Luke Wells leads record-breaking Lancashire to Vitality Blast win
Opener Wells hit eight sixes in his 44-ball 83 – the most ever by a Lancashire player in Twenty20.
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He helped his side to 243 for seven, which is the county's highest score in this format of the game. Matty Hurst added 59 from 29 balls .
Chris Green then took three for 16 as Derbyshire were bowled out for 163 in response despite Caleb Jewell's 65.
Northamptonshire lost ground at the top of the North Group after going down to a 24-run defeat to Nottinghamshire.
Tom Moore's 53 off 27 balls helped the visitors to 164 for eight before Matthew Montgomery took three for 22 to help bowl Northampton out for 140.
Sam Hain's unbeaten 38 helped Birmingham Bears to a last-over one-wicket win over Worcestershire.
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Chasing 135 to win, Hain's 30-ball innings guided the hosts to victory with three balls to spare.
Durham made light work of Yorkshire, winning by 63 runs after posting 193 for four. Graham Clark hit 53, James Neesham 42 not out and Alex Lees 40.
Somerset continued their good form at the top of the South Group as they beat Glamorgan by six wickets.
Chasing 131 after Riley Meredith took four for 21, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (38) and Sean Dickson (23no) saw them home with six wickets and 20 balls to spare.
Second-placed Surrey hammered Middlesex by 75 runs.
Will Jacks led the way with 97 off 56 balls in Surrey's 194 for eight before Mitchell Santner took three for 25, Jacks fittingly picking up the final wicket as Middlesex were dismissed for 119.
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Tawanda Muyeye scored a maiden T20 century to help Kent beat Essex by 47 runs.
The opener hit seven sixes and six fours on his way to 100 from 59 balls as Kent posted 219 for three.
Dean Elgar (50) and Simon Harmer (55 off 21 balls) hit half-centuries in response for Essex but they were bowled out for 172.
Gloucestershire beat Hampshire in style, with David Payne's six off the last ball of the match sealing a two-wicket win.
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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Advantage Richarlison in contest to be Tottenham's first-choice striker
Richarlison is one of the Premier League's most exciting enigmas. How could a player who has led the line for Brazil at a World Cup and scored 13 goals in his past 16 Premier League starts continue to split opinion within the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase? How can he be the social media joker with possibly the most goofy celebration in England, as well as an often reserved character? At the end of a game in which he had scored a spectacular double in Tottenham's 3-0 win against Burnley on Saturday, the 28-year-old hung back from his team-mates, almost reluctant to accept the embrace he was due from supporters Advertisement The Richarlison experience is one that Everton fans continue to eulogise three years after 'o pombo' (which translates to the pigeon in English) left Goodison Park for £60 million. Spurs fans are yet to truly experience the same but across last Wednesday's penalty shoot-out Super Cup defeat by Paris Saint-Germain and Spurs' Premier League opener, he went as close to demonstrating the breadth of his talent since that outstanding run of nine goals in eight games in the winter of 2023-24. '(It's) fantastic he is scoring,' Frank said in his post-match press conference on Saturday. 'The first one is definitely easier to score without being easy, but I have a striker that takes those two chances and helps us win the game. He deserves a lot of praise. He was very good against PSG, and today he was exceptional, with his work-rate, driving the team, link-up play, hold-up play, just dominating and then the two finishes. 'It is only the second game of the season, there is a long way to go, but very positive with him. Second goal (there were) 17 passes in the team I have been told, every player touched the ball and finished with two top actions. 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New York Times
an hour ago
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Manchester United vs Arsenal: The mood, transfer window, hopes for the season and predictions
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It's fascinating that this game could see him line up against fellow striker Benjamin Sesko — at the start of the summer, many believed the latter would sign for Arsenal, and that Gyokeres would end up reuniting with Amorim after working together at previous club Sporting CP in Lisbon. Critchley: It has been quietly impressive. Matheus Cunha's £62.5million signing from Wolves was a relatively straightforward deal and was finalised early. The same could not be said for the pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo, which lasted 44 days and ended with Brentford earning a guaranteed £65m, but in the end, United secured their two priority targets. Sales were said to be needed before they could make further additions, but there was always the possibility that Ratcliffe borrowed to spend and drew down on the club's revolving credit facilities. Sesko has filled the priority position at centre-forward for an initial €76.5million (£66.1m; $89.5m), despite no permanent exits and formidable competition for the RB Leipzig striker from Newcastle United. But outgoings are still necessary, especially after Amorim ostracised five players — Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia — to form a so-called 'bomb squad'. So far, only Rashford has departed, to Barcelona, and even that is only a loan. McNicholas: Arsenal's incoming business has been good. A deal for midfielder Martin Zubimendi was formally completed in July, but had effectively been agreed months before. The long hunt for a new striker ended when Gyokeres joined for a €63.5million upfront fee, plus €10m in potential add-ons. Arsenal have also added depth by signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera. Advertisement The wildcard signing is arguably Noni Madueke. 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And though their summer spending is proof that Amorim has the hierarchy's support, it also shows how critical it is that he avoids a repeat of his first campaign in charge. McNicholas: The mood is good, especially after the comprehensive 3-0 win over Athletic Club in their final friendly of pre-season. Expectations are high, however. The Emirates Cup that the club won after beating the Bilbao side last Saturday is not going to satisfy supporters. After falling short of major silverware in each of the past five seasons, there is definite pressure on manager Arteta. Arsenal have a very challenging start to their Premier League campaign — including this trip to Old Trafford — and they need to come through it without sustaining too much damage. A few bad early results, and all that hope and anticipation could easily bubble over into something more negative. Advertisement Critchley: It was 32 points last season. The only time it has been bigger in the Premier League era was 1994-95, when United finished 37 clear of Arsenal (though that was in a 42-game campaign). United were runners-up that year. Arsenal finished in the bottom half for the first time in a long time, and also lost a European final. The parallels are there if you want to go looking for them. Arsenal were still three years away from winning their next title — the timeframe United have set for 'Project 150', their target to be crowned champions again by 2028, in line with the club's 150th anniversary. It is a very different league three decades on, but United could catch up quickly. We are still talking about the second- and third-placed clubs from just three seasons ago. McNicholas: The gap is a gulf. For someone raised on the title races between these clubs in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was surreal to see United so close to the foot of the Premier League last season. Amorim has been granted more time after his mid-season arrival. One wonders if Arteta's journey at Arsenal strengthened United's conviction to stick with their new manager. The Spaniard had a dismal period in the winter of 2020 when he got the job, but the board kept faith. Ultimately, that loyalty has been rewarded by Arsenal's return to the Champions League and their improved capacity to challenge for silverware. United will hope Amorim can follow a similar trajectory. Critchley: The obvious answer is Bukayo Saka, who could have a lot of joy down United's left if Patrick Dorgu plays as high up the pitch today as he has during pre-season, which could potentially leave Luke Shaw to deal with Arsenal's most potent open-play threat. Set pieces have to be considered too, though, especially as United conceded the joint-fourth-most in the league from dead balls last season, including two in the Premier League fixture at the Emirates. Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were the scorers that December night, but Gabriel is typically more dangerous, and scored after the breakdown of a corner in January's FA Cup meeting. Advertisement McNicholas: Even when United have been at their lowest, the quality of Bruno Fernandes has shone through. His decision to stay this summer after interest from Saudi Arabia provided them with a considerable boost. If Sesko starts, there will naturally be a huge media focus on his performance. Arsenal tracked his progress for years and deliberated over signing him this summer, before ultimately plumping for Gyokeres. United's great threat may come on their right-hand side. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori occasionally leave space in behind on Arsenal's left, and Mbeumo and Amad have the speed and quality to exploit that. Critchley: I've gone back and forth between Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all summer, but I'm leaning towards Arteta's side to be champions. As much as everyone banged on about not having a recognised striker, and though a signing like Gyokeres was obviously needed, injuries, sendings-off and a creative over-reliance on Saka were as much a part of their downfall last season. Maybe they run into some of those issues again, but you could chalk most of them down to bad luck. And if they avoid those pitfalls, there is a stable, familiar foundation for Arteta to work with at a time when Liverpool and City are having to rebuild. McNicholas: Full disclosure: I have no idea. So much depends on what kind of progress the squad have made in understanding and implementing Amorim's system. My gut tells me United will be a top-half team again, though I'd be surprised if they finished in the Champions League qualification places. Somewhere between sixth and 10th feels most plausible to me. Critchley: We all know by now that Amorim is not going to budge from his 3-4-2-1, and all of United's summer business has been geared towards filling its roles and responsibilities. Cunha and Mbeumo have been signed to play as the left and right attacking midfielders respectively, which is likely to see Fernandes drop back into midfield. All three started up top together in the pre-season meeting with Everton, though, and could do so again if Sesko is not deemed ready for his debut. Advertisement Amad is also likely to be repositioned this season as a result of Mbeumo's arrival and could see more minutes at right wing-back than he did last term, although this could be the type of contest where Diogo Dalot's defensive solidity is preferred. McNicholas: It'll be Arsenal's standard variation on a 4-3-3. The improved depth at Arteta's disposal means he will have options in a variety of positions. He can choose between Lewis-Skelly and Calafiori at left-back, and Ben White and Timber on the opposite side of his back four. A midfield of Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard picks itself. The most intriguing decision is whether Arteta deems Gyokeres ready to play from the start. He scored in that final friendly against Athletic Club, and the manager may be tempted to go with the Swede — especially after Havertz suffered a minor injury last week, which disrupted his pre-season preparation. Critchley: A repeat of the 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture in March. Amorim's setup has frustrated 'Big Six' opponents in the past, even if his 10 matches against those clubs across all competitions last season only resulted in one United win (two if you include beating Arsenal on penalties in the FA Cup). McNicholas: Arsenal are the better side but history shows that doesn't always translate into results. A draw is a good bet, a result could suit both clubs. I'll go for a 2-2. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How Liverpool's new defensive fragility was exposed by four Bournemouth chances
Two late goals from Liverpool in the opening fixture of their Premier League campaign papered over some very big defensive cracks. Federico Chiesa's first league goal for the club, scored on 88 minutes in front of the Kop, and a strike from Mohamed Salah six minutes later snatched back a win at home against Bournemouth on Friday that Arne Slot's side had threatened to surrender. Advertisement 'Without the ball, it's very good eight out of 10 times,' Slot said of their pre-season before the match. 'But the aim at this club is not eight out of 10 times, it's 10 out of 10. That's the fine-tuning we still need to find defensively.' Bournemouth exploited weaknesses that had been evident during Liverpool's pre-season friendlies and in the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace — giving up too many counter-attacks and being vulnerable to crosses and cutbacks. The arrivals of Jeremie Frimpong (from Bayer Leverkusen) and Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth) bring massive attacking upside, but plenty of defensive risk. They are creative, attack-first full-backs, much in the mould Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson once were under Jurgen Klopp. But their profiles bring an issue of balance, which was shown within six minutes. Midfield pinball ensues from a Djordje Petrovic long pass to right-winger Antoine Semenyo, who was Bournemouth's main out ball when Liverpool pressed high, targeting Kerkez aerially. Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott dispossesses Virgil van Dijk and Semenyo secures the loose ball. He passes inside to Marcos Senesi. Note Salah's positioning. Slot lets him 'cheat' and stay high when his side are defending or pressing. This demands more from Liverpool's right-back. Dominik Szoboszlai presses late. Senesi releases left-back Adrien Truffert, who escapes beyond Salah on his blindside. Frimpong is pinned by David Brooks' run. Truffert carries upfield without pressure and hits an early cross, because Szoboszlai must recover over a big distance (see Salah's position). While Kerkez tracks Semenyo's run towards the box, he turns it into a physical duel, grappling and trying to step across him, rather than defending the cross — back-post defending is a long-standing weakness for Kerkez. Truffert's cross is perfectly placed — Liverpool's high line offered plenty of space — and Semenyo crashes the box. Under some pressure from Kerkez, an off-balance Semenyo fires over the bar. Later on, just before Liverpool scored, Bournemouth created a chance down the other side. A collection of imperfect individual actions allowed Bournemouth to create a cutback. First, striker Hugo Ekitike is positioned slightly too narrow. He then presses too passively. Central midfielder Tyler Adams has dropped between the centre-backs, who split wider, finding routes around Liverpool's mid-block. Bafode Diakite steps out. Evanilson times his run in behind Liverpool's high line, and is played onside by Kerkez, who has dropped off in anticipation of Diakite's through ball. Note how wide Cody Gakpo is, focused on Bournemouth right-back Adam Smith and outside the vertical line of the ball. It leaves Kerkez isolated, particularly with Semenyo dropping off. Evanilson does well to keep the ball in, and Liverpool do not react. Kerkez is too square and is nutmegged as Evanilson finds Smith on the underlap. Gakpo does not track the run. Look at the three-v-three on the far side of the box, as this becomes important momentarily. Smith skips away from the covering Alexis Mac Allister and pulls a cutback towards the penalty spot. Ibrahima Konate is tight to Scott, but Frimpong loses track of Brooks, who steps over the ball. Liverpool are fortunate that Marcus Tavernier scuffs his shot straight at Alisson. Szoboszlai, who is caught ball-watching, ought to have spotted the late-arriving midfielder. It was through one of these early, low crosses that Bournemouth made it 2-1 on 64 minutes. Slot had just subbed off Frimpong and Kerkez, perhaps recognising the profiles that the game did and did not need with a two-goal advantage. Temporarily, Wataru Endo came on at right-back, with Robertson on the opposite side. Bournemouth launch a counter from Szoboszlai trying to backheel Salah's pass towards Florian Wirtz. Two-v-one against Szoboszlai, Scott blocks the pass and Adams comes out with the ball. Liverpool have no midfielder ready to counter-press (see Mac Allister's position above) and Adams sets Brooks away. Konate is out wide, covering for Endo, and is poorly positioned. Robertson, while quick, cannot outpace Semenyo on the far side. This means that Brooks can find Semenyo with an early cross, almost identical to the chance Truffert provided for him five minutes in. This time, Semenyo hits it at Alisson, but the effort bursts through the goalkeeper's parry and into the net. 'Normally, you can complain about our players not sprinting back hard enough, but they did,' Slot said in the post-match press conference. 'The only thing you need to do better — in an ideal world — is where do you lose the ball? 'Losing the ball with a trick if you're 2-0 up is not necessary. Maybe if you're 1-0 down or you really need a goal and you want to force something… but in that moment it's not the way to lose the ball.' Defending crosses has been a problem for Liverpool over the past two seasons — around one-quarter of the league goals they conceded last term were from crosses. Such was Bournemouth's threat that Van Dijk's 17 clearances (and 13 headed ones) were his most in any match for Liverpool. But an issue defending counter-attacks — a real problem in 2022-23 under Klopp — has reemerged. The first half had ended with Liverpool counter-attacking after defending a Semenyo long throw, then that move broke down and Bournemouth immediately transitioned the other way. Then, later, came the visitors' equaliser. Advertisement 'The second goal, we are a team that likes to attack, that wants to score goals,' Slot said. Liverpool's head coach singled out individual mistakes again for Bournemouth's second goal of the night. 'Rest defence was in order the moment we lost the ball,' he said. 'We were two-v-one against their No 9, but instead of what Mo (Salah) usually does — crossing or shooting — he squared it just behind.' The problem is not the coverage on Evanilson, but Liverpool having eight bodies forward and not finishing the attack. It left them without a midfielder to press Hamed Traore, or go with (or foul) Semenyo, who was the release valve. The result: a four-v-two Bournemouth breakaway. Neither Van Dijk nor Konate felt they could commit, and no tactical foul was made. WOW! Antoine Semenyo with an incredible solo goal to equalise for Bournemouth at Anfield 😍⚡️ — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 15, 2025 Konate inadvertently opened the angle for Semenyo's low finish by stepping across when the Ghana international shifted the ball back onto his left foot. It was a percentage play as Bournemouth had two runners over on the left — and a potentially higher-quality chance if Semenyo had passed. 'Credit to the other team with how they sprinted with many bodies to the box,' Slot said. 'The best way is to not lose the ball. If you do lose it, then lose it with a shot — so it ends in a corner kick or a goal kick — but not at the penalty area, or where Dominik lost it.' Some 'fine-tuning' might be needed, Arne. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
