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After the team's blowout win against Colorado, Dan Lanning played down his pregame comments about Deion Sanders squad.

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea’s owners must look past their disappointment and back him to implement the plan he was hired to draw up in order to lift the club out of their slump. Defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday means the team have taken an average of 0.85 points per game over the last 35 matches, three short of a full league season. Over a single campaign they would have won 32 points, a tally that would have seen them relegated in every Premier League season since the league became 38 games in 1995, and would have left them bottom of the table in five of them. That run goes back to October 19 last year when the team, then managed by Graham Potter, drew 0-0 away at Brentford. Pochettino is the fourth manager to have led the side in that period, with Potter having been removed on April 2 and Frank Lampard taking over until the end of the campaign, with a single game in charge for caretaker boss Bruno Saltor. Despite the turnover of coaches, the Blues have won only six times in the league in the 11 months since, drawing 12, giving them a return of 30 points from 35 games. The squad assembled by co-owner Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium at a cost of more than £1billion over the last 16 months are currently 14th in the table after six games and have not scored in 285 minutes of play. Pochettino encouraged supporters to keep faith and focus on the quality of recent performances rather than the club’s relegation form over the last year. “It’s about learning, it’s about the process,” he said after Ollie Watkins’ second-half goal for Villa condemned his side to their third loss of the season. “We are a young team (in) a process that they need to learn all together. It’s difficult to talk about positives because when you lose it’s difficult, but we need to talk about positive things. “No doubt that with time the team is going to perform, but of course now we cannot hide the situation. It’s a situation that disappoints all the fans, the club, us and the players. “They (the owners) are disappointed, they arrive to the club and (were) so excited to build some project. Of course they feel disappointed, but at the same time they need to support the plan.” If there was a bright spot for Chelsea it was the return of striker Armando Broja after nine months out with an ACL injury. The Albania international came off the bench in the second half and headed wide in the closing minutes as the team sought an equaliser. “It was good to see Broja after nine, 10 months,” said Pochettino. “Again I think to have the possibility to have different options is good for the team. But he needs to build his confidence also.” Watkins’ goal was his first in the league this season and the striker admitted it was a weight off his shoulders. “The first one is always hard to get,” Watkins told VillaTV. “I’m delighted to get off the mark now. “It’s a bit of a relief, really, because the more the games go by, there’s a lot of talk and pressure. “But I just try and block that out and I back myself in front of goal no matter what anyone says. “I’m looking forward to the games coming up now and plenty more goals for the season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Hooker Johnny Matthews is a perfectly able deputy for Scotland – John Dalziel Axed Jason Roy urged to remain positive with World Cup role still a possibility ECB unable to commit to equal pay targets for England men and women

A pair of Texans and the top scorer of the week highlight the best fantasy football pickups for Week 4.

Defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge was the final straw for Todd Boehly. With Chelsea languishing in the lower half of the table, he sacked the manager he had appointed, the one who was supposed to promote younger players and propel some of his many signings to glory. Not Mauricio Pochettino this week, but Graham Potter in April and, in a ruinous reign, dismissing the Englishman is one of the few decisions that Boehly and Clearlake Capital have got right; appointing Potter, however, ranked high and early among the many mistakes. Since his departure, however, Chelsea have only beaten Bournemouth, AFC Wimbledon and Luton. They have scored 16 goals in 19 games, two of them against a League Two side. In the Premier League this season, they have only outscored Luton and Burnley, who both have a game in hand. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s spending in little over a year has careered past £1bn. The only people to have spent more while failing disastrously and yet congratulating themselves are Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng. Pochettino’s slow start, with an encouraging second half against Liverpool on the opening weekend looking like a false dawn, has to be placed in the context of Chelsea, and this Chelsea. Callum Hudson-Odoi, offloaded by Chelsea on the cheap, scored on his Nottingham Forest debut last week, just as Christian Pulisic had struck in his first two matches for AC Milan whereas, 22 games into his Blues career, the £88m signing Mykhailo Mudryk is still to open his account. The loaned-out Romelu Lukaku has scored in three games in September for Roma whereas, after three games this month, Chelsea are yet to find the net themselves. Nicolas Jackson has provided different problems: some for opposing defences with his pace, more for Chelsea with his profligacy and indiscipline. The Senegalese was a quixotic choice to spearhead a goal-shy team: he finished last season with nine goals in eight matches for Villarreal but only had four in the preceding 30 and almost joined Bournemouth in January. For Chelsea, he is the Premier League’s greatest expected goals underachiever – one goal from an xG of 4.18 – and has a 5.26 per cent chance conversion rate. Only Erling Haaland has missed more big chances in the Premier League, but with the notable difference that the Norwegian is also leading the race for the Golden Boot and, indeed, has more league goals than Chelsea in the Boehly era. If Chelsea have somehow spent a fortune without acquiring lacked a prolific striker, they will be without a wasteful one for next week’s derby with Fulham: Jackson is banned after becoming the first player in the division to accumulate five bookings. That two of them were for waving imaginary yellow cards is an illustration that Chelsea’s plans tend to backfire, often ignominiously. And yet the burden on the raw Jackson has been too great; his record renders his struggles unsurprising. Christopher Nkunku, the Bundesliga’s top scorer last season, looked a genuine coup of a signing. Except that an injury-prone player has been sidelined since the summer. There are times when it seems Chelsea’s recruitment strategy is to sign the injury-prone; the £70m defender Wesley Fofana has a second major injury since joining. They made the injury-prone Reece James captain. He promptly got injured. His £30m deputy Malo Gusto was sent off against Villa. So Chelsea are now short of a right-back. Yet, despite an unprecedented spending spree, Pochettino has often found himself lacking compelling options. At various points this season, his bench has included Lucas Bergstrom, Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos, Ronnie Stutter, Eddie Beach, Mason Burstow, Bashir Humphreys and Diego Moreira. The unknowns are scarcely game-changers. Meanwhile, his team has never included the £58m Romeo Lavia, who has been injured. Elsewhere in a midfield of unprecedented cost, the £115m record signing Moises Caicedo conceded a penalty on his debut at West Ham and made the mistake for Nottingham Forest’s winner. The argument made in Chelsea’s defence is that it will take time for players to settle and that, with the youngest team in the division after a clearout of the experienced, they are building for the future. It is true, but only up to a point. Pochettino only has a two-year contract, for instance. Chelsea can amortise fees in the books over never-ending contracts but they still need to pay the selling clubs the sizeable fees they agreed to pay. And so far, no one has got better and no one’s value has increased. Meanwhile, can Chelsea afford to wait for this increasingly imaginary future? They are already nine points behind fifth place, four adrift of every other major contender for a top-four finish. They have no revenue – broadcast or matchday – from European football and, in a major failure, no shirt sponsor. They are raising prices for fans; by doing so to compensate for their own reckless overspending and terrible decision-making while providing them with an inferior product suggests they are football’s answer to Elon Musk. Meanwhile, they stumble on. Logically, with a manager of Pochettino’s calibre, with talented if at times mismatched players, with footballers of potential, it will get better. But logically, they should never have plumbed such depths at all. And so Chelsea’s quest for a first goal of September continues against in the Carabao Cup against Brighton, having taken their manager, coaching staff, head of recruitment, player of the year, goalkeeper and, for a record-breaking price, their midfielder for a combined sum of around £250m. And now Brighton are 11 places above Chelsea in the table. Read More Chelsea misery continues as Aston Villa increase discontent at Stamford Bridge Mohamed Salah’s record form is justifying Liverpool’s £150m transfer gamble Why Jonny Evans and band of Manchester United misfits are a genuine feel-good story Chelsea misery continues as Aston Villa increase discontent at Stamford Bridge Chelsea vs Aston Villa LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Odegaard signs and De Roon reveals all – Friday’s sporting social

A bacteria-related food recall is troubling but understandable. It’s a little weirder when one involves golf balls.

Good Morning Football's Kyle Brandt vowed to sport a mustache until the Atlanta Falcons lost a meaningful game. It was a decision he made on his own volition af

NFL fans are set to feast again as there is another Monday Night Football doubleheader on tap in Week 3. What four teams will be playing under the Monday night lights?

James Maddison believes Tottenham are starting to shed their ‘Spursy’ tag after they continued a fine start to the new season with a battling 2-2 draw at rivals Arsenal. Spurs had lost on their last three visits to the Emirates and not won there in the Premier League since 2010. Tottenham’s losing streak to Arsenal could have continued after Cristian Romero’s own goal and Bukayo Saka’s penalty twice put the hosts ahead in the north London derby, but Son Heung-min equalised twice – both from Maddison assists – to earn a share of the spoils. A lengthy trophy drought coupled with frequent collapses on the biggest of occasions contributed towards the ‘Spursy’ tag growing during the past few years, but the club’s new number 10 hit back following another strong showing by Ange Postecoglou’s team. “We’re not in there celebrating a point, I think there was a few little moments at the end especially in the dying minutes where we could have maybe won it from a set-piece,” Maddison told talkSPORT. “I think winning late last week and coming back twice (here), when you hear fans and neutrals talk about Tottenham they often say, ‘soft, weak, they’ll bottle it, Spursy’, all that rubbish. I think the last couple of weeks shows that we might be going in a slightly different direction. “We scored in the 98th and 101st minute against Sheffield United to win late on when it looked like it was going to be one of those days. “Here we go behind twice at arguably one of the best teams in the world, we pull it back and we’re still fighting right until the end. Hopefully we can continue that.” Maddison was crucial to Tottenham leaving the Emirates with a point after he set up both of Son’s goals to make it four assists in six league matches since his summer switch from Leicester. It could have been a different story had Gabriel Jesus made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute when he robbed the ball from Maddison on the edge of Spurs’ penalty area, but the Arsenal forward blazed over. Postecoglou continued to encourage his team to play out from the back and that bravery was rewarded with a fine display where Tottenham enjoyed 53 per cent possession, a marked improvement on the 35 per cent they had under Antonio Conte at the Emirates last season in a humbling 3-1 loss. I gave the ball away edge of the box, they nearly scored and it is so easy to sink and not carry on playing the way the manager wants us to play, but that's what bravery is. Tottenham playmaker James Maddison Maddison added: “I was really proud of how courageous the lads were and how brave we were. There were a couple of occasions in the first half, myself included, where we gave the ball away. “I gave the ball away edge of the box, they nearly scored and it is so easy to sink and not carry on playing the way the manager wants us to play, but that’s what bravery is. “It is having big b**** to take the ball under pressure. I gave it away but the manager makes me feel so good that I can get it again and if I give it away, it’s OK because that’s how he wants us to play. “He won’t be cheering if I keep giving it away on the edge of the box, but it was only once and once was enough to remind me to be a bit quicker because these derby games are a rapid pace. “After that I thought we passed the ball really well and had spells where we dominated.” Meanwhile, Maddison was happy to give back some stick post-match to England team-mate Saka, who mimicked Maddison’s own darts celebration for both of Arsenal’s goals, but was turned by the Spurs playmaker for Son’s first goal. Maddison, who was forced off with a slight knee injury, quipped to SpursPlay: “Me and Bukayo had a bit of banter and a bit of trash talking if you like on international duty. “I got told he did the dart celebration and he must have still been doing it when I turned him for the first goal.” Read More James Maddison’s brilliant response after Bukayo Saka copies ‘darts’ celebration Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ‘not thinking’ about Man City’s lead after derby draw Arsenal suddenly look short — Mikel Arteta still needs a ‘killer’ Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Defending champions Manchester United face Crystal Palace in the third round as a further seven Premier League teams begin their Carabao Cup campaign. Manchester City, West Ham, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Newcastle, Brighton, and Liverpool are all involved after a bye to allow for European competition. In the last round, League One side Lincoln City provided a shock when they beat Premier League opponents Sheffield United 3-2 on penalties. The third round starts on the week commencing the 25 September. Here’s everything you need to know about the fourth-round draw. When is the fourth round draw? The fourth round draw takes place on the 27 September after the match between Newcastle and Manchester City which will be televised from St James’ Park. The match is due to kick off at 8pm, and the draw will follow after full time, starting between 10-10:10pm. How to watch on TV and online Sky Sports will broadcast both the match before and the draw. The draw will also be live streamed for free on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel. When will the fourth round fixtures be played? The fourth round of the Carabao Cup will be played in the week commencing Monday 30 October. When is the Carabao Cup final? The Carabao Cup final is scheduled for 25 February 2024 at Wembley Stadium. Read More Erik ten Hag’s got a good thing going at Manchester United – Jonny Evans Premier League clubs push government over key question surrounding state ownership in English football Ange Postecoglou has already transformed Tottenham with Arsenal comeback Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ‘not thinking’ about Man City’s lead after derby draw Pep Guardiola jokes he could play for much-changed Man City in Newcastle cup tie Erik ten Hag’s got a good thing going at Manchester United – Jonny Evans

Premier League clubs and other senior football figures have increased pressure on the Department of Culture, Media and Sport over state ownership in the English game, raising specific questions about whether a distinction will be drawn between revenue and equity when it comes to testing the liquidity of clubs. There is a feeling that a more general framing of the rules could have the unintended consequence of diminishing competitive balance, while also worsening the very issue the independent regulator is being set up to tackle. The Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United has made the majority of the Premier League clubs - sometimes described as “the other 18” in this context - more attuned to the potential issues that come with state ownership, and it is understood that the topic was constantly raised in the initial talks that informed the content of the landmark White Paper on football. The issue wasn’t even mentioned in the eventual document, though, despite it representing a significant factor that greatly influences all of the problems that the regulator is supposed to cover - primarily club sustainability and systemic sustainability - through the raising of the financial threshold. The absence of reference was largely put down to the Conservative government’s concern for geopolitics, and another example of how this is affecting the game. Scrutiny on the subject has continued into the formation of the independent regulator, with football officials pressing DCMS on exactly how the body will test the solvency of clubs. The White Paper has made the financial sustainability and resilience of the sport its “primary strategic purpose”. “To support this purpose, it will have 3 specific primary duties,” the paper read. “Club sustainability - the financial sustainability of individual clubs. Systemic stability - the overall stability of the football pyramid. Cultural heritage - protecting the heritage of football clubs that matter most to fans.” Within that, the regulator will be empowered to determine the liquidity requirements for clubs based on the business plans. Other football officials are concerned that, if the framing of the questions around club sustainability only go as far as liquidity and does not have more specific terms relating to whether potential income is revenue, it could end up favouring state-owned or state-linked clubs. The argument is that, since state-owned clubs would easily pass all the solvency tests due to the fact their ownerships have virtually unlimited money and no financial risk, it would further skew the market. They would have complete freedom, while rival clubs had to be more conscious of the parameters when it comes to spending. A fear is that rivals just won't be able to keep up. The issue of revenue and equity is covered by the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules, and has informed part of the charges against Manchester City, but club officials are insisting that the independent regulator should be just as rigid on this and ensure all regulations covering the game are as tight and consistent as possible. A comparison has been raised with a similar system in French football, where Paris Saint Germain’s mega sponsorship deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority saw the club easily pass the domestic rules, only for Uefa to subsequently write it down. One of the core issues in the City case is whether money from sponsors Etihad and Etisalat actually came from the owner, Sheikh Mansour, and consequently represented equity disguised as revenue. The case is ongoing as City insist upon their compliance with the rules. Many football figures also raised it as regards Newcastle United's new sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian company Sela, pointing to a unique question that comes from states with such centralised structures. Read More Welcome to Wrexham’s biggest heroes are neither the A-list owners nor the players How the Champions League lost its spark and led to the end of an era European football is ignorant to the march of the Saudi Pro League Man City scandal is not about fair play – it’s about fraud UEFA warns clubs against overspending in ‘reckless pursuit of success’ Sportswashing is about to change football beyond anything you can imagine

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says Anthony Gordon could be on England boss Gareth Southgate’s radar after his fine performance in the 8-0 romp at Sheffield United. Gordon came on as an early substitute for the injured Harvey Barnes at Bramall Lane and gave the Blades defence nightmares, scoring a fine goal in the second half and also assisting Sean Longstaff’s opener. The 22-year-old has taken his time to find his feet at St James’ Park following his January move from Everton, but has started the season well. And having been part of England Under-21s’ successful European Championship campaign, he could now be in contention for a call-up to the senior squad for next month’s matches. Howe said: “I’m sure Gareth is aware of him and I’m sure he’s been aware of him for a long time. “All Anthony can do is just keep performing like he has and keep his mentality as strong as it has been. He has been a joy to work with and he is reaping the benefits. “That is probably his best game for us, I thought he was very, very good. Very direct, I thought his goal was very good. He just looked a real threat, he has got so much ability, so much to give and he has got the attitude to go with it as well. “He has got desire to improve, I see it every day in training, it is great to see him rewarded with that.” Gordon and Newcastle ran riot as they inflicted Sheffield United’s heaviest-ever league defeat on them. The Blades have taken just one point from their first six games following their return to the Premier League and a long season looks on the cards. They actually started brightly but the way they capitulated set the alarm bells ringing for Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom. “That is the biggest thing from the game for me, which I spoke to the players about,” he said. “Is this going to define our season? No. It’s three points we’ve lost but what has happened there is something that while I’ve been here, we’ve never seen before. “That is what has to be addressed. This is a reminder that if we drop below our levels, that can happen, we are playing against good sides. We need to make sure we need to learn from it, it’s not an easy league. You have to compete and that is what we have to take from that. “We need everyone to step up and it is an eye-opener for the new boys what we are about. “Newcastle outran us today and that’s not acceptable.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ‘not thinking’ about Man City’s lead after derby draw Football rumours: Ivan Toney can leave Brentford if the price is right On this day in 2013: Stephen Lee banned from snooker for match-fixing

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta brushed off talk of Manchester City’s growing lead at the Premier League summit, but did admit injuries were already starting to test his squad. The Gunners were pegged back twice by rivals Tottenham on Sunday and dropped points again following an entertaining 2-2 derby draw. It left Arsenal already four points off City, who are perfect after six fixtures, with the memory of Pep Guardiola’s side being able to overturn an eight-point deficit in April to clinch title success last season still fresh at the Emirates. Guardiola’s City visit north London on October 8 but Arteta, when asked about the current points deficit, insisted: “We’re not thinking about this. We have a game every three days, we try to win our games. “We tried to win our game again and we didn’t manage it for very obvious reasons. That’s it and we have to improve.” Declan Rice added to Arsenal’s growing injury list when he was forced off at half-time with a back problem. It makes the England international an early doubt for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Brentford, although the ex-West Ham midfielder would likely have been rested in west London anyway. “He had some discomfort in his back. He was telling us during the first half that he was uncomfortable,” Arteta said of Rice. “When we assessed him at half-time, he could not continue so we had to change him. “We have to assess him. It’s strange that a player like him asked to come off because he was uncomfortable. Hopefully not (long-term), but let’s see.” Arsenal were light of attacking options against Tottenham after Leandro Trossard suffered a muscle problem in the midweek thrashing of PSV Eindhoven and Gabriel Martinelli was absent after picking up a hamstring injury at Everton. With Jurrien Timber (knee) out long-term and Thomas Partey sidelined for “weeks” with a groin issue, Arteta’s team are being stretched with cup competitions to juggle alongside league commitments. “It (injuries) was already a test because we missed five big players (for Tottenham), but it’s what we have,” Arteta said. “As well, it gives opportunities to the other ones. We have a game every three days and that’s the level we have to show, so go for it.” They are really well coached. You can feel the spirit in the team, the energy in them, but I think six games is too early for everybody to discuss where we’ll (all) be. Mikel Arteta on Tottenham Fifth-placed Arsenal remain level on points with Tottenham after this draw and, while Arteta praised Ange Postecoglou’s team, he was reluctant to list them as title contenders. “I think they are a really good side,” he acknowledged. “They are really well coached. You can feel the spirit in the team, the energy in them, but I think six games is too early for everybody to discuss where we’ll (all) be.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Ivan Toney can leave Brentford if the price is right On this day in 2013: Stephen Lee banned from snooker for match-fixing The sporting weekend in pictures