St Helens playoff hopes hang by a thread after thrashing by Leeds

‘I tell them they don’t need to give us 90 minutes’ Head coach takes charge of first home game on Saturday Andoni Iraola has said it is more important for Liverpool’s forwards to exhaust themselves than perform for 90 minutes as he prepares to make an “emotional” Premier League bow at Anfield. The Liverpool head coach hopes his attacking options will be improved by the arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain and another winger before Tuesday’s deadline, with only Victor Muñoz added to his front line so far. The Basque coach has outlined the demands he will put on his forwards as they adapt to a new era at Liverpool...

The tourists offered little but Jofra again invited us to marvel at what he is and mourn what could have been At almost exactly 4.19pm on the second day of the second Test something almost happened. The sun, only ever grudgingly present, appeared just enough overhead to offer a lime green sheen to the late-season outfield, as weathered as an antique heirloom carpet. Pakistan had gradually slumped under the table between lunch and tea at Lord’s. They were lolling at 110 for nine, product of 37 overs of almost entirely anonymous batting. This is an unusual Pakistan, if only in their absolute and unyielding ordinariness. The classic Pakistan Test team are an uneasy balance of stars, perhaps a little overwhelmed by their own weapons: speed, seam, spin, luminous top-order batting, all mixed in with the ballast of some unspectacular other guys...

Manchester City make it back-to-back wins to start the Premier League season as Crystal Palace slip to another defeat.