriano Imperador

“O Imperador precisava fazer dar certo dentro da própria casa, porque ele virou Imperador lá fora, mas aqui faltava alguma coisa. E esse ano foi maravilhoso e ele fez por merecer.”

Pet foi convencido a jogar no Vitória porque disseram ao ex-jogador que o time baiano era campeão… só não explicaram que era campeão estadual, ao invés de Brasileiro

“Como que eu ia saber que era campeão estadual se eu tava na Europa? Achei que era campeão brasileiro. Descobri que o Bebeto já tinha ido embora e que era campeão estadual quando eu cheguei no Brasil.”

Ídolo no Flamengo, Fluminense e Vasco

“Logicamente que estou mais vinculado com o Flamengo que é onde eu conquistei mais títulos e fiquei mais tempo. Mas é muito gratificante saber que eu deixei minha marca nos três.”

+ FALA, JOGADÔ!

Manchester City’s victory over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon was a sensational performance which gave Pep Guardiola’s side even more daylight on the 2024/25 Premier League champions.

City put Liverpool to the sword in Guardiola’s 1000th game as a manager, running out 3-0 victors.

The East Mancunian side are still some way off the top of the table, with Arsenal four points clear and comfortably leading the way. Yet, City are finding their best form, having now won four of their last five games, and leading the way for the most goals scored in the top flight.

The main reason for that form in front of goal is Erling Haaland.

How Haaland's start to 2025/26 compares to other seasons

It has got to the point where you watch Haaland now and wonder when, not if, he will score. The Norwegian striker is the most clinical player in the Premier League, and, despite being 108 games into his English top-flight career, is already one goal away from a century.

This season, Haaland has been at his very best. In the Premier League, he’s found the back of the net 14 times in just 11 games.

All of those have come from open play, too, a run which has stayed intact after missing a penalty against Liverpool. Of course, he still got on the scoresheet on Sunday anyway.

City’s striker is in exceptional form, and it does seem nigh on impossible to stop him. But, this is not even his best start to a Premier League season for City. That came in his debut campaign back in 2022/23, when he bagged 15 goals in the first 11 matches.

The following term, 2023/24, was his worst start. That is ironic, given that his 11 goals in as many games would be the ideal way for most strikers to begin the campaign. In 2024/25, Haaland has 12 goals in the first 11 games.

With 19 goals for City in all competitions, it is fair to say the City number 9 is in the form of his life. Yet, there is one of his teammates who could also be in that category.

Man City star is hitting his best form alongside Haaland

Things are starting to click for Guardiola’s side in recent weeks, with Haaland, of course, looking at his very best. Phil Foden is another player who is motoring and has put in some excellent performances in the Champions League.

But it is the man who was player of the match against Liverpool who looks to be in the form of his life. Jeremy Doku shone against the Reds with a dazzling display, capped off with a goal of the highest quality.

It was a performance from the winger which will live long in the memory of City fans. He completed an unbelievable seven out of eight dribbles and was relentless against Conor Bradley.

His goal from the edge of the box saw him drive inside, buy a yard of space and unleash an effort that sailed into the top right corner.

It is not only that game that suggests Doku is playing his best football yet. City’s number 11 has some exceptional underlying numbers, averaging 3.33 key passes and 10.72 progressive carries per 90 minutes. Both of these rank him in the top 1% of positionally similar players in the Premier League.

Doku key stats in 2025/26 PL

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Key passes

3.33

99th

Passes into penalty area

2.9

99th

Shot-creating actions

6.81

99th

Take-ons completed

4.93

99th

Progressive carries

10.72

99th

Stats from FBref

Described as an “unstoppable” force by BBC Sport analyst Umir, the Belgian winger already has three goals and four assists in 16 games for the Citizens this term. His best campaign saw him get 17 goals and assists across all competitions, so to be 41% of the way to that total is impressive.

With the sort of form the 23-year-old is showcasing this season, it is easy to see how he is in the form of his life. At the current rate, he could easily have his most productive season in terms of goals and assists, whilst helping City push for titles in all competitions.

Related Man City "genius" looks like the player Liverpool thought Wirtz would be

This Man City star has outshone Wirtz in less minutes this season

Posts 1 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 7, 2025

It was an extraordinary sight at the end of an extraordinary series. On Friday morning, Chris Woakes was ruled out of “any further participation” in the fifth Test at The Oval. Three days later, he walked out to the middle with his left arm in a sling, tucked underneath his jumper, preparing to face up one-handed – and wrong-sided – with England 17 runs away from victory.Woakes marched out through the dressing-room, down the stairs of the Bedser Stand, and punched gloves with Gus Atkinson. It was a rousing moment to rival Rishabh Pant’s hobble to the crease with a fractured foot in Manchester, with the sense of theatre only accentuated by the drama and tension of the final day of the match – and the series.England have not yet given official confirmation but Woakes is understood to have dislocated his shoulder while diving in the field on the opening day of this Test. He will see a specialist this week to determine the extent of the damage, but will not play again this summer and is already considered a major doubt for the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21.Related

• Brendon McCullum: 'We know we've got room to improve'

• The agony, the ecstasy: 56 minutes of Test cricket at its most glorious

• 'Devastating' – Brook expresses regret after dismissal triggers England's Oval collapse

• Pant bats with fractured foot to add crucial runs at Old Trafford

• Six-run thriller – India script their narrowest win in Tests

It was an act of mercy that Woakes did not have to face a ball: Prasidh Krishna yorked Josh Tongue, England’s No. 10, with the final ball of the 83rd over, and Atkinson managed the strike thereafter. But even that caused Woakes serious pain: he grimaced repeatedly after every run, and had to ask umpire Ahsan Raza for assistance after dislodging his sling while sneaking through for a bye.In any other sport, Woakes would have been substituted immediately after his injury on Thursday evening but – for better or for worse – cricket remains an outlier. Instead, he watched on from the dressing room as England’s three-man attack toiled on Saturday; as they took the chase deep into Sunday afternoon, he went down to the indoor school for an exploratory hit.Woakes initially tried to hold the bat as usual, facing some gentle throwdowns, but as soon as the pace ramped up, the pain became excruciating. He then tried again with his left arm back in a sling, facing up with a left-hand batter’s stance: it allowed him the control of a “top” hand, but more importantly, ensured his shoulder would be as far away from the ball as possible.He needed help from Ben Davies, England’s physio, to get padded up on Monday, and had to get creative with his equipment: he wore two small arm guards on his right arm, and as much protection as he could on his left, which was tucked underneath a jumper to try and keep everything in place.2:02

Harmison: Woakes put his career on the line by coming out to bat

When Woakes scrambled through for a bye at the end of his first over at the crease, Mohammed Siraj was furious. ” [didn’t you tell him?]” he asked Shubman Gill, after landing his wide yorker only to see Dhruv Jurel’s underarm throw miss the stumps. But Woakes had other things to worry about, wincing in pain and clutching his left arm.He managed to take his helmet and right glove off in order to put his left arm back in place, and then asked Raza for help on realising that he would not be able to put his glove back on alone. As he took a deep breath and prepared to stand at the non-striker’s end once again, the sold-out fifth-day crowd began to understand the extent of what he was putting himself through.Woakes was again in agony off the next ball, scampering back for two as Atkinson swung Prasidh into the leg side, and scrambled through for another single off the final ball of the over as India – bizarrely – kept nine men on the boundary. One ball later, however, Siraj pegged back Atkinson’s off stump and, after 16 minutes of anguish, Woakes’ job was done – albeit in a heartbreaking, six-run defeat.India’s fielders made a beeline for Woakes after their initial celebrations, and Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, praised his bravery. “Good on Woakesy,” he told the BBC. “He’s in an immense amount of pain after that unfortunate injury, but it was never in doubt for him that, if needed, he was going to walk down the stairs and try to get us across the line.”1:19

Sanjay Bangar picks his moment of the series

It provided a fitting finale to a dramatic series in which 32 players have had their physical and mental resilience tested to the limit across 25 days of cricket. Both teams have lost players to injuries along the way after punishing workloads, but Siraj and Woakes, the only fast bowlers to play all five Tests, battled through right until the very last ball.”He was in a lot of discomfort,” Ben Stokes said, having himself been forced to miss this Test with a shoulder injury. “We’ve had Rishabh going out to bat with a broken foot, Bash [Shoaib Bashir] going out there bowling – and batting and fielding – with a broken finger. Then we go to Chris out there today, trying to get his team over the line with a quite recently dislocated shoulder… Everyone’s left a lot out on the ground for their countries.”Woakes’ innings can be used by both sides in the ongoing debate around injury replacements: it was difficult to watch a player in such clear physical discomfort risking aggravating a serious injury, but also an incredible display of bravery and perseverance. Stokes simply doubled down on his view that substitutes are impracticable: “If someone gets injured, tough s***. Deal with it.”It could yet prove to be Woakes’ final act in an England shirt: he is no longer involved in the white-ball set-up and, at 36, his Test future will also be in doubt if the injury is severe enough to keep him out of the Ashes. If so, this would be a sad but fitting end for a player who has always given everything he has across more than 200 international appearances.