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Opener enjoys a near-perfect night with the bat and in the field as England defeat Sri Lanka

Matt Roller01-Nov-20212:31

Jayawardene: Staying low key to Buttler’s success

Jos Buttler’s six-hitting clinic against Australia on Saturday night prompted a question: what’s the best innings an Englishman has played in a T20 World Cup? Then, 48 hours later, Buttler provided an unequivocal answer.There will be nights when English batters have found run-scoring much easier than Buttler did against Sri Lanka in Sharjah but none has paced an innings better, nor executed such a calculated takedown of an opposing attack. The majority of games to date in the Super 12 stage had been decided by the toss; this was decided by the Jos.To comprehend Buttler’s innings requires an understanding of conditions in Sharjah. Ever since the pitch block at this intimate venue was relaid earlier this year, pitches have played slow, with low bounce from a good length its defining feature. This was the third time that this strip had been used in eight days and its skiddy nature rendered timing near-impossible before the dew took over.Related

• Morgan: 'You always have to believe because if you don't, nobody else will'

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• Fantastic Buttler ton makes it four out of four for England

• Stats – Jos Buttler joins Alex Hales and Heather Knight in elite England lists

Buttler’s innings had started with a shot that has quietly became a trademark since his promotion to open in T20 cricket, a compact back-foot punch through the covers off Dushmantha Chameera which earned him three runs, he struggled early on, inside-edging Lahiru Kumara for four past short fine leg.When England lost three wickets in the powerplay, Buttler recognised that he would have to soak up some pressure. He hardly played a shot in anger against Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka’s emerging superstar, and their mystery spinner, Maheesh Theekshana, content to nudge singles into gaps. After 10 overs, Buttler had just 24 runs off 30 balls.An undervalued skill for T20 openers is the ability to judge conditions early on. It has proved particularly tricky in this tournament, with teams batting first regularly losing their openers early due to movement off the seam and often undershooting as a result – particularly given the advantages chasing teams have enjoyed after dew has taken over.”You’re trying to get a read of the wicket, and looking for a number or a score,” Buttler explained in an interview with the last week. “After an over or two, you get a bit of a feeling of what the wicket might be like. The skill is you’re trying to work that out as you’re going along and still trying to put pressure on the opposition and play well.”Jos Buttler’s record as a T20I opener•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Perhaps that was the one area of the evening where Buttler fell short of his usual standards. “We were in a bit of trouble [but] the guys were relaying back to the dressing room that 110 might be a good score,” Paul Collingwood, England’s assistant coach, said at the interval; Buttler managed 101 on his own.The second half of his innings was a devastating assault on Sri Lanka’s seamers, with Charith Karunaratne and Dasun Shanaka’s medium pace – splitting the fifth-bowler allocation between them – coming in for particularly rough treatment. Buttler spotted the weak links in the attack and pounced, punishing anything full or short.Karunaratne was thumped through and over midwicket with a strong bottom hand and Shanaka, left to bowl the 18th over after going in for an early kill with his main bowlers, came in for particularly harsh treatment: a length ball at 81mph/131kph disappeared over midwicket; his response, a late-dipping slower ball, was bludgeoned back over his head and into the stands with a whip of the bottom hand.

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Buttler made a rare misjudgement in Chameera’s final over, top-edging a pull to deep square leg. But Pathum Nissanka put down the catch, charging in off the rope, and after two mistimed shots, Buttler rolled his wrists to clip a full toss off his pads for six, joining Heather Knight as the second England player to hit international hundreds in all three formats.All told, Buttler managed 12 runs off 24 balls against spin, but 89 off 43 against seam; after taking 45 balls over his first 50 runs, his next 51 took just 22. His average as an opener in T20 internationals is now 60.50 with a strike rate of 149.17, a remarkable cocktail of dependability and destruction.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I found it tough early on, the spinners especially tricky with the low bounce and they were hard to get away,” Buttler told Sky. “So I’m really pleased to keep a calm head and work through it, back myself to come good at the end and start to target certain bowlers and at certain ends with a shorter side on one side.”I felt like I used a lot of experience. I remember saying a while ago, if I can put both parts of my game together then I think I’ll be getting in a really good place with my T20 batting: I’ve had a lot of experience batting in the middle and to put that together with the top, I can back myself to catch up at certain times and [rely on] the death hitting of my game which is a strength.”His near-perfect night even extended into the field: in the first over of Sri Lanka’s chase he effected the run-out of Nissanka, whipping the bails off after Morgan’s clean throw; in the 18th, his direct hit left Shanaka short of his ground to effectively seal England’s successful defence. “The run-out was the best feeling on the field today,” he smiled after.The brevity of T20 World Cups means that certain factors can have a huge impact on outcomes: a streak of consecutive toss wins, or several tight decisions going in a team’s favour. Equally, it allows a purple patch of career-best form by one of the world’s best players to lift a team to a trophy: England might be two nights of Buttler brilliance away from the World Cup.

The performance of new-ball bowlers could have a big say in which direction this game goes

Ekanth11-Apr-20252:04

Battle of the two best top orders?

Big picture: a top-order collision

Twenty five games into IPL 2025, the top four run-scorers are from Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) top order. If that wasn’t unexpected enough, Shubman Gill isn’t on that list. It has allowed both teams to work around vulnerabilities in their batting.In a season where teams are looking to maximise their scoring throughout the innings despite the situation, GT follow an old-school T20 template. B Sai Sudharsan, who was the player of the match for his 82 in GT’s win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), said, “we try and keep a lot of wickets in hand and go full-on in the last five overs.”Their middle order has remained unburdened as at least one of Gill, Sai Sudharsan or Jos Buttler have scored a fifty in each of their five games so far. Not that that’s made them formulaic. In fact, after the last game GT’s assistant coach Parthiv Patel said, “there are no specific roles as such. As a team, we have a top three, but we keep shuffling the batting order. We react based on conditions and the situation.”Related

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That flexibility was on demonstrated by Washington Sundar being promoted to No. 4 in their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad – he made 49 off 29 balls – but then he was replaced with Shahrukh Khan, whose 20-ball 36 built on a well-set platform against RR.For LSG, the chance pairing of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh clicking has bolstered the impact of Nicholas Pooran’s onslaughts and nullified Rishabh Pant’s lack of runs.

Form guide

Lucknow Super Giants WWL ()
Gujarat Titans WWW3:13

Will LSG’s explosive top order face their toughest test yet?

Team news and likely XIIs

Parthiv had said GT played four seamers against Royals because of the conditions in Ahmedabad. Lucknow is unlikely to be as seamer-friendly and Washington is likely to replace one of the quicks.Gujarat Titans (probable XII): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Arshad Khan/Kulwant KhejroliyaLucknow Super Giants are unlikely to change their XII from the last game. They have the option of bringing in left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth to challenge the two right-handers in GT’s top order.Lucknow Super Giants (probable XII): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Akash Deep, 11 Digvesh Rathi, 12 Ravi Bishnoi

The big question

Rashid has bowled only one over in the powerplay so far this season. Marsh, Markram and Pooran have sub-120 strike rates against him, Pooran has even been dismissed twice in 66 balls. Rashid has only started to rediscover his form after a poor start to this season, but should he be brought on to bowl earlier given the strength of LSG’s top order?

In the spotlight – Digvesh Rathi and Prasidh Krishna

Five of Digvesh Rathi‘s seven T20s have come in IPL 2025. His celebrations might have landed him in hot waters but his impact cannot be written off. His economy rate of 7.75 is easily the best of all of LSG’s bowlers so far this season. In LSG’s last game, against Kolkata Knight Riders where 472 runs runs were scored, his economy was 8.25. While Ravi Bishnoi remains the primary legspinner in the side, Rathi’s position is only rising.Digvesh Rathi celebrated in a new way – by writing on the ground•Associated Press

Prasidh Krishna‘s pace and height have offered Titans a unique advantage in the middle overs. He has been able to hit the middle of the pitch and get extra bounce to challenge batters on the back foot. He is coming off five wickets in the last games and is a threat to LSG’s middle order.

Pitch and conditions

There are slight chances of rain in the evening but a large stoppage is unlikely. In terms of the pitch, 15 wickets have been taken by pacers so far in Lucknow and spinners only six. Lucknow did roll out a black-soil surface after Pant and LSG mentor Zaheer Khan had expressed disappointment over the lack of assistance for the spinners during their loss to Punjab Kings. But the spinners took only two of the ten wickets to fall in the 472-run game. They might have a better outing this time considering this is a day game.

Stats and Trivia

• LSG and GT are also the only teams to have scored more than 500 runs in the middle-overs this season
• GT, in this phase have lost only 8 wickets, the joint-least with Delhi Capitals
• Rashid has dismissed Pant three times and conceded 114 runs in 103 balls across 15 innings. He has a great record against David Miller too, whom he has dismissed 4 times in 59 balls while conceding only 67 runs

Quotes

“The games that we have won, we’ve kind of found ways to win, been under pressure with our bowling and batting at certain stages and getting through that and still winning, so for me that’s the encouraging part for the team.”
“Ashish Nehra is a very compassionate about the players, and that’s why it seems like [he is animated] from the outside. He cares a lot for people around him. It is good to see the combination of Ashish Nehra and Shubman Gill – they work very well and it’s like hand in glove.”

Both teams named three overseas players in their respective XIs

Hemant Brar27-Mar-2025Toss Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad.”No matter how many runs they score, we are going to chase it down,” Pant said with a smile.SRH are coming off a thumping win over Rajasthan Royals, also in Hyderabad, when they posted 286 for 6, the second-highest total in the IPL. LSG, on the other hand, suffered a narrow loss against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam despite being ahead for most of the game.LSG made two changes: they brought in Avesh Khan and Abdul Samad and left out Manimaran Siddharth and Shahbaz Ahmed. SRH fielded an unchanged side.Both teams named three overseas players in their respective XIs. So expect Adam Zampa to come in as Impact Player for SRH and Mitchell Marsh for LSG in the second half.The match is being played on a fresh, red-soil pitch. This pitch was used a couple of times last IPL, and in all four innings, the teams scored in excess of 200. The square boundaries are 69 and 67 metres. The straight boundary is 79 metres.Given the low humidity and not much dip in the temperature expected, dew is unlikely to play a part.Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Simarjeet Singh, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed ShamiImpact Players options: Adam Zampa, Sachin Baby, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Wiaan MulderLucknow Super Giants: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Nicholas Pooran, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 4 Ayush Badoni, 5 David Miller, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shardul Thakur, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Digvesh Rathi, 11 Prince YadavImpact Player options: Mitchell Marsh, Himmat Singh, Akash Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, M Siddharth

Hollie Armitage 89 underpins Durham effort but Chloe Skelton’s three-for proves key

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-May-2025Somerset Women held their nerve in a tight chase to defeat Durham Women by four wickets via the DLS method in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition clash at Banks Homes Riverside.Debutant Rebecca Odgers and Fran Wilson scored half-centuries for the visitors in a rain-affected contest reduced to 39 overs per side. The pair set the foundation before Amanda-Jade Wellington and Alex Griffiths saw their team over the line with nine balls to spareDurham skipper Hollie Armitage scored 89 earlier in the day to allow Durham to post a competitive 216, reduced to 213 after DLS. Chloe Skelton and Ellie Anderson each claimed three wickets apiece, with the former’s three strikes in the penultimate over proving decisive in the outcome of the contest as Somerset claimed four points.Somerset won the toss and elected to field, although the start of play was delayed by 50 minutes due to rain. The visitors immediately put Durham on the back foot as Suzie Bates dragged the second delivery of the day from Anderson back onto her own stumps.After another lengthy delay, Armitage greeted the first ball after the restart with a fine cover drive to the fence, but Somerset kept chipping away at the Durham batting order as Laura Jackson pinned Emma Marlow lbw before Anderson bowled found her way through the defences of both Mady Villiers and Bess Heath.The Durham skipper defied the Somerset bowlers and reached her third half-century in a row on home soil, finding the gap between the two fielders on the leg-side boundary off Wellington.Phoebe Turner joined Armitage to offer support, steering Durham towards a competitive total courtesy of a 57-run stand, with Armitage leading the way. She seemed poised to become the first Durham centurion, only to fall 11 runs shy, missing a straight one from Wellington.Katherine Fraser provided the impetus without Armitage with a 23-ball 30, including the first six of the game. But, Skelton wrapped up the Durham innings with three wickets in four balls, skittling the hosts for 216.Chasing a revised total of 213, Somerset were pegged back early on as Emma Corney and Sophie Luff fell cheaply. But, Odgers, making her Somerset bow in place of Heather Knight, settled into her knock with a flurry of crunching off-side boundaries.Odgers and Wilson continued to lay the foundations of the visitors’ chase, taking their stand past fifty before the opener brought up her maiden List A fifty from 66 balls. Katie Levick prised out Odgers for a well-made 60, but Wilson continued her impressive innings to keep Somerset within striking distance of the required rate.Turner dismissed Charlie Dean and Katie Jones to put the pressure on the Somerset ranks. However, Wilson was proving up to the challenge, reaching her half-century with a crisp drive through to covers for four. Timely boundaries whittled down the required run rate as Wilson used all strokes around the ground to put the visitors on the brink.Levick secured a vital breakthrough to dismiss Wilson for 68 to set up a tense finale. Wellington used her nous to score three boundaries using a reverse scoop off the penultimate over to secure the win for the visitors.

Chris Woakes provides vital support to leave Worcestershire needing highest score of match to win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-May-2025Sam Hain’s second highly-skilled innings of the match left Warwickshire well-placed to press for victory over Worcestershire in the Rothesay County Championship derby at Visit Worcestershire New Road.On a capricious pitch which has helped seamers throughout, Hain followed his first innings 86 with an unbeaten 87 off 174 balls as Warwickshire took their second innings to 280 to set the home side 327 to win. Chris Woakes supported Hain with 42, during which he passed 10,000 runs in all formats, while Jacob Duffy took 5 for 75.Worcestershire closed the third day on 54 for 2 and face a huge batting challenge on the final day when they must make by far the biggest score of the match to win it.Warwickshire resumed on the third morning day on 53 for 1, already 99 ahead, and soon lost Tom Latham who edged an aggressive shot at Tom Taylor to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick. Rob Yates re-dropped the anchor and eked out a valuable 29 from 112 balls before falling lbw, hit on the back pad, by Ben Allison. Beau Webster paid the price for going on the back foot on a pitch sometimes keeping low when Duffy flattened his leg stump.That was 86 for 4 and Worcestershire were clawing their way back into the match but the excellent Hain unfurled his second crucial innings of the contest and received important support from the middle and lower orders. Ed Barnard (30) added impetus before top-edging Matthew Waite to third man. Zen Malik helped Hain added 30 and, after he sliced Duffy to point and Kai Smith pulled Allison to long leg, Woakes arrived – not a bad player to have coming in at No. 9.The eighth-wicket pair added 67 in 21 overs, lifting Worcestershire’s target over 300, before Woakes edged Taylor to slip. Duffy completed his five-for with wickets from successive balls when Ethan Bamber hit his wicket from the follow through from a pull and Chris Rushworth edged to slip.Rushworth wasted no time before inflicting damage with the ball when he knocked out Jake Libby’s off stump with an outswinger. Six balls later, Henry Nicholls copped a tough lbw decision when he appeared to be struck outside the line of off-stump by Woakes.That was 25 for 2 and, with 27 overs left in the day Warwickshire fancied their chances of making match-clinching inroads before stumps. Batting remained a serious test of concentration and technique but Roderick and Kashif Ali negotiated 12 overs before bad light lopped off the last 15.An intriguing final day beckons with an additional factor from some rain in the forecast. Warwickshire remain strong favourites to bank a win which would owe most to Hain whose high-class batting in this match was worthy of two centuries.

EA Sports has revealed who the best players on the new game are, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sharing top spot

EA Sports has revealed the top 100 players on FIFA 19 as the countdown begins in earnest for the new game's release on September 28.

As has become tradition, FIFA's top 100 players were drip-fed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch gamers who will be eager play with the best on the new iteration.

Last year cover star Cristiano Ronaldo had the best rating having guided Real Madrid to Champions League and La Liga glory the previous season. This year he is with a new team, Juventus, having left Real Madrid behind after nine fantastic years at the club and he remains at the top, but shares the highest rating with his eternal rival Lionel Messi.

The likes of Neymar, Luka Modric and Eden Hazard are also among the top 10, and EA Sports has announced the top 100.

Check out the full list below.

• Getty Images
  

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo | ST | Juventus | Portugal

  OVERALL RATING = 94

  Pace = 90
  Shooting = 93
  Passing = 81
  Dribbling = 90
  Defence = 35
  Physical = 79

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• Getty Images
  

  2. Lionel Messi | CF | Barcelona | Argentina

  OVERALL RATING = 94

  Pace = 88
  Shooting = 91
  Passing = 88
  Dribbling = 96
  Defence = 32
  Physical = 61

• Getty Images
  

  3. Neymar | LW | PSG | Brazil

  OVERALL RATING = 92

  Pace = 92
  Shooting = 84
  Passing = 83
  Dribbling = 95
  Defence = 32
  Physical = 59

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• 4. Luka Modric | CM | Real Madrid | Croatia

  OVERALL RATING = 91

  Pace = 76
  Shooting = 76
  Passing = 90
  Dribbling = 91
  Defence = 70
  Physical = 67

With 2020 approaching, Goal has decided to pick out the best players to have graced the game over the past 10 years

As the 2010s come towards their end, Goal has picked the best XI of players to have starred over the past decade.

Goal journalists Peter Staunton, Stefan Coerts and Sam Brown formed the selection panel as some of the game's biggest names battled it out for places in the team.

Taking achievements at both club and international level into account, here is what they come up with.

And check out how and why the selections were made right here!

• Getty
  

  GK: Manuel Neuer

  Manuel Neuer has had his injury issues in recent seasons but there has been no more influential goalkeeper over the past decade, as underlined by the fact that he was named the world's best shot-stopper by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) four years in a row between 2013 and 2016.

  Indeed, the German helped redefine the role, ushering in the era of the 'sweeper-keeper' by essentially becoming an extra outfield player in defence thanks to his intuitive reading of the play, excellent ball control and wide range of passing.

  After helping Bayern Munich pull off a historic treble triumph in 2013, Neuer even made the Ballon d'Or podium the following year thanks to the part he played in his nation's World Cup success in Brazil.

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  RB: Dani Alves

  Dani Alves is one of the greatest full-backs the game has ever seen – and he has the medals to prove it.

  In this decade alone, he has won league titles in Spain, Italy and France, as well as two Champions Leagues with Barcelona.

  He may no longer be the force of nature he was in Catalunya, a tenacious right-back with the technique of a world-class winger, but he was still the best player on show at this year's Copa America.

  Indeed, the 36-year-old walked away with the tournament's Golden Ball after leading Brazil to an emotional victory on home soil that means he has now won a combined 40 titles at club and international level.

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  CB: Raphael Varane

  Raphael Varane is still only 26. And yet he has been playing for Real Madrid for the past eight years. During that time, he has won two Liga titles and a frankly ridiculous four Champions Leagues.

  At international level, meanwhile, he lifted the World Cup in Russia last year, even popping up with the crucial opening goal in France's quarter-final win over Uruguay.

  What really makes Varane stand out, though, is not his trophy collection but the elegance and composure with which he goes about his business, consistently nullifying the best attackers in the world with the minimum of fuss or without having to resort to cynical fouls.

  A class act, in every sense.

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  CB: Sergio Ramos

  Sergio Ramos is certainly a polarising figure within the world of football but his status as one of the game's great defenders is beyond dispute.

  Some may question his methods on account of his dreadful disciplinary record, but the Real Madrid and Spain centre-half is as effective as they come, a colossus at the back for club and country for almost 15 years.

  As well as being a master in organising and motivating all those around him, Ramos has proven himself not only a great goalscorer but also a man for the big occasion, having twice netted in Champions League finals.

  He was won four European Cups with Real in this decade, while he also helped Spain win the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship two years later, only further strengthening his case for inclusion in our all-star selection.

Selecting the finest strikes at the just-concluded continental showpiece

• Backpagepix.
  

  Afcon 2021

  While the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations did not produce a plethora of goals, some of the competition’s efforts were a delight to watch.

  A cool 100 goals were scored in 52 games at the finals, an average of 1.92 goals per game, significantly lower than every year’s mean since the 2004 competition, except the 2019 edition where 1.92 goals per game were scored as well.

  Having said that, which efforts stood out in the month-long showpiece?

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  Kelechi Iheanacho vs Egypt

  Nigeria opened their Nations Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over the Pharaohs, and the goal was worthy to win any game.

  After controlling the ball from a headed Joe Aribo pass, Iheanacho struck the ball into the top right corner of Mohamed El Shenawy’s goal with minimal backlift to send the Super Eagles ahead on the half-hour.

  It was typical of the Leicester City frontman who makes it a habit scoring from nothing.

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  Wahbi Khazri vs Mauritania

  Tunisia’s needed a big performance after a 1-0 defeat by Mali in their opening game and they delivered in a 4-0 success over Mauritania.

  This game had a few striking goals but Khazri’s second was probably the finest.

  A goal involving Ali Maaloul, Ghailene Chaalali and the goalscorer, the Carthage of Eagles star man put his team 3-0 up just after the hour mark.

  After sending the ball out to the overlapping Maaloul, Chaalali continued his forward run. The left-back sent a pass into Khazri inside the box but the attacker deceived the Mauritania defence with a dummy, went round his marker and coolly slotted the ball past Babacar Diop after Chaalali set him up.

  Indeed one of the tournament’s finest goals.

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  Gabadinho Mhango vs Morocco

  Malawi went into an early lead in their Round of 16 clash with the Atlas Lions, with Mhango’s effort a beauty.

  Receiving possession in the left half-space, the forward turned, advanced with the ball and, despite being under pressure from Achraf Hakimi and a nearby teammate, unleashed a powerful drive from around 40 yards into the right corner.

  Bono was beaten by the ferocity of the seventh-minute effort which threatened to upset the applecart.

A fabulous long-range shot from out-of-favour Kieran Tierney lifted the Gunners to the last 16.

Arsenal edged to a nervy 1-0 win against FC Zurich to secure their passage through to the Europa League knockout stages as group winners on Thursday night.

It wasn't as simple as desired, but it was job done nonetheless.

After Tierney gave the Gunners a first-half lead with an excellent strike from distance, they had to endure some tense moments after they failed to find a second goal.

With PSV winning at Bodo/Glimt, a Zurich equaliser would have seen Mikel Arteta's side slip to second in the group and left them facing a round of 32 play-off with one of the teams dropping down into the Europa League from the Champions League.

And there was certainly lots of worry in the air as the hosts struggled to build on their ascendency during a scrappy second half.

Zurich even had the ball in the net with 20 minutes remaining, but Adrian Guerrero's close range effort was correctly ruled out for offside.

Arsenal did hold on for the win, however, which saw them top the group and avoid extra fixtures later this campaign.

• The Winners

  Winner: Kieran Tierney

  It's been a tough season so far for Tierney, who has seen himself fall down the pecking order at Arsenal.

  First he saw his place at left-back taken by summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko and then, when the Ukrainian was injured, he saw Takehiro Tomiyasu preferred ahead of him.

  So you could see the pent up frustration pour out of the Scotland international when he gave Arsenal the lead with a thumping half-volley in the first half.

  It was a big moment for Tierney, who was a constant threat down the left flank, and a timely reminder to Mikel Arteta about his qualities ahead of Sunday's crucial trip to Chelsea in the Premier League.

  Winner: Mohamed Elneny

  This wasn't a standout performance by any means, but just the fact that he was back out on the pitch was a big plus for Arsenal and Arteta.

  Elneny may not be one of the superstars of the Arsenal squad, but he is a valuable option who can come in and ease the workload on the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.

  His return to action for the first time since August due to a hamstring injury also allows Sambi Lokonga to move further forward into the slightly more advanced role midfield role where he is more comfortable.

  Elneny lasted 63 minutes before being replaced. Arteta will be delighted to have him back.

  Winner: Mikel Arteta

  Arsenal’s manager probably wasn't impressed with his side’s performance, but he will still be delighted with the result.

  Arteta was desperate to win the group and get a bye straight through to the round of 16 in the knockout stages.

  And the 1-0 success ensured exactly that – with Arsenal now having two less matches to worry about during the frenetic fixture list after the World Cup.

  Finishing as runners-up would have seen the Gunners have to play a two-legged clash in February against one of the sides who had come down from the Champions League.

  But now the Gunners can put their feet up and not worry about the Europa League until March and that will be a major boost to Arteta as he looks to protect his players’ fitness levels during the crucial season run-in after the turn of the year.

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• The Losers

  Loser: Gabriel Jesus

  It felt like Jesus' inclusion from the start was purely designed with the aim of ending the striker's goal drought ahead of Sunday's game at Chelsea.

  But, not for the want of trying, Jesus couldn't end a run which now stretches back to the north London derby success against Tottenham on October 1.

  He had chances, as he always does, but each time he was denied by a fine piece of defending, or an excellent save by keeper Yanick Brecher.

  It's eight games without a goal now for Jesus in all competitions. The positive for Arsenal is that he is still contributing, as his brace for assists against Nottingham Forest demonstrated.

  But Arteta will still be desperate to see his big summer signing back on the goal trail sooner rather than later.

  Loser: Eddie Nketiah

  It was another tough night for Nketiah, who has struggled after a bright start to the group stage campaign.

  He hasn't been helped by being made to start on the left-hand side of the attack in a couple of the games, including tonight, but he would have still have hoped to have made more of an impact.

  He did go close to scoring in the first half when his header was kept out by Brecher, but other than that he never really looked like troubling the Zurich goal.

  With Jesus struggling for goals at the moment, Nketiah has had an opportunity to put some pressure on the Brazilian, but he has been unable to take it.

  Loser: Fabio Vieria

  Like Nketiah, Vieira had an excellent start to the group stage campaign, but he has been unable to maintain that impressive form.

  He popped up in a few good positions against Zurich, which was demonstrated by the fact he had four shots on goal during the 73 minutes he was on the pitch.

  His finishing was poor, however, with one miscued attempt at a spectacular volley summing up his night.

  Vieira is still young and has shown flashes of real quality since his summer move from Porto, but there is clearly quite a bit of work to be done before he can start putting pressure on the likes of Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka for a regular starting spot.

• Arsenal Ratings: Defence

  Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):

  Made a vital stop in the second half to keep Arsenal in front.

  Ben White (6/10):

  Had a big part to play in the goal. Solid again.

  Rob Holding (6/10):

  Made more tackles than anyone. Competed well in the air.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10):

  Seemed to play in the second gear.

  Kieran Tierney (7/10):

  Great goal and was a threat all night.

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• Midfield

  Mohamed Elneny (6/10):

  Nothing spectacular, but Arteta will be delighted to have him back.

  Sambi Lokonga (6/10):

  Played in a more advanced role, but didn't make much of an impact.

  Fabio Vieira (5/10):

  Not a good night. Finishing was poor and looked off the pace.

The Gunners were 2-1 up but suffered late agony, paving the way for their London rivals to move three points clear at the top of the table

With three results changed by late goals, this weekend's Women's Super League action produced plenty of drama and entertainment once again.

Manchester United brought Arsenal's perfect start to the season to an end with a stoppage-time winner, while West Ham broke the hearts of bottom club Leicester in similar circumstances.

Finally, Liverpool came from two goals down to get a point from Brighton, with the game's final goal coming in the 92nd minute.

So, who had a good week and who had one to forget? GOAL breaks down the chaos below…

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  WINNER: Chelsea

  After watching title rivals Arsenal lose on Saturday, Sunday was the perfect day for Chelsea.

  They scored three goals and conceded none in a London derby against Tottenham, putting on a great performance at Stamford Bridge in their first appearance at the stadium this season.

  They also welcomed back Emma Hayes for the match, the Blues manager back in the dugout for the first time since undergoing surgery last month, as they went three points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table.

  Furthermore, with the champions scoring all three goals in the first half, it meant they were able to make a few early substitutions after the break to rest players ahead of a big midweek fixture, against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

  Not a bad weekend at all for Chelsea.

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  LOSER: Arsenal

  Arsenal's 100 per cent record in the league this season came to an end in painful fashion on Saturday evening, with Manchester United running out 3-2 winners at the Emirates thanks to Alessia Russo's stoppage-time header.

  After a poor first half, in which they fell behind to an Ella Toone strike, the Gunners took the lead and looked set to see out the win. But United showed incredible character to fight back and take the three points.

  It is a setback for Arsenal in their quest for the title, and their first trophy in three years. Fortunately, there is a lot of time left in the season for them to recover.

  That will be the interesting thing to watch now, though, as it is the first time this season that this team has failed to win a game of football.

  How they respond will be important, particularly given their next fixture is a trip to Juventus in the Champions League to face their old boss, Joe Montemurro.

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  WINNER: Katie Zelem

  Russo grabbed the headlines for her last-gasp winner on Saturday but Katie Zelem was superb in midfield and her set-piece deliveries were crucial to the result.

  After helping her team to control large parts of the game, the England international whipped in a superb free-kick in the 85th minute that Millie Turner met brilliantly to thump a header off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.

  Once the clock ticked into stoppage time, she then put in another great delivery that Russo connected with to win the game.

  Her ability from these situations is deserving of a 'specialist' tag while her overall performance in a huge game will have caught the eye of Sarina Wiegman, the England coach who often picks the midfielder but doesn't give her too many minutes in games.

  If she can replicate this level of display on a consistent basis, that will surely change.

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  LOSER: Brighton

  Brighton are often portrayed as a well-drilled, defensively sound team that are difficult to break down. So far this season, we have just not seen that side of them.

  On Sunday, it really hurt them, with the Seagulls leading Liverpool 3-1 as early as the 34th minute, only to concede two goals late in the second half – the equaliser in injury time – to drop two points.

  Rachel Furness' 92nd-minute goal was the 26th they've conceded in the league this term in just their seventh game. It's a desperately poor record.

  The club are still looking for a new coach after the legendary Hope Powell left in the wake of a humiliating 8-0 loss to Tottenham last month and things should improve once that replacement is found.

  Powell's successor will look to rectify those issues at the back straight away and if that objective is achieved, Brighton can quickly put any relegation worries behind them, as the reality is, in spite of their long-held reputation, that this is a team with goals in them too.