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Birmingham received an inspirational pep talk from NFL great Tom Brady before a last-gasp victory against Leeds that boss John Eustace dedicated to the late Trevor Francis. A sold-out St Andrew’s celebrated the club’s greatest ever player and an exciting future under new ownership as Daniel Farke’s relegated side came to the second city. It is a month since American businessman Tom Wagner completed his takeover at Birmingham, who nine days ago saw seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady join as minority owner. The former NFL star enjoyed a memorable first trip to St Andrew’s, visiting a local pub before meeting the players and watching a 1-0 stoppage-time win. “The new owners came into the dressing room just as I was coming out and congratulated the lads,” Blues boss Eustace said. “It’s great to see Tom Brady in there as well. “Tom spoke to the group before our meeting today, so that is great to have one of the most famous sporting people in the world come down and chat to the group. “They were all very excited to listen to him and he gave us some real good words of advice. “I think you can see today his presence at the club (is a benefit), the vision that he’s got for the football club is amazing. “He wants this football club to be a world brand, he wants this Birmingham City family now all over the world, which is what we all want. “We want this magnificent football club to grow and get better and be known all around the world. “We’ve got a great person to come in and do that.” Substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz’s stoppage-time penalty was the difference at the end of a tense match that began with a heartfelt tribute to Birmingham great Francis following his death in July. “I’m delighted with the performance for the whole game,” Eustace said. “We dedicate that winner to Trevor Francis and his family. I think it marked a real special occasion. “The boys today were outstanding with and without the ball. “Tactically you have to be spot on against an excellent Leeds team and I think the level of concentration and the way the boys went about their business today was superb.” Leeds counterpart Daniel Farke felt like a point would have been deserved from Saturday’s performance at St Andrew’s where the relegated side’s shortcomings were obvious. “(This job) is exactly what I would have expected because I have been in the situation before,” the Leeds boss said. “I know after relegation it’s never easy for the club. There is a hangover. “It’s more like you’re getting used to having disappointing results (when relegated), there’s always question marks especially in the first transfer window. “What makes it a bit different is the situation with the contract. We spoke quite openly about it, that there are exit clauses that makes the situation obviously also quite difficult. “But I knew this before and, yeah, my decision for this massive club was really with full commitment and also totally convinced that we can lead the club in the middle and long term to success. “We knew that the start would be bumpy and would be tricky and it’s not the easiest shop at the moment, but I mentioned before if it would be it would be easy everyone could do this and it wouldn’t be that much fun to turn our fate around. “I know that it’s a hell of a task. I said this even in my first press conference and especially during August we have to be a bit patient.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live West Ham boss David Moyes considering using Jarrod Bowen as striker Lachlan Lam lands golden point drop goal to give Leigh dramatic win over Hull KR Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park

Rob Edwards admits Luton must quickly improve after their Premier League debut ended in a thumping 4-1 defeat at Brighton. Just nine years on from being a non-league side, the newly-promoted Hatters were taught a punishing lesson on their first return to top-flight action since relegation from the old First Division in 1992. Carlton Morris’ 81st-minute penalty gave Town hope of snatching something at the Amex Stadium after Joao Pedro’s spot-kick added to Solly March’s first-half header. But, despite some encouraging signs, they were second best on the south coast and ultimately suffered a resounding loss following late finishes from Seagulls substitutes Simon Adingra and Evan Ferguson. “We have to do it our way,” said manager Edwards. “We have got a plan, we’ve had that over the last decade or so and had a lot of success. “We’re now going into what’s probably going to be the biggest challenge the club’s had. We know the scale of the challenge. We’re going to have some tough days. “I don’t want anyone to be happy about losing football matches – we’re certainly not. “I was pleased with stuff I saw today. I know we’re going to get better. But we’ve got to get better quickly.” March nodded the hosts ahead nine minutes before the break before Brighton’s £30million record signing Pedro slotted home from 12 yards, having been brought down by Luton captain Tom Lockyer. Morris’ successful spot-kick, after Jacob Brown’s cross struck the elbow of Lewis Dunk, looked to have set up a tense finale. But an inexplicable error from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu allowed Albion debutant Adingra to swiftly restore the hosts’ two-goal advantage before fellow substitute Ferguson added another deep into stoppage time. Edwards, who felt both penalty decisions were “harsh”, was left to rue his side’s mistakes. “I thought we were right in the game at 1-0 and at 2-1 but we shot ourselves in the foot,” he said. “We made a couple of clear errors in the build up to the third goal and we got punished and at this level you do get punished. “It shows the ruthless nature of the league.” Brighton set aside Moises Caicedo’s ongoing transfer saga to launch their first campaign to feature European football in commanding fashion. Build up to the contest was dominated by news of Albion accepting a British record transfer fee of around £111million from Liverpool for the absent Ecuador midfielder amid reports he would prefer to join Chelsea. Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi, who handed debuts to James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud, in addition to goalscorers Pedro and Adingra, also lost Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool during the summer, while Levi Colwill returned to parent club Chelsea. The Italian warned it will take his team time to hit the heights of last season, which brought a club-record sixth-placed finish, and does not view Dahoud as a direct replacement for Caicedo. “Dahoud is a great player for us because he’s specific for our idea of football, for our style of play,” he said. “But we lost different characteristics because Dahoud is different from Moises Caicedo. “We played well, not one of the best games in my time, but we need much time to reach the same level, the same quality of play of last season. “We won a very tough game. I’m really pleased.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rangers boss Michael Beale pleased to end ‘rough week’ on high note with big win Tom Pidcock wins mountain bike cross-country at World Championships Sean Dyche bemoans Everton’s lack of cutting edge in defeat to Fulham

David Moyes is considering converting Jarrod Bowen into an out-and-out striker following his latest goal for West Ham. Bowen had fired the Hammers into the lead early in the second half at Bournemouth with a spectacular curler from the edge of the box. But Moyes’ side were denied an opening-day win when Dominic Solanke rounded Alphonse Areola to snatch a 1-1 draw with eight minutes remaining. Bowen’s last kick of last season was the late goal which secured the Europa Conference League trophy against Fiorentina in Prague, 66 days ago. This time he collected the ball off Tomas Soucek 20 yards out, cut onto his left foot and buried a superb, curling effort beyond the dive of Neto. “It was a brilliant goal,” said Moyes, who previously successfully turned Marko Arnautovic from winger to striker at West Ham. “Jarrod is becoming our major goalscorer. There’s a lot of talk about needing to buy a centre-forward but I’m going to see if Jarrod could do the job. “He’s got the instincts and the sharpness. Hull played him at centre-forward so it’s not me trying to be a genius.” West Ham were pegged back when Antoine Semenyo’s wayward shot fell at the feet of Solanke, who showed tremendous composure to slip the ball around Areola and tap into an empty net. “The goal was really scruffy,” added Moyes. “I don’t know if the boy is crossing or shooting, it clipped Tomas Soucek’s heel and was bad fortune for us, but we probably brought it on ourselves.” Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta put in an eye-catching display in a deep-lying midfield role, showing glimpses of why Manchester City made an approach to sign him. Moyes, who has already lost Declan Rice this summer, does not want another of his best players to leave but is realistic enough to know he might not be able to stop him. “There’s a price on everyone’s head somewhere,” he said. “We don’t want Lucas to go, it’s as simple as that. But sometimes it’s difficult to say to these boys you can’t join Manchester City, or Real Madrid, the biggest clubs in the world. “We’ve had a bit of news on Lucas but we’ve had nothing that’s made us wobble.” Bournemouth’s new boss Andoni Iraola enjoyed his first taste of Premier League football. “It’s a good point, we wanted three,” said the Spaniard. “We were better at the end of both halves. “After tying the game the momentum was with us and we finished better, but it was one point. “We improved after the first half and second half we were a bit more direct. We have to improve, this was the first game of the season. We have to grow from this starting point.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tom Brady addressed Birmingham squad before last-gasp victory over Leeds Lachlan Lam lands golden point drop goal to give Leigh dramatic win over Hull KR Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park

Arsenal wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have lit up the opening Saturday of the Premier League season with an audacious assist and a curling long-range strike that helped the team start the campaign with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest

The last six weeks have been a whirlwind for Shane van Gisbergen

Cleveland Guardians All-Star third baseman José Ramírez had his MLB suspension for fighting with Chicago’s Tim Anderson reduced from three games to two

Just outside Goodison Park, there is evidence of the impact a goalscorer can make. Almost a century after his 60-goal season, more than four decades after his death, Dixie Dean’s statue is a sign he remains an iconic figure in these parts. It is safe to assume it will not be joined, at Goodison or Bramley-Moore Dock, of a sculpture of Neal Maupay. A year into his Everton career, Maupay is only 382 Everton goals behind Dean, who got 383; at his current rate of progress, he could go past him early in the 2400s. And if it is automatically unfair to bracket anyone else with Everton’s record scorer, there is a stark contrast. Everton have never been less prolific than they were last season, when their total of 34 league goals was barely more than half the 60 Dean managed on his own in 1927-28. They began the new campaign with an exhibition of how not to finish, with a demoralising home defeat to Fulham and with indications that, unless they discover a clinical touch, another season of grim struggle beckons. Maupay is the face of a problem, but not all of it. He was not the sole culprit; Abdoulaye Doucoure waltzed through the Fulham defence but Bernd Leno saved his scuffed shot while Nathan Patterson struck the bar. Yet his job description entails scoring goals and his drought has now lasted 29 games. When Bobby Decordova-Reid took his lone opportunity, he showed the perils of Everton’s profligacy. For them, it was a tale of three strikers, two missing the match and one missing chances. The £12.5 million Youssef Chermiti was deemed not ready after only signing this week; so, for different reasons, was the oft-injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, ruled not match fit. Without either, Everton scarcely felt equipped for the start of the season but this was not the first striking void at Goodison Park in recent years. Enter Maupay, whose presence on the teamsheet may have disheartened Evertonians before a ball was kicked, whose movement was excellent, whose persistence was admirable and whose finishing was unconvincing. He ranks as one of the most damaging parts of Frank Lampard’s legacy, a signing the former manager advocated when others at Everton wanted Ben Brereton Diaz. He ended last season with one goal from 32 shots and an expected goals tally of 5.43. But this is a time for fresh starts. New season, new Maupay? Not exactly. He could have scored after barely 30 seconds but shot wide. He twice spurned one-on-ones with Bernd Leno, the first from five yards, the second from about 12. Abdoulaye Doucoure cushioned a header into his path, Amadou Onana placed a pass, but Leno saved each effort. He had four efforts and got no goals. There were rousing cheers when he was replaced, though they were for the debutant Arnaut Danjuma; a winger could have been a preferable option as a makeshift striker. But Sean Dyche’s options are limited. His side played with verve, Alex Iwobi and Doucoure allying running power with craft. But his starting 11 contained five players who may call themselves central midfielders and the closest thing to a career winger was a 38-year-old at left-back, in Ashley Young. They offered effort in abundance and encountered a defiant goalkeeper who made nine saves. The otherwise excellent Leno unpunished from his only error, a foul given when he spilled a cross and Michael Keane found the unguarded net. Yet the stark reality is that Everton began with a home defeat to a side who may end up in the bottom half themselves and a manager, in Marco Silva, who they sacked in 2018. It is no slight on Dyche to say they have reasons to repent that decision. If Fulham’s win was a triumph of strength in depth, it also owed something to Silva’s intervention. He secured a second win of 2023 at Goodison when three substitutes combined. Aleksandar Mitrovic released Andreas Pereira to cross for Decordova-Reid to finish. If it had the feel of a smash-and-grab raid, it had been threatened. In a Maupay-esque return, Raul Jimenez failed to score a Premier League goal in his last season at Wolves. He nearly marked his Fulham debut with one, volleying against the base of the post from a Decordova-Reid cross. Fulham, though, have the confidence of a team who can score. To Dyche’s credit, he conjured goals from Doucoure and Dwight McNeil in the run-in last season. But if it was obvious a team who only got four from their out-and-out centre-forwards needed far more this season, it was an utterly unpromising start. And for a club whose motto is Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, its first word is the most worrying. Everton got Nil. Again. Read More Everton’s summer of stasis leaves Sean Dyche with a salvage job on his hands Football rumours: Everton considering bid for Harry Maguire

Everton paid the price for a string of missed chances as their goalscoring issues were exploited by Fulham in a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park. A new season brought new hope for recent relegation strugglers Everton but for all the improvements Sean Dyche has made over the summer, it appears he he has not yet solved their problems in front of goal. Substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid struck the only goal of the game to get Marco Silva’s side off to a winning start. Everton, the Premier League’s lowest scorers last season, were again without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Despite generating twice as many shots as the visitors, Dyche’s side were undone by one square pass across their six-yard area when Andreas Pereira beat Nathan Patterson to an Aleksandar Mitrovic’s through-ball for a 73rd-minute tap-in by Decordova-Reid. It burst the bubble of optimism which had been generated by an energetic and relatively creative opening 73 minutes of the season and will have infuriated Dyche as much as it delighted former Toffees boss Silva. Michael Keane’s first-half goal was disallowed as the centre-back turned the ball into an empty net and celebrated almost apologetically before referee Stuart Atwell, having initially not blown, ruled there had been an infringement in the collision between goalkeeper Bernd Leno and James Tarkowski. Both teams started without their recognised first-choice strikers: Calvert-Lewin was omitted due to his lack of minutes in pre-season while Mitrovic was left on the bench after ongoing interest from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. But it was the home team who suffered the most as they generated 19 shots to their opponents’ nine from just 41 per cent possession but failed to capitalise with Calvert-Lewin’s deputy Neal Maupay most culpable. The £15million signing from Brighton last summer has a return of one goal in his 29 previous appearances but the reason for that conversion rate was evident after just 32 seconds when he clipped a shot wide of the far post with only goalkeeper Leno to beat after being put through by James Garner’s cushioned header. It did not get any better for the Frenchman, whose heavy touch from Abdoulaye Doucoure’s square pass denied him another shooting opportunity before Leno blocked his close-range scuff from a Doucoure knockdown and then he fired straight at the German when played in by Amadou Onana. Doucoure, playing just behind the striker, was not without fault either as he should have scored inside five minutes when clean through but shot straight at the goalkeeper when he could also have squared to Maupay. Everton were fortunate the visitors were even more toothless in attack themselves, although Willian, 35, gave 21-year-old right-back Nathan Patterson, who made just 21 appearances in a debut season affected by injury, an uncomfortable 45 minutes before he was replaced by De Cordova-Reid at half-time. But Willian was also lucky to escape with a booking for an over the top challenge on Garner. By contrast, on the other side of the defence Ashley Young, Everton’s second-oldest debutant at the age of 38 years and 34 days, was coping easily with Harry Wilson – 12 years his junior. The 57th-minute of introduction of Mitrovic and Pereira, seconds after debutant Raul Jimenez had struck the post with his last touch before being replaced, threatened a new element of danger for Everton. However, it was the hosts who should have scored when Leno parried Alex Iwobi’s shot to Patterson who lashed his shot against the crossbar. Loan signing Arnaut Danjuma assumed the central striking role from Maupay but, before he had even touched the ball, De Cordova-Reid had scored the goal which secured Fulham’s third successive win at Goodison Park. The return of Calvert-Lewin and a debut for new signing Youssef Chermiti, the £15million Sporting Lisbon striker watching from the directors’ box, cannot come soon enough. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra hit debut goals as Brighton stroll past Luton Rangers get up and running in Premiership with convincing win over Livingston Tom Brady watches on as Birmingham beat Leeds with last-gasp penalty

Lukas Jutkiewicz smashed home a stoppage-time winner against Leeds as Birmingham celebrated the life of Trevor Francis and the start a new era in front of NFL great Tom Brady. There has been precious little to cheer about since the Blues’ relegation from the top flight 12 years ago, but the recent takeover led by American businessman Tom Wagner has finally brought hope back to the club. Brady went onto join as minority owner nine days ago and the former quarterback made his first trip to a rocking St Andrew’s on Saturday as Birmingham secured a 1-0 win. Substitute Jutkiewicz fired home from the penalty spot at the death in a dramatic end to a drab encounter on an emotional day in the second city. Birmingham paid a touching tribute to their greatest ever player before-kick-off, with Jasper Carrott leading the tributes to Francis following his death last month. The comedian said Francis was “a hero, a role model and a symbol of a time when there was real hope in this stadium” – a feeling of hope he felt was now back at St Andrew’s. The positive feeling around the club brought the biggest crowd since February 2020 but the occasion did not live up to the hype in a poor first half devoid of opportunities. Both sides improved after the break and pushed hard for a late winner, which went Birmingham’s way after Daniel James brought down Ethan Laird in the box. Illan Meslier got a foot on Jutkiewicz’s thumping penalty but could not stop it finding the back of the net as seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady celebrated a successful first visit. The performance, as much as a result, will alarm Daniel Farke’s Leeds – who were without wantaway Willy Gnonto and fellow forward Luis Sinisterra at St Andrew’s. Neither team did anything of note in a first half that appeared to be impacted by the emotional start to proceedings. The fact there was only one minute of added time at the end of the opening period highlighted just how uneventful it had been. The second half began in brighter fashion and City’s Keshi Anderson met a Siriki Dembele cutback with a shot that deflected narrowly wide. Leeds responded with a James cross-shot that forced John Ruddy into action, before Georginio Rutter saw a fierce drive blocked by Krystian Bielik moments after coming on. John Eustace’s hosts had a huge chance in the 80th minute but Kevin Long powered a free header from six yards just off target. Bacuna saw a driven effort held before Birmingham hearts were in mouths as Sam Byram glanced an effort across the face of goal in front of the 2,213 away fans. But City were pushing hardest for the win and were gifted a chance by James’ late error. The former Manchester United flyer brought down Laird as he attempted to stop the lively right-back meeting a diagonal ball, with referee Tim Robinson pointing to the spot. Newly-introduced Jutkiewicz leathered home the penalty and chants of “USA, USA, USA” filled the air as Birmingham saw out victory. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra hit debut goals as Brighton stroll past Luton Rangers get up and running in Premiership with convincing win over Livingston

Dominic Solanke’s late equaliser denied West Ham an opening-day win as Bournemouth hit back for a 1-1 draw. Jarrod Bowen had fired the Hammers into the lead early in the second half with a spectacular curler from the edge of the box. But Bournemouth, playing under new boss Andoni Iraola for the first time, were good value for the point they earned when Solanke rounded Alphonse Areola with eight minutes remaining. It has been a troubled summer for West Ham following their Europa Conference League success last season with the departure of Declan Rice, Manchester City’s attempt to lure Lucas Paqueta away and a lack of new signings coming through the doors at the London Stadium. They arrived on the south coast with essentially last season’s team, minus Rice, and not much in the way of optimism. Yet they almost went ahead early on when Said Benrahma fed Tomas Soucek, whose effort bounced back off the inside of the far post and into the grateful arms of Bournemouth keeper Neto. The Cherries were relieved again when Michail Antonio’s flick from a corner was cleared from underneath the crossbar by Philip Billing. But Bournemouth had their chances too as the first half wore on, with Solanke slipping in David Brooks who fired just wide. Solanke then chased a long ball over the top only to be denied by the long leg of Hammers defender Kurt Zouma, before Areola beat away another Brooks drive. The second half almost began with a bang for Bournemouth with Brooks letting fly on the volley from 20 yards, forcing Areola into an acrobatic save. But it was the Hammers who broke the deadlock moments later after Pablo Fornals, trying to fill a Rice-shaped hole in the West Ham midfield, won possession 30 yards out. Bowen’s last kick of the previous campaign was the late goal which secured the Europa Conference League trophy against Fiorentina 66 days ago. This time he collected the ball off Soucek 20 yards out, cut onto his left foot and buried a superb, curling effort beyond the dive of Neto. Bournemouth, playing their new brand of easy-on-the-eye, expansive football, tried to hit back and Areola saved from Solanke before Joe Rothwell’s shot clipped the crossbar. Their dominance told in the 82nd minute when Antoine Semenyo’s wayward shot fell at the feet of Solanke, who showed tremendous composure to slip round Areola and tap into an empty net. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Odsonne Edouard hands dominant Crystal Palace win over Sheffield United Mikel Arteta says Eddie Nketiah forced his way into Arsenal team in training Today at the World Cup: England through and Australia prevail on penalties

Odsonne Edouard’s second-half goal earned Crystal Palace a 1-0 win against Sheffield United to worsen the gloom at Bramall Lane. Edouard struck from close range four minutes after the restart to give the Eagles a deserved three points in the Premier League opener. It was thoroughly convincing for Roy Hodgson’s men as they had two further goals disallowed, while Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham made a number of saves to keep his side in it. Indeed, Hodgson’s biggest problem was a tweet from wantaway goalkeeper Vicente Guaita before the game, seemingly questioning why he was not in the team. United’s return to the top flight after two seasons away ended with a whimpering defeat to compound a negative few weeks which saw the sale of Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge. Boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted before the match that United are “nowhere near” where they need to be and that showed as they lacked any real goal threat throughout the match. The signing of Gustavo Hamer from Coventry overnight had boosted spirits and he was paraded on the pitch before kick-off. The atmosphere helped the Blades make a strong start, with Will Osula going close inside the opening 10 minutes with an effort that was deflected just wide. But Palace began to take control of the game, with Eberechi Eze running things with his impressive ball-carrying skills. And he twice saw goalbound efforts blocked, first from Jack Robinson and then from John Egan. The visitors thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half when Jordan Ayew headed home after Joachim Andersen’s shot had been fumbled by Foderingham, but it was ruled out for offside. It was little surprise when they did go in front just after the restart. Ayew found a good position on the right hand side and sent in a wicked low cross which was begging to be converted and Edouard duly obliged, stabbing in from close range. It could have been two 10 minutes later as Edouard found space at the far post from Eze’s free-kick but his header was straight at Foderingham. The former Celtic striker also had a goal ruled out for offside, while Ayew tested Foderingham’s handling with a fierce shot that was palmed away. Palace kept knocking on the door for a second and Foderingham got down brilliantly to keep out Andersen’s header. The Blades had nothing in the way of a response, other than plenty of effort, as Palace saw it out with ease. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Dominic Solanke denies West Ham as Bournemouth snatch draw Mikel Arteta says Eddie Nketiah forced his way into Arsenal team in training Today at the World Cup: England through and Australia prevail on penalties

Sam Lammers, Danilo, Abdallah Sima and Kieran Dowell all scored their first competitive goals for Rangers as the Light Blues came on strong to beat Livingston 4-0 in the cinch Premiership at Ibrox. Attacking midfielder Lammers hammered in the opener after 10 minutes as the hosts dominated but it was late in the second half before Michael Beale’s new-look side secured the points. Brazilian attacker Danilo headed in a second in the 78th minute before Sima pounced from close range six minutes later with fellow second-half substitute Dowell thrashing in a fourth in the final minute of normal time. The Govan outfit lost their league opener at Kilmarnock last week before beating Servette 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier at Ibrox on Wednesday night. Boss Beale – who has signed nine new players this summer with the promise of more to come – will see this as a building block for his side but more will be required going forward, starting with the return game against Servette on Tuesday night. As Beale revealed on Friday, Jose Cifuentes, the 24-year-old Ecuador international midfielder signed last week from Los Angeles FC, made his starting debut. Centre-back Leon Balogun was back in again for the first time since returning to the club for a second spell, with Ryan Jack and Connor Goldson rested. It was a patient start by the home side and the opener came when influential midfielder Todd Cantwell’s shot from inside the box was blocked by the foot of Livi keeper Shamal George but Lammers slammed in the rebound from 16 yards. The goal forced Livi to come out their shell a little although a mix-up in defence allowed John Souttar a shot at goal only for the Gers defender to balloon the ball high over the bar, before George dived full length to tip a Cifuentes drive past the post. When captain James Tavernier’s delivery came over, Cifuentes volleyed into the net at the second attempt but after a VAR check, referee Don Robertson awarded a free-kick to Livingston for an initial hand ball by the midfielder. The tempo dropped towards the end of the first half which finished with Light Blues forward Cyriel Dessers heading a Tavernier cross over the bar. Lammers headed a Borna Barisic cross just wide of the target at the start of the second period and missed the target again from a Dessers cut-back, after George had made a fine save from a Danilo drive. In a rare Livingston attack, Gers keeper Jack Butland was tested twice in a minutes by Andrew Shinnie, twice making good saves before Livi defender Ayo Obileye threw himself to block a Dessers drive from 14 yards after he had been set up by Danilo, the corner coming to nothing. In a 68th minute counter-attack, Danilo flicked a Cifuentes cross over the bar from two yards out which cranked up frustration levels, however all was soon well in Govan. Rabbi Matondo and Sima came on for Lammers and Dessers and in the 77th minute Sima drove a shot from point-blank range against George but the second goal was on its way, coming when Barisic’s deep cross found Danilo at the back post and he rose to head past the Livi keeper for his first Gers goal and alleviate the building pressure. Dujon Sterling came on among more substitutions to make his Rangers debut before Danilo hit the post from close range. Sima then opened his account in a Light Blue jersey and there was time for Dowell, on for Cantwell, to fire in off the crossbar for number four to make his mark at Ibrox. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra hit debut goals as Brighton stroll past Luton Tom Brady watches on as Birmingham beat Leeds with last-gasp penalty